The school Principal is the first point of contact if you are caring for children who are in the school system. The Principal should be able to tell you about school policies and procedures, and about the educational and financial support available to you and the child in your care. If the Principal is unavailable, an Assistant Principal or Senior Teacher may be able to help you or may refer you to a Learning Service.
If you have a concern or complaint that the Learning Service cannot help you with, they will explain how to contact another section of the Department of Education, or the particular Tasmanian Government organisation that is relevant to the issue you have raised. The Tasmanian Ombudsman’s function under the Ombudsman Act 1978 is to receive, investigate and facilitate the resolution of complaints about the administrative actions of Tasmanian government departments, local government councils and a range of public authorities. If you have a complaint, in most instances you should first try to resolve it with the department, council or authority. Otherwise, you may contact the Ombudsman on 1300 766 725 or email ombudsman@justice.tas.gov.au. Further information is available on the Ombudsman website.
It is vital that families and schools maintain open, friendly and respectful communication so that they can work in partnership for the best outcomes for children. When you take a child to enrol in a school, talk to the Principal about the child’s circumstances, abilities and needs. Leave a contact number and address so that the school can keep information flowing to you. In turn, you should let the school know about changes that may affect the child, such as residence and family contact arrangements.
When you enrolled the child, you will have provided some written evidence of your day-to-day responsibility for the child and your rights regarding them and their care. When your responsibility for the child has been established, the school can keep you informed about the child’s progress and any other matters.
Where grandparents are available and interested, joining school activities and associations can build support networks and help you to understand how education operates today. School Associations are formal bodies that provide a way for families to become involved in policy making, to communicate their opinions on educational matters and to engage in discussion. There are likely to be committees that focus on fundraising and decisions about expenditure. Especially at primary school, teachers are delighted if families can come in to help in the classroom or on excursions. This is a good way to see the educational program at first hand.
Schools and colleges provide an opportunity for a child’s parent or guardian to meet and discuss their child’s progress at least once before the middle of the school year. At the end of the year, they provide a written report on the child, usually with an invitation to meet again and discuss developments. Teachers are pleased to discuss a child’s progress at other times of the year, usually by appointment.
An interpreter service is available for parents or carers for whom English is a second language. If you require an interpreter, contact the school to see if you are eligible for this free service.
You will need to inform the school that you are the appropriate adult to receive reports, attend interviews and be kept informed of issues or concerns. Again, they will require written evidence to indicate that you have this legal responsibility or that the child’s parents have agreed to this arrangement.
Some children may experience delays in their overall development or have specific learning difficulties. Children who have been through family trauma may have particular emotional or behavioural problems that require skilled assessment and support strategies. If you have concerns of this kind, the school Principal should be able to advise you on the services available and/or refer you to outside agencies that provide counselling or therapy.
All schools have access to guidance officers, social workers and support teachers. These people have a particular role in supporting children and families. Aboriginal Education Officers work to support Aboriginal families. Referral to these services is through the school principal.
Before a child starts school, if you have concerns about their development or learning, contact the Early Childhood Intervention Service:
Migrant families who have experienced trauma can obtain services for their children through the Phoenix Centre in Hobart, phone (03) 6234 9411. Similar services are provided in the north and north-west. Contact the northern office of the Migrant Resource Centre for referral on (03) 6332 2211.
Grandparents who are raising grandchildren want to help them as much as possible to succeed with their school work. You may sometimes worry about ‘not being up with’ current curriculum or teaching methods and wonder how much homework a child should do at different stages in their schooling. The best way to find out about education today is to talk to the Principal and/or the child’s teacher. Ask about the school’s homework policy and how you might be able to help your grandchild to meet expectations. Ask if the school offers any support from tutors or after-school homework centres. Generally, homework should not be a burden to the child or the grandparents, and usually it will involve the revision of learning undertaken in school, or preparation for the next piece of learning, rather than new learning.
This page has been produced by the Department of Education
Questions concerning its content may be directed by email to ServiceCentre@education.tas.gov.au or telephone 1800 816 057.
This page was last modified on 6th June 2008. The URL for this page is: http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/parents/grandparents/education/communicating.
You are directed to the disclaimer and copyright notice and a Personal Information Protection statement governing the information provided.
