Teach-Secondary-Issue-14.5

Allocating funds As a long-serving school business professional, I’ve experienced these kinds of budget pressures first-hand over many years, and tried perhaps every possible way of addressing such needs as they come up. Whilst I’mhappy to share some of my experiences with you here, I should point out that they won’t necessarily work in every setting. I’ve seen various levels of success from themmyself at different times, so treat themmore as potential ideas and starting points, rather than absolute recommendations. To start with, there’s the funding we (and in all likelihood, you) receive for disadvantaged students in the form of Pupil Premium. One of the more obvious ways of internally supporting families has been through our Pupil Premium strategies – which has now become easier to do, following a loosening of government restrictions on what those funds can be used for. Allocating some of this funding to support school meals, for instance, is one such use, since we all know that a student doesn’t learn well when they’re hungry. Inmy setting, we set some PP funds aside for subsidised items of uniform, school trips and school equipment. We also operate a hardship fund and breakfast provision, partly supported by PP funding. Outside assistance If we want to go beyond this, then the only practical route is to secure additional sources of funding – one of which could be sponsorship of your school by one or more external organisations. If you’re thinking that doesn’t sound easy, then you’d be right – but having tried various forms of this myself in the past, I’ve found that there are some key points worth noting. The best sponsorship arrangements tend to emerge out of existing external relationships. We’ve done this by looking at local companies and individuals, and then proposing partnerships with our school via the traditional careers route, finding commonalities and making a connection. Once you’re past the point of initial contact, you can then broach the question of how they might be able to support you – potentially in kind, or via volunteer support in the first instance, ARE YOUR PARENTS IN THE LOOP? Schools use a range of methods to keep families informed. Some parents like the convenience of checking homework, behaviour updates and lunch money balances on their phones. Others prefer a quick phone call for urgent matters, and texts or emails for everything else. The challenge lies in finding the right balance, so that families can be kept engaged and informed without feeling overwhelmed, or overloaded with unnecessary administration. A good first step is to understand what information parents value most, and how they prefer to receive it. These insights can then be used to devise a communications strategy that ensures relevant information is shared consistently, in a way that’s easy for parents to act on. Patterns and trends The information schools record around attendance, behaviour, progress and wellbeing can be used to spot trends and intervene earlier to support individual students, year groups and cohorts across a trust. Your data may, for example, show a pupil receiving fewer behaviour warnings after lunch. This could indicate that they’re arriving at school in the morning without having had breakfast, but are more settled once they’ve eaten. A quick chat with the child and their family – perhaps with an invitation to join the school’s breakfast club? – could be all that’s needed to get them back on track. It might also be possible to see that the number of pupils in school drops sharply during the final two weeks of the spring term, and that those children with lower attendance are more likely to fall behind. Knowing this, a school or trust could plan out a targeted campaign of parental communications highlighting the importance of routine, and offering practical tips they can use to keep their children motivated as the term draws to a close. Sharing information in this way can both strengthen home-school links and improve student outcomes. Home-school communication that makes a difference Schools that take a proactive approach to communication – sharing timely, tailored information that parents want and need – will see a positive impact on pupils’ progress relatively quickly. Whether it’s spotting patterns in attendance across a group of schools, or gaining a clearer understanding of the circumstances behind a single pupil’s behaviour, open and timely communication is the foundation schools and families need if they’re to work together effectively and help students succeed. Four steps to better parental engagement 1. Share a range of information – This can include attendance, behaviour and pupil rewards. Highlighting both successes and areas where support may be required will help to build strong home-school relationships. 2. Surveys of parents and guardians – Ensure you’re providing the information they value, in the formats they prefer. 3. Establish clear communication channels – Use phone calls for urgent matters, and app notifications, texts or emails for routine updates. 4. Set consistent expectations – You can increase parents’ trust and levels of engagement by clarifying what information will be shared with them and when. Edward Farmilo is a former teacher, now senior leader for education at the school payments, communications and data provider VenturEd Solutions; for more information, visit venturedsolutions.co.uk 46 teachwire.net/secondary