School/home relationship
Most GDST schools and teachers will regularly report to parents on their child’s progress, both formally and informally.

For every parent, there are times when they may be concerned about their child’s behaviour or development.

Don’t wait until the next Parents’ Evening to discuss your anxieties.

If you have any worries, please do raise them with any member of the teaching staff, particularly your child’s form teacher. They may be able to allay your fears, or if it’s a real issue, work with you to help your child.

Also, if there are difficulties at home that may affect your child (a family bereavement, for example) please let the form teacher know so that extra support can be offered.

There may be times when your concerns are about a particular teacher, for example, if you feel your child is not progressing well in a particular subject. It would be best to raise this with the teacher concerned directly, but if you don’t feel this is appropriate then your child’s Head of Year should be able to help.

Of course, you are welcome to speak directly to the Head about any aspect of the school or its staff.

In all cases it’s best to make an appointment to speak with the relevant person at a time when they can focus on you in a way that’s not always possible at the beginning or the end of a busy school day.

In the vast majority of cases, concerns can be dealt with amicably and informally at school level. If you wish to make a formal complaint, there are school procedures for responding. Staff at the GDST’s Trust Office will only become involved when all school-level measures have been exhausted.