Home School Agreement

Our Home School Agreement explains the terms under which Yardley Primary School, parents/carers and pupils will engage.  This agreement is valid for the period of time your child attends Yardley Primary School.

We are committed to providing a high standard of education by:

• Teaching pupils to reach their full potential and maintaining a high level of expectation in terms of academic achievement and conduct.

• Providing pupils with a wide range of learning opportunities through a broad and balanced curriculum.

• Meeting the needs of pupils of all ability levels by giving extra support or extending skills as required.

• Setting challenging targets for each pupil and sharing these targets with parents and pupil.

• Maximising the attendance of all pupils so that they can fully access the curriculum and make the best possible progress.

• Providing an annual report and information to parents about each pupil's educational progress and general development.

We are committed to making school a safe and happy place to learn in by:

• Prioritising your child’s welfare.  There may be occasions when our concern about your child means that we have to consult other agencies even before we contact you. The procedures we follow have been laid down by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board. If you want to know more about this procedure, please speak to the Headteacher.

• Monitoring attendance and supporting pupils whose attendance is a cause for concern; working in partnership with parents/carers and other agencies to resolve any difficulties.

• Encouraging pupils to be positive about all aspects of school, including learning at home and the many other opportunities offered.

• Providing pupils with a set of clear rules and maintaining an atmosphere of positive discipline.

• Working in partnership with parents, keeping them fully informed of their child’s progress and being available to discuss problems as and when they arise.

• Providing opportunities for parents to be fully involved in their child’s learning through workshops or meetings, and via the school website and other online services where work can be accessed for sharing at home.

• Providing opportunities for pupils to learn how to co-operate and share and to develop respect for all people, each other and the environment.

• Passing on medical and educational information that parents provide where appropriate.

Parents/carers must:

• Send their child to school every day (unless the child is unwell), on time and properly dressed to make the most of their time in school.

• Ensure that pupils are dressed in the correct school uniform, including correct PE kit and appropriate Forest School clothing when necessary.  Also ensure that your child doesn’t wear jewellery (such as rings, necklaces and bracelets due to health and safety reasons) and doesn’t wear, can remove, or brings plasters to cover, any earrings on PE days.

• Inform school of pupil absence on the first day of absence.  This can be via phone (0121 464 3235) or email (office@yardleyprimary.org).

• Support and encourage their child’s learning by:

  • • reading with them regularly and practising their phonics;

    • practising any number work, such as number bonds and times tables;

    • accessing the ‘Learning At Home’ packs, that are available on the school website should they choose to; 

    • encouraging good behaviour.

• Attend Parents’ Meetings to look at work and discuss progress. Please arrange an alternative appointment where possible if time and date of meeting is unsuitable.

• Work together with school staff to maintain good behaviour and to achieve this, parents must:

  • • accept and support the school’s behaviour policies and practices.

    •  treat all members of the school community (including other parents/carers) with respect and politeness.

    • ensure that pupils behave responsibly online and are not allowed to use social media apps, services or websites underage.

    • behave responsibly online and on social media apps, services and websites themselves, setting a good example to children.

    • support school by accepting the consequences of non-compliance.

    • be compliant with the Yardley Primary School’s British Values Statement (see below).

    • abide by the Parental Code of Conduct. This is published on our 'Policies & Statements' page here.

• Respond promptly to school’s requests for consents and information, both online and via paper letters.

• Support and encourage our School Values and British Values (see below).

• Let the school know of any concerns about their child's education, attend meetings at school to discuss progress and to learn about the work of the school

• Inform school of any factors which may affect their child’s behaviour and performance.

• Ensure that the school office is informed immediately of any changes of address, phone numbers (landline and mobile), emergency contact names and numbers and medical information and updates. 

• Not take pupils on holiday during term time. 

• Respond and contribute appropriately and positively to the school online, including on the school social media pages and blogs.  Concerns or issues should not be discussed online – school social media sites are not the right platform for this.

• Check their email regularly for letters, messages and emails sent from school.  The school uses email as their main form of communication with parents.  Therefore, to ensure that important information is not missed, all parents must take responsibility for checking emails regularly and ensure that school is informed of any change of email addresses immediately.

