Thank you to all of you who responded to the recent annual parent survey. We use the data to support the forward planning of the school. Your feedback is invaluable and complements the feedback we receive via our regular contact with you. I am always appreciative of this as it helps inform our planning and ensures we are working closely with you, so thank you for your time and effort in delivering this to us.
Strengths of Forest Preparatory School
The parent community is very satisfied with school life at Forest Prep, with the vast majority of parents describing the school as 'happy, friendly and nurturing', with a focus on providing the very best learning experience for all the children in its care.
There is a very clear sense of what most parents regard as the primary strengths of the school. The most common responses were:
- Innovative and inspiring teaching techniques, which instil a love of learning;
- The emphasis upon nurturing individuals; with excellent pastoral care and a safe learning environment created throughout the school;
- Broad curriculum, with particular reference to specialist lessons and Kindergarten’s
- Outdoor Learning and the enquiry led projects;
- High quality staff who are committed to providing the very best learning experience for the pupils;
- The ethos and atmosphere of the school;
- Wraparound facilities continue to be a huge plus and parents enjoy the flexible approach to the care we offer;
- Parents are very positive towards the leadership of the school. Parents are extremely supportive of the changes being made and are excited to see the benefits these will have on their child’s learning experience.
The following table lists the questions that achieved the highest satisfaction ratings:
| Question | % Who graded strongly agree or agree |
|---|---|
| The school is governed, led and managed effectively | 100% |
| The school is safe and welcoming, and safeguards my child effectively | 100% |
| The school wrap around care and holiday club is a valuable service | 100% |
| My child is prepared well for life in senior school (up to year 6) | 100% |
| My child's particular individual educational needs are met effectively | 100% |
| The school actively promotes values of democracy, respect and tolerance of other people | 100% |
| The school encourages my child to adopt a healthy lifestyle | 97% |
| The school listends and reponds to the views of pupils | 97% |
Priorities for Academic Year 2022/23
We really appreciate the time it took you to complete the survey and can assure you that responses to each question have been carefully reviewed. We have identified the following areas to consider for our School Development Plan next year, and to continue to improve our educational offer:
- Communicating effectively with parents: Changes to this area since the inception of the School Development Plan have included building the children’s ownership of learning through Open Classrooms, showcasing successes via social media and performing through assemblies and showcases. Class Teachers use Pupil Asset to assess pupil learning with the addition of Tapestry within our Early Years classes. The recent Assessment Meetings for Years 2-5, along with our EYFS Phonics Information Meeting, proved popular and this is something that we are keen to develop and evolve more.
- We are now looking to develop information sharing further through a series of curriculum information booklets, highlighting to parents the ways in which subjects are taught in classes and revision tools for pupils to use at the end of a topic. We also intend to update the way in which we share general information in the Parent Area on our school website, most notably specific information for classes.
- ICT Developments: As part of our focus on developing pupils’ technological literacy to support progress in key subjects (as outlined in our previous School Development letter) we have decided to incorporate ICT and Computing into the classroom lessons, allowing us to operate specialist Art and Design lessons for our pupils.
- We are now looking to progress this further by investing in more Chromebook devices for the children to use and developing our curriculum to build on the knowledge, understanding and skills that our pupils have. Through the use of the Discovery Education programme, the school will continue to build and develop computing, especially coding.
- Soccerwise Holiday Club: Parent feedback from the holiday club was very positive. They like the wide range of offerings that are delivered in a safe and secure environment.
We are now looking to progress this further by giving the option for an earlier drop off and later pick up time, to accommodate those families who need longer hours when working.
I hope that this is all good news. It comes as a direct result of your input for which I am grateful.
Mr Booth, Headteacher
