STEPAcademyTrust

CommunicationPolicy

Dateof Policy: Summer 2017Review: Spring 2021

1. AIMSANDOBJECTIVES

STEPAcademyTrustiscommittedto thepromotion ofeffectivecommunicationbetweenpupils,membersofstaff,parents/carers,stakeholders,governors,Trusteesandallmembersofthe STEPcommunityandbeyond in order to build positive relationships.

Our objectivesare to:

  • Haveaclear andprofessional communicationstrategyinplacewhich willhelp STEPtokeepparents/carerswell-informedabouttheir child’s educationalprogress andanyothermattersrelated to their child’s overall well-being.
  • Keep staff, pupils, parents, governors, trustees and other stakeholders well informed of events and developments pertinent to them.
  • Makeourwrittencommunication asaccessibleandinclusiveaspossible.
  • Use the methods of communication most effective and appropriate to the context, message and audience.
  • Be open,honest,ethicalandprofessional.
  • Ensurethatthereisarobustprocessin placeforconsultationbetweentheacademies,parents,staffmembersandpupilsonkeyareas.
  • Ensure that thesystemsinplaceare fully aligned tothe Trust’s Mission, Vision and Values.
  • Recognisethatmonitoringand evaluationofcommunicationissuesthroughregularmeetingsanddiscussionwithpupils,staff,parents,trusteesandgovernorsisanon-goingconsideration.Inthecontextof agrowingorganisationitisparticularlyimportanttoreviewsystemsandfacilitatethe bestpossiblecommunicationatall stages oftheTrust’sdevelopment.

Efficientandeffectivecommunicationisessentialat alllevelsoftheorganisation:

  • BetweenSTEPAcademiesandtheirwhole Academycommunity.
  • Betweenstaff.
  • Betweenchildren.
  • BetweenTrustees.
  • BetweentheBoardofTrusteesandSTEPStrategicGoverningBodies.
  • BetweenSTEPAcademieswithoneanother.
  • BetweenallSTEPAcademyTruststakeholders.
  • BeyondSTEPAcademyTrust.

2. RESPONSIBILITIES

Academyresponsibilities

  • To publish key policies, documents and procedures on the Academy website and in other areas that maximise their accessibility and usefulness to the entire Academy community.
  • TopublishontheAcademywebsitekeyinformation aboutthe compositionand remitoftheStrategicGoverningBody.
  • Toinformparents/carersand governors ofallAcademyeventswithinappropriatetimelines.
  • Tokeepparents/carersinformedoftheprogressoftheirchild atregularintervalsthroughouttheAcademyyear.
  • Toconsultwithand workinpartnershipwithparents/carersonthewell-beingandeducationoftheir children.
  • Toseekcreativewaysofmakingkeymessagesrelevantto thecommunitiesservedbyeachAcademy.
  • To remindstaffofthe STEPCompass,particularlySTEP First and the STEPWay,anditsrelevancetotheAcademy.

Staffmembers’responsibilities

  • Toensurethattheprinciplesandproceduresof thispolicyarefollowed.
  • Tocommunicateproactivelywithparents/caresaboutpupilprogressandtosupportparents/carerstohelptheir children’slearning.

Parent/carer’s responsibilities

  • ToreadkeycommunicationcirculatedbytheAcademy(eghomeworktasks,websiteinformation,newsletters).
  • Torespond/actoncommunicationfromtheAcademy(egsignconsentforms,attendmeetings.
  • TokeeptheAcademyoffice uptodatewithanychangestocontactdetails(address,phonenumbers,emailaddresses).
  • ToinformtheAcademyof anymedicalconditionsalongwithmedicaldocumentation.
  • ToinformtheAcademyofanychildprotectionmatters,legalissuesorrelevantdutieswithappropriatedocumentation.
  • To inform the Academy of any other information pertaining to their child which would be relevant to their wellbeing or educational needs.
  • Toraiseanyissuesor concernswiththeclassteacher inthefirstinstance in line with the Complaints Policy.

All staff have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. They should not have to endure abusive, disrespectful or threatening behaviour whilst at work.

