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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 panels: maintained schools Find 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 Save time with our template letter to let complainants know the outcome of a complaints panel.
- Complaints procedures: academies Understand the process for handling complaints in academies, from the stages of a complaint to who should be involved and when.
- Dealing with complaints: a summary for governors UpdatedGet a summary of the rules on handling complaints – including against the headteacher, governors and chair – and see a quick overview of how the process usually goes. You'll also find some help if you need to go remote.
- 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.
6 articles
Engaging with parents & the community
- 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 Find out what questions you can ask about your school’s newsletter and what you can expect it to cover, so you can make sure your school’s community is kept up to date.
- 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.
- Statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform NewThe DfE has published new statutory guidance on the cost of school uniform. Find out what this guidance means for your school and what you need to do to comply.
- 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.
- The board's role in improving parental engagement UpdatedIf poor parental engagement is a concern for your school, the board can play a role in driving improvement. Understand what you can do to improve ties with parents.
5 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.
- 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 Understand your role 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.