Involving parents in a child’s education is special and important, but it is mainly kept to the confines of parents evenings and bad things. However, we all have some experience of a parent we’ve got to know better, maybe the parent of the child who did GCSE, now doing A Level and has been in every school productions possible. That’s a lovely relationship and you know that you have that parent on your side forever more. I want to explore the possibility of building more of those relationships with as many parents as possible, certainly all the parents and GCSE and A Level. Establishing positive relationships where they hear of praise for good work and good progress.

These positive relationships are going to have more impact at GCSE and A Level because parents should be more supportive than in Key Stage 3. Building positive relationships should also make it easier if, and when, things do go wrong. As a parents myself, if I feel that those looking after my children know them well, then I feel happier and less likely to react negatively when things do go wrong. The easiest way of communicating that understanding is celebrating success with parents.

Building as many positive relationships with parents of Key Stage 3 students will massively help with recruitment into GCSE. When a child is facing the complicated process of hosing their options

This is a quick go to guide that I’ve created for my department for when to contact parents and for what reasons in Drama. The rationale behind this is that there is not enough of a relationship between the subject and the parents of the students taking the subject at Key Stage 4 and 5, where in reality, there should be more.

Key Stage 3

Behaviour

Follow the standard school policy on behavioural issues and points at which to contact home. 

Homework

Contact home, via email in the first instance, if two Homeworks in a row (or in close proximity) have been missed.

For more severe cases, continue to contact home via email until the student in question has not completed any homework for an entire term.

Praise

Send praise cards home for every star of the lesson (making sure that no one is repeating within one term).

Key Stage 4 and 5

Behaviour

Follow the standard school policy on behavioural issues and points at which to contact home.

Homework

Contact home, via email in the first instance, if two Homeworks in a row (or in close proximity) have been missed.

For more severe cases, continue to contact home via email until the student in question has not completed any homework for an entire half term.

If the problem persists, invite the parents in for a conversation regarding the completion of homework.

Praise in Key Stage 4 (We follow AQA GCSE)

Send a praise postcard home for any or all of the following reasons:

Good Unit 2 Part 2 Performance (or mid term performance)

Good progress towards Unit 2 Part 2 Performance

Good progress towards Unit 2 Part 1

Good takeaway homework

Good in class Unit 1 written work

Good Unit 1 Mock Exam

Praise in Key Stage 5 (We follow Edexcel As/A2 Level)

Send a praise postcard home or quick email for any or all of the following reasons:

Good Unit 3 Performance (or mid term performance)

Good progress towards Unit 3 Performance

Good progress towards Unit 4

Good in class Unit 3 and 4 written work

Good Unit 4 Mock Exam

Academic Concerns

The first response to any academic concern must be through email (if possible) alerting the parent to a potential problem that will need their support. This must be at the moment when the potential for a problem arises and not afterwards when the problem has become a difficult one. Academic concerns are more likely to rise from written work, although it can be in practical work (although if it is practical work it is usually accompanied by motivation or personal issues from outside the drama studio as well which may well be being dealt with by the pastoral team). Academic issues range in many different thing but the three most common are not doing as well in assessments as previously, a continual downwards trend in assessment results and a lack of progress in assessments. As we have a major practical assessment once a term, the mid-term progress check can be included in the definition of assessment for this instance.