Parents/carers are usually courteous and respectful. In a minority of cases, where this is not the case and a member of staff considers that a parent is being abusive, disrespectful or threatening, the parent/carer will be asked to stop. If the behaviour does not stop, the discussion will be terminated.

The Academy may continue to communicate with the parent but will use another form, such as a letter.

Strategic Governing Body Responsibilities

  • Using a variety of communication methods to promote & explain the work of the governors.
  • To ensure the posting of minutes of meetings in appropriate places.

3. INTERNALCOMMUNICATIONWITHINTHEACADEMIES

3.1 Communicationwithmembersofstaff

  • Atimetableismadeavailabletostaff, whichoutlinesweeklyactivitiesacrosstheAcademy.Inaddition,dailyupdatesare giventhroughmorningbriefings,noticeboards,onlinealertsetc.
  • The Staff Handbookcontains detailsofallproceduresandpolicies.
  • Staffmembers’personaldetailswill not beshared with othermembers of staff withouttheirconsent.
  • STEPBulletin producedbytheExecutive Management Team onahalf termlybasisandcirculatedto allstaff(and Trusteesand governors)to keep allmembersofthe STEP communityfullyinformedofcurrenteventsanddevelopments.

3.2 EmailCommunicationformembersofstaff

  • Allmembersof staffhave theirownSTEP email accountandmust ensuretheyusetheofficialSTEPsignature stripon allinternal andexternalemails.
  • Staffmustconsiderthebestwaytocommunicateaccordingtoeachsituation,recognisingthat inschool, emails shouldnot beusedas asubstitutefor face-to-facecommunication.
  • Staff mustbemindfulofthetoneandproprietyof theiremailcommunicationandensurethattheirwrittencorrespondenceisalwaysappropriateandprofessional.
  • AsSTEPencouragesstafftohaveanappropriatework/lifebalance,staffarenotexpectedtowrite and respondtoemailsoutsideofschoolhours.It isexpectedthough thatemailsarerespondedtowithintwoschoolworkingdays.
  • To ensureeffectivemanagement of emails, please bemindful of who is “cc’ed” intoanemail.It ishelpfultousetheccfunction iftheinformation willbedirectlyusefultoyourcolleague.
  • It wouldbe inappropriate todiscussissuesofa sensitivenaturebyemail.Althoughnotexhaustive,sensitiveissuesmayincludeaddressingstaffperformanceorpupilperformanceandbehaviour.Issuesofthisnature should be conductedinaface-to-facemanner,withMinutestakenasnecessary.
  • Communicatingwithparentsandstaffmembersmustbe carriedout viathe Academyemailaddressand not viaapersonal email address.
  • Engaging inpersonalcorrespondence withpupilsisnot allowed.
  • Sendingof chainemails is notallowed.
  • Embeddingofadvertsisnotallowed.

3.3 SocialNetworkingSites/Blogsetcformembersofstaff and the Strategic Governing Body

  • Staffwillnotcommunicate with pupilsorparentsviasocial networkingsites/personalaccountssuchasFacebook, Twitter,Instagrametc.
  • Staffwillnot accept personal ‘friend’requests from pupilsorparents.
  • Academy/classblogs maybe setup specificallyforthepurposeofteaching and learning andwillbecarefullymanagedandmonitored.Onlyofficial designatedusersmayusesocialmediaonbehalfoftheAcademy.
  • Employeesshouldnotuse theirpersonaldevicesto accesssocialmedia atanytime onAcademypremises.
  • Whenusingsocialmediaoutsideof school forpersonal use,allemployeesmustrememberthattheyarepersonallyresponsible.Employeesmusttakecaretoensurethattheyalwaysactresponsibly andfollow the lawandSTEP’spolicies andstandards of conduct outsideschool aswell as inschool.Staff must not post comments about the Academy, pupils, parents or colleagues including members of the Strategic Governing Body.
  • Staff should not identify STEP as their employer on social media, other than to maintain a presence on professional sites such as Linked In.
  • Staff are not authorised to engage in conversations involving STEP on social media and should refrain from doing so.

