Parent College Partnership

We are very fortunate to have a friendly and supportive parent body. Our parents recognise that educating children effectively is a process that involves partnership between parents, staff and the wider college community. As a partnership, our parents/carers will understand the importance of a good working relationship to equip children with the necessary skills for adulthood. For these reasons we continue to welcome and encourage parents/carers to participate fully in the life of our college.

Purpose and scope

At Frome College, we believe it is important to:

Work in partnership with parents to support their child’s learning
Create a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for students, staff and parents
Model appropriate behaviour for our students at all times

To help us do this, we set clear expectations and guidelines on behaviour for all members of our community. This includes staff and visitors (through the Staff and Visitors Code of Conduct) and students (through our Behaviour Policy).

This enables us to continue to provide a community where:

Every student feels safe and is well supported
We are caring towards others and our environment
Students are encouraged to be reflective and accountable
Everybody is valued and respected
We take pride in our learning and achievements
Strong partnerships with the community are valued
Enthusiasm and a curiosity for learning is fostered

This document aims to help the college work together with parents by setting guidelines on appropriate behaviour.

We use the term ‘parents’ to refer to:

Anyone with parental responsibility for a student
Anyone caring for a child (such as grandparents or child-minders)

Our expectations of parents and carers

We expect parents, carers and other visitors to:

Respect the ethos, vision and values of our college
Work together with staff in the best interests of our students
Maintain reasonable expectations for staff response to general communications
Treat all members of the college community with respect – setting a good example with language and behaviour
Seek a peaceful and reasonable solution to all issues
Seek to clarify a child’s version of events with the college’s view in order to bring about a peaceful solution to any issue
Correct their own child’s behaviour (or those in their care), particularly in public, where it could lead to conflict, aggression or unsafe conduct
Approach the right member of college staff to help resolve any issues of concern, following up if an appropriate response has not been received.

Behaviour that will not be tolerated

Disrupting, or threatening to disrupt, college operations (including events on the college grounds and sports team matches)
Swearing, or using offensive language
Threatening to do actual bodily harm to a member of college staff, Governor, visitor, fellow parent or student, regardless of whether the behaviour constitutes a criminal offence
Displaying a temper, or shouting at members of staff, students or other parents
Damaging or destroying college
Abusive or threatening e-mails or text/voicemail/phone messages or other written communication
Unreasonable demands upon college staff to respond to a parental query, or expectations for staff to communicate outside of normal working hours
The college does not permit electronic recordings of meetings or telephone calls by parents or staff without the explicit prior permission of all involved, and in agreement with senior managers
Making serial and unreasonable complaints (please see complaints policy)
Posting defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments about the college, its staff or any member of its community, on social media platforms
Use of physical punishment against a child while on college premises
Any aggressive behaviour (including verbally or in writing) towards another child or adult
Disciplining another person’s child – please bring any behaviour incidents to a member of staff’s attention
Smoking or drinking alcohol on the college premises (unless alcohol has been allowed at a specific event)
Possessing or taking drugs (including legal highs)

Should any of the above behaviour occur on college premises, the college may take any of the following actions:

Ending a meeting if this behaviour is displayed
Not replying to communications that are offensive, abusive or derogatory
Insist that the adult communicates with the college through one member of staff only
Contact the appropriate authorities
Consider banning the offending adult from entering the college grounds

Appropriate use of Social Media

Online channels are an important way for parents/carers to communicate with, or about, our college.

Frome College uses the following channels:

Our official Facebook page
Our official Instagram account
Our official X account (formly Twitter)
Our virtual learning platforms, FROG and Classcharts
Emails/Texts

When communicating with the college via official communication channels, or using private/independent channels to talk about the college, we ask that parents:

Be respectful towards members of staff and the college
Be respectful of other parents/carers and children
Direct any complaints or concerns through the college’s official channels, this could be by email, post or phone call, so they can be dealt with in line with the college’s complaints procedure

Please bear in mind:

That using private groups, the college’s Facebook page, or personal social media to complain about or criticise the college or members of staff is not constructive. The college can’t improve or address issues if they aren’t raised in an appropriate way, it may also be detrimental to your complaint and in some cases may be considered harassment
That using private groups, the college’s Facebook page, or personal social media to complain about, or try to resolve, a behaviour issue involving other pupils is not appropriate. Please contact the college directly
That you must not upload or share photos or videos on social media of any child other than your own, unless you have the permission of the other children’s parents/carers

Breaching the terms of Partnership

If the college suspects, or becomes aware, that a parent has breached the code of conduct, the college will gather information from those involved and speak to the parent about the incident.

Depending on the nature of the incident, the college may then:

Send a warning letter to the parent
Limit contact by allocating one key staff member to communicate with
Invite the parent into college to meet with a senior member of staff or the Principal
Contact the appropriate authorities (in cases of criminal behaviour)
Seek advice from the local authority’s legal team regarding further action (in cases of conduct that may be libellous or slanderous)
Ban the parent from the college site

The college will always respond to an incident in a proportional way. The final decision for how to respond to breaches of the partnership rests with the Principal.

The Principal will consult the Chair of Governors before banning a parent from the college site.

We trust that parents will assist our college with the implementation of this partnership, and we thank you for your continuing support of the college.