Amesbury School Community Partnership Agreement

This document was developed in the first year of operation to describe how we would work together in a home-school partnership. This document has just been reviewed by the Board of Trustees and we think it is still very current and describes really well how we should all treat each other. As a staff we will use it as the basis of some reflection about how well we are carrying out our role in the partnership. We know there is always room for improvement. Perhaps, this is something we could all do.

If having read this, you have any revisions to suggest, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Amesbury School Community

Community Partnership

1.     Purpose

There is a large body of evidence to suggest that educating children is most effective when there is a strong partnership between home and school. This partnership has a significant impact on the levels of student achievement and happiness of children at school. This research also suggests that the nature and focus of the partnership is significant in terms of what the partnership achieves and how well functioning it is.

The purpose of this Community Partnership document is to establish a framework that ensures parents/caregivers, teachers and students are working together effectively in a way that positively impacts outcomes for students.

2.     Parties to the Community Partnership

The parties to the Community Partnership are Amesbury School:

·         Parents and caregivers

·         Teachers

3.     The joint endeavour: Our task - educating our children

Through:

·         a supportive community;

·         the provision of a broad range of experiences;

·         creative, fun-filled learning programmes;

·         meeting the needs of students and increasingly empowering them to take responsibility for their learning;

·         a culture that is underpinned by strong family values and inclusivity;

continually develop the potential of all our children to be the best they can be, preparing them for their future and developing in them the capacity to be innovative, questioning, authentic, contributing and responsible adults who live well in and for the world.

4.     Roles, responsibilities and expectations of each party

School:

Communication

·         Communicating in a range of ways in an open, regular, clear, concise manner to enable access to relevant and timely information

·         No surprises - informing parents and caregivers early of any issues related to their child’s learning/behaviour

·         Communicating clearly about the school’s philosophy

Transparency

·         Acknowledging the centrality of the role of parents and caregivers in their child’s education by always being transparent and treating parents and caregivers as “insiders” in the education of their children

·         Regularly reporting on student achievement, providing a very clear picture of where students are at

·         Valuing transparency, honesty and integrity in all collection, collation, analysis and reporting of student achievement data

With students:

·         Developing positive relationships  that build their confidence and assist their learning

·         Developing in-depth knowledge of students – their individual needs, strengths, weaknesses, gifts and talents and their preferred learning styles.

·         Having high expectations of students – encouraging and motivating students to aim high and do their best

·         Intervening early – acting quickly when concerns become clear

Learning Programmes

·         Providing a broad curriculum that acknowledges the importance of holistic growth and development including the academic disciplines, the arts, creativity, physical education, learning competencies, social justice, and, seeing diversity as a social good

·         Providing the most effective learning programmes possible, blending the best of traditional and innovative practices

·         Providing programmes that increasingly empower students to take responsibility for  their own learning and ensure that students are engaged meaningfully in shaping their learning pathways

Home:

With your child:

·         Doing the best to ensure children are well fed with plenty of brain food and come to school feeling refreshed and in a good, relaxed, positive frame of mind

·         Spending quality time with children. Having high level conversations with them. Engaging them in talk about school and their learning. Finding the right questions that open up the conversations

·         Ensuring a high level of attendance at school and informing the school in a timely manner of all non-attendance

·         Remembering that each child is on a learning journey and that the journey will look different for each child. Comparing one child’s achievement with another is not helpful or necessarily relevant

·         Taking every opportunity to know your child as a learner

·         Supporting/reinforcing children’s learning. Using the documentation provided by the school to identify areas of need and providing support

Communication

·         Keeping the school informed of all relevant issues and information

·         Being open and receptive to information regarding children’s learning and behaviour

·         Seeking information/clarification when you don’t understand or have not received the information you would find helpful

Engagement

·         Being actively involved/engaged in school activities

·         Attending parent/teacher/student learning conferences  and being proactive in initiating discussions with teachers

·         Understanding the school’s philosophy and contributing to its development.

With teachers

·         Having realistic expectations of teachers’ time and availability

Both parties:

·         At all times, being protective of the school’s reputation and speaking positively about the school with/in front of students, with each other, in the school and wider community

·         Always speaking positively about each other – teachers, parents, students. Giving the benefit of the doubt and avoiding negative, deficit thinking. Not making assumptions – checking things out

·         Showing grace to each other - no one is perfect and all are busy. Being realistic in our expectations of each other

·         Being non-defensive in all interactions and giving consideration to the perspectives of others

·         Providing/taking opportunities to get together and dialogue about issues of importance

·         Contributing to the ongoing development of the school through surveys and consultation processes. But not always waiting until asked – being proactive

5.     Support: The parties agree:

·         To enable, encourage and support each other to carry out their roles and responsibilities

·         To value the contribution made by each party and to make this known to the other

6.     The parties agree that we will treat each other in the following ways:

·         Open communication: Seeking to understand each other’s perspectives and being open to the fact that our own perspectives may not be accurate

·         Use face-to-face communication for difficult conversations as much as possible and arrange an appropriate time and place

·         Be willing to put our names to all feedback and be prepared for it to create a conversation

·         Be positive in the way we feed back. Praise and encourage each other and always be solutions-focused

·         Ensure all interactions are respectful, appropriate and kind – concerned with the other’s good as well as our own

·         Honour our commitments

·         Value each other’s cultural perspectives

7.     Resolving differences

Addressing concerns with the person concerned using the approaches outlined above will be normal practice at Amesbury School. If after these “normal” approaches, concerns still remain, the school will have a Complaints Policy which will outline good practice for taking the matter forward.

8.     Review of the Partnering Document

The Community Partnership will be reviewed annually and shared with the community regularly.

9.     Appendix A: Complaints Policy