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Want to join Middle Street? We have limited places available in most year groups.
Please reach us at admin@middlestreet.brighton-hove.sch.uk if you cannot find the information you are looking for.
The school's Name: Middle Street Primary School
The school’s postal address: Middle Street. Brighton, BN1 1AL.
The school’s telephone number: 01273 323184.
The name of the member of staff who deals with queries from parents and other members of the public: Claire Mcgrath (School Business Manager).
The name and contact details of the special educational needs and disabilities co-ordinator (SENCO): Lucy Roberts, lucyroberts@middlestreet.brighton-hove.sch.uk.
The local authority manages our admissions process. To find out about our school’s admission and appeal arrangements please click HERE.
The school does not have a school uniform but the following dress code is in place for all pupils,
Click HERE for the latest Ofsted report from Middle Street Primary School.
The government will not publish KS2 school level data for the 2021 to 2022 academic year. The last available public data is from the 2018 to 2019 academic year. It is important to note that the data from that year may no longer reflect current performance.
Click HERE for the school performance measures website and the school’s performance measures page.
School opens at 8:45am and closes at 3:15pm for all pupils (this amounts to a total time, in a typical week, of 32.5 hours).
Click HERE for information about the Middle Street Curriculum.
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section.
The remote curriculum
What is taught to pupils at home
A pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching.
What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?
On the first day, that pupils are sent home, no remote learning will be set by class teachers. Please use this day to check that you can access Class Dojo, ensure your IT equipment is working, set up a quiet work space at home and gather together all the equipment and resources you think you will need.
Remote learning provision will begin on day two.
Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?
We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, to ensure all pupils can access the activities of that they have the required equipment or support at home.
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:
Early Years - 2 hours a day
Key Stage 1 - 3 hours a day
Key Stage 2 - 4 hours a day
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
We use Class DOJO to deliver our remote learning provision, integrated with Zoom and Vimeo for live lessons.
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:
Please contact your child's class teacher if you wish to make use of any of these approaches.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
Engagement and feedback
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
Pupils’ are expected to engage with all remote learning set by the class teacher.
Parents and Carers are expected to support pupils by setting routines to support their child’s education, providing support to unsure pupils can access the remote learning (with both technology and the activities).
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
We will check pupils’ engagement with remote education on a daily basis and evaluate their engagement weekly.
Where engagement is a concern and member of staff will get in touch with parents and carers via Dojo, phone or email to provide support and identify barriers to engagement. We will then work with families to break down the barriers so engagement can increase.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
Additional support for pupils with particular needs
How will you work with me to help my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:
Remote education for self-isolating pupils
Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
We will take ensure individual pupils self-isolating are provided with learning in-line with their peers in school. Work will be set via Class Dojo, all the communication methods and support mechanisms detailed above will be provided to pupils self-isolating. Time scales for feedback and support may be slightly longer as staff will be engaged in whole class teaching.
You can access the Behaviour Policy by clicking HERE.
You can access the Pupil Premium Report by clicking HERE.
You can access the PE and Sports Premium Report by clicking HERE..
Aims
Our school aims to meet its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) by having due regard to the need to:
Legislation and guidance
This document meets the requirements under the following legislation:
This document is also based on Department for Education (DfE) guidance: The Equality Act 2010 and schools.
Roles and responsibilities
The governing board will:
Eliminating discrimination
The school is aware of its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and complies with non-discrimination provisions.
Where relevant, our policies include reference to the importance of avoiding discrimination and other prohibited conduct.
Staff and governors are regularly reminded of their responsibilities under the Equality Act – for example, during meetings. Where this has been discussed during a meeting it is recorded in the meeting minutes.
The school has a designated member of staff for monitoring equality issues, and an equality link governor. They regularly liaise regarding any issues and make senior leaders and governors aware of these as appropriate.
Advancing equality of opportunity
As set out in the DfE guidance on the Equality Act, the school aims to advance equality of opportunity by:
Fostering good relations
The school aims to foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it by:
Equality considerations in decision-making
The school ensures it has due regard to equality considerations whenever significant decisions are made.
