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Parents & the community
7 articles
Complaints
- Banning parents from the school site A summary of the government guidance on barring or removing parents from the school site, plus expert guidance for governors on reviewing a ban.
- Complaints appeal hearings: academies What is the recommended procedure for an academy complaints appeal hearing? We look at the legislation and relay advice from one of our associate education experts. We also link to an example of an academy appeal hearing procedure.
- Complaints appeal panels: maintained schools Guidance on the procedure for convening a complaints panel, procedures for a hearing, and the role of the clerk and complaints panel chair.
- Complaints panel: decision letter template Use our template letter to let complainants know the outcome of a complaints panel.
- Dealing with complaints: a summary for governors A summary of the rules on handling complaints – including against the headteacher, governors and chair – plus a quick overview of how the process usually goes.
- Dealing with persistent or unreasonable complaints Serial and unfounded complaints can be time-consuming and stressful for both headteachers and governors. Learn how to manage this effectively and find out where you can get help with particularly tricky situations.
- What not to do when you get a complaint 6 common mistakes that governors make when dealing with complaints – and how to avoid them.
8 articles
Engaging with parents & the community
- Encouraging parents' feedback: governors' responsibilities Find out about your board's role in relation to gathering parents' feedback, and see ways in which you can collect it.
- Governors' reports to parents Do we need to produce an annual report for parents? It is no longer statutory for governing bodies in England to produce an annual report for parents, although those in Wales are required to do so. This article features a KeyDoc with a suggested format for a report and links to examples from schools.
- Home-school agreements If you decide to have a home-school agreement, take a look at examples from schools to get some inspiration for what you can include in yours.
- How to help your school improve links with parents As the chair of governors, find out some practical ideas of what you can do, and what you can suggest to your school, to encourage stronger ties with parents.
- Parent and staff surveys: governors' role Surveys can be an effective way to gather feedback from parents and staff, but there's a right and wrong way to do it. Read this to be sure you're on the right track.
- School newsletter: governors' role What should we expect to see in our school's newsletter to parents? This article sets out advice from 3 of The Key's associate education experts on governors' role in relation to the school newsletter. It also links to a further article on forming a school communications strategy.
- Social media: how to prevent and respond to poor parent behaviour Parents can sometimes be defamatory, negative or inappropriate on social media. Take these steps to prevent and deal with any incidents.
- Strategies for communicating with parents and other stakeholders How should the governing body communicate with stakeholders? We relay advice from our associate education experts on developing a communication strategy for the school. We also look at communications policies from schools.
6 articles
Websites, social media & marketing
- Governor biographies: template and examples Biographies are a useful way to introduce governors to the school community. See some examples from other schools and then use our template to create your own governor's profile.
- Managing the school website: guidance Who is responsible for managing the school website? We relay good practice advice on managing a school website from two associate education experts and the ICO. We also look at guidance on data protection and confidential information.
- Marketing your school effectively How can we market our school to prospective parents? This article has a KeyDoc guide to developing a marketing strategy. You will also find advice on raising a school's profile in the community, and using social media to communicate with parents.
- Raising the school's profile in the local community How can the school raise its profile in the local community? We relay advice from two of our associate education experts on what a school can do to raise its profile in the community. We also look at how to publicise the school and at examples of how schools engage with their local community.
- School website: publishing information about the governing board Find out what governing board information you're required to publish on your school website, and download our checklists for maintained schools and academies to make sure you haven't missed anything out.
- School website: publishing requirements and your role in it Find out what your role is in making sure your school website complies with publishing requirements. Use our checklists if you want to dig deeper to check your school or trust website is compliant.