Parents
Parental involvement is a key ingredient in children’s education. The extent to which parent/carers can reinforce educational values and actively support the teachers’ task is crucial for their own children. Engaging, communicating with, and seeking the views of parents/carers along with other stakeholders is of vital importance to the Academy.
Home Learning
We expect students to engage in study at home. It is not possible or desirable to complete the work for any examination course in the lessons alone. Our home learning policy is designed to encourage students to have the responsibility of managing their own time. We have a set timetable for home learning although the amount of work will vary from subject to subject and from week to week. We aim to set assignments that will extend and complement the work undertaken in class and we value the support of parents and guardians in achieving this aim.
The Academy Student Planner is issued to all Key Stage 4 students and is a vital tool in helping students to organise their time, record targets, progress and rewards and keep up to date. Students are responsible for taking the planner to every lesson and for recording any home learning set. It must be available for tutors to read and sign and parents are asked to read and sign it weekly (if possible). The Planner provides an important link between home and school and also contains key information about the Academy and learning.
PROVISION FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS
The Academy provides additional support and opportunity to stretch and challenge the most able students. All such students are placed on our Gifted and Talented register and their progress carefully monitored. They have the opportunity to take additional courses (such as Critical Thinking) in Year 11 and to attend special trips and visits, including Universities, in order to extend their learning outside the classroom. They also provide peer mentoring across the Key Stages.
REPORTS AND PARENTS’ MEETINGS
Our system of reporting is designed to give insight into progress and to give students helpful and realistic targets to enable them to do their best. Monitoring of individual progress and achievement in each subject takes place every term and tutors help tutees to set personal targets. We expect students to monitor their own grades however, a written report will be sent home once a year.
We now provide six flexible Parents’ Evenings throughout the year to discuss progress and development. Parents will be contacted if a subject teacher or tutor feels a particular issue needs to be discussed. Priority for the Parents’ Evenings later in the year will be given to those parents who have not yet had an opportunity to discuss progress. Our system, designed in response to parental feedback, will allow greater time for liaison between subject staff and parents/guardians.
As well as these specific occasions, parents are very welcome to discuss aspects of a student‘s life at any other time, simply by making an appointment, either with Tutor, Year Head or Subject Teacher. The Academy may also seek to discuss a matter with parents. There are a number of other functions that afford the opportunity to meet with Academy staff such as the Excellence Awards Evening, Post 16 Options Evening and Higher Education Evening.