Parent & Carer Information
Home - School Partnership
The home-school partnership is vital and valued greatly here at Bluecoat. A significant part of this partnership is communication and we endeavour to keep parents and carers fully informed throughout their child's journey with us, but also to engage and consult with them to gather valuable information to inform and develop our practice.
Our methods of communication are outline below, and above there are a number of links to pages containing lots of useful information. Please let us know if there is other information that you would like to see.
Face to Face
Most often, the best method of communication is face to face. We have an open door policy and class teachers are generally available at end of the school day to discuss any concern or answer any questions. We politely remind parents and carers to be mindful that teachers often have meetings after school so unless it is urgent, it may be more appropriate to make an arrangement beforehand if possible. Formal parent consultations to discuss and review progress are held twice a year but we are always happy to arrange additional progress meetings with parents should the need arise.
Parentmail PMX
At Bluecoat Primary school we use Parentmail PMX as our formal method of communication to parents and carers. It is used to send out the majority of letters and is also used to order school meals, make payments and complete forms, such as consent forms or parent and carer questionnaires.
New parents and carers are automatically signed up to Parentmail PMX using the email address provided on the S11/2 admission form. When an account is created, the user will receive an email in order to verify the account and create a password. These verification emails often divert to the spam or junk folder so it important to check. After the account has been set up, users can download the app on a smartphone or tablet should they wish to.
If you have queries regarding the Parentmail system, please speak to a member of the office team who will be happy to assist you. There are also parent help pages available on the Parentmail website if you would like more information.
News
We like to share news stories about the experiences that our pupils have had both in school and on educational visits. News will be shared on our website and also on our school Twitter and Facebook accounts, subject to parental permissions. Where appropriate, we like to celebrate good news stories in the local press and Torrington Crier magazine. We also like to celebrate good news stories from home so if a child has achieved something wonderful or enjoyed a special experience, please share the news with us.
Going Home Book
Each class in Chapter 1 and 2 (up to Year 3) have a going home book. This is where any changes to the usual collection routine must be noted to ensure that the member of staff dismissing the class is aware of who is collecting each child. We ask that parents and carers make a note in the book but if the change is short notice, please phone the office and a member of the admin team will update the book.
Useful Information
Talkworks is a free, confidential, NHS talking therapy service, part of IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies), for people (aged 18+) in Devon (excluding Plymouth), helping you to feel better and giving you the tools and techniques to improve your mental and physical wellbeing.
Turn2us helps people in financial need gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and other financial help – online, by phone and face to face through our partner organisations.
The Way We Talk training programme is breaking the link between speech, language and communication needs and disadvantage, exacerbated by COVID-19, to improve relationships, resilience, social, emotional, mental health and life chances. It is giving parents, carers and professionals the opportunity to upskill in this area and close the gap left by the pandemic.
Information_for_parents_-_2023_national_curriculum_tests_at_the_end_of_key_stages_1_and_2.pdf
2024_Information_for_parents_Multiplication_tables_check_PDFA_v1.1.pdf
Bluecoat Book Exchange
The ‘Bluecoat Book Exchange’ exists following our move to the Floppy’s Phonics programme; we have many books which did not fit with the new reading levels and therefore cannot be used as core learning texts. These books are, however, suitable for parents to share with their children to provide reading practice and encourage a love of reading together. Families who want to make use of this resource, which will be suitable initially for children from Year 1 and Year 2, will be able to come into the cafe at drop off and pick up times to choose and swap books on a daily basis.
A bookmark will be given to all families who wish to be involved, with stickers to be awarded each time a child has shared a book. Once the bookmark is full it can be posted in our ‘Bluecoat Book Exchange Raffle’ box from which six bookmarks will be drawn each term. The winning six will then be invited to a celebratory tea party, during which they will be able to talk about the books they have read.
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