Building Effective Communication

We suggest the following guidelines to make home-school communication as effective as can be.

Home-school communication should be:

Occurring regularly: Based on need – but once or twice a year is not enough
Varied in its methods: Communication methods can be both formal and informal, and may include letters, written notes, emails, telephone calls, parent-teacher conferences, casual school corridor chats and daily or weekly home-school diaries
Documented: Keep a record of formal meetings, including a list of topics that were discussed
Proactive and goal-driven: Discuss goals and the steps needed to get there
Balanced: Cover both successes and challenges. Children will work very hard for much needed positive reinforcement, highlighting the need to also document progress towards desired behaviours