Parents Meeting - Thursday 10th September 2020

Parents Meeting
Thursday 10th September 2020
6pm - 8pm 

Summary
 
I hope to capture the essence of this meeting in the following summary.
Please also see the PowerPoint shared during the meeting.

Attendees
In the room:
Elizabeth Underwood – Executive Head
Tara Penny – Head of School
Emma Neath – Chair of Governors
Mel Holyoak - Governor
Lucy Loveday – Parent
Hazel Fox – DMAT Vice CEO
Parents and school staff

On Teams:
Dan Morrow – incoming DMAT CEO
Trustee - Morgen Witzel
Parents
54 attendees in total.
 
Structure of the meeting
Elizabeth Underwood introduced attendees and the vision for the school
Lucy Loveday spoke about the need for open and transparent dialogue between school and home
Tara Penny shared a wish list of resources and practical support
Mel Holyoak introduced a fund raising scheme
Emma Neath explained the Parent Governor role and explained how to get in touch with the school about this and other forms of communication
Please see the slides for details
Lucy Loveday and Hazel Fox ensured parents in the room and on line had opportunity to have their questions raised.
 
Main Points of discussion and questions raised were

• Why is the school asking for financial help?

Dan Morrow spoke of the national picture and Elizabeth Underwood of the local one. In a nutshell, we have less money due to national cuts and we need to increase our number of children on roll as this is our main income.

• Why has the school reduced members of paid staff?

The school did not have approval to set a deficit budget, so temporary teaching contracts were not able to be renewed. As a result, HoS and Music specialist have to class share. Grounds maintenance is being provided by a MAT wide contract, but gardening education is not able to be funded at the moment. However, with the support of parents, we hope to open up the forest school area to the rear of the school field for regular use, as well as one aspect of the Groundforce day to prepare various areas of the school for pupils to use for planting, learning and supporting their social/emotional needs.

• Why have certain resources gone, such as the library book loan scheme?

Again a financial decision. The Book Drive brought in a lot of donations to help counter this, many thanks to parents for organising this. We are looking at other less expensive possibilities, including MAT wide sharing.

• Why has there been a change to the after school care offer?

Breakfast club and after school club were not cost effective. Staff are now providing an hour before and an hour after school in the form of an interest club to help meet the needs of working parents, encourage more children to use this and to bring in some income to sustain clubs.

• Does the school have plans in place for improved remote learning should there be another lockdown?

Yes! The MAT has secured a grant from the DfE to establish an online learning platform. This will enable more interactive teaching and learning. A purchase scheme for Chromebooks is also in the pipeline.

• Will there be a Year 6 residential?

We are exploring venues/locations for a Three Hares Y6 residential within the UK at present, but will need to wait to see what COVID-19 guidance is issued in this respect.

• How are children going to catch up and how is the school going to support them?

All teachers are assessing children in their classes currently. Gaps are being identified and catch-up is being implemented accordingly. The MAT is applying to be part of the National Tutoring Programme which is being implemented to provide catch up for pupils.

• Have exit interviews been conducted with parents that have left the school?

Yes – Tara Penny has communicated with the parents that notified us of their decision to withdraw their child from the school.

• How can volunteers support the school at the moment?

Tricky at present with COVID restrictions, however there are options for outdoor support (ground force day) and after school practical support (library). We need a Chair for the PTA and there will shortly be a Parent Governor election; however this role will be a Three Hares role, across the three schools, not just for Chagford.
 
Parent questions were raised on line before the meeting, during the meeting in the room and via conversation held in the Teams chat bar, and recorded on paper and left with Tara Penny at the end of the meeting.
The meeting closed with Elizabeth Underwood thanking all attendees.
The overwhelming feel of the meeting as positive and supportive. We all want the very best for our children and have some practical ideas about how we can support this.
 
Actions

• Tara to share current pupil number update
• Tara to check availability for a Ground Force day and liaise with DMAT re RA for H&S. Focus areas and tasks to be prepared for the event.
• A prioritised ‘wish list’ to be shared with parents
• Mel to issue fundraising letter
• Chloe and Sue to share the role of Chair of PTFA until we recruit
• Emma to advertise post of Parent Governor across the Three Hares

Next meeting: Tuesday 10th November

​chagford_parent_meeting_10.9.2020.pdf