Parent / Carer Forum

Monday 17^th November 2025 at 7pm

Attendees: Mr Hornsey (Deputy Headteacher) plus 9 parents from the following classes:

Nursery, Reception Dragonflies, Year 1 Owls, Year 2 Otters, Y3 Sparrows

As of September, Greswold removed the term ‘winter’ uniform as the current uniform, which includes the tie, can be worn all year round.  There is a ‘summer’ option which can be worn in the summer term and the first half of the autumn term. 
 
Admittedly, Greswold uniform can be more expensive than the summer alternative, but it does give the school and its children a sense of identity. As school does not insist on children wearing branded items, Greswold uniform really helps to give the children a sense of belonging and uniqueness both in and out of school.  It's also good preparation for secondary schools, settings which adopt high expectations of uniform.  The next uniform review is in 2027.  The following link will take you to the uniform page on our website:

https://www.greswold.solihull.sch.uk/greswold-uniform/ 

Parents at the forum were of a collective opinion that purchasing uniform items from Midland Schoolwear in Acocks Green was a much better experience than at Monkhouse in Solihull Centre. 
 
It was also an opportunity to reiterate the expectation that all pupils require a set of pumps (plimsolls) for indoor PE, which can be kept in school, and a second set of trainers (in autumn and winter) if they’re using the field at lunchtimes.  
 
A couple of parents mentioned it was very difficult to get whiteboard marks out of uniform.  We reassured parents that the markers aren’t permanent, but we will remind teachers to ask the children to be careful, particularly when KS1 children are on the carpet using them.

At breaktimes, in KS1, there are two class teachers and Learning Support Assistants on duty for the 10-15 minute break which takes place directly outside classrooms. In KS2 at breaktime, there are three class teachers and Learning Support Assistants on duty.

At lunchtime in KS2, five Play Leaders (Teaching Assistants) help instigate play in a particular quadrant/area.  In addition, there are four Lunchtime Supervisors, each allocated to a year group, who supervise the children having lunch and go back outside with them.  There are also two Lunchtime Supervisors in the upper school hall at all times too. The library, supervised by our librarian Mrs Mason, is accessible to all junior children. 

In KS1, three Play leaders (Teaching Assistants) are accompanied by two Lunchtime Supervisors outside who are then joined by an extra LTS when Nursery have finished their lunch.  Similarly in Reception, an additional LTS will join the team of one Play Leader and two other LTS, when their shift with Nursery has finished.

Reception children have their lunch in the lower school hall first before year 1 join them and year 2 go into the upper school hall before the junior children arrive.  There is always a First Aider in the room when Reception and Nursery are eating.  The children in Nursery always have at least two LTS with them at all times.

There was a comment made about Nursery children possibly not getting enough time to eat their lunch but after investigation it turns out they receive 35 minutes, after which those children who haven't finished can continue in Greyhounds.

A breakfast club scheme in primary schools provides free, universal breakfast clubs to pupils to improve readiness to learn, attendance, and attainment. The scheme started in England in April 2025 with an initial 750 schools and is planned to be rolled out nationally. Participating schools are funded and receive subsidies to cover a significant portion of the costs for a 30-minute session with food, though some schools have raised concerns about funding levels. 

Greswold looked initially at being one of the pilot schools but, following thorough reviews and costings, the model expected by the government is not an operationally or financially sustainable model. There has been about a 10% withdrawal rate from the initial pilot due to this.  We will not be looking at any of the future roll outs.

At the forum, we discussed the logistical challenges faced by parents and staff in making such a scheme work.  School would need to know exactly how many children would be attending each day to organise adequate supervision.  This couldn't include class teachers who would be preparing for the day’s learning.  If TA’s were used, contracts would need to change and be subsidised by the school budget because the funding provided would not cover the whole cost.  

If children arrived late then the incredibly important registration time would be affected, meaning other children might not receive interventions from TA’s whilst all pupils might not receive the calm and productive start to the day they usually get.

A concern raised about the quality and variety of school meals. Some options don't always feel healthy and balanced.  

The offer of sweet desserts every day may be excessive and unnecessary. 

There was a concern that the information on the Solihull Catering Services’ website wasn’t entirely accurate, in relation to the traffic light system for making healthy choices (seemed to be for adults and not children).  The updated nutritional information received from catering has now been added to the school meals page of the Greswold website. We are also asking Solihull Catering Services to arrange a face-to-face meeting with any parent who would like to attend.  More details of this meeting will be communicated shortly.

In terms of a sweet dessert, there is always a healthier option available, including fruit.  However, we will feedback to the catering team about how this is promoted to the children.  EYFS and KS1 children do receive daily fruit for their morning snack though.  After speaking with Mrs Card, our head cook, she assured me that the amount of sugar used in sweet desserts conforms to national requirements.  Basically, school meals have to contain a certain amount of sugar.

This is the link to the Solihull Catering website which contains information about compliance with meals standards included.
 
https://solihullcateringservices.co.uk/
 
It is worth noting that School Council will be involved in the next round of pupil voice about the meal choices on the next menu.

