Parent – Teacher Communication by Email Guidelines for Parents* 

*By 'Parents' we are referring to parents and carers

Wool CE Primary School recognises that email is a valuable communication tool that is widely used across our society. Staff are provided with a school email account to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of communication both within the school and within the broader community and parents. Email may be a fast and convenient way for parents to send messages, but this is not always the case for teachers. Teachers cannot always read their emails on the day that they are sent and they may only be read before or after school; remember that teachers are busy teaching and working with your children during the school day. 

At Wool CE Primary School, we ask for parents to email the school office account directly (wool.office@coastalpartnership.co.uk) and not individual members of staff.  Emails will then either be responded to by Office Staff or forwarded to the relevant teacher.  Some teachers may prefer to use the phone to speak directly to parents when responding to the initial email, speak to parents at the start/end of the day in person or will reply via the generic school office account. The teacher will determine how best to contact you: by email, phone or by appointment.

When using email, parents are asked to observe the following protocols:

• Parents must not have opted out of our email communication option

• Please send only non-vital messages by this medium as a teacher may not have time to read your message in a timely fashion

• Email can be used to communicate briefly about matters previously discussed with the teacher or for brief queries, clarification or updates. More significant issues or ‘new’ concerns are best dealt with on the telephone or in person

• Grievances against members of staff should not be raised via an email, please refer to the Complaints Policy

• Please avoid contacting teachers with queries that can be handled by the school office team or by consulting the school website

• Please ensure that any email communication is courteous and polite in tone; confrontational or aggressive emails will not warrant a response. It is unacceptable for members of staff to feel intimidated or distressed by emails or telephone calls of this nature. We expect a reciprocal approach of common courtesy and respect when communicating between home and school

• Please avoid sending emails at antisocial times of the day and during weekend/holiday times since this brings disruption to teachers’ personal lives. Parents who need to compose an email, for example, late in the evening can send it to the generic school email address (wool.office@coastalpartnership.co.uk) for the attention of the staff member – it will then be forwarded from here

• Please be aware that emails are only monitored during the school day and during term time

• Please be reasonable and courteous in the volume of emails that you are sending

• The school reserves the right to withdraw this form of communication from a parent who is using it in an inappropriate manner or in a manner which causes distress to school staff. Parents should be aware that emails are regarded as a written form of communication and will be kept as a record of communication.