Who to contact
If your child attends Oakfield and you have a question or concern, here is who you need to contact.
Questions/concerns about your child
Class Teacher
Your child’s class teacher knows them best and is the person you should always speak to first regarding:
- Attainment
- Progress
- Home Learning
- The Curriculum
- Transition between year groups
- Daily provision for pupils with SEND
- Behaviour
- Friendships & Peers.
Book an appointment via the office, or message the teacher directly on ClassDojo for informal matters.
If you feel your concern is unresolved following a chat with the teacher, you can contact the senior teacher.
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
SENCO (Mrs Homewood)
Providing support to students with additional needs by removing barriers to learning and participation.
- Identification of special needs or disabilities
- Support or accommodation for the child's needs
- Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
- Access to additional resources or services
- Concerns regarding SEND provision
Contact: jhomewood@oakfield.academy / 023 8086 2530
Mental Health & Wellbeing, Family Support
Pastoral Team (Miss Poole, Mrs Sinclair)
Providing support to students and families with:
- Attendance and punctuality
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Promoting positive behaviour and attitudes to education at school and home
- Financial worries
- School uniform
- Assessment to receive free school meals
- Children’s mental health referrals.
Contact: pastoral@oakfield.academy / 023 8086 2530
Attendance, Admissions, Payments & Medical Needs
Admin Team (Mrs Lailey, Mrs Drake)
For general enquiries and:
- Attendance or absence issues
- Admissions arrangements and pupil transfers
- Pick-up and drop-off arrangements
- School payments
- School events or activities
- School meals or dietary concerns
- Clubs
- Medical conditions and prescribed medication
- First Aid.
Contact: admin@oakfield.academy / 023 8086 2530
Safeguarding Concerns
Safeguarding Team (Miss Poole, Miss Bray, Mrs Light-Rowsell, Mrs Sinclair)
Concerns for your own child(ren) about any kind of abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect).
Contact: cp@oakfield.academy / 023 8086 2530
IF YOU ARE CONCERNED FOR THE WELFARE OF A CHILD OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL:
Dial 999 if they’re in immediate danger, or Hampshire Children’s Services on 0300 555 1373.
Escalation process
Occasionally things do go wrong, and we understand you’d want to speak to the right person at the school to put it right.
If you have spoken to your child's class teacher but are unhappy with the outcome, here is the process you can follow to escalate it to another member of staff.
Step 1. Class Teacher
Have you given the teacher enough time to investigate the issue and implement any proposed changes? If so, go to the next step.
Step 2. Senior Teacher
Contact the Senior Teacher, who will investigate further. For Year R-2, this is Mrs Leach, and for Year 3-6, it is Mr Cooke. You can book an appointment to speak to them via the school office; please don't approach them at the start or end of the school day while they are with their class.
If the class teacher at Step 1 is also a senior teacher, you can skip to step 3.
Step 3. Assistant Headteacher
If you are unhappy with the outcome following your conversation with Mrs Leach / Mr Cooke, you can escalate the matter to the Assistant Headteacher, Mrs Homewood, at jhomewood@oakfield.academy or via a message through the office.
You will receive an acknowledgement within 3 working days, and a final response within 10 working days from receipt.
Step 4. Formal Complaint
If you feel that the final response from the Assistant Headteacher is unsatisfactory, you can submit a formal complaint to us. The complaint form is accessible through this link: Complaint form.
The full complaints process is outlined on the Complaints page of this website.
Please note that if you submit a complaint without going through steps 1-3 first, your complaint will be rejected.
Expectations for all concerns and complaints
We ask that you:
- Treat all those involved with respect. Don’t approach staff when they’re not at work, or contact them on their personal social media accounts.
- Explain the issue to us in full as early as possible, and work with us to resolve it by responding promptly to requests for information or meetings.
- Represent your own views, not those of other parents or their children.
- Refrain from publicising the details of your complaint on social media or WhatsApp groups, and respect confidentiality.
- Make an appointment to speak to staff members via the office, and don’t approach them before school when they are preparing to teach.
- Follow our escalation process - don’t try to skip steps, or threaten us with governors, The Gateway Trust, Department of Education, or Ofsted.
We will:
- Deal with concerns about safety and child protection immediately.
- Treat your concern seriously and consider it in a comprehensive, open, transparent and fair manner.
- Treat you with courtesy and respect, in the same way we ask of you.
- Ask you what steps you feel would put things right.
- Keep you updated at each stage of the procedure and respond within the set timescales.
- Fully explain the reasons for our decision.
