Four parents met with senior Woldgate School leaders on Thursday night to discuss a range of issues including toilets and changing rooms, uniform, lunch provision, provision of education for SEND students, discipline and behaviour, attendance and absence, leadership and governance and serious safeguarding concerns.

The meeting lasted 3 ½ hours and parents said it was very constructive.

Following the meeting Headmaster Mr Sloman wrote in the school newsletter:

“At Woldgate School, we strongly believe that success is built upon a strong, trusting partnership between school staff, pupils and parents. In particular, we recognise that parents, like pupils and staff, have a voice and I would like to respond to some of the concerns raised by parents and members of the community.
As we await the imminent construction of our new school building, we recognise that our existing facilities and buildings still require the care and maintenance necessary to provide our pupils with the best possible experience. We recognise that this matter has caused some concern and we want to reassure parents and members of the community that we have already taken steps to address these, including pre-arranged deep-cleaning of the facilities by an external contractor and the appointment of a fulltime, dedicated Operations and Estates Lead from January to oversee the ongoing repairs and maintenance of school facilities. We are also scheduling a programme of repair and decoration on all school toilets, commencing in the new year. Although this may cause some disruption in the short term, it is necessary to maintain our school facilities in the best possible condition for our pupils.

This week, I and my senior colleagues have met with a group of parents to discuss some of these, and other issues and concerns raised recently. Our meeting was extremely constructive and supportive, and reflected the care and dedication we all feel towards making our pupils’ educational experience the best it can be.
We have looked at different aspects of school life, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with our parent community over the coming weeks and months to continually improve our school for pupils and students. We welcome all support and constructive feedback from the local community and will be keeping the lines of communication open to move forward. Thank you again to everyone in the local community; parents, carers, relatives and others, who continue to support our school. I know that our school will be the best it can be when we work together with the community and thank you to everyone for your ongoing support and help. I look forward to sharing our combined achievements for our pupils with you in the weeks and months ahead.”