Amesbury School Partnering Document and Complaints Policy

Introduction

Last year Lesley worked with a group of parents to create a document that describes the kind of relationship/partnership that we would like to see exist between parents and the school to benefit the learning of the students. As part of this development, the parents ran focus group sessions in which parents were able to feedback regarding expectations of the relationship between school and home. Staff were also included in the consultation. Having collated and analysed the data from this consultation, the draft partnering agreement was written up and reviewed several times by the parent group and the Board of Trustees. Below is the final document. Please feel free to feedback any thoughts you might have. Also included is the Board's Complaints Policy. This policy provides guidelines for how complaints should be made to ensure the process guards the dignity, rights and personhood of both complainant and the person the complaint is directed at. And most importantly, to ensure that relationships remain positive and open.

A big thanks to Melinda, Simon and Debbie who worked with Lesley on this project. 

Apologies for the dodgy formatting. Microsoft word is not completely compatible with Blogger.

Amesbury School Community

Partnering Agreement

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 Partnering Agreement is to establish a partnership 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 Partnering Agreement

The parties to the Partnering Agreement 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 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
• Regular 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 with students that build their confidence and assist their learning
• Developing in-depth knowledge of the students – their individual needs, strengths, weaknesses, gifts and talents and their preferred learning styles.
• Intervening early – acting quickly when concerns become clear
•  Having high expectations of students – encouraging and motivating students to aim high and do their best

Learning programmes

•   Providing a broad curriculum that acknowledges the importance of holi
• stic 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 don’t always wait until asked – be 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. For Complaints Policy see Appendix 1.

8    Review of the Partnering Document

The parties agree to review this Partnering Agreement annually.

9      Appendix A: Complaints Policy

Complaints - Operational Policy

Rationale

While Amesbury School is focused on providing the best possible service to students and community, there will be occasions when the school’s practices do not meet certain standards or expectations, and a parent, student or others may wish to complain. Managing complaints appropriately, using fair and consistent practices, is an important aspect of the school’s operations and, by being open, provides an opportunity for the school to review its practices and improve them.

Relationships are central. The way the school deals with complaints will influence whether relationships are built and made better, thus strengthening the school; or whether negative feelings prevail, thus weakening the school.

This policy links with the partnering document developed with the school community which describes our shared understandings about how we work together in the best interests of the students and the community in general.

Purpose

To provide clear procedures that enable staff, management and Board to utilize the best possible practices when addressing complaints and to ensure that all relevant legislation and employment contracts are abided by.

Principles:

1. Receiving a complaint provides an opportunity for self-review.
2. The process should be honoring and respectful of all those involved.
3. The purpose is to find solutions not to apportion blame. The problem is the problem. The person is not the problem.
4. In the first instance, complaints are always best addressed face to face (kanohi ki kanohi) than via a written form.
5. Small issues escalate into big problems over time when they are not dealt with.

Procedures:

Step 1:

1.       In the first instance, parents are encouraged to discuss any concerns they may have regarding their child’s education with the person concerned. They are encouraged to make an appointment to ensure a mutually acceptable time outside of normal classroom hours. All complaints should be expressed and received in an open and honouring manner. Due to the openness of the staff member, parents should leave feeling listened to and with some certainty that the issue will be addressed. An action plan should be agreed upon.

2.       Quick progress on the action plan should follow. At an appropriate juncture, there should be a follow up meeting with the parent to discuss progress to date. This should be arranged prior to the end of the first meeting. These meetings should continue until all parties are satisfied with the outcomes. Senior leaders should be informed of all complaints.

Step 2

3.       If the issue is not resolved to either party’s satisfaction, the next step is for the complainant to make an appointment to speak with a Hub leader or the principal. If the complaint is directed at the principal then a member of the Board of Trustees should be approached. It needs to be noted that at this point in time, this is not a formal complaint but the Trustee will try to resolve the problem, (through the principal if the complaint concerns staff) with the parties concerned. The procedures outlined in one and two above should be followed.

Step 3

4.       If the matter remains unresolved, or if the matter is an allegation of serious misconduct, the next step is for a formal written complaint to be sent to the Board of Trustees’ Chairperson. The Chairperson will inform the principal of receipt of the complaint and have the complaint put on the agenda of the next Board meeting unless it is urgent in which case a special meeting may be called. The complaint will be acknowledged in writing within three days of receipt.

5.       In the meantime, the principal and Chair will investigate the matter to ensure that all relevant information is received and all parties have the opportunity to respond in full to the complaint. If the complaint is against the principal, the Chair will identify other Board members to assist with the investigation. It is likely that the Board of Trustees will seek direction from New Zealand Schools’ Trustees Association or other relevant agencies to ensure that they follow procedures that align with all legislation and collective contracts and best practice.

6.       When all relevant information has been received, the Board will consider the complaint in committee and determine a course of action. The Board’s decision should be forwarded to the relevant parties in writing as well as being delivered in person.

7.       Conclusion:

Relationships are central. In the case of complaints, the school will follow procedures that honour people and recognise the importance of maintaining productive and caring relationships.