The school always considers the impact of significant decisions on particular groups. For example, when a school trip or activity is being planned, the school considers whether the trip:
The school keeps a written record (known as an Equality Impact Assessment) to show we have actively considered our equality duties and asked ourselves relevant questions. This is recorded at the same time as the risk assessment when planning school trips and activities. The record is completed by the member of staff organising the activity and is stored electronically with the completed risk assessment.
Equality objectives
Monitoring arrangements
The school will update the equality information we publish, at least every year. This document will be reviewed by the governing board at least every 4 years. This document will be approved by the headteacher.
Links with other policies
This document links to the following policies:
Introduction
It is in everyone’s interest that concerns and complaints are resolved as quickly aspossible.
We welcome any feedback that helps us improve and all issues will be dealt with fairly and sensitively. When possible, we will aim to resolve issues informally.
If you need to make a formal complaint, please follow the stages of the complaints procedure carefully to ensure it is dealt with fairly and in accordance with timescales. Please do not approach individual governors to raise concerns or complaints. They have no power to act on an individual basis, and it may prevent them from considering complaints at Stage 2 of the procedure.
Before continuing with this procedure, please refer to ‘Complaints that do not fall under this complaints procedure’, which outlines the complaints that are dealt with under different statutory procedures.
Complaints that do not fall under this Complaints Procedure
Matters likely to require a Child Protection Investigation:
Complaints about child protection and safeguarding matters are handled under our child protection and safeguarding policy and in accordance with relevant statutory guidance.
If you have immediate concerns that a child has suffered, or is at risk of suffering significant harm please contact Front Door for Families: Tel 01273 290400 (office hours) or 01273 335905 (out of office hours). https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/frontdoorforfamilies
The local authority designated officer (LADO) is Darrel Clews: Tel 01273
295643.
Admissions to schools:
School Admissions Team (local authority): Tel 01273 293653
SchoolAdmissions@brighton-hove.gov.uk in the first instance, who will advise on the correct procedure to follow.
Exclusion of children from school*:
Access to Education Team (local authority): Tel 01273 293480 attendanceteam@brighton-hove.gov.uk https://new.brighton-hove.gov.uk/schools-and-
learning/absentschool/what-happens-if-your-child-excluded-school
*However, complaints about the application of the behaviour policy https://www.fairlight.brighton-hove.sch.uk/headteachers-office/official- documentation can be made through the school’s complaints procedure.
Statutory assessments of SEN:
Special Educational Needs Team (local authority): Tel 01273 293552
Complaints about other providers who may use the school premises or facilities:
Providers should have their own complaints procedure to deal with complaints about the service. Please contact them direct or ask the school office for their contact details.
Staff grievances, capability or conduct:
The school’s internal personnel procedures will be used. You are not entitled to participate in proceedings or receive any detail about the
outcome, but you will be informed that the matter is being addressed
Subject Access Requests and Freedom of Information requests:
Refer to the school’s Data Protection Policy and Freedom of Information
policy.
Whistleblowing (for serious wrongdoing that cannot be covered by other procedures):
Refer to the school’s whistleblowing procedure, which can be used by members of staff and the general public. For those who do not wish to raise matters direct with the school, referrals can be made to the
Department of Education: www.education.gov.uk/contactus
National Curriculum content:
Contact the Department for Education: www.education.gov.uk/contactus
The school policies referred to above can be found on the school website, or you can ask for a copy from the school office. There is further information about different types of complaints at https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.
The difference between a concern and a complaint
A concern may be defined as ‘an expression of worry or doubt over an issue considered to be important for which reassurances are sought’. A complaint may be defined as ‘an expression of dissatisfaction however made, about actions taken or a lack of action’.
(Ref: DfE Model Complaints Procedure for Schools 2019)
How to raise a concern or make a complaint
A concern or complaint can be made in person, in writing (email, letter or complaint form) or by telephone. It may also be made by a third party acting on your behalf, as long as they have appropriate consent to do so.
If you wish to raise a concern, i.e. seeking reassurance about a particular issue, your first point of contact is usually your child’s class teacher. If you have difficulty discussing a concern with a particular member of staff, please contact Rob Cooper, Headteacher, who will refer you to another member of staff. Similarly, if the member of staff directly involved feels unable to deal with a concern, they may refer you to another staff member, who may be more senior but does not have to be. The ability to consider the concern objectively and impartially is important, so you could be referred to a school governor. However, that governor cannot then be involved if the concern progresses into a formal complaint. You should expect to receive a written acknowledgement within five school working days and a full response within 15 school working days of receiving the concern.
