Exams success for Aberdeenshire pupils
Exams success sees improvements in attainment levels for Aberdeenshire pupils Aberdeenshire’s 6,000 senior pupils are finding out how they did in their exams today (Tue, Aug 6) in a year that has seen attainment levels improve locally for those in S4, S5 and S6. Pupils across the area this year entered for a total of 30,000 courses across 65 qualification areas at SCQF levels 2-7. The wide range of subject areas saw pupils study for vocational and academic exams covering the creative arts, design and manufacture, language, early learning & childcare, and engineering – among many others. An analysis of this year’s exam results highlights improvements across all key measures in S4, S5 and S6 as follows: Percentage achieving 5+ awards at SCQF Level 5 by S4 pupils has increased from 53.4% to 54.1% Percentage achieving 3+ awards at SCQF Level 6 by S5 pupils has increased from 40.3% to 44.2% Percentage achieving 5+ awards at SCQF level 6 by S6 pupils has increased from 35.7% to 37.4% A total of 88 young people in Aberdeenshire achieved five straight A passes at Higher level, while 100 pupils achieved between three and six Advanced Higher awards. Welcoming the news was Education and Children’s Services Committee chair Cllr Gillian Owen, who will be visiting Westhill Academy and Fraserburgh Academies to speak with teachers and pupils today. “I’d like to share my congratulations with all the Aberdeenshire pupils who have sat their exams this year,” she said. “Not only is it pleasing to see the overall increase in attainment at these levels, this year’s data is also highlighting how the flexible curriculum is allowing pupils to choose the path that best serves their future ambitions. “I hope all our pupils enjoy a relaxing summer after their hard work and wish them all the best for the future.” Cllr Mark Findlater, committee vice-chair, said: “I would like to pass on my best wishes to all young people who have completed their exams. They have put in a lot of hard work and commitment into achieving the best results they can. “Often it can be confusing knowing what steps to take next, but I would like to remind all pupils who have sat exams that there is plenty of support available for the journey ahead. “Thanks also to the teachers, parents and staff who have supported the young people through their exams. They all make a valuable contribution to shaping our young people’s futures.” This year saw more S4 pupils entered for National 5 courses, although the number of young people entering for courses at Higher and Advanced Higher level fell slightly. Aberdeenshire Council’s Director of Education and Children’s Services, Laurence Findlay, explained: “We see this change as a reflection of an evolving curriculum. Flexible pathways for learning in the senior phase are being developed to meet the needs and future career aspirations of young people. “Increasingly, these needs are being met by skills-based qualifications such as National Progression Awards (NPAs) and Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs), which are delivered in partnership with colleges and employers.” Pupils looking for advice or information can call the Scottish Qualifications Authority candidate advice line on 0345 279 1000, while Skills Development Scotland is offering assistance to those who require careers support on 0808 100 8000.
The importance of school playground safety
Playgrounds play a great part in the development of a child, the memories in a play park are often ones that are remembered. They’re the place where we play and explore risk, socialise with others and create memories that we will treasure long into adult life — but what happens when the risk becomes all too much? Retailers of lawn top dressing and play bark, Compost Direct have provided us with some research on playground safety and some suggestions on how to improve the levels of safety in a play area. We look specifically at the accident rates before offering tips to prevent injury and safeguard children without limiting their play potential. The current accident rate in British playgrounds It is hard to judge the overall playground safety levels in Britain as there is little research surrounding this. However, some studies have taken place that do shine some light on the safety of our playgrounds. One notable study is that done by Play England. They suggest that when you compare the risks involved of playing in a playground to partaking in a sport, the sport poses more harm to a child. For example, rugby has the highest non-fatal accident rate per 100,000 hours of exposure, with roughly 280 incidents. Football and hockey are the next most dangerous, with approximately 130 and 90 incidents respectively. In comparison, public playgrounds have one of the lowest non-fatal accident rates at around 5 incidents per 100,000 hours of exposure. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health and Safety Advisory Group suggest that many playground accidents are due to incorrect design and layout, poor inspection and maintenance, unsuitable clothing and lack of adult supervision – amongst other reasons. Playground safety hazards There are some actions that can be taken by schools to reduce harmful incidents. Of course, children love exploring and being mischievous and often accidents are inevitable. Playground designers cannot be overly safety conscious when deciding how a playground should look or else the adventures and challenges that children enjoy in a play area will be eliminated. However, a well-designed playground will not raise any additional hazards for children and will encourage safe play. When considering the layout of a park, a key thing should be that it is easily accessible by those who need it. Large groups must be able to navigate around the park, disabled children need access and emergency services must be able to reach the play zone in the case of an accident. The materials that are used to create surfaces in the park should have been carefully evaluated and tested for safety hazards. Hard surfaces should be non-slip, especially in rain and adverse weather conditions as this is a common cause of accidents. Impact absorbing surfacing should be fitted around all apparatus to reduce injury level in the case of a fall. This could be in the form of play bark (bark chippings) or sand. Surfaces should be level too, with adequate opportunity for drainage to reduce risk of corrosion on any of the equipment. In a park, there should be plenty of seats around the play areas so that children can socialise. What can teachers do? The key thing that staff can do is keep a watchful eye over what is happening in the playground to ensure effective safeguarding. Keep an eye out for older and younger children playing together. Although we don’t like to think so, this can lead to bullying or your child feeling uncomfortable when they are playing. In this situation, encourage children to play on another piece of equipment. Age-segregated areas can be beneficial for this reason – as well as accessibility reasons. Keep an eye out for any litter too which may be harmful. Take on board suggestions for improvement around playground safety too – ask your pupils about their experiences; they might have come across something that you did not notice.
