Newcastle School for Boys Parent Handbook 2008 / 2009 |
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General Information - Pupil Welfare |
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| Pupil Welfare | Home-School Relationships | ||
| Contacting the School with Concerns or Complaints | First Aid and Medication | ||
PUPIL WELFARE
Newcastle School for Boys is committed to helping to prevent abuse of children through the curriculum. We aim to help boys acquire relevant information and attitudes to resist abuse in their own lives and to prepare older boys for the responsibilities of adulthood and future parenting.
The School is required to take any reasonable action to ensure the safety of its boys. In cases where the school has reason to be concerned that the pupil may be subject to ill treatment, neglect or other forms of abuse, the Head is obliged to follow the Child Protection procedures established by Newcastle City Council and inform Social Services of the School’s concern.
All members of the teaching staff, and appropriate members of the non-teaching staff are regularly trained in how to recognise possible signs of abuse and deal sensitively with any disclosure. The School has a detailed Child Protection Policy available on request.
Education is a partnership between pupil, parent and teacher and all partners must fulfil their responsibilities.
The responsibilities of boys:
The School expects boys to acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and personal qualities appropriate to adult life in a democratic society. It seeks to educate boys to acquire the habits of:
- regular and punctual attendance at school, hard work, concentration and good behaviour, both in school lessons and in private study at school and home
- “getting on with others”, respect for another’s point of view, warmth towards and acceptance of others and the ability to work in a team
- a willingness to accept rules designed for the common good and respect for and care of other persons and property.
The responsibilities of teachers:
Teachers are professionally trained to teach boys and there must be a proper respect for their authority. They are expected to develop each boy’s abilities as fully as possible by effective teaching and by setting high standards in work and behaviour. The following points are felt to be particularly important in establishing good relationships.
Teachers should:
- be aware of the individual circumstances of their boys, such as health and family background
- be willing to listen and respect the pupil’s point of view and be seen to be firm but fair in reaching decisions
- never belittle or verbally or physically abuse a boy
- consult colleagues for advice
- be prepared to consult with and inform parents of problems at an early stage
- not seek to be infallible, be flexible in response to circumstances and bear in mind the good of the individual and of the school community as a whole
The responsibilities of parents:
Parents must be ready to accept that their sons are being treated in a professional and responsible manner. The school welcomes enquiries in order to resolve difficulties and clear up areas of doubt.
Parents’ responsibilities are:
- to show by their own example that they support the school in setting the highest standards and to take an active and supportive interest in their son’s work and progress.
- to make sure that their sons come to school regularly and punctually, refreshed, alert, correctly dressed and ready to work.
- to control their son’s leisure-time activities and entertainments and part-time employment so that their educational progress can be supported and enhanced.
- to support the authority of the school and help their sons to achieve maturity, self-discipline and self-control.
Within this framework, there will be occasions when parents have concerns which need to be heard and addressed. Newcastle School for Boys wishes to be a school where parents and sons feel able to voice their concerns and have the school respond to them positively.
CONTACTING THE SCHOOL WITH CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS:
We hope than most concerns raised by parents can be resolved swiftly and informally and ask that parents contact us directly as soon as possible in the event of any issue coming to light. Parents are welcome to make an initial inquiry by telephone, letter or in person by appointment. In most cases your child’s form tutor is a good place to start, but, depending on the nature of the concern, initial contact may be made to a particular teacher or to the appropriate member of the leadership team.
All teachers are encouraged to deal with concerns which lie within their area of responsibility, though you may wish to raise matters of a more general nature, or very serious matters, directly with the Head of Pastoral Care, the Head of Junior School, the Deputy Head or the Headmaster.
The concern will receive prompt investigation and a response made by telephone, letter or further appointment.
In the majority of cases this resolves the issue satisfactorily, but if, at this stage your concerns are not fully allayed or the response or outcome is felt to be unsatisfactory, the issue should be referred to the Headmaster.
Any formal complaint needs to be made in writing to the Headmaster, and you can expect to receive a response within seven days. A record will be kept for the file.
If at this stage you still feel your complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily you can get in touch with the Chair of Governors. Governors will not accept or respond to concerns or complaints unless the proper procedures have been followed. You can expect a response within five working days of receipt of your letter.
Parents have the right to have their complaint referred to a Complaints Panel should this process not allow for a satisfactory resolution of the issue. The Complaints Panel will consist of two School Governors and one person independent of the governance and management of the School. To request a hearing before the Complaints Panel, parents should write to the Clerk to the Governors; full details of this procedure are contained in the Complaints Policy, available on request.
Parents are encouraged to share their concerns with school at the earliest opportunity but also to respect the professionalism of teachers. It is the partnership between pupil, teacher and parent which is central to individual boy’s and the school’s success. If there are problems, please contact us. We hope and believe you will find us both approachable and receptive.
FIRST AID AND MEDICATION
In the event of a pupil having an accident or becoming ill during the school day, the school can only administer basic First Aid.
The first aid point in the Senior School and Junior School is the school office .
No boy who feels unwell should absent himself from class without first obtaining the permission of the member of staff who teaches him. Additional medical help will be sought as appropriate. Please note that the school is not allowed to issue any form of drugs or medicine without parental consent. It would be helpful if parents would be kind enough to advise of any specific treatment which has been prescribed by a doctor and it is important that any changes to your son’s home or medical circumstances are notified to the school immediately.
Any accident which results in a teacher, pupil or a member of the ancillary staff sustaining a personal injury should be reported to the Deputy Head/Head of Junior School and a record will be kept.
In the case of a serious accident we will make contact with parents as soon as possible and should a pupil need to be taken to hospital he or she will always be accompanied by a member of staff until a parent or guardian arrives. We would normally also ring parents in the case of a more minor incident just so you are aware of what happened.
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