REPORTING PROGRESS TO PARENTS

Reports are sent home throughout the school year to inform you of your child’s academic and personal achievements. These will either be in the form of grade cards, with student attainment, effort and progress, or full written reports which will include the grade card plus feedback from the class and/or subject teachers. The reporting schedule will be shared with parents early in Term 1.

PTMs are held for all year groups / subjects and provide an opportunity for you to meet with the teachers and discuss any aspect of your child’s education and progress. The meetings will run on an appointment system and details will be sent home in advance. The format of the PTM (online or face-to-face) might vary across the school, and will be communicated to parents in advance of the meetings.

It is always better to talk to somebody early on to avoid the prospect of a minor problem becoming a larger issue. We encourage parents to communicate with the class teacher throughout the year by making appointments as required.

Should the school have concerns on a child’s progress, then a meeting will be arranged with the parents to come in and meet the relevant academic staff.

Tapestry, an online learning journal, is used in Mini Dragons, Nursery and Reception to record all of the children’s learning and development.  Observations are sent to parents.

Family Time is an opportunity for parents of children in Mini Dragons to Year 6 to visit their child’s classroom. Parent Time allows your child the opportunity to share their learning with you. It is not an opportunity for a one-on-one meeting with the teacher. Children should take the lead in Family Time. 

We offer individual programmes for students with a diagnosed specific learning difficulty as well as offer provision for students who may require learning support at some point during their academic studies. 

All provision is aimed at the individual student’s special learning needs and is cross-curricular wherever possible. Student support is often through individual, small group withdrawal systems or in-class support and is carried out by our learning support team who use effective learning strategies and appropriate programmes to help remove barriers to learning in mainstream classes. 

DBS can only admit children with moderate learning needs and there might be occasions where the individual support requires an additional charge. These matters will be addressed with individual parents as appropriate.

For children for whom English is a second language, studying English language based subjects could initially be challenging. The LeS Programmes provided by DBS aim to raise students’ self-esteem in overcoming any challenges and facilitate access to the Cambridge Curriculum.

DBS has developed a bespoke English Language curriculum and is also developing English Language programmes for specific purposes to suit students' individual requirements. Upon entering the school, all learners undergo an individual assessment in order to clarify these needs. We actively encourage parents to be part of this process.  The programmes:

• Help children for whom English is a second or additional language build self confidence in learning and participating in an English school environment.

• Enable learners to develop language through interactive child centred activities where the teacher acts as a facilitator and guide.

• Develop student’s English language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

• Help children be active while participating in academic and non-academic activities conducted in English.

• Assist children listen and respond fully to English speaking teachers.

• Help children to produce quality work in English and make presentations in English in a confident manner.

DBS offers intensive LaS for students who have some English language proficiency, but are behind in their age appropriate benchmark assessments and/or other assessments at key points throughout the year. The students are withdrawn from some of their regular lessons for small group and/or one-to-one tuition. This support programme requires an additional cost to parents.

At DBS, we recognise the role that well-being plays in the education of children. Well-being is part of the whole school curriculum and is taught alongside and through, other curriculum subjects. 

We believe that children learn best when they are engaged in first-hand experiences. Where there is an opportunity to make an educational visit to support learning, teachers will arrange to take the children. All visits will be related to the curriculum topic being studied. Written permission will be sought and parents will be asked to contribute to the cost of transport and/or entrance fees to places of interest.

An important element of the school’s ethos is our ability to communicate effectively. To ensure that there is a systematic way in which information is shared, the following procedures have been developed.

A weekly newsletter is sent home to celebrate the achievements of the week and inform parents and staff about upcoming events or issues of importance. The DBS newsletter is produced on a weekly basis on Thursday. The newsletter will be emailed to all parents and staff on Friday.

The newsletter, along with past newsletters, will also be available on the school website.

Seesaw provides communication between parents and teachers in Pre-Prep and Prep School. 

The Prep Student Planner allows parents to have an on-going understanding of the learning of children in Y3-8. These diaries are used by students to provide a tool for the recording of homework, independent reading, house points and also as an additional communication tool between teachers and parents.

Parent information meetings and curriculum information sessions will be organised for parents in each part of school.

Student progress will be reported formally to parents in reports throughout the school year in addition to other methods of sharing progress (through the Tapestry and the Seesaw app etc.). Reporting schedules will be shared with parents at the beginning of the academic year.

Student progress in Mini Dragons, Nursery and Reception is recorded on Tapestry and shared with parents throughout the term. In Year 1 and 2, student progress is reported at the end of Term 1, in Term 2 and at the end of Term 3 in the form of grade cards and written reports. 