Pupils must:

• Attend school regularly and punctually.

• Take pride in their appearance and wear the correct school uniform, including appropriate PE kit and Forest School clothing when necessary.  Do not wear, remove, or brings plasters to cover, earrings on PE days.

• Be polite to other people in school and also in the community; behave in an honest and sensible manner, showing respect for the fabric of the school and for their own and other people's property.

• Work hard in lessons to develop their abilities to the full and to meet the targets set by the school.

• Read regularly, practise phonics, number bonds and times tables.

• Be good citizens by helping teachers truthfully with investigations and telling them if you know that someone is being bullied.

• Make sure that ‘Everyone is welcome in our school’.

• Ensure that behaviour and conduct is exemplary:

  • • when representing the school on trips, events and sport.

    • when travelling to and from school.

    • when in the community, whether this is in the virtual or the physical community.

    • by not bringing valuable items into school, as the school cannot be held responsible if lost, stolen or damaged.

    • by behaving responsibly online and not using social media apps, services or websites underage.

• Only bring a mobile phone to school if they walk to/from school alone. The phone must be handed in at the beginning of the day to the school office and collected at the end.

• Keep their computer password confidential and use the school's computer systems according to the rules laid down.

• Always strictly follow the Pupil Digital Safety Agreement when using the technology and the internet.  This is published on our 'Policies & Statements' page here.

• Not ride their bike or scooter across the playground.

In order for pupils at Yardley Primary School to use the internet and technology safely, the school, the pupil and their parent/carer have a number of responsibilities. Each must agree that these responsibilities are recognised and understood.

Your child will also have responsibilities regarding the use of technology and the internet.  These will be discussed in school with their class teacher, with each child ‘signing’ an agreement to show that they understand and will follow the school rules on technology and internet use.

The school

As part of the school’s Computing scheme of work and as a requirement of the National Curriculum, pupils are required to learn how to use technology and the internet appropriately.  Yardley Primary School recognises that the use of technology and the internet are core skills for children to learn, but also understands that there are risks involved in the use of these resources.

The school has therefore introduced the specific safeguards listed below. These form part of a written policy which is regularly reviewed.

• Pupils are not permitted to use technology, internet or email unsupervised and without permission.

• Pupils must only visit websites that the school has permitted.

• Pupils must only send emails to individuals that a member of staff has permitted.

• Pupils are provided with a ‘safe search’ facility to search for content on the internet.

• Pupils are not permitted to download programmes or files.

• The school’s internet connection will always have levels of content filtering that are compliant with DfE (Department for Education) requirements.

• The school monitors its computer network with software which allows the school to monitor pupil computer activity, including websites that have been visited and text that has been typed.

Parent/carers must:

• Read and understand the specific conditions outlined above by the school.

• Understand that inappropriate material exists online and that safeguards are necessary.

• Understand that their child must follow the rules set out by the school in using technology and the internet.

• Agree to support the school in promoting online/digital safety at home.

• Accept responsibility for setting moral standards in their online behaviour and use of technology for their child to follow.

• Accept that their child will be held responsible for their own deliberate actions online and using technology.

Everyone is welcome in our school

At Yardley Primary School we value the diversity of our staff, our pupils and their families.  We observe a variety of events and our curriculum includes lessons, assemblies and performances to celebrate these. We have found this approach to be enriching for all parties as it teaches tolerance and respect for the differences in our community and the wider world. 

We know that the components of British Values are not exclusively “British” and are held dear by other nationalities, it is essential that schools keep children safe and prepare them for life in modern Britain.

Our aim therefore is to actively promote and embed the fundamental British Values of:

• Democracy (respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process)

• The rule of law (respect for the basis on which law is made and applies in England. Support for equality of opportunity for all)

• Individual liberty (support and respect for the liberties of all within the law)

• Mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs (respect for and tolerance of different faiths and religious and other beliefs)

Actively promoting also means that pupils, staff or parents expressing opinions contrary to fundamental British values will be challenged.