If you wish to make a formal complaint, you should follow the stages outlined in this procedure. It is helpful if you complete the complaint form at the end of this procedure (Appendix 2) as it ensures the school has all the necessary details about the complaint. However, you may also raise your complaint in person or by telephone, in which case the person you raise the complaint with will complete the form.
Accessibility
In accordance with equality law, we will consider making reasonable adjustments to enable complainants to access and complete this complaints procedure, e.g. providing information in alternative formats, helping to complete the form or holding meetings in accessible locations. Please contact the school office if you require any assistance.
Who can make a complaint?
Any person, including members of the public, can make a complaint about any provision of facilities or services we provide. This complaints procedure is not limited to parents or carers of children that are registered at the school. However, please check the section ‘Complaints that do not fall under this complaints procedure’ first to ensure the complaint is not covered by a different procedure.
Anonymous complaints
We will not normally investigate anonymous complaints. The headteacher and/or chair of governors will determine whether the complaint warrants an investigation.
Please note that any complaints about child protection matters are handled under our child protection and safeguarding policy.
Timescales
You must raise the complaint within three months of the incident or, where a series of associated incidents have occurred, within three months of the last of these incidents. We will consider complaints made outside of this timeframe if exceptional circumstances apply. If complaints are made outside of term time or over a weekend, we will record the day received as the first school day back after that time. If other public bodies are investigating aspects of the complaint (eg the police, safeguarding teams or a tribunal), this may impact on our ability to adhere to the timescales within this procedure or result in the procedure being suspended until those public bodies have completed their investigations. If legal action has been taken against the school in relation to the complaint, we may suspend the complaints procedure until those legal proceedings have concluded.
Resolving complaints
Middle Street Primary School takes concerns seriously and will make every effort to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, by offering an empathetic response, an explanation of events or, if appropriate, a recognition that the situation could have been handled differently or better. If this is the case, we will explain any steps that will be taken to help ensure it will not happen again, with an indication of the timescales within which any changes will be made.
Withdrawal of a complaint
If you wish to withdraw a complaint, please confirm this in writing to the headteacher, via email or letter to the school office.
Governing board review of complaints
The governing board will ensure any specific actions for resolution of complaints are completed. In addition to this, at the end of each academic year, the governing board will receive an annual report from the headteacher that outlines the general nature of complaints that year (anonymised). Any learning from complaints can be used to inform the review of the complaints procedure and also other procedures and policies within the school.
Stages of the formal Complaints Procedure
Stage 1: Investigation
If you wish to complain about actions taken or a lack of action taken by the school, you should raise a formal complaint with the headteacher (unless the complaint is about the headteacher or governing board – see below), via the school office. This may be done in person, in writing (preferably on the complaint form at the end of this procedure), or by telephone. You should make it clear that you are raising a formal complaint under the school’s complaints procedure.
The headteacher will acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing (by letter or email) within five school working days. Within this response, the headteacher will seek to clarify the nature of the complaint and what outcome you would like to see. The response will outline who will be investigating the complaint and the date you can expect a response by.
The headteacher will then investigate the complaint or they may delegate the investigation to another
member of the school’s senior leadership team (but not the decision to be taken). During the investigation, the headteacher (or investigator) may:
They will keep a written record of any meetings/interviews in relation to their investigation.
After the investigation, the headteacher will provide a formal written response within 15 school working days of the date of receipt of the complaint. If the headteacher is unable to meet this deadline, they will provide you with an update and revised response date. The response will detail any actions taken to investigate the complaint and provide a full explanation of the decision made and the reason(s) for it.
Where appropriate, it will include details of actions the school will take to resolve the complaint. The response will include an explanation of how to escalate your complaint if you are dissatisfied with the outcome.
If the complaint is about the headteacher or a member of the governing board, the chair of governors will complete all the actions at Stage 1. Such complaints must be made to the clerk to governors, via the school office.
