Thursday 30 October 2014

Parent Council Minutes - Meeting 5 October 16th

Attending parents/carers of:

Lily Reynolds, Mollie May Harrop, Maisie Moss, Harry Vincent, Nathan Owsley, Ethan Borrell, Vittorio Omwnanghe

Mr Drakes welcomed all parents to the fifth meeting of the parent’s council and thanked everyone for attending. Mr Drakes explained again the rationale for the meeting
1.    Opportunity for parents to work alongside school staff to further develop the school and the progress of the children.
2.    Become more involved in school life.
3.    Clarification on school policies, routines and practices.
4.    Further develop informal and formal communication processes.

Myth Busting
There is no requirement to be a ‘member’
You do not have to be ‘invited’
It is open to all parents – but we are aware that many have jobs/commitments which make it difficult for them to attend
All views are welcome and respected

·        Actions from previous meeting
o   Mr Drakes to publish more details on the website of how to apply for FSM status
o   Mr Drakes to update the School Improvement Plan to reflect agreed areas for parents to support school improvement
o   Mr Drakes to add curriculum discussion to the agenda for the Parent Governor meeting
o   Mr Drakes to publish information on blog and website about FoB
o   FoB to pass on details of events planned
All actions carried out

·        SEN Update
o   Coffee morning held – information on new SEN Code of Practice
o   Mrs Hoffman is now meeting with parents if the SEN status of their child has changed due to new Code and letting them know about the support that will be in place
o   Next date for parents to come and meet the team Thursday November 13th @ 9am
o   School Nurse drop ins
o   There has been some attendance at these. Parents had requested access to the school nurse, but there are still spare times as the drop in sessions haven’t been full so far.
o   EHCP & SS now passed on to parents during consultation – see above comment
Action
New date for SEN Coffee morning to be published on the blog

·        Curriculum Update
o   The new curriculum which came in from September 2014 has now been placed on the school website for parents to look at:
o   Our approach to the National Curriculum is to focus on the skills needed that will help the children throughout their life. We refer to this as…
o   Essentials curriculum to underpin planning
§  Key skills of an author, historian, geographer
§  Basic, Advanced & Deep learning approach
§  Curriculum map for topic areas & experiences – this was shared with parents to show the different areas of study across the school
§  Homework expectations in new curriculum
§  15mins reading
§  15mins spelling
§  15mins mental maths (times tables)
o   The changes to the curriculum mean that we should offer a ‘Broadford Curriculum’ to run alongside the ‘National Curriculum’.
o   With the Broadford Curriculum we presented the parents with…
§  Learning Challenge ideas – feedback from parents was that this was a useful way of extending the children at home.
§  Experiences Entitlement
·      We explained that we believe that our school should provide a wide range of experiences for the children as many do not get sufficient enrichment at home.
·      Parents where provided with a variety of activity ideas for the Experiences Entitlement part of the Broadford curriculum.  Parents then suggested some additions: 
o  bark rubbing in Nursery
o  Year 6 pupils an opportunity to work with Contender Charlie (for leadership based on Shakespeare: a group specialising in bringing Shakespeare to life within a school environment and guiding young pupils in the exploration of their emotional development and creative potential. 
o  Visiting and exploring our local history, specifically the Old Manor at Havering Atte Bower
o  giving pupils an opportunity to see and explore old cars and buses - allowing pupils a view into the past
o  trips to the zoo
§  Volunteering opportunities – pupils are to be issued with a tracker to record their volunteering and will then be eligible to earn rewards
§  10 Expectations for each Year Group in EYFS & KS1
·      These are based on the suggestions for Nursery pupils: able to enjoy a book, know the meaning of the word ‘no’, able to dress themselves, able to speak in full sentences
·      Would be developed for Reception & KS1
·      Included as part of a pupil passport so that parents knew the expectations

·        Role of parents
§  New H&S parent required – Rachel Borrell & Lilly Reynolds Nan
§  Parents to meet new pupils and get their views of the school – Mrs Moss, Mr & Mrs Harrop
§  Parents to help get the Parent View website updated – Lilly Reynolds Nan
§  Maths Party Days – dates for these would be published on the newsletter. The first is Palm on Friday 7th Nov @ 9am. This is a chance for parents to come and have a go at the Times Table Rockstars and experience what the pupils have to tackle each day.
Action
Mr Drakes to speak to parent volunteers about dates and times for them to carry out their roles

·        Free School Meals
o   Numbers of FSM in each Year group – this data shows that there are some Year groups where there are parents eligible but they aren’t claiming.
o   Issue over funding for some families – can they contact on our behalf
§  Parents said that they would ask any families they knew of who may be eligible to check with Mrs Taylor
o   What you can benefit from? Any other ideas from parents that would encourage participation?
§  Leads to additional support from the school with uniform costs
§  School is able to subsidise the cost of trips and residentials
§  Additional resources purchased for pupils: new play trail, sand pit
§  Employed additional staff to support pupils and groups

·        AOB

o   Uniform
§  Parents raised concerns that the quality of the uniform has declined. Could the school look into it with the supplier and try other ways of getting the uniform?
                   Action
§  To check the quality of school jumpers etc
§  Look at ordering through Tesco or Sainsbury
§  Marks & Spencers - set up an embroidery badge
o   Parental Engagement
    Action
§  Include invite on the notice board
o   Other ideas for improvement
o   Less leaflets – parents pointed out that important information about school can be lost in the midst of promotional materials for school suppliers or clubs
o   Can class teachers ensure that pupils are out of class on time at 3.15pm: families have other clubs to attend, are urged to be punctual
o   Can Mr Drakes ensure that he finishes briefing by 8.30am on Fridays?
o   Parents gave examples where they felt that teachers could have been more considerate about letting the children go to the toilet
o   Water bottles - when are they being washed? Are the right lids going back to the right bottles?

·        Date of next meeting

o   Thursday 15th January 2015


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