3 tips to help you promote your school at a fair
Richard Cutmore, Director of TFH Gazebos gives his best advice to promote your school at a fair. Whether you’re there for a school, college or university, attending a fair can help you recruit new students for the next academic year. But with so many other groups in attendance, how can you make yourself stand out from the crowd? Here, I’ll share with you my three top tips on how to promote your school at a fair. Decorate your stand When attending any sort of exposition, whether it’s a trade show or a school fair, the biggest mistake people make is not decorating their pitch. You want people to notice you and recognise your school as they walk by, as this will make them more likely to approach and speak to you. Decorate your pitch with your school colours and logo, including tablecloths, pop-up signs, banners, bunting and even a gazebo. This will make your stand instantly recognisable, and you’ll be showing potential students that you have pride in your institution. Use technology The best way to reach out and promote yourself to young people these days is by making full use of the technology they use in their daily lives. This includes adding video and photo elements to your stand to show off your school grounds to potential students. You could also make use of social media. These platforms can be a great way to reach out to students and parents, but they’re also useful for advertising. In the run up to the fair, post about your attendance and generate a buzz. Make sure you tell students where they can find you if they’re interested in speaking to you. You could also use these platforms to invite people to an open day. Give away freebies Everyone loves a freebie, and they’re an effective marketing strategy when it comes to fairs and expositions. Give away items that will be useful for students to use in their everyday school life. For example, you could give out pens, pencils, rulers and erasers with your school logo and colours on them. This way, they’re still going to be reminded of your school well after the fair has finished. Follow the tips in this guide and you’ll be able to stand out from the crowd when you promote your school at a fair.
How schools are tackling the impact of GCSEs on mental health
With students approaching a new academic year and this year’s GCSE and A-level results just out, discussions have once again been turned to the level of stress that exams, particularly GCSEs, bring on young minds. With the exam intensity increasing each year, levels of stress are also on the rise. The question is whether this stress is a natural motivator, or whether it pushes youngsters too hard – to the point where there is a possibility of developing mental health issues. Childline delivered 2,795 counselling sessions for exam stress between 2018 and 2019. One third of these sessions took place during the exam season months. The most common age for students to seek this help was between 15 and 16, with girls five times more likely to ask for help with mental health than boys. Within this article, we explore the difference in healthy stress and unhealthy stress and highlight that our current exam system may well be aggravating stress levels, as well as the line between stress and mental health conditions and how the two relate to each other. Identifying mental health issues The fact is that healthy stress, toxic stress and mental health are different to one another, although the terms ‘stress’ and ‘anxiety’ are often used interchangeably. We go through stress to help deal with present threats. Whether this is pressure at work, home, or school, this current pressure causes adrenaline to be released and cause a feeling of stress. This is a natural reaction in a short-term scenario. However, if we experience too much stress or if the chemical adrenaline lingers in our bloodstreams for too long, then we can experience anxiety. Anxiety brings a whole host of symptoms with it, including sickness, panic attacks, and dizziness. Anxiety continues to pressure a person long after the pressure-causing event has gone. This can be caused by an internal chemical imbalance, hence the prolonged effects even without a current, identifiable event causing the feelings. This in and of itself can prove upsetting for an individual with anxiety, as they feel there’s no observable reason for them to feel like this. In a nutshell, stress is something we experience when we come across immediate, present threats or pressure. Anxiety is usually longer lasting, and often deals with concerns of the future; it is a response to hypothetical, potential pressures to come. Where stress is a response to a currently occurring issue, anxiety has been considered as an intolerance for uncertainty. When stress is embraced Healthy stress is quite beneficial, but the downside is that its temporary. It is born out of our fight-or-flight instinct, where present threats or pressures took the form of predators more than academic performance! Experiencing stress before an exam is normal. The adrenaline is all part of the body and brain getting ready to perform. It is important that students are aware that a little stress is nothing to fear. It’s normal, and it’s helpful. With a healthy, manageable level of stress, people often perform well. Of course, the key element here is ‘manageable’. When this healthy burst of stress builds and spirals out of control, affecting areas of life outside of the exam hall, then it most certainly isn’t helpful, nor is it healthy. If a student finds themselves feeling stressed outside the exam