Hall Green Infant and Nursery School

Our Community Expectations

We aim to develop our children as young people in order to support them to become citizens and positive contributors to the local and global community.  We work hard to ensure the children and all members of the school community enjoy a safe and positive experience where they are valued, respected and most of all have fun!

We use our School Rules as well as our Values and Aspirations to support children to be prejudice free, tolerant and actively curious about different families, faiths and beliefs in their community.

We are a Rights Respecting Schools and as such we aim to create a safe and inspiring environment where children are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive.  We teach children about their rights and their responsibility to respect and support other people’s rights.  We encourage children to use the language of rights and responsibilities. We have achieved the Rights Respecting Gold Award in recognition of the values and ethos seen in our children and school community.

Our families recognise that educating children is a process that involves partnership between parents, teachers and the school community.  It is really important to have a good working relationship between home and school to equip children with the necessary skills for adulthood.

Staff take great care to provide an exemplary education for each child and the children overwhelmingly treat each other with kindness and respect.   They are a real credit to us all.

As adults we are expected to be great role models for all our children so they learn to be good citizens of the future.

We place a high importance on good manners, positive communication and mutual respect.

We want to ensure that all adults who visit our school or are in our school community build upon the example set by the pupils and conduct themselves in such a way as to be exemplary role models.

We expect parents and other visitors to behave in a reasonable way towards all members of school staff.

We expect parents, visitors and carers to be great role models by:

• Respecting the ethos of the school and do all they can to support it at all times.
• Understanding that both teachers and parents need to work together for the benefit of the children.
• Demonstrating that all members of the school community should be treated with respect and therefore set a good example in their own speech and behaviour both in and around school.  This includes when parking around school and crossing roads around school.
• Seeking to clarify a child’s version of events with the School’s view in order to bring about solutions to any issues that may arise.
• Correcting their own child’s behaviour, especially in public where it could otherwise lead to conflict, aggressive behaviour or unsafe behaviour.
• Approaching the school to help resolve any issues of concern.  This should be done through the appropriate channels by speaking to the class teacher, a member of the senior leadership team, or the Chair of Governors so they can be dealt with fairly, appropriately and effectively for all concerned
• Treating school property and the school environment with respect.
• Following school expectations and protocol at all times.
• Ensuring that all children are protected from harm and immediately reporting anything they believe is putting children at risk.

In order to provide our children with the right role models, Hall Green Infant and Nursery School will not tolerate parents, carers or visitors who exhibit any of the following:

• Disruptive behaviour which interferes or threatens to interfere with the operation of a classroom, an office, office area or any other area of school grounds, including at school events.
• Aggressive, abusive or insulting behaviour or language from a parent/visitor, as this presents a risk to staff or children.  Unacceptable behaviour is anything that makes a member of staff or a child/ren feel threatened.  This can be through face-to-face contact, on the telephone or in written communication (including social media).
• The following is not an exhaustive list but seeks to provide illustrations of such behaviour:
• any kind of insult as an attempt to demean, embarrass or undermine
• any kind of threat
• raising of voice so as to be intimidating
• physical intimidation, e.g. by standing very close to him/her or the use of aggressive hand gestures
• use of foul or abusive language
• any kind of physical abuse or threat of physical abuse
• allegations which turn out to be vexatious or malicious
• refusing to leave site if requested to do so
• negative racist, sexist or homophobic comments.
• Damaging or destroying school property.
• Abusive or threatening emails or text/voicemail/phone messages or other written communication.
• Defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments regarding School or any children/staff/parents at Hall Green Infant School on Facebook/WhatsApp or other social media sites (see next page for more detail).
• The use of physical aggression towards another adult or child.  This includes physical punishment against your own child on school premises.
• Approaching someone else's child in order to discuss or chastise them because of the actions of this child towards their own or another.  (Such an approach to a child may be seen to be an assault on that child and may have legal consequences).

Inappropriate use of Social Network Sites/Internet

There are instances of social media websites being used increasingly to fuel campaigns and complaints against schools, Headteachers, school staff and in some cases other parents and/or pupils.

School considers the use of social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc. in this way as unacceptable and not in the best interests of the children or the whole school community.

We understand that parents create groups on social media with other parents.  This is usually class based and is a great way of reminding each other about events such as trips, presentations, what might be needed to bring into school etc.

However, it should never be used to share of discuss concerns about school, actions taken by school or about a child/parent/staff member in school.  This is an appropriate use of social media and could leave individual users liable to legal action.

Any concerns you may have should be raised through the appropriate channels by speaking to the class teacher, member of the Senior Leadership Team, or the Chair of Governors, so that they can be dealt with fairly, appropriately and effectively for all concerned.

In the event that any pupil or parent/carer of a child/children being educated in Hall Green Infant School is found to be posting libellous or defamatory comments on social media sites, they will be reported to the appropriate 'report abuse' section of the network site.  All social network sites have clear rules about the content which can be posted on the site and they provide robust mechanisms to report contact or activity which breaches this.  Hall Green Infant School will also expect that any parents/carer or pupil remove such comments immediately.

In serious cases, School will also consider its legal options to deal with any such misuse of social networking or other sites.

Cyber-bullying and the use by one child or parent to publicly humiliate another member of our school community via social networks will be treated seriously.  Thankfully, in Hall Green Infant School, such incidents are extremely rate.

Parents, carers and pupils are not allowed to take photos anywhere on school site without the permission of the Headteacher.  This includes on the playground before and after school.

Photos taken that show children other than their own must not be posted on the internet or on social networks.