3.4 Communication withPupils/Accessing ‘thePupilVoice’

  • Pupils’views aresought via lessons,discussion, pupilquestionnaires.
  • EachAcademyhasadeveloped SchoolCouncilorPupilParliament.

4. COMMUNICATIONBETWEENTRUSTEESANDGOVERNORS

4.1 Toensureefficientandeffectivecommunicationbetween Trusteesandbetweengovernors,therearekeyexpectationsof membersoftheBoardofTrusteesandmembersoftheStrategicGoverningBodiesasfollows:

  • ToregularlyattendBoardofTrustee meetings/StrategicGoverningBodymeetings.
  • Toprepare wellformeetingsbyreadingallcommunication andpapers inadvanceandmakinganyrequestsforprintingofpapers(notincludingpolicies)totheClerkno laterthantwodays in advanceofameeting.
  • Toensurethatanyplannedabsencesforanylengthoftimearecommunicatedtofellowcolleagues/STEPstaff.
  • Torespond in atimelymannertoemailcorrespondencefromfellowTrusteesorfellowgovernors(withintwoworkingdays).
  • ToaccessrelevantTrustinformationon thedesignatedICTsystems.
  • To immediatelyadvise the Chief ExecutiveOfficerand Chair ofTrustees of anyissuewhichmightaffecttheinterestsofSTEPAcademyTrust.

4.2 EmailcommunicationforTrusteesandgovernors

The same expectationsapplytoTrusteesandgovernorsforuseofemailas thosefor staff (asdetailedunder3.2)

4.3 SocialNetworkingSites/BlogsetcforTrusteesandgovernors

The same expectationsapplytoTrusteesandgovernorsforuseofSocialmediaasthoseforstaff(asdetailedunder3.3).

4.4 CommunicationbetweentheSTEPGovernanceteam,Headteachers,Keyofficers,Governors

  • Adetailed set ofexpectationsfortheprocessandtimescaleforsettingofagendas,writingofminutesandapprovalofdraft minuteshasbeenproduced andis setoutinAppendix1.
  • Onconfirmationofthe appointmentofnewgovernors,Clerksor Chairswillensurethatthewhole SGBisinformed.

5. COMMUNICATIONBETWEENTHEBOARDOFTRUSTEESANDSTRATEGICGOVERNINGBODIES

Sub‐committeesofthe BoardofTrustees,StrategicGoverningBodies(SGBs),aredelegatedresponsibilityforpairs ofor individual STEPAcademies. EffectivecommunicationbetweentheBoard ofTrustees andtheStrategicGoverningBodiesisvital sothat:

  • The Boardof Trusteeshas an accurate,up‐to‐datepictureof provision across theTrustandisabletotakethisinto account in itsstrategicdecision-making.
  • TheviewsofmemberAcademies,throughtheir SGBs,areappropriatelyrepresentedatBoard ofTrustee level.
  • SGBsare ableto implementpoliciesanddecisionsagreedbythe BoardofTrustees.

Inordertofacilitatecommunication,thefollowingsystemsareinplace:

  • Astandarditemisincluded oneachSGBtermlyagendatoreceivefeedbackfrom theBoardof Trustees.
  • All SGBs have a direct link with the Board of Trustees via the Chief Executive Officer or member of the Executive Management Team who each attendSGB meetings.
  • PartAMinutesoftheBoard ofTrusteemeetingsare circulatedtoallgovernors.
  • AllSGBminutesarecirculatedtoallTrustees.

Occasionally,it isnecessary forthe Chair of Trusteesorthe Chair oftheSGBtotake a Chair’sActionoutsidethemeetingcycle.Inthese circumstances it isimportanttoensure thatChair’s Actionsarereportedandratifiedatthenextavailablemeeting.

Clerksarethereforetobecopiedintoanyemailcorrespondencearoundsuchissues,toenabletheadditionofratificationofanyChair'sActiontothenext agenda.

