Contacting pupils and families

[ImperialLeather00]

Are any teachers/schools contacting pupils and families?
I think this is something my school want to do.
I am concerned about using personal phones so curious as to how others are doing it?
Love to all, keep up the good work!

[TheSingingTowers]

You can hide caller ID on mobiles. You should really have a work mobile if you’re expected to call parents from home though.

[fuckweasel]

NASUWT guidance states:

Under no circumstances is it appropriate for schools to insist that teachers or school leaders make telephone calls or hold one-to-one videoconferences with children.
No safeguarding or child protection arrangements in place anywhere in the UK require teachers to make direct contact with pupils.

Not sure what other unions have advised.

[ooopsupsideyourhead]

I am, with caller ID withheld. I don’t have a work phone. But, then I don’t have a work laptop either. 🙄

[ooopsupsideyourhead]

Nasuwt (my Union as it happens!) can advise what they like... but, my school is over an hour away, in a very rural setting and is closed. Meanwhile, I am recieving guidance from the LEA that I need to check in on vulnerable students, make sure they are aware they are entitled to a Hub school place, and work with their parents to organise transport etc. Should they take up the offer.

Sigh.

[TiredMummyXYZ]

I have been asked to contact families not engaging in Dojo or our online learning platforms to check all is well. I have had to use my own mobile (but I withheld my number) and I spoke to parents rather than the kids.

[ImperialLeather00]

Hi all, thanks for responses.
No we have not got work phones, all teachers are expected to call all families in their classes to check in and make sure they are all ok.
I’m with NEU and just checked their website and they have the same advise...

[reefedsail]

We are making phone calls as and when staff are in school anyway (on rota). I have 9 children in my class and 4 staff- we don't expect to be able to call every family every week. We are aiming for once a fortnight. I don't see how it would be feasible to call 30 pupils every week.

We are also using email and Tapestry as much as parents want.

[ImperialLeather00]

So reefedsail you call when on site? How many do you call a day? Do all teachers call when due in on the rota?
I can understand making calls if staff are in school using the school phone but what about those who are vulnerable/shielding? How can they be expected to call parents?

[GuyFawkesDay]

We have been told email only.

SLT and DSL contacting vulnerable children as they're in school daily.

[speakfriendandenter]

Only SLT are doing it at my school. We are calling every two weeks. Most parents seem happy to hear from us and it's giving us chance to offer further support that may be needed.
I'm using my own phone and withholding my number, although that does mean some don't answer, so I leave a message and call back the next day.
I don't mind doing it.

[reefedsail]

No, we not ALL trying to call every parent once a fortnight. We are trying to make sure every parent is called once a fortnight.

We are in on a rota each doing 2 days (ish) a fortnight. If each staff member (TA or Teacher) makes 1 or 2 phone calls each day they are on site, we should get to every family at least once a fortnight. As you can probably see from the ratios though, it's a specialist setting. Hence me saying I'm not sure how you could do it for a regular sized class.

[BBCK]

I am a teacher and a parent of a vulnerable teen. I can honestly say that the support my son and I have received from the school has been a life-saver. The safeguarding member of SLT has been phoning daily and has contacted so many outside agencies to provide help for our family. He has also listened to my problems and been the most amazing support: all in his Easter holidays. I could not be more grateful as he has been a lifeline for our family at this crucial time.
When I return to work after the hols next week I will be happily phoning parents and pupils even though it’s against union advice.

[noblegiraffe]

I was asked to phone my Y13 tutor group which was a bit of a welfare check as they were basically chucked out of school with very little notice and before the info was released about how grades would be calculated. Used 141 to withhold my number. It was pretty time-consuming even though there’s not that many of them.

Any school that is asking all teachers to phone all their classes is just going to piss off parents. How many calls would that end up being?

I’d feel very uncomfortable about being asked to phone home and berate kids for not doing work.

[CookieDoodles]

My school has Edulink (like an email / push notification/ general info sharing platform) It's pretty good, but something which would have had to have been bought and set up in advance of all this! so i guess not much help to you, sorry!

[Aragog]

Our Learning Mentor has been calling our most vulnerable children's parents only - weekly just for a chat.
Our Pupil premium children had contact over the Easter break as they had their 'free lunch' provision delivered by the deputy head.

As a school we have decided that we don't need to contact our other children and their family. We are an infant school so speaking with the children on a phone wouldn't be easy. We arena contact with parents via the home learning platform, social media and emails as and when required on an individual basis. So we haven't felt the need to sort this. In fact the head teacher really isn't keen on the idea and feels there is too big a safeguarding risk compared to need at present.

[WhyNotMe40]

I'm secondary as as far as I know only the DSL are contacting vulnerable student families. We have been instructed to only email out feedback from work set on a group basis, and keep all communication strictly related to work. Anything pastoral has to be forwarded to head of year and safeguarding team.
My own children's school (primary) have class teachers emailing daily with work, feedback of work, asking for photos of work if they want to share anything they are proud of, and have provided an email if families need any help. So similar - class teachers do work, a different team do pastoral. And all via official email.

[Margo34]

All staff in my school have been put on a rota to contact vulnerable or at risk pupils and their families, incl SLT, teachers, TAs and INAs, be that by phone (using withheld numbers) or email, or in some cases, Zoom/Skype (only if staff member comfortable).
I have emailed some and phoned others (the ones I know who are especially struggling). I've spoken to parents/carers and also kids (on speaker phone with their grown ups in the room with them) and keep detailed communication logs that are shared with colleagues/SLT.

It means all the vulnerable/at risk families receive a check-in every week, but I only contact maybe 5 max a week.

As I understand it - our LA requires us to contact vulnwrable/at risk families.

[BeeBella]

We're phoning kids/parents daily. From our personal phones, number withheld. We're a SEN school though so all kids are vulnerable and therefore need checking.

[BeeBella]

I should have been clearer; form tutors are phoning their tutees daily. I'm the DSL and phoning higher risk families 2-3 times a week.