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St Matthew’s
Church of England Academy

Together we work, play, learn and pray with Jesus

St Matthew's Church of England Academy & Nursery - please view our admissions pages for places available in Nursery, Reception and throughout the school.
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St Matthew’s
Church of England Academy

Parent Survey

Parent Survey January 2025: Responses

Strengths of the School:

My child is making good progress at school: 100% strongly agree/agree. 

My child is taught well at this school: 100% strongly agree/agree. 

My child can tell me about their rights and responsibilities: 100% strongly agree/agree. 

 

Staff show great care towards pupils. 

Staff go over and above to help pupils. 

My children are supported well in their learning and their learning is continually progressing. 

School is an enjoyable place for both of my children. 

Kindness is promoted.

My children are not subject to bullying. 

All children feel valued and happy.

Small class sizes.

SATs club.  

 

Your suggested areas for improvement & our response:

Options to contact for child collection: Any member of staff can be informed of who is/is not collecting a child. Contact can be made via: the morning gate staff, speaking to your child's class teacher the evening before, telephoning the school office, emailing the office. 

 

Events happening on the same days limits working parents: Where possible, we aim to provide events throughout the school year which encourage participation for all. Some events are restrictive due to staffing, costing & timetabling. 

 

School App and Website: The school app is updated to provide daily notifications for parents and other family members. The school website has been developed in order to provide all essential information for parents and wider stakeholders. These are both updated by office staff, teaching staff and SLT on a regular basis. Please speak to the school office if there is any additional information you require. 

 

Parking: With the only parking facilities being outside of the school's jurisdiction, the school relies on drivers parking with courtesy and consideration for other road users. We kindly ask that, where possible, staff park on the grass area next to church, to free up spaces on the parking ground. To allow for a staggered drop off and collection, the school gates are open from 8.40am-8.55am and 3.25pm-3.40pm. 

NB: This parking area is also public parking & not owned by the school. 

 

School Dinners: Edwards & Ward provide weekly, healthy menu options for all children: these can be found on the website/app. The kitchen prepare and provide a variety of options based on the preferences of our children, where possible.  Pupils can choose to have daily or weekly school dinner and each term, parents are welcomed into school for VIP lunch events. 

https://www.stmatthews.stoke.sch.uk/lunch-menu/

 

Open Door Policy & Leadership: The school operates an open door policy for all. This enables all parents to be able to speak to a member of staff to share their concerns or worries. Should you require contact from a specific member of staff, this can be accommodated via appointment.

https://www.stmatthews.stoke.sch.uk/parents-information/

 

We value all parental feedback and encourage any concerns or worries to be brought to our attention. 

Parent Survey January 2024: Results

Strengths of the School:

*Small class sizes

* Fully organised

* St Matthews is a fantastic school! They have gone above and beyond in supporting our boy. The real strength of this school is their empathy and compassion to all children.

* Treating each child as an individual

*Great teachers

*Every child is known and loved

* The school is a very welcoming school and bonus that it's a very small school so a much smaller teacher to pupil ratio.

* Excellent teachers and teaching assistants who are friendly, supportive and child orientated.

* The children are lovely. 

 

Parent Survey October 2022: Results

Strengths of the School:

* I feel I am listened to as a parent.

* They care about the children.

* For bringing the best out of my children who absolutely love their time at school. The teachers and staff are all so lovely and we feel a huge part of the St Matthews family. You are all amazing :-)

* Feels like another family. Everyone is helpful and the children are actually cared about.

* Good teachers & good teaching.

* The staff are very welcoming and the school feels like a family. My child is treated with respect and made to feel very comfortable.

* Children's behaviour and teachers respect.

* Caring and committed to the children and their development. 

* The Christian Values are upheld and every teacher is invested in all aspects of every pupils development. A real bonus is the fact that the children have the opportunity to go on trips to the common to really interact with nature.

* The teachers are very approachable. 

* Supporting and working closely with the children on one to one basis - compared to bigger schools.

* Any concerns that are raised straight away are dealt with. Teachers are very involved in each child and my child feels they can speak to them whenever they need to.

* They make the way of learning fun.

* Excellent communcation

* Promoting kindness and addressing the children's needs

* The school fosters good relationships between all pupils so that the elder children look out for the smaller children. The school has such a positive vibe which emanates from all the school staff down to the children.

* Small friendly and welcoming environment. Excellent approachable staff.

Areas of Development:

* Communication with parents. 

* Celebration assemblies can parents come back into them soon please :-)

* Schools meals. Interactive with parents.

* More outdoor learning and experiences, more parental support, more information.

* I would love to have more updates on the children’s learning and progress. 

* Equipment and facilities outside for play and creativity. 

* Parent concerns

* After school homework club / more interesting homework. 

* Parents evenings. 

* I know the school has really developed its literacy with regards access to new books and the focus on reading is very good however I would like to see some more literacy/comprehension skills embedded into science and maths as a lot of exam questions are now problem focused and the child’s comprehension skills are important in answering the questions.

* Deal with bullying situations slightly quicker.

* Having lunch menus on website so can be seen clearly what the children are eating. 

Academy Response:

 

The school deals effectively with any bullying incidents: 4/26 Disagree. 

The Academy and St Chad's Trust take incidents of bullying very seriously. All incidents of bullying are dealt with in line with our Positive Behaviour Policy. We encourage all children to report any incidents of bullying to their class teacher, or any other adult within school. Class teachers and Senior Leaders work closely with children and families to prevent any incidents of bullying. Anti-Bullying week is promoted within school (14-18th Nov) and specific areas are addressed daily within Collective Worship. Relationships & Friendships are also covered in our weekly PSHE lessons. 

 

I receive valuable information from the school about my child's progress: 3/26 Disagree. 

In line with Covid-19 restrictions, we have been able to offer virtual consultation evenings for parents/carers throughout these challenging times. However, we appreciate that technology cannot always be reliable. As restrictions have now eased, we are hoping to introduce hybrid consultations meetings for parents, at least twice annually. Class teachers are always available in the interim to discuss any concerns regarding your child's progress. 

 

The school promotes equality and celebrates diversity

This was a technical error on the questionnaire.

Actual results: Strongly Agree 76%. Agree: 27%. 

 

Communication with Parents.

There are a number of methods of communication used throughout the school day. These include:

* A Class teacher available to communicate with daily on the school gate before and after school. 

* Telephone via the school office. 

* Email option for parents.

* Tapestry for EYFS & KS1.

* School App newsletter. 

* Academy website. 

* Letters (when necessary). 

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