Who to talk to if you have a concern
Working Together: How We Support Communication with Families
We want the very best for your child, and strong communication between school and home is essential in achieving this. If you have a query or concern, here’s a brief guide on who to contact. If you’re unsure, simply give the office a call, and they’ll be happy to direct you to the right person.
Our Commitment to Families
With over 1,000 parents and carers connected to the school, we work hard to meet with everyone as quickly as possible. We will always aim to provide a private space for you to discuss your concerns and, where necessary, involve other professionals to offer additional expertise or perspectives.
We value equitable and respectful relationships with our families. To foster positive communication, we ask that all conversations remain calm, courteous, and respectful. Our staff are here to help and should not be subjected to aggressive or inappropriate behavior.
Our Response Times
We aim to respond to all queries within 48 hours. Please rest assured that we take all concerns seriously and strive to address them as efficiently as possible.
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In the first instance, it is important to have a discussion with the subject teacher. They are really happy to listen to your views, find out what you know and share how we are working with your child at school.
The best time for class teachers is usually after school when they can make an appointment that gives you both enough time to discuss in depth. Please email the relevant teacher and ask for an appointment.
If you need further support or feel your situation is not resolved, it may be helpful to speak to the Head of Department.Staff roles and email addresses can be found in our Staff Directory.
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Your child’s form tutor is the best person to speak to if you have a concern about their wellbeing. This might be general concerns about your child’s experience here at STFS.
If you feel that the concern may need further support or if it is not resolved with the Form Tutor, please speak to the relevant Head of Year.Staff roles and email addresses can be found in our Staff Directory.
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Our Attendance Officer can provide you with ideas and support to ensure your child gets the education they are entitled to through good attendance and punctuality.
Hannah Dobbs, Attendance Officer - hannah.dobbs@sirthomasfremantle.org
The school office can also help with attendance and absence queries. -
You may wish to talk with your child’s class teacher or our Special Educational Needs and Disability Coordinator (SENDCO) Fiona Ell.
We also have an Inclusion Manager, Harriet Bartley who overseas the classroom support for students.
Both can be contacted at sendco@sirthomasfremantle.org - please email to request a meeting. -
For details about payments and the Arbor school portal, please speak to the school office. The school office can also advise you on free school meal applications, uniform, trips and clubs etc.
Please pop in, call us or email us with your query to office@sirthomasfremantle.org -
If you have a concern that you wish to share with someone, please speak with the school office and they will pass you on to the relevant person. Different concerns can sometimes mean different professionals. Maria Elmes and Fiona Ell and are our designated safeguarding leads who look after concerns around children’s safety and wellbeing. Email: safeguarding@sirthomasfremantle.org
If you think a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.
If you have a concern about a child, please call 01296 383962 (Bucks) or 01908 253169 (MK)
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If we have not been able to resolve your concern via the Form Tutor, Subject Teacher, Head of Year or Head of Department, then we would recommend speaking with the Assistant or Deputy Head.
If your concerns are still not satisfactorily resolved, please speak with the Headteacher.Staff roles and email addresses can be found in our Staff Directory.
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Please email office@sirthomasfremantle.org
Our Office Manager, Joleen Russell, will respond to your enquiry or pass it on to the most appropriate staff member.
When concerns cannot be resolved informally
We are committed to working in partnership with parents and carers and aim to resolve concerns quickly, fairly and at the earliest possible stage.
In most cases, concerns can be addressed through discussion with the appropriate member of staff and do not require a formal complaint.
If you remain dissatisfied after reasonable attempts have been made to resolve a concern informally, you may submit a formal complaint in accordance with the school's Complaints Policy.
The purpose of the complaints procedure is to review concerns that have not been resolved through informal discussion and to determine whether the issue has been handled fairly, reasonably and in accordance with school policies and procedures.
To support clarity, consistency and efficient handling of complaints, formal complaints should normally be submitted using the school's online Complaint Form.
Before submitting a formal complaint, we encourage parents and carers to:
ensure the concern has first been raised with the appropriate member of staff where possible
provide a clear summary of the issues they wish the school to consider
explain the outcome they are seeking
Further information can be found in the school's Complaints Policy.
Please note
The complaints procedure is not an appeal process for behaviour sanctions, suspensions, admissions decisions, safeguarding concerns or matters where separate statutory procedures apply. Information about these processes can be found in the relevant school policies.