hall, and that that stress is impacting home life or classroom behaviour, it’s time to look at the issue from the viewpoint of anxiety. Combatting stress Anxiety’s damage comes in, lingers and gets tangled with everything. Often, people suffering from anxiety note that little to nothing seems enjoyable anymore, as there’s something in everything they do that makes them worry more or their feelings of anxiety are so overwhelming that they cannot focus on anything else. Simply ‘taking their mind off it’ isn’t possible. Experiencing jittery feelings and nerves before exams is one thing. But when that worry lingers long after you’ve left the exam hall and starts to extend out into future ‘what if’ scenarios, that’s when anxiety could be developing. Often, anxiety is characterised as a feeling of ‘doom’ in these future worries. The worst-case scenario is, in the throes of anxiety, suddenly a fact rather than a hypothetical. With this in mind, how can schools provide for students in order to ensure stress remains at healthy, short bursts and not a lingering, damaging, and often harmful condition? What schools can do to help Schools can provide a number of methods to help their students in the run up to their exams: • Encourage achievement but avoid undue pressure. — Particularly for high-achievers, the pressure to perform perfectly in exams can be a lot to handle. These students can feel that they not only need to achieve the grade for themselves, but for their parents and teachers or they will risk letting them down. Many may feel shocked or ashamed if they gain a grade 8 in their exam when they were ‘expected’ to get a grade 9. Assure them that this top-tier grade is still that: a top-tier grade, and more than enough to see them on to future success! • Remind students that exams are important, but they are not the most important thing in life. — We’re not saying tell your students the exams don’t matter; of course they do. But make sure the scale is realistic. You want, and expect, them to do their best. Achieving good results here will build a great foundation for their lives. But remind them that a failed exam will not mark them for the rest of their lives, nor will it be the defining of them: let them have a chuckle at some of Jeremy Clarkson’s tongue-in-cheek tweets each year during exam season, such as: “If you’re a level results are disappointing, don’t worry. I got a C and two Us, and I’m currently on a superyacht in the Med.” • Arrange stress-buster sessions. — Learning how to handle and manage stress is a vital skill. Particularly at
CLOSED – WIN – I’m Going To Big School Starter Kit
QA Education has two I’m Going To Big School Starter Kits from My Busy Bots to give away – two lucky readers will receive one each. I’m Going To Big School Starter Kits are a selection of flashcards with questions such as: “What do you do in your day?” and “Can you think of any words that rhyme with these pictures?” – great to spark conversations about a range of subjects and help develop language and communication skills in time for primary school. Over the summer, children are starting their journey getting ready for big school. Buying uniform, talking about new friends and teachers and getting ready for the new routine are all part of this. For My Busy Bots, the brainchild of Candice and Leanne, this summer is the perfect time to gently prepare children for their learning journey through their fun, colourful ‘I’m Going To Big School Starter Kit’. Leanne, a maths teacher, decided to design activities to help her three-year-old to improve his fine motor skills, as her children grow she knows only too well the importance of keeping things fun and educational. My Busy Bots – I’m Going To Big School Starter Kit The I’m Going To Big School Starter Kit is suitable for young children from 3 to 4: The flash cards are designed as conversation starters for your children. There will be different levels of easiness and whilst some may be easier than others, these cards are a great opportunity to bond with your child, and chat about the pictures you see. Language is the most important thing you can prepare your child for at this early stage. Each card covers the Early Years Curriculum – Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Art and Design. The skills the cards are designed to develop include: Fine Motor Skills – pre-writing skills, finger isolation, hand-eye coordination and control Visual Preconception skills. Visual tracking and scanning; visual discrimination; visual figure ground Cognitive Skills: Concentration. language skills and vocabulary; early reading skills. Early maths skills. Life Skills. Patience and perseverance; creativity and imagination; awareness of one’s emotions. My Busy Bots – Busy Bags The Busy Bags contain fun, educational activities that will encourage learning through play. They engage children and keep them having fun, learning and occupied for as long as you need. Busy Bags are an excellent resource for all parents and can be used at home or on the go – the perfect accompaniment for keeping busy minds occupied while you are eating out, travelling or at home making dinner, and alternative to having your child glued to an iPad they are interactive so the family can get involved too. ll activities are presented in brightly coloured, waterproof, wipe clean bags. Each bag includes an activity with all the relevant materials required and an information card. Recommended for children aged 18 months – 8 years old (indication of age on each bag). The information card explains: How to use the activity How to extend the activity