The number of communication platforms feels excessive and leads to a lot of confusion.

Could one app be used, rather than multiple channels for updates, newsletters, payments and Greyhound bookings?
 

Here is a summary of current communication channels and their purposes:

The SchoolApp is for more informal communications which might be whole school, year group or even class.  These generally involve reminders or updates.  

Tapestry is an online journal to record learning and share evidence of early development in Nursery and Reception.  It’s a transition tool for parents new to formal education and so also acts as a care diary where parents can communicate directly with class teachers.  Year 1 only use the care diary aspect of this app. 

ParentPay is our Cashless Income Collection service, but formal communications will go through this platform to the primary email address holders.  On occasion, a few informal communications which involve attachments will be sent through ParentPay as this can’t be done through The SchoolApp.

Greswold Greyhounds’ payment and management system is iPAL.  However, bookings should be made through the Greyhounds email address.  Previously, there was a discussion around amalgamating this service with ParentPay but for the time being they are staying separate. 

Attending parents commented that communication systems become easier as parents get used to them and that the most difficult time is when families start in Nursery or Reception.  With this in mind, Mr Hornsey suggested that future Reception Meet the Teacher evenings will include a meeting with SLT to share an overview of how communications work.  This may alleviate initial concerns and confusion. However, there is a page dedicated to Communication at Greswold on the website in the Parents section. 

https://www.greswold.solihull.sch.uk/communication-at-greswold/ 

Unfortunately, there isn’t an app which can combine all services together into one platform.  Class Dojo is used by some other schools which gives the option of communicating directly with class teachers but, as an SLT, we have to ensure a class teacher’s teaching time is prioritised over communication with parents otherwise the balance may become unmanageable. 

If parents can’t meet with or speak to teachers face-to-face at the end of the day, they can always email the school office account and it will be forwarded onto the relevant member of staff who will respond within 48 hours either by email or a phone call. 

Ultimately, whatever school proposes, communicates, or reiterates, we can’t control the choices made by people and vehicle users, whether they’re associated with school or not.  

We’ve received requests from both residents and parents that there should be more of a school staff presence outside the gates and around the local area.  Again, we come back to balancing the priorities of educators and retaining a firm stance that our time and expertise needs to be dedicated to the educational development of the children, first and foremost.

However, we are awaiting options from the parking division of Solihull Council on how we can improve the issues we’re currently experiencing.  These may include a Zebra crossing, more Blue Badge bays and parking restrictions imposed on the entirety of the Greswold frontage. 

As always, we have an abundance of initiatives in place to help alleviate congestion around the local area, including a Walking Bus service, Park & Stride venues, the Living Streets’ Travel Tracker, an annual Travel Plan and two dedicated website pages giving guidance and helpful advice to parents about travelling to and from school. 

https://www.greswold.solihull.sch.uk/sustainable-travel-at-greswold/ 

https://www.greswold.solihull.sch.uk/parking-guidance-for-greswold-vehicle-users/ 

The solution ultimately boils down to vehicle using families giving themselves enough time to travel to school without rushing, and parking in designating spaces before walking the rest of the way to school. This is what the vast majority of our families do already and something we strive for as a whole school. 

This system was introduced last year to promote more engagement from parents with their children’s work during Parent Consultation evenings.  It’s been highly successful and children always enjoy seeing which pieces of work have been chosen by their parents. 

However, an intriguing suggestion made by a parent at the forum was to allow children to choose their own piece of work to add a sticker to so parents could look for it themselves.  As younger children don’t usually join their parents for meetings, it’s a really nice way of making the routine even more engaging and impactful.  Mr Hornsey will feedback the suggestion to SLT and staff, looking forward to February’s meetings.

SLT and other members of staff supervise each pedestrian gate in the morning while the vehicle gate is locked.  Those pedestrian gates are then locked along with the external gates leading onto the road.  The only gates open during the school day are the vehicle gate and the pedestrian gate next to it.  These entrances are visible from the main school office.  The KS1 pedestrian gates are open for a short amount of time around midday for when families leave Nursery after the morning session and other families arrive for the afternoon.  

All external doors are on a fob system operated from a central point meaning the school building can’t be accessed from the outside. 

Admittedly, some schools have external security gates with intercom systems to allow access to the school site.  However, these come at a substantial cost and can be prone to faults.  The size and nature of our school means we have parents, visitors, external agencies, catering staff, part-time staff and deliveries, amongst others, needing to swiftly access the school site each day.  The strain this would have on the school office could well become unmanageable.  

All visitors sign in and are allocated a lanyard with a sticker with their photo on, so they’re recognisable to both staff and children. Lanyards are colour co-ordinated so staff know what role visitors have.  

At collection time, SLT are again visible on gates and by classrooms to help monitor collection.  Children not collected on time are escorted to the main school office.  Teachers won’t release children to a different adult unless they have confirmation from the school office first.  The pedestrian gates are then locked so that extra-curricular activities taking place outside are also secure.
SLT are aware of their roles in relation to emergency plans, Lockdown procedures are in place and Fire Drills are held every term.