Parents angry over school meeting letter
FAMILY WOULD GET ‘HOME VISIT’ IF THEY COULDN’T ATTEND BRIEFING WITH HEAD
PARENTS have hit out at a school after they were told they may need a home visit if they missed a meeting they were summoned to.
Staff at Philips High School, in Whitefield, sent letters to all parents at the beginning of the school term instructing them to attend a 30-minute briefing with headteacher, Tina Owen.
They were told the meetings, one for each year group, would cover a range of issues, including parent partnerships, new behaviour and assessment systems, as well as a new curriculum and extra-curricular activities.
The letter concluded: “If for any reason you cannot attend, please try and send an alternative family member. If this is not possible, please inform the school office so that we can arrange a home visit by members of our senior leadership team.”
Some parents took issue with the ‘bad-mannered’ tone of the letter, and some say the meetings were ‘unnecessary.’
Ms Owen says the message was not a ‘threat’ but a chance to involve parents in their child’s education.
Mum Diane Burdaky was one of those unable to attend one of the meetings on Monday night. “I was annoyed at the tone of the letter,” she said. “It was very badmannered. I emailed them and said I can’t go and they directed me to the school website where the briefing had been uploaded.” She said she believed the letter was symptomatic of a wider problem with communication. “They are calling us into school for silly reasons. It was just a headteacher’s briefing about my daughter and the subjects she would be studying. “It was not something we should have been required to go into school for. They could have explained it to the kids then put it in a letter.” Others also raised their concerns on the Parents of Philips High Facebook page.
One said: “’All parents are to Diane Burdaky attend,’ that is not an invite, that is an order. What happened to common courtesy?”
But Ms Owen, said the offer of the home visit had not been intended as a ‘threat.’
She added: “This was a positive move in order to keep parents informed and up to date with their child’s education.
“School is developing partnership working with parents and they need to understand the new framework within education.”
A text message has since been sent on behalf of Ms Owen to parents unable to attend the briefing.
It reads: “I am sorry you couldn’t attend my recent briefing. We realise it was short notice. Leaflets and power-point are on the school website. Please read.
“If you do require a home visit or separate meeting let your child’s head of year know. Briefings will now take place every term, dates will be on the website by the end of this week”.