6. COMMUNICATIONBETWEENSTEPACADEMIES

ClosecollaborationbetweenSTEPAcademiesisanexpectationof theTrust and STEPAcademyHeadteachersworkcloselywiththe ExecutiveManagement Team (ChiefExecutive Officer,DeputyChiefExecutiveOfficer,Head of Standards, Head ofTeachingandLearning,ChiefFinance &OperationsOfficer and Executive Headteacher, New Addington Cluster),toensurethatexpertiseiseffectivelyshared acrosstheTrust.

STEPAcademiesarealsoencouragedtocelebratethesuccessesofotherTrustmembers,publicising“goodnews” storiesfrom acrosstheTrust,ispositiveand cohesive.Methodsof communicationinclude:

  • Email.
  • AcademyNewsletters.
  • AcademyWebsites.
  • STEPNewslettersandBulletins.
  • STEPAcademy TrustWebsite.
  • AuthorisedAcademySocialmediae.g.Twitter.

7. EXTERNALCOMMUNICATION

TheTrustcommunicateswithparents/carersthrough:

  • Lettershome - to inform parents/carers of particular events, meetings or trips. They will also be used to communicate Academy news that affects them.
  • Emails – as an alternative to paper correspondence as well as to communicate information quickly, as well as to remind parents/carers of any Academy events or activities.
  • Textmessages- again to communicate information quickly, as well as to remind parents/carers of any Academy events or activities.
  • TheAcademyWebsites- to provide information about our curriculum, term dates and calendar events. Policies, codes of conduct and information about uniform etc can also be found on the website, as well as any previous letters/newsletters.
  • TheSTEPAcademy TrustWebsite – to share information about the Trust including news, governance and performance.
  • RegularAcademynewsletters – to keep parents/carers up to date with academy events and general information.
  • Parent/Carermeetings- formal consultations will take place twice a year, in the Autumn and Spring terms. The purpose of these are for the class teachers to communicate with parent/carers about their child’s educational progress, behaviour for learning and generally how they are getting on at school. In the summer term a formal report will be given to parents, with an opportunity to come and discuss this with the relevant teacher.
  • Informalcommunicationbetweenteachersandparents/carers – to discuss specific issues pertaining to individual children.
  • The Complaints Process- to provide parents/carers with an avenue to escalate issues which remain unresolved after speaking to their child’s teacher.
  • Local and national media- to allow Headteachers to share ‘good news’ stories with the local press.
  • Workshops and Working Parties- there may be times where it is appropriate to pull together a parent/carer working party to problem-solve/discuss an issue that impacts on the whole Academy community. These working parties will provide a conduit for parents/carers to express their viewpoints and thoughts.
  • Open events- when the Academy will invite parents/carers in to see how their children are learning. These will focus on particular strategies the Academy uses that parents/ carers may not be familiar with.
  • Social media- the Academy will operate a Twitter feed to share information. This will be regularly updated. Parents/carers should not use social media to raise issues or concerns either with the Academy, or with other parents/carers. The Academy is always willing to engage in conversation with parents/carers who havea concern and would therefore ask that they speak to their child’s teacher and follow the complaints procedure.

CommunicationofSTEP’smoralpurposeisachievedthrough:

  • EnsuringtheSTEPCompass,particularlySTEPFirst,isconstantlyreferenced.
  • MaintainingafrequentlyupdatedTrustwebsite.
  • Producing a bi‐annualSTEP Academy Trust Newsletter whichis circulatedtoallstakeholders.
  • Featuring in regularlocalandnationalpressarticles.
  • Speakingatnationalconferencesandseminars.
  • NetworkingandfacilitatingvisitstoSTEPAcademies.

