Schools as Organisations 5

Why schools have policies and procedures

Policies and procedures provide a framework and guidance for school life in each and every institution. They ensure that the school in run smoothly and pupils receive quality education. Policies related to staff give guidance regarding working hours, annual leave, salaries and bonuses, complaints and grievance procedures. They are useful sources of information for prospective employees before they decide to accept a job at the institution. Teaching and learning policies give a framework for everyday education aims and practices so that e.g. parents can have an idea about their children’s everyday activities. An equality, diversity and inclusion policy ensures that all pupils are included in the learning and play activities and any other aspects of school life, regardless of race, skin colour, ethnic origin, gender or disabilities. Furthermore, a school policy regarding parental engagement ensures the rights of any parent or carer to participate in activities and programmes organised for parents. Also, it includes their responsibility to support their children’s learning by encouraging them and making sure their homework and assignments are done.

Policies and procedures schools may have relating to:

a) Staff

According to Health and Safety Regulations the School as an employer have to make the workplace safe for the staff and prevent any potential risks to health. The ventilation, temperature, lighting, toilet, washing and rest facilities have to meet health, safety and welfare requirements. Also as part of the Child Protection laws, the school has to follow a safe recruitment process, whereby enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks have to be sought on all staff who has unsupervised access to children.

b) Pupil Welfare

There are a number of laws providing guidance regarding children’s welfare. A schools welfare policies target the care and well-being of children, and an improvement of their health. These initiatives aim to protect them from the harmful effects of poverty, family problems, child abuse and inadequate resources. The school has to cater for children’s proper emotional and educational development and recognise the signs of child abuse and neglect in their lives outside of the school setting. The document entitled “Safeguarding Children in Education” sets out legal requirements for a safe learning environment, and the recognition of children in danger or suffering. Since the Children Act of 1989 it is the duty of Local Authorities to investigate situations where children are at risk. Every school must have a Designated Teacher who is responsible for child protection issues. This person has an adequate training so that they can give guidance to colleagues on child protection matters and liaise with investigation agencies. They are also responsible for the record keeping of pupils on the Child Protection Register.

c) Teaching and Learning

The Teaching and Learning policy aims to ensure that children are provided with high quality learning experiences in a well-managed learning environment to meet the individual needs of pupils and ensure their high level of achievements. Children learn best when they are happy, interested and motivated, and given tasks which match their ability. In order to create a healthy learning environment, the classroom needs effective routines and rules that are fair, consistent and clearly understood by all pupils. Social, physical, creative and academic achievements can be awarded by verbal or written praise by teachers, peers, displays of work or awarding of stickers, house points and certificates.

d) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Each child comes from a different family background, which can limit their opportunities in life. Schools have to make sure they offer equal opportunities to children of various cultural and racial groups to develop their full potential. The Children Act of 1989 and The Race Relations Act of 1976 are both against discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality or ethnic origin. As Britain is a multi-cultural society it is essential that the pupils learn about the different cultures surrounding them and learn to value cultural diversity. According to The Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 it is unlawful to discriminate people on the ground of gender. It encourages schools to avoid gender stereotyping, because e.g. teachers discouraging boys from being sensitive and girls from being adventurous can restrict children’s future development and their expectations of themselves. As The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 proscribes discrimination against disabled people in employment, the teachers have to show to the pupils with the help of pictures or videos that the people living with a disability are still valuable members of society who can carry out certain jobs. In general schools have to provide equal opportunities to the pupils in all learning and extra-curricular activities and these activities should also reflect the appreciation of diversity. Similarly, no parent should be excluded from any of the parental activities on the basis of ethnic origin or personal characteristics. As children can pick up various misconceptions about racial and cultural groups from the media and society, it is essential that their school environment help them to overcome of stereotyping. If the Teaching Assistant treats all children equally but not all the same it will help them to meet their individual needs and characteristics while appreciating the diversity of community around them.

e) Parental Engagement

The parent or carer of a child has a right to participate in decisions about their child’s education and to receive information from the school regarding the child. They have to receive a report about the pupil’s educational achievements each year. Parents may access the pupil’s educational record and information about the school curriculum if they request it. They can participate in activities like parents’ conference or voting in election for parent governors. Parents or carers have to be asked to give consent to certain activities, like school trips. If there is a school meeting involving the child (e.g. a governors’ meeting on the child’s exclusion) the parents or carers have to be informed about it. The parents have to make sure that their child is regularly attending school while in the compulsory school age and in return the school has to inform the parent immediately if the pupil is absent unexplained. The school has to inform parents about the following documents: the school prospectus, the home-school agreement, the school’s discipline and behaviour policy and the complaint procedures. The Children Act of 1989 introduced the concept of “parental responsibility” which means the rights and duties of a parent or carer of a child. As the act declares the child’s welfare to be paramount, local authorities have the right to act if they see the child is in danger. The document titled “Every Child Matters” states that support to parents is crucial as family has the most important influence on a young person’s life, therefore the school has to co-operate with the parents at all times to ensure the child’s most advantageous development.

How school policies may be developed and communicated

Schools have to make sure that they have relevant, functional policies in place regarding all the aspects of school life, pupils, staff and parents. Policies have to be revised and updated on a regular basis, as required by Ofsted inspections. Each school policy has to be fit for its purpose, e.g. the school’s disability policy has to cover all aspects of the life of disabled pupils in school and also general accessibility for visitors with disabilities. These policies are official documents that have to be checked regularly and audited if they are still correctly serving their purpose. When composing new school policies or reviewing old ones, the new documents have to be drafted, checked, ratified, signed off then implemented. Staff has to be made aware of the new policies or the changes and any necessary training have to be provided for them.