as your child develops or for more capable children A list of all the skills being developed whilst doing the activity Fun, educational and creative My Busy Bots products are fun, original and jam-packed with creative ways to foster essential skills for your little ones. We love seeing the fascination and delight radiate from our children while engaging in the activities (and drinking the odd cup of hot tea while we can) and this feeling is something we want to share with other mums and their rascals. Order from – www.mybusybots.com For your chance to win one of two School Starter Kits from My Busy Bots, worth £10 each, click on the Rafflecopter competition here. ***The administrator of this competition is QA Education Magazine (“administrator”). By participating in the competition, each Entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Administrator, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Administrator is responsible for the collection, submission or processing of Entries and the overall administration of the competition. Entrants should look solely to Administrator with any questions, comments or problems related to the Competition. Administrator may be reached by email at socialmedia@euromediaal.com during the Promotion Period. * This giveaway will close at 12.00am, 28th August 2019. * The prize is a “I’m Going To Big School” starter kit. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable. There is no cash alternative. * Open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees of the Administrator, the sponsor, their families and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion. * There is one compulsory entry which requests that to enter the competition you answer a question based on the books. Additional entries are available. * The prize winner will be asked to provide their email address so that contact can be made to arrange prize delivery, and their name and county be published in the next issue of the magazine * By entering the competition, you grant the Administrator permission to add your details to the mailing list, share your email address and any other personally identifiable information with the other competition Entities for the purpose of administration and prize fulfillment, including use in a publicly available Winners list. * Entries will only be accepted as instructed and any entrant that does not complete the qualifying requirements will be disqualified * The winners will be chosen using the random entry selector built into the widget. * The winners will be informed by email within 5 days of the closing date, and must respond within 5 days to claim their prize. If there is no response within the 5 days and new winner will be drawn at random. *This prize draw is governed by English law and the courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising in connection with it. For further T&C and our privacy policy please see here Euromedia Associates Ltd: Privacy Policy https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/66331438/legal**
Gratnells consolidates STEM packaging expertise with international partnership
Gratnells, the global leader in educational storage solutions, based in Harlow, has continued its commitment to enhancing worldwide classrooms by redesigning a CoDrone STEM education kit for a robotics company in the USA. Established 7 years ago in San Diego, California, Robolink make STEM education accessible, engaging and fun for American children and hobbyists. The company encourages students to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on robotics kits, the latest of which required fully customisable speciality packaging. Gratnells, the creators of the iconic Gratnells tray, has been providing solutions directly to more than 68 countries around the world from the UK for over 40 years. Opening a dedicated US operations site last year, the company has solidified its international offering by producing modern STEAM activity and makerspace storage designed to suit a curriculum shaped by the modern world. As education equipment becomes more technologically advanced and sophisticated, an increasing number of STEM kit developers at home and abroad are turning to Gratnells to provide trays and SmartCases capable of housing bespoke kit components. Protective and customisable systems are often required that are capable of carrying inserts for segmenting delicate equipment, small components, electronics and art supplies. For the Robolink CoDrone kit, a tough, lightweight and versatile storage case with ideal qualities for storing delicate parts was selected, Gratnells SmartCase. The Gratnells product development team then established that a suitable solution would need to house all components, spares, controllers and finally assembled drones. A bespoke design of die cut foam inserts with removable sections was created and full customisation procedures were implemented to ensure all components remained secure in pre and post build states. To complete the package, the SmartCases were finished with the CoDrone logo. Wes Hsu, VP of UX & Design at Robolink, said “Customers love the way the parts are laid out and say they just can’t wait to start building. The Gratnells team were able to take feedback and reach a solution that made sense despite have a pretty tough set of parameters for the CoDone case to meet.” Anthony Byrne, Product Manager at Gratnells said, “We are very pleased with the way the solution turned out for Robolink. The SmartCase solution really adds value to STEM coding, robotics and programing kits and the customisation looks great.”
