Parent Forum
Our Parent Forum offers all our parents and carers a voice
The Terms of Reference for the forum are detailed below.
The Forum members are all Class Representatives and as such may also have a key role in providing assistance to FoSG organising volunteers etc. The Forum is NOT a conduit for specific areas of concern around individual children, these should be directed in the first instance to the class teacher and then escalated to the Headteacher or Senior Leadership Team if necessary. If you have any suggestions or questions that you would like to be discussed at the next Parent Forum meeting, please contact the appropriate Class Representative prior to the next Parent Forum meeting. |
Guidelines for Class WhatsApp Groups, set out originally at Parent Forum on Friday 17th June 2022 and then agreed & amended Parent Forum on Friday 22nd September 2023.
At the beginning of each academic year the Class Representatives set up a WhatsApp Group for each class.
The main purpose of these groups is to share important information regarding class activities, reminders of events, deadlines, dates in the school calendar, quickly and efficiently. The WhatsApp Groups are an extremely beneficial tool when used successfully. However, depending on the situation, it could also become negative on occasion. Swing Gate School sets out below some polite rules and etiquette regarding the use of the Class WhatsApp Groups to avoid this.
Points to note:
- the group should be used to make our lives easier and not become a nuisance
- it is a quick and easy network for Class Representatives to remind parents of school activities and Friends of Swing Gate events. We ask parents to reduce the amount of casual chat so important messages do not get “lost” making the group ineffective
- parents should always refer to the official channels of communication from school, including classroom staff and Headteacher, in the first instance. The class WhatsApp group should function mainly as a source for reminders and information
- the group should be used keeping in mind mutual respect and cultural sensitivity between all its members
- we ask parents to be considerate regarding the time they post messages.
We encourage the use of the groups for:
- questions and reminders about deadlines, school activities and events including what date the home learning is due, reminders of non-uniform days and payment deadlines for trips
- sharing important information already posted on the website to help reach more parents such as alerts about sickness, school policies
- lost property notices
- sharing information which can be useful to the other parents in the group such as where to buy costumes for dressing up days, ideas for projects
- foster a sense of community to enable organising playdates or sharing the invitation for a birthday party (only if the whole class is invited), planning end of year gifts
- sharing relevant community notices such as road closures or new traffic lights in the local area.
We discourage the use of the groups to:
- gossip
- voice grievances
- share personal problems
- point out another child’s behaviour
- discuss the work of teachers. If a parent has a concern regarding the teacher, that parent should speak with them directly or speak to the Headteacher.
- raise individual concerns or complaints. If a parent has a particular concern or complaint regarding the school or any member of staff, that issue should be raised directly with school (the Headteacher or a member of the Senior Leadership Team)
- share political posts or discussions.
Feedback for discussion at Parent Forum meetings should be sent directly to the Class Representative or emailed to the school at admin@swinggate.herts.sch.uk.
The Class Representatives will self-moderate the group to ensure that the guidelines are being adhered to.
In addition, the terms of reference get reviewed at the start of each academic year.
Swing Gate Lane, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 2LJ
01442 863913
admin@swinggate.herts.sch.uk