Earlier this year, parents and carers were asked to complete a short survey and share with us your views on Saint Gregory’s. We were delighted that so many took the time to respond and provide us with their thoughts.

There were a number of incredibly positive outcomes that, as a school community, we should be very proud of. The following highlights just some of these successes:

  • 90% of parents/carers agreed that their child is doing as well as you expect them to;
  • 90% of parents/carers agreed that they could approach their child’s teacher;
  • 94% of parents/carers agreed that their child is expected to work hard;
  • 96% of parents agreed that their child is growing into a well-rounded person;
  • 92.49% of parents/carers agreed that the quality of teaching is good;
  • 91.55% of parents agreed that their child is happy to go to school;
  • 93.40% of parents agree that the school is effectively led by staff and governors.

In addition:

  • Parents and carers expressed their great admiration for the work we do to provide our students with a moral compass, built upon by our Catholic foundations and values.
  • The strong community and family atmosphere at Saint Gregory’s, which underpins everything we do, were highly complimented and valued.
  • Our pastoral care and the commitment of our staff to the young people in our care were a common highlight amongst the many positive responses received.

As with all surveys of this nature, the results also highlighted areas that could be improved and, over the past few months, we have been working hard to ensure that, where possible, these are addressed as swiftly as possible. The following summarises the main concerns raised:

Uniform and Behaviour – some parents and carers felt that there had been a slip in the expected standards of uniform from some students. Additionally, some parents and carers felt that there was poor language from a minority of students.

We take these comments very seriously and have, as a result, revised our Behaviour for Excellence policy from September. The revisions will increase sanctions available to staff for poor behaviour and non-uniform compliance. Students have already been reminded of the expectations of them whilst at Saint Gregory’s and we hope that you will support us in implementing these changes. Please review our Uniform Policy (attached) and, if replacing uniform items over the summer, ensure that it meets with our expectations.

Differentiation – a few parents and carers raised concerns over whether lessons were effectively differentiated and whether all students were sufficiently stretched and challenged.

Our performance data indicates that students do very well academically at Saint Gregory’s and this is highlighted by our recent achievements at Progress 8 and Attainment 8 – both very good indicators of students being stretched and challenged academically. We are never complacent however, and will be further addressing this through our CPD programme and continued monitoring and review of teaching and learning to ensure that student outcomes remain a priority. If you have any particular concerns over your son/daughter’s individual progress, I would urge you to get in contact with their tutor or Head of Year, in the first instance, so that we can work together to address these swiftly.

Communication – some parents and carers commented on our procedures for communication with particular regard to follow-ups following academic or pastoral concerns.

We appreciate that regular communication with our parents and carers is an important part of our commitment to you and continually monitor and revise our communications strategy. As a result of your feedback, we have reviewed our parents’ evening calendar for the coming academic year to provide opportunities for parents and teachers to meet at more appropriate times of the year. We will monitor the success of these changes over the coming academic year. We always encourage our parents and carers to get in touch sooner than this, if they have any specific concerns. Staff email addresses can be found on the school website and, where possible, we will endeavour to respond within 48 hours and much sooner if we can.

Extra-curricular options – some parents raised concerns over the availability and balance of our extra-curricular programme.

We believe firmly that students flourish and thrive when there is a broad and balanced curriculum that encompasses a wide variety of opportunities and activities beyond the classroom. There is already an extensive programme in place but Governors and Senior Leaders recognise that there is a need to continue to develop and enhance the extra-curricular offer at Saint Gregory’s both in scheduled annual events, such as Enrichment Week or the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and through a more regular offer of lunchtime and after-school clubs or activities. This will be a focus for the coming academic year, which includes developing an “Investment Club” within a virtual environment that will be both exciting and help pupils to learn about finance and investment.

We believe that these improvements, together with our on-going commitment to ensure the very best for the young people in our care, will lead to a better education for all.

Thank you for your continued support and for taking the time to complete the survey.

Mr Mc Dermott
Acting Headteacher

Behaviour for Excellence Policy 2018
Uniform Policy
Uniform Brochure – Trutex