Stephen Hawking School values the important role that parents/carers play in their child’s education and we are proud of the strong and positive working relationship we have with parents/carers. We recognise that when a child has special needs this can make separating from parents/carers, to come to school, more difficult - both for the child and their parents/carers. The following guidelines set out how we aim to support parents/carers and children through this process.

Early Years

When a very young child enters school the parents/carers are able to visit their child in class whenever they want, and are free to telephone their child’s class at any time of day.

Helping children to become as independent as possible is a very important part of our work at Stephen Hawking School. This includes helping children to cope with being away from their parents/carers during the school day. As children progress through the Early Years we will work with parents/carers to support this.

The maximum time we expect parents/carers to attend with their child is half a term after the child has started school (unless there is a medical reason for the parent to attend). We expect children to be attending school full-time by the time they enter Reception and preferably by the time they leave the first Nursery class.

Key Stages 1 & 2

When children reach Key Stage 1 it is expected that they will participate in the school day without the presence of their parents/carers. This supports the child in becoming more independent and ensures that teaching and learning, which is at this stage more structured, is not disrupted.

There are regular opportunities for parents/carers to participate in activities alongside their children during parent/carer workshops, good work assemblies and whole school events. Parents/Carers are not generally invited to accompany their child on educational visits but may be asked if they can attend if their child has complex medical needs.

There are plenty of opportunities for parents/carers to communicate with their child’s teacher either through the use of home/school books, by telephone or by making an appointment. We would ask that if parents/carers wish to speak directly with the class staff that they telephone after 15.15.