Code of Conduct 2024-2025

The following guidance outlines the conduct of Visitors, Parents & Carers at Westminster CE Primary Academy.

At Westminster C of E Primary Academy we aim to:

• Be a learning community