If the complaint is about the chair of governors, a suitably skilled governor will complete all the actions at Stage 1. Such complaints must be made to the clerk to governors, via the school office.
If the complaint is about more than one governor or the entire governing board, an independent investigator will be appointed. Such complaints must be made to the clerk to governors, via the school office, who will contact the local authority’s Governance Development Team for advice. At the end of their investigation, the independent investigator will provide a formal written response.
You should not approach individual governors to raise concerns or complaints. They have no power to act on an individual basis, and it may also prevent them from considering complaints at Stage 2 of the procedure.
Stage 2: Governors’ Panel
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome at Stage 1, you can appeal this by requesting a hearing with the
governing board’s complaints panel. The request must be made to the clerk to governors within 20 school working days of receipt of the Stage 1 response. Requests received outside of this time frame will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. The clerk will record the date the complaint is received and acknowledge receipt of the complaint in writing (either by letter or email) within five school working days.
The complaints panel will consist of three governors with no prior involvement or knowledge of the complaint and who do not have a vested interest in the outcomes of the proceedings. If there are fewer than three governors from the school available, the clerk will source any additional, independent governors from another local school or their partnership. An entirely independent panel will be convened if the complaint is against one or more members of the governing board.
The clerk will contact the governors’ panel, the headteacher and you to find a mutually convenient date and time for the hearing. A member of the senior leadership team (SLT) may represent the headteacher at the hearing. The clerk will also check with all parties about any access requirements. The hearing should be set within 15 school working days of receiving the complaint. If the timescales cannot be adhered to then the clerk will explain the reasons why and keep you informed.
Once the date has been set, the clerk will write to all parties, confirming the following:
In order to achieve an outcome within acceptable timescales, every effort should be made to adhere to the confirmed hearing date. Only in exceptional circumstances will the arrangements be changed and if necessary the panel may decide to go ahead with the hearing using only written submissions from both parties.
You may bring someone along to provide support, who can be a relative or friend, noting that the purpose of the hearing is to consider the complaint and wherever possible, work towards a resolution; also that it is not a form of judicial process. Such a person who may be considered for example, if a school employee is called as a witness, they may wish to be supported by union representation. Representatives from the media are not permitted to attend.
Electronic recordings of meetings or conversations are not normally permitted unless a complainant’s own disability or special needs require it. Prior knowledge and consent to electronic recordings must be sought from all parties attending before all meetings or conversations take place. Consent will be recorded in any minutes taken.
The panel will not review any new complaints at this stage or consider evidence unrelated to the initial complaint. New complaints must be dealt with from Stage 1 of the procedure.
The hearing will be held in private. The clerk will welcome all parties, ensuring there is appropriate separate waiting space. Both parties must enter the hearing at the same time.
Although the panel will follow formal procedures, the chair will conduct the meeting as informally as possible, making sure all parties feel at ease and treat each other with respect and courtesy. Extra care will need to be taken if a child or young person is present.
Once the complainant and the headteacher (or SLT member) have withdrawn, the panel will deliberate and come to a decision whether:
If the complaint is upheld in whole or in part, the panel will:
The decision will be communicated in writing to all parties within five school working days. If it is not possible to meet this deadline, the panel chair will contact both parties with a revised date.
Next step
If you believe the school did not handle your complaint in accordance with the published complaints procedure or they acted unlawfully or unreasonably in the exercise of their duties under education law, you can contact the Department for Education after completing Stage 2.
The Department for Education will not normally reinvestigate the substance of complaints or overturn any decisions made by the school. They will consider whether the school has adhered to education legislation and any statutory policies connected with the complaint.
You can refer your complaint to the Department for Education via an online form at https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe.
Alternatively you can write to: Department for Education, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester, M1 2WD. Tel. 0370 000 2288
Summary of procedure & timescales
Raising a concern (informally) – ie seeking reassurance about an issue.
Who to contact:
Contact the class teacher or form tutor, who may be able to address your concern straight away or will arrange a meeting to discuss the matter with you at a mutually convenient time. If this person is not appropriate, you may contact the headteacher, who will refer you to another member of staff to deal with your concern.