Can technology help the most overburdened teachers in Europe?
Once again, teacher workload is in the news. The issue has been at crisis point for some time, and its impact on retaining members of the profession is profound. Recent figures from the 2019 Teaching and Learning International Survey show that teachers in England work more hours than anywhere else in Europe. Our secondary school educators pledge, on average, 47 hours a week to developing their students – nearly 10 hours more than the European average. Some will say that teaching has always been a demanding profession where going ‘above and beyond’ is the norm. Others will say that teaching is a vocation which calls for dedication and passion, and which is impossible to ‘switch off’ from come the end of the day. However, if we look carefully at the root causes of the strain being put on teachers, it’s rarely the actual teaching aspect of the job which raises problems, it’s the non-teaching aspects. It’s worth remembering comments made just over a year ago by Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the NEU: “The continual long hours spent on unnecessary work such as data collection for arbitrary government targets is not only demoralising but is unsustainable mentally and physically.” Retention rates are down, with a third leaving the profession before they reach the five year mark. Teachers and unions have essentially been saying the same thing for a long while now: admin is killing the joy of the job. Adopting a new solution This year’s Education Technology Strategy unveiled by the Department for Education did instill a sense of direction. A technologically emboldened Damian Hinds pledged to strip away workload that doesn’t add value in the classroom and give teachers the time to focus on teaching. But, while the sentiment is laudable, what’s still lacking is concrete guidance on how this can be achieved. Importantly, schools need support on how to balance lowering workloads whilst improving measurement and increasing accountability; tasks which simply call for more work to be done. Investing in technology might be the strongest argumentfor Hinds to ‘have it both ways’ in terms of improving measurement and accountability while managing workload and positively impacting teacher retention. Mirroring the use of data in the commercial world, we now see more sophisticated adoption of analytics in education – with tech-enabled virtual learning environments powering this move. A learning management platform, such as Canvas, that is fully embedded in your school and used properly, helps save time by automating administrative tasks and reporting processes, driving better teacher and student collaboration, and a less admin-heavy approach to teaching and learning. Whilst some teachers may be concerned of automated systems removing control from the classroom, the right learning management platform and technology partner will not only replace old, time consuming systems and approaches that are not fit for modern teaching but also enable a new way of working that actually frees up teachers’ time to do what they do best – teach. Better measurement allows educators to understand students’ learning behaviours, which courses are being consumed and where students are excelling or struggling. This allows them to personalise students’ learning journeys and demonstrate added value. Why automation works So, automation should no longer be a dirty word in education. Indeed, just as students have to prepare for an increasingly automated workforce, and adapt their skills accordingly, teachers need to do the same. This means seeing technology as an opportunity to change how teachers educate and measure, as well as to tackle the untenable levels of admin. And with continued pressure over Ofsted results, technology can help schools retain or shoot for ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ ratings. Freeing up teacher time to focus more attention on students is exactly the kind of practice that inspectors will be keeping a close eye on as part of the refined requirements around Quality of Education in the framework. Further to this, Instructure’s ability to capture data on learners in a more sophisticated way via the Canvas learning management platform has also fundamentally changed the way that schools can measure progress. Instead of standardised tests, which measure the ability to absorb and regurgitate rote materials, ongoing assessment must appraise research skills, applied knowledge, and practical ability. These tools are vital in paving the way to employment and beyond. The need for education to embrace automation is two-fold – develop technologically and reap the rewards of next-level data analysis or stand-still and risk missing out on the high level Ofsted ratings that are so sought after by educational institutions. There is an opportunity to both manage workload issues and take a more in-depth approach to embrace measurement and learning. However, for this to work, automation needs to be positively viewed and education technology needs to be embraced, even by the most traditional of educators. Sam Blyth Director of Schools, FE & Learning Providers – Europe Canvas by Instructure
Pupils full of bright ideas for improving schools
