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Thursday 4th November 2021
Dear Families,
Communication and WhatsApp groups
As is now the case in most schools, many of you will be members of school class or year group WhatsApp groups. Used productively, they can be a convenient means of sharing useful information and reminders. Even though my children are now at secondary school, I continue to use them to communicate with other parents/carers and check on school pick up times, uniform requirements etc. Without this invaluable source of information and advice, my children would have arrived in the wrong place, at the wrong time and with the wrong kit on multiple occasions!
My personal and professional experience has sadly also given me an insight into the negative impact that school WhatsApp groups, and other forms of social media, can have. They have the ability to share misinformation at lightning speed and abusive or personal comments about children, families and staff which inevitably leads to a great deal of upset, worry and sleepless nights. The posting of libellous or defamatory comments can also have serious repercussions.
With this in mind, I urge you to contact school directly if you would like to discuss, or learn more about your child’s experience at school. Staff are very happy to catch up at mutually convenient times and can do this in a number of ways. Phone calls, face to face and virtual meetings can easily be arranged. Please phone school (01242 512391) or email [email protected] if you would like to organise a meeting with a teacher.
Teachers are looking forward to meeting with you all next week on SchoolCloud (our online meeting platform). Please sign up for your appointment as soon as possible.
Sam Ashton and Phoebe Wilcox (members of our family support team) are also here to help. You can email them directly via [email protected] and [email protected] . Raising children in our increasingly complex world is far from easy – please do not hesitate to reach out for help, guidance or reassurance if you need to.
Thank you for your continued support and contribution to our community. Your children are actively embracing their time at school and it is a pleasure to watch them grow and develop. We look forward to inviting you into school in the coming months so that you can experience this first hand. Please watch out for updates and invitations in our weekly newsletter.
Yours truly,
Alison Godfrey