Family Partnership
Our St Patrick’s Family Partnership
Working together for our children
At St Patrick’s, we believe that children thrive when home and school work together.
Our school community is rooted in Peace, Love and Understanding. We want every child to feel safe, valued, respected and able to be the best that they can be.
Our shared expectations are simple: BE KIND • STAY SAFE • WORK HARD
Working together – We know that parents and carers know their children best, while our staff have professional knowledge and responsibility for the safety, wellbeing and learning of all children.We therefore ask families to trust our professional judgement and to understand that decisions are made with the best interests of children at heart.This does not mean we expect parents to agree with everything we do. Questions and constructive challenge are welcome. What matters is that we communicate respectfully and work together to find solutions.
Respectful communication
We ask that families:
- speak to staff calmly and respectfully, even when they are upset or disagree with something.
- avoid difficult conversations at the school gate, particularly in front of children or other families.
- make an appointment when a concern needs time, privacy or careful discussion.
- give staff the opportunity to listen, investigate and explain before reaching conclusions.
- raise concerns directly with school rather than discussing them with other parents.
- remember that staff are working to support the safety, wellbeing and education of all our children.
If something has gone wrong, please talk to us – but please give us the opportunity to have the right conversation.
Our behaviour policy asks everyone in our community to treat one another with respect, kindness and compassion, and welcomes parents and carers to share their concerns with us.
Trust and fairness
At St Patrick’s, fair does not always mean the same. Children have different needs and may need different support or adjustments to help them succeed. We will listen, explain our decisions where appropriate and work with families to find solutions. We ask families to trust that staff are acting professionally and in the best interests of their child and the wider school community.
When things go wrong – Children make mistakes. Adults do too.
When things go wrong, we will try to understand: What happened? Who has been affected? How can we put things right? What can we do differently next time? Our aim is to understand, support, repair and move forward, rather than blame or shame.
Our shared commitment
Listen.
Communicate respectfully.
Show kindness.
Be fair.
Trust one another.
Support one another.
Put things right when things go wrong.
We are on the same team.
We may not always agree, but we can always treat one another with respect, honesty, openness and empathy.
Together, we can help every child be the best that they can be.
This is not a contract or a code of conduct. It is a shared commitment to working positively and respectfully as partners in our school community.