CommunicationwiththeMediaandWiderPublic

  • Whenpresscoveragetakesplace,allpartieswhomaybeinterestedsuchasparents,staff,Trustees,governorsandthecommunitywillbeinformedviaemail,socialmedia,theNewsletterandtheAcademy/Trustwebsite.
  • Allpublicationsandpress releaseswhich includepicturesofpupilswillbechecked beforerelease/publicationtoensurethattheydonotinclude anychildren whoseparentshaveinformedtheAcademythattheydonot wishtheirchildtobephotographed.
  • Allpublicationsandprospectuseswillbemindfuloftheequalopportunitiespolicy,reflectingandcelebratingthediversityofourSTEPcommunity.
  • Headteachersare authorisedtoprovide pressreleasestothelocalpresson ‘Goodnews’itemsrelatingtotheir academy. The CEO/Deputy CEO, Head of CommunicationandChairofthe SGBwould expecttobeinformedofanypresscontact ongoodnewsevents.
  • AnyothercontactwiththePress,localornational,relatingtothe AcademyorSTEPmoregenerally,should alwaysbe made via the Chief Executive Officerand Chair of Trustees.Nooneelse(Headteachers,membersof staff)areauthorisedtospeaktothepresswithoutfirsthavingagreedthiswiththe ChiefExecutive Officer and Chairof Trustees.

CommunicationofRecruitmentOpportunities

  • Aproactiveapproachtorecruitmentofhighqualityteachers.
  • Attendanceatkeyrecruitmentfairs.
  • InternalvacanciesareadvertisedsolelyontheSTEP websiteandthe onusforcheckingthisison individualmembersof staff.

APPENDIX 1

GOVERNANCE TEAM PROTOCOLS AND TIMELINES

Meeting / Agenda Setting / Timescale for Receipt of Comments / Agreement of Minutes / Timescale For Receipt of Comments
Board of Trustees / To Chief Finance & Operations Officer and Company Secretary/Senior Governance Clerk
To CEO
To Chair of the Board for final approval
To Trustees
Copy of agenda only to Head Teachers and SGB Chairs for information / Three weeks before meeting. Allow three clear working days for comments. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
At least seven days before meeting along with all papers
At least seven days before the meeting / To Chief Finance & Operations Officer (Finance items), Company Secretary/ Senior Governance Clerk
(Governance & policy items) Head of Teaching & Learning (Performance items)
To CEO
To Chair of the Board for final approval
To Trustees / Within seven days of meeting. Allow three clear working days for comments. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
Within fourteen working days of meeting
STEP Operations & Audit Committee / To Chief Finance & Operations Officer and Company Secretary/Senior Governance Clerk
To Committee Chair for final Approval
To Committee Members / Three weeks before meeting. Allow three clear working days for comments. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
At least seven days before meeting along with all papers / To Chief Finance Officer (Copy to CEO & Deputy CEO for information)
To Committee Chair
To Committee members / Within seven days of meeting. Allow three clear working days for comments. Chase if no response after three days.
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
Within fourteen working days of meeting
STEP Standards Committee / To Head of Teaching & Learning (Copy to CEO & Deputy CEO for information)
To Committee Chair
To Committee members / Three weeks before meeting. Allow three clear working days for comments. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
At least seven days before meeting along with all papers / To Head of Teaching & Learning (Copy to CEO & Deputy CEO for information)
To Committee Chair
To Committee members / Within seven days of meeting
Allow three clear working days for comments. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days.
Within fourteen working days of meeting
Strategic Governing Body / To Head Teacher (copy to Company Secretary for information)
To SGB Chair
To governors / Three weeks before meeting. Allow three clear working days for comments. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
At Least seven days before meeting along with all papers / To Head Teacher (for correction of any factual inaccuracies) and Business Manager for financial items)
To SGB Chair for final comment and approval
To governors / Within seven days of meeting. Allow three clear working days for comment. Chase if no response after three days.
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
Within fourteen days of meeting
Senior Leadership Team Meetings / To Chief Finance & Operations Officer & Company Secretary/Senior Governance Clerk
To CEO & Deputy CEO
To SLT Members / Two weeks before meeting. Allow Three clear working Days for comments. Chase if no response after three days
Three clear working days. Chase if no response after three days
At least seven days before meeting along with all papers / To Chief Finance & Operations Officer and Company Secretary
To CEO & Deputy CEO
To SLT Members / Within seven days of the meeting. Allow three clear working days for comments
Three clear working days
Within fourteen working days of meeting