Halfway Nursery Infant School

Communication

Communication is a key way in which we build relationships with our families. We have lots of ways in which we communicate with our families and how they can communciate with us.

How we communciate with you

We aim to be a paper-less school, therefore all our communciation is shared electronically.

• Weekly newsletter - this is shared each Monday and is full of reminders, opportunities, up-coming events and key information about the daily life of the school and nursery.
• Tapestry - our online learning platform where staff share learning observations of children with families. 
• Text messages - used to share electronic forms to complete, sign up opportunities for trips and events and key reminders and urgent information.  
• In-person - where possible we would prefer to talk to you in-person. This may be at the start or end of the day, or during a pre-arranged meeting. 
• Parents' evenings - these happen twice a year (Autumn and Spring) and give families up-to-date information about how their child is getting on at school.
• Annual school report - these are shared in the sumemr term and share with families children's successes and next steps. 

How you can communicate with us

We are keen to build positive relationships with parents and welcome regular communication with our families. Families can communicate with us in a variety of different ways.

• Tapestry - our online learning platform can also be used for families to share observations or message their child's class teacher. Teacher's will respond to messages within working hours, however, please use one of the other forms of communication for anything urgent. 
• In-person - we welcome parents talking to staff. Quick messages are best in the morning with longer conversations being better after school or during a pre-arranged meeting, however, should this be difficult, teachers are available until 4:00pm via phone each evening. 
• School office - our office is open to discuss logistical and medical information each morning from 8:15am until 4:00pm each evening - please feel free to drop into reception via the main entrance. Alternatively, our office staff can be contacted via phone on 0114 248 2360, or via email at enquiries@halfway-inf.sheffield.sch.uk, where we will aim to respond promptly.
• Should you wish to speak directly with school leaders, such as Mrs Shepherd or Miss Hughes, please contact the office to arrange an appointment; we are more than happy to meet with families.
• For more specialist meetings, such as SEND or Family Support, please call our office who will direct you to the right person to speak with. 

ParentPay

ParentPay is a truly cashless system, making schools safer and giving you peace of mind.

When your child starts at Halfway Nursery Infant School you will be gvien an activation letter for ParentPay. Please note, these are only able to be generated on your child's first day at nursery/ school. All payment items through school will be added to your ParentPay account, where you can manage your balance through a range of payment methods, including childcare vouchers. 

Some examples of payment items that are added to ParentPay include, but are not limited to:

• Wrapround care charges
• Nursery hot lunch charges
• Milk charges
• Trips and visitor charges

Should you have any queries regarding the use of ParentPay then please speak with the school office.