Confidential records are kept about each child and will be updated regularly. It is important that the school is kept updated at all times about emergency contact details for your child. It is also important that the school is notified of any medical conditions (if any) or family circumstances that may affect your child in school. Parents should note that the school will share information held on the School’s Management Information System, with the Ministry of Education, law enforcement agencies and emergency services, should the need arise. 

Denla British School aims to encourage all students to adopt high standards of behaviour, principles and morality.  We aim to promote trust, mutual respect for everyone.  We believe that good relations, good manners and a secure learning environment play a crucial part in the development of intellectually curious pupils, who are motivated to become life-long learners.  We develop qualities of teamwork and leadership through our extensive programme of co-curricular activities.

Bullying is repeated behaviour that hurts or causes distress by taking unfair advantage of another person in some way, making him or her feel uncomfortable or threatened.  Examples include:

• verbal bullying – name-calling, taunting, teasing, insulting, homophobic or racist remarks or demanding money;

• physical bullying – hitting, kicking pushing people around, spitting; or taking, damaging or hiding possessions;

• exclusionary behaviour  –  intimidating, isolating or excluding a person from a group;

• sexual harassment – talking to or touching someone in a sexually inappropriate way;

• deliberate unkindness – spreading rumours or writing unkind notes, phone texts or emails.

It is everyone's responsibility to ensure, whatever the circumstances, that no pupil becomes a victim of bullying. Therefore, a student who is being bullied should complain without delay and can do so by: 

• telling his/her parents, his/her Class Teacher/Form Tutor, medical department or a member of staff;

• contacting the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) of the School - Mrs Sophie Berry.

Any sanctions with regards to bullying will be dealt with in accordance with the School’s Positive Behaviour Policy.

Whether the students have paid to use the daily school bus service to and from school, or whether they are using them for transportation to an after school activity, sports events, excursion or field trip, the highest possible standards of behaviour are expected at all times.

In addition, students must ensure that:

• A seat belt is worn at all times (one belt per student)

• They follow all instructions given by the driver and/or bus monitor

• They do not swear or use disrespectful or demeaning language

• Do not bully or intimidate or harass others

• Do not fight

• Do not eat or drink on the bus

• Only approach the bus once it has stopped and the bus driver or monitor has given permission to board

• Do not distract the bus driver

• Litter is removed from the bus when they leave, and then properly disposed of

• They are aware that they are financially liable for any damage to the bus they have caused

Failure to abide by these guidelines, after a written warning has been issued, may result in a student being suspended from using the school bus service. In such an event, there will be no reimbursement of paid bus fees.

Children within DBS should feel safe and protected from any form of abuse or neglect, non-accidental physical injury, sexual exploitation or emotional ill- treatment.

The school will take all reasonable measures to ensure that we:

• participate in Child Protection training and keep up to date.

• practise safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children

• protect each student from any form of abuse, whether from an adult or another student

• are alert to signs of abuse both in the school and from outside

• deal appropriately with every suspicion or complaint of abuse

• contribute to supporting children who have been abused in accordance with his/her agreed child protection plan where appropriate to the role of the school

• alert to the medical needs of children with medical conditions

• operate robust and sensible health and safety procedures

A copy of the School’s Child Protection policy is available via the Parent Portal

Please seek immediate advice from the Designated Safeguarding Lead (Ms Claire McDonnell), if you have any concerns regarding Child Protection.

Assemblies are held in all sections of the school. Themes are mindful of culture. The weekly assembly will largely focus on sharing and celebrating children's work, or events happening in and around school. We intend to hold class assemblies for each Reception to Y6 class throughout the year, to which parents will be invited. The dates for these assemblies will be published on the Whole School Calendar and notifications will be sent out on SeeSaw.

Any request to be excused from PE or swimming must be explained in a note from the parents.

A member of staff may use their discretion when a student requests to be excused from a lesson, but who does not have a parental note. Ordinarily, a student who has become ill during the day will have been sent to the nurse.

Parents who request a longer period for their child to be excused from PE/Sport, i.e. more than 2 weeks, must produce a formal letter from their doctor. This serves to verify the illness/injury and so prevent self-determined absence from physical education, whilst enabling the school to understand and assist with the child’s recovery. If appropriate, a member of the teaching staff will call parents to establish the nature and extent of injury and in some cases request a case conference with the child and/or their parents.

In most cases, a child who is excused from a lesson will be required to attend and watch the lesson with the rest of the class. Parents are expected to support this policy. This policy allows children to observe the work they are missing and recognises the limits of their illness but allows children to assist in a way that is inclusive.

It is our policy that any child considered to be well enough to attend school is well enough to take part in PE and outdoor playtime.