Primary school pupils are being given the chance to shape the services offered in schools in North Yorkshire and beyond. In the first event of its kind, up to 200 year 6 pupils took part in interactive workshops to give a valuable insight and help to develop a variety of services offered by the county council to schools from recruiting teachers, to making school meals more enticing to teaching maths. The Pupil Innovation Festival was held at Thirsk Racecourse by North Yorkshire Education Services (NYES), which is run by the county council. Pupils were given the chance to trial the use of artificial intelligence with technology partner Century Tech; give their views to Teesside University on the development of virtual reality games to support maths teaching; trial a ‘waste and wormeries’ lesson with Yorwaste, and work with Matt Leivers, Group Chef Manager with the Michelin-starred Star Inn restaurants, to develop new school meals. Emma Grunwell, Head of Marketing and Innovation for NYES, said: “We decided to use a completely different approach to develop our services by focusing on the end user. The pupils had an energised, fun-filled day in the process. It’s been great to see such a positive attitude from the students and such great ideas. “I’m especially keen to see more children making pianos from bananas and getting involved in sampling a meal created by a chef working for a group of restaurants with a Michelin star – not many pupils will get that on their menu every day!” Pupils also talked to staff about what they love about school and what they believe makes a great teacher to help the county council’s in-house teacher recruitment team. The festival focused on helping to raise attainment and awareness of pupil’s mental health. External experts Deputy Mitchell and Chimp Management provided techniques and new ways of working to help pupils to manage their emotions. County Councillor Patrick Mulligan, North Yorkshire’s Executive Member for Education and Skills, said: “Our pupils had so much fun and were full of wonderful ideas so we are really looking forward to seeing some of these come to life over the next few months. We are hoping to continue to use this valuable pupil insight to develop a range of our services, including school catering, school improvement, energy and sustainability and teacher recruitment.” Christina Alexander, a teacher at Alverton Community Primary School, Northallerton, said: “It’s been an education for the pupils in the widest sense, as education isn’t just about lessons – the pupils’ horizons have been broadened through this event, so it has been really valuable.”
Parent-school communication: How much is too much?
ITV’s parenting expert and former Deputy Head Sue Atkins discussesthe best way to engage parents, and the dos and don’ts of parent-school communication… Making the transition from primary to secondary school is both exciting and challenging for both pupils and parents. New larger buildings, as well as new school routes and new friendships must be navigated which can be quite daunting. But it’s also an ideal time for schools to create a strong home to school bond. So, what processes can schools set up to send news and updates without consuming more time for precious office staff while securing parental support for the years to come? And how do schools know when they are overdoing it when it comes to parental engagement? Too many school systems A major culprit of ‘information overload’ can be the sheer number of communication systems a school operates, which can have an adverse effect on parental engagement. A recent survey by parent communication and online payment experts, ParentMailrevealed a disconnect between what schools believe and how they are operating in practice. 62% of schools felt using two or more systems to communicate with parents was detrimental to effective engagement. And yet, a significant 45% admitted they had fallen foul of this trap and were operating more than one parental communication system. Using separate systems for emails, texts, cashless paymentsand booking parent eveningappointments means multiple login details for parents to remember, which can add to confusion and leave parents feeling disengaged. Managing all your parental communication in one place not only creates staff and cost efficiencies but dramatically improves parental response rates too. Keep on track Targeted messaging that is easy to access and relevant will help establish the important bridge between home and school. My advice is to make sure you keep them onside, by being ‘on task’. Think interrogative pronouns! Who, when, why and what. Who do you need to target? When is the best time to reach them? Why do you need to message them? And what do you want to tell them and is there any action they need to take? Year 7 parents want to know how to access homework schedules, not information about GCSEs so ensure your communication is targeted. ‘Pupil post’ may have been replaced by ‘paperless post’ thanks to technology, giving schools greater control over getting the right information to parents at the right time. But there is still a risk important messages will be missed if parents receive too much information from too many sources. Keep it simple – you don’t have to ‘shout’ to get your voice heard. Parent-friendly communication engages and informs, it doesn’t overwhelm or confuse. Simplifying your technology and your messaging will support staff and keep parents onside from the outset. For more information on how to connect your school and parents efficiently and reliably visit ParentMail.