Who do I write to about school

[bluefish]

Hi, ds started at his new school in Feburary.From day one at new school things have been perfect! and have continued to be perfect. Ds is so happy and could not wait to get back after the summer.

I want to put somthing in writting about the school to express how I feel about the staff and the wonderfull approach to special needs,( its a main stream school)that as a parent I have been overwhelmed by the fantastic support and care that is given to all the children as well as ds.

I am not sure who to write to... I was going to write to the HT but did not want to seem like a gushing parent, should I write to the govoners or the LA

I have become very good at complaining but find myself in unknown waters when it comes to saying Thankyou!

I am so imrpessed by the school and know that if I was unhappy pen would hit paper with ease, so not sure why I feel a bit akward about giving praise.

any advice on who I could write to would be great

Thankyou

[Daisydot]

How fantastic, its really nice to hear a positive story.

 

I would make a point of seeking out the HT and the classroom team and thanking them verbally. I dont think you are being a gushing parent at all and I am sure they will appreciate your praise very much and value your feedback. I admit I am being horribly cynical here (once bitten etc) but I would be very careful about putting anything in writing, just in case things go wrong in the future and its used against you.

 

I am sorry to sound like a cynical old misog, and I think its fantastic your son is so happy in mainstream, and I really hope it contines.

 

 

[bluefish]

Thanks for your reply, the reason I have yet to put pen to paper is because I cant believe things are so good and as you say if things go wrong it could be used against us! It is sad that I feel so hessitant as I am great at complaining I am quite shy and find it hard to show how pleased I am, funny how out spoken I could be when things were bad at old school, looking back I cant believe how brave I was to challenge the system!!!!!!

But good advice i shall make a point of telling HT how pleased I am

[Kathryn]

When I saw the title of your thread I naturally assumed it was a complaint you were making - how good to hear of such a positive experience. I think staff should definitely be praised - there's far too little of it about, and praise is a good motivator.

 

I can see Daisydot's point about putting things in writing - having had innocent remarks turmed against me, I'm also cynical, so verbal thanks might be better for the moment than a formal letter.

 

Just a thought though: when the end of term approaches you could perhaps write a little note in a Christmas card to each of the staff connected with your child: this would allow you to still express your gratitude in writing but in a less formal and more individual way, which would be less likely to be used for nefarious purposes.

 

K x

[Daisydot]

A nice thank you card and a very large tin of chocolates will go down well - teachers live off chocolate and always appreciate this (I work with 30 of them, so can officially verify this).

 

You sound just like me. I too am shy and dont like confrontation or making a scene - but found resources within I didnt know i had when we were trying to get our son the appropriate education he needed.

 

Good luck

 

 

[thomastank]

 

 

Hello, I'm pleased its all good for you. Our mainstream school is great too, I've been helping out there voluntarily when I can as my son's TA's are voluntary too so I feel I am giving something back. I hope your son continues to be happy.

 

As others have said thank you cards always go down well, especially ones that the kids have drawn, my son took in some fir cones that he had decorated with glitter last Christmas and they went down a treat (or so they said ).

 

Oh, and btw, I'm shy too but find myself standing up for my son more than I would ever do to myself (and secretly fuming about some Daily Mail article today that implied that giving children with ADHD special passes to 'queue jump' rides at theme parks was wrong and they should be made to run around to burn off excess energy!!!! )

[Tally]

Whoever you write to, you should send a copy to the head to make sure s/he gets to see it.

[rag31]

You could write to your local newspaper if you have one, and ask to be kept anonymous. They probably love this kind of thing (ours does!).

 

That way you say thanks but it doesn't have your name attached iykwim.

 

Becky

[skye]

what part of the country are you from? are there any places at the school!!

[darky]

Personally I wouldn't worry about being a gushing parent! All too often schools and staff are complained about when things go wrong, but very little is noted when they do well, so I expect they will be only too happy to hear the praise. What I do is, put little comments in the home school book. Not OTT but thanking them for their time, or understanding in a situation. I believe strongly in a balance. If I disagree with something I don't take it personally, but I will speak out, but I will also balance it out and say when they do something right. At the end of the last term, I sent a card to my daughter's TA and teacher and simply said thank you for making a positive difference in my daughters school life. They were very happy to hear it.

[Sooze2]

You could write to the head and ask for the letter to be read out at the next staff meeting so that way everyong concerned gets a pat on the back. I think its a great thing to do, I have always thanked my kids teachers with a card etc if they have been very nice and helpful what ever time of the year as I'm sure they get their fair share of critisism even but very little thanks.