Managing Relationships and Communications with Parents - Wednesday 14 May 2025 (HMC, 12 The Point, Market Harborough)
This course is for: Senior Leaders (and those aspiring to such roles), pastoral middle leaders and others who have a good deal of interaction with parents
Description
What will you gain by attending?
- Building a positive culture of school/parent relations
- What parents say, how they say it and what they really mean
- Different types of parents and how to deal with them
- Handling difficult conversations and formal complaints
- Participants' case study surgery
Course Programme
|
Time |
Session |
|
10.00 |
Arrival, registration, and coffee |
|
10.30 |
Welcome and introductions |
|
10.45 |
Session 1: What parents want (and what they need)! |
|
11.30 |
Refreshment break |
|
11.45 |
Session 2: Setting the tone for parent interactions |
|
12.45 |
Lunch |
|
13.15 |
Session 3: Handling difficult conversations |
|
14.15 |
Refreshment break |
|
14.20 |
Session 4: Handling difficult conversations (including participant case studies) |
|
15.20 – 15.30 |
Closing remarks and depart
|
Speaker Biography:
Chris Jeffery has been Head of two HMC schools over more than 18 years, and retired in the summer of 2023. Most recently he was Head of Bootham School (co-ed, boarding, city centre, Quaker, lightly selective, established) and before that The Grange (also co-ed but day; semi-rural; significantly selective, very young). Previously he was Deputy Head at The Perse School, having moved there to establish the role of Head of Middle School and create a thus-far-missing pastoral structure, after starting his career as History teacher and Head of House at Bristol Grammar School, his own alma mater.
Chris took the lead within HMC in bringing student and staff wellbeing closer to the heart of its work, being founding Chair of the Wellbeing Working Group which transmogrified into the Pastoral and Safeguarding Committee at the end of a further stint in the hot seat. He has presented regularly on wellbeing issues, at various HMC events (including Heads’ part II and the Deputies’ conference), IAPS annual conference and in schools.
At Bootham, Chris developed an innovative weekly parent programme and he counts the strength and relatively trouble-free nature of relationship with parents at both schools he has led as one of his most proud achievements.
His hobbies include songwriting (which was his life for 18 months in his twenties) and gig-going; avidly nurturing a Spotify obsession; supporting particular underachieving sports teams; travelling and walking; TV and cinema; discovering whiskey (!); and being a Grandad.
More information about his work can be found on his website: www.chris-jeffery.com