Communication

The Head and staff are available, either informally or by appointment, to offer support and advice on any matter concerning your child’s education.

Teachers

There are a number of ways in which you can gain further information relating to your child. If any queries or issues arise with your child’s academic progress, the first port of call should either be your child’s relevant subject teacher or their form teacher (Reception to Year 4) or form tutor (Years 5 & 6). This will usually enable any matter to be dealt with quickly and effectively.

Each subject area is led by a Head of Department, all of whom meet on a regular basis to discuss academic matters and children’s progress under the direction of the Director of Teaching and Learning (DOTL). Form teachers/tutors are available in their classrooms at the end of the day for informal conversations and information.

Appointments for lengthier discussions with either your child’s form teacher/tutor, Head of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Head of Pre-Prep or DOTL or Deputy Head Pastoral can be made at mutually convenient times. To contact individual members of staff, emails should follow the following format: firstname.surname@princesmeadschool.org.uk

A full staff directory is available on the school website.

The Pupil Planner

In Reception to Year 4, your child will bring home a pupil planner which holds information about their homework, reading and spellings. You are kindly asked to check your child’s planner at least once a week.

In Years 5 & 6 pupils log into their Seesaw accounts to access their homework. Messages may be sent directly to teachers via email (firstname.surname@princesmeadschool.org.uk).

Welcome Evening

The annual Welcome Evening is an important event in the school calendar and parents are strongly encouraged to attend. It is held towards the beginning of the Michaelmas Term and offers an opportunity to meet the staff and get a feel for your child’s daily routine. Staff contact details, class timetables and topics of study for the year will also be available at these times.

Parents' Evenings

Parents’ Evenings are an opportunity for you to have a brief (5 or 10 minutes) meeting with some of your child’s subject teachers to discuss progress and targets. If issues need to be discussed at greater length, it is normal for the relevant teacher and parents to arrange to meet at a mutually convenient time; something which may occur at any point in the school year.

Parents’ Evenings are held either in person or online. Parents are invited to meet the form teacher/tutor and the other teachers involved with the class by appointment to discuss academic and social progress.

Michaelmas Term

Reception to Year 4 Meeting with Form teachers

Years 5 & 6 English, Maths and Form teachers

Lent Term

Reception to Year 3 Meeting with Form teachers

Years 4 to 6 All subject specialists and Form teachers

Summer Term

Nursery meeting with Key Person for pupils transitioning to Reception at Prince's Mead

Reception transition sessions with Reception and future Year 1 Form teacher

Pre-Prep drop-in sessions are held in the Michaelmas Term and after class assemblies. These are an opportunity to spend time in your child's classroom.

Reports

Michaelmas & Lent Term

Form teacher comment and end of term grade card for all subjects.

Summer Term

Full end of year written progress report.

Calendar

The online School Calendar on SOCS provides a daily, weekly or monthly view of all the after-school clubs, school events, sports matches, trips, residentials, mufti days, Nearly New Uniform Shop opening days and times, PMA events, holiday clubs and assemblies that are taking place throughout the year.

School Correspondence

School correspondence and information is sent from the school office via email. Please note the email is a no-reply address. Text and voice messages are used to deliver shorter, more urgent messages and are very effective especially during adverse weather. A record of all emails sent to you can be found on the 'School Emails' section of your Parent Portal. If your contact details change please update them in the 'Contact Details & Leave Requests' section of the Parent Portal.

Parent Portal

The Parent Portal is where you can:

download your child's academic reports
view your child's timetable
request a leave of absence
see details of your child's teaching groups and teachers
access your invoices in the statement of your account
review the medical information we hold for your child
see the contact information we hold for you and request a change
see a history of emails sent to you from the school (please note: this does not include The Link or any 1-1 email correspondence you have with the school)

Event Bookings and Class Chat Groups (Classlist)

The Classlist app is used for booking onto all our school and PMA events. You can also use it as an alternative to WhatsApp to set up a Year Group or other Prince's Mead Community chat group. To sign up you can either access it online via the Classlist website or download it from the App store on your phone.

‘The Link’ Weekly Newsletter

Prince’s Mead produces an email newsletter once a week, called ‘The Link’, which includes school notices and dates for your diary. This is emailed to parents on a Friday. If you experience any issues receiving The Link, please email the.link@princesmeadschool.org.uk.

If you would like something featured in The Link then please email it to the.link@princesmeadschool.org.uk. Please note that the following guidelines apply to content featured in The Link:

We only promote events and initiatives that are related to the Prince's Mead community. Some acceptable examples include:
- sporting achievements of a pupil
- an amateur dramatics performance that Prince's Mead pupils are taking part in
- a charity fundraiser that Prince's Mead pupils, parents, or staff are organising or taking part in
Prince's Mead reserves the right to make editorial decisions regarding the inclusion of any content.

Parents' Handbook