Timescale to receive response*:
Written acknowledgement within five school working days and full response within 15 school working days of receiving the concern.
Formal complaint: Stage 1 (investigation)
Who to contact:
Contact the headteacher, who will investigate your complaint. They may delegate the investigation to another member of the school’s senior leadership team, but the headteacher will provide the response.
If the complaint is about the headteacher or the governing board, contact the clerk to governors who will direct your complaint to the most appropriate person to carry out the investigation.
Timescale to receive response*:
Written acknowledgement within five school working days and full response within 15 school working days of receiving the complaint.
Formal complaint: Stage 2 (governors’ panel)
Who to contact:
If you are not satisfied with the response at Stage 1, you can appeal the outcome by requesting that a panel of governors hear the complaint. Contact the clerk to governors within 20 school working days of receiving the Stage 1 response and the clerk will arrange the hearing.
Timescale to receive response*:
Written acknowledgement within five school working days.
Hearing will be arranged for within 15 school working days of receiving the complaint.
Decision to be sent in writing within five school working days of the
hearing.
Next step: Department for Education
If you remain dissatisfied, you can contact the Department for Education via
https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe.
*If it is not possible to meet the timescales above, then you will be contacted to discuss reviewing these.
Roles and Responsibilities
The complainant will receive a more effective response if they:
The investigator’s role is to establish the facts relevant to the complaint by providing a comprehensive, open, transparent and fair consideration of the complaint through:
The investigator should:
The clerk to governors is the contact point for the complainant and the panel and should:
The chair of the panel (one of the panel members must agree to act in this role) should ensure that:
Panel members should be aware that:
Appendix 1: Serial and unreasonable complaints
Middle Street Primary School is committed to dealing with all complaints fairly and impartially, and to providing a high quality service to those who complain. We will not normally limit the contact complainants have with our school. However, we do not expect our staff to tolerate unacceptable behaviour and we will take action to protect staff from that behaviour, including that which is abusive, offensive or threatening.
Middle Street Primary School defines unreasonable behaviour as that which hinders our consideration of complaints because of the frequency or nature of the complainant’s contact with the school, such as, if the complainant:
Complainants should try to limit their communication with the school that relates to their complaint, while the complaint is being progressed. It is not helpful if repeated correspondence is sent (by letter, phone, email or in person), as it could delay the outcome being reached.
Whenever possible, the headteacher (and/or chair of governors, if appropriate) will discuss any of the above issues with the complainant informally before applying an ‘unreasonable’ marking. If the behaviour continues, the headteacher will write to the complainant explaining that their behaviour is unreasonable and ask them to change it. For complainants who excessively contact the school, causing a significant level of disruption, we may specify methods of communication and limit the number of contacts in a communication plan. This will be reviewed after six months.
Any threat or action of aggression or violence will be reported to the Health and Safety department at the local authority.
In the case of any serious incident of aggression or violence, we will immediately inform the police and communicate our actions in writing. This may include barring an individual from the school.
Appendix 2: Complaint Form
Please complete and return to admin@middlestreet.brighton-hove.sch.uk who will acknowledge receipt and explain what action will be taken. If you require help in completing the form, please contact the school office. You can also ask third party organisations like the Citizens Advice to help you.
This form is provided for ease of use – you may also raise your complaint in person or by telephone, in which case the person you raise the complaint with will complete the form.
Your name:
Pupil’s name (if relevant):
Your relationship to the pupil
(if relevant):
Address:
Tel no:
Email:
Please give details of your complaint, including whether you have spoken to anybody at the school about it.
What actions do you feel might resolve the problem at this stage?
Are you attaching any paperwork? If so, please give
details.
Signature:
Date:
Official use
Date acknowledgement sent:
By who:
Complaint referred to:
Date:
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No school employees have a gross annual salary of £100,000 or more.
Click HERE for the webpage that is dedicated to Middle Street Primary School on the schools financial benchmarking service.
You can access the Charging and Remissions Policy by clicking HERE..
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If a parent requests a paper copy of the information on the school’s website, it will be provided free of charge. Please request paper copies by contacting the school using the 'contact us' details above.
Middle Street Primary School
Middle Street Primary School, Middle St, Brighton, England BN1 1AN, United Kingdom
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