Dear Parents and Carers,
First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who participated in our recent Trust Parent Survey. We truly value the time you took to share your thoughts; your feedback is the most vital tool we have in our quest to provide the best possible education and environment for your children.
While it is encouraging to see areas of real strength – particularly regarding our high expectations (4.19 out of 5), student safety (4.00 out of 5), and our vibrant range of clubs and activities (4.38 out of 5) – we also recognise that there are areas where we must do better to meet your expectations.
Your Voice: What You Told Us:
We have carefully reviewed your comments, which provide essential context to the data. It was heartening to read your recognition of the academy’s trajectory and the dedication of our staff:
“The Senior Leadership is outstanding… the team has managed to not only turn this school around but the improvement has been sustained.”
“The pastoral support and understanding provided by staff in the Spectrum Centre is excellent and we are very grateful for it.” “My son moved to Longfield last year… I’ve a happier child who is learning more than he ever has.”
We are also pleased to note that the transition from online to face-to-face parental consultations has been well received, facilitating more meaningful, personal conversations with your children’s teachers. However, we also acknowledge where communication and consistency must improve:
“The behaviour policy… lets the SEN children down and the immovable approach on detentions causes great stress.”
“I would like to see better communication from the school around my child’s progress… it’s all stats and numbers.” “It’s not always easy to see what homework [name] has to do. Some weeks are sparse, some weeks are very homework-heavy.”
“My child really enjoys school but we feel there is quite a lot of homework for year 7.”
Cont./ Our Commitment to a Purposeful Environment
We acknowledge that a small proportion of our families feel our systems are punitive. However, we can assure parents and carers that we make every effort to ensure that sanctions are fair, proportionate, and legal. In accordance with our behaviour policy, these measures are necessary for maintaining proper boundaries and facilitating the calm, purposeful learning environment we enjoy. With a high proportion of our students diagnosed with ASD and/or ADHD, it remains imperative that boundaries are clear so that all students can flourish both academically and socially.
While the vast majority of our students behave extremely well – and we are incredibly proud of their conduct – work remains to be done for a small minority of students and families. We believe a Parent Advisory Group will be instrumental in this. To ensure your voice is heard consistently, it is our intention to launch a Parent Advisory Group to meet regularly with senior leaders. The goal is that this group meets at least once a module to discuss any general concerns relating to students’ learning, behaviour and wellbeing, as well as strategies for improving all aspects of our academy.
If you are interested in joining the advisory group to help us improve our close collaboration, please contact my PA, Ms Tanya Palmer via tanya.palmer@longfield.latrust.org.uk, to express your interest.
We also warmly invite you to arrange a visit to the academy during the school day to see the excellent work taking place firsthand. Year 11 and 13 Examination Support On a separate note, we are delighted with the opportunities offered to our Year 11 and 13 students as they prepare for this summer’s examinations.
Students continue to benefit from external consultants and our dedicated staff through high-quality first teaching, after-school sessions, and Saturday school. I strongly encourage parents and carers to ensure students attend the sessions they have been invited to and utilise the recordings for further revision. Thank you for your continued partnership and for entrusting us with your child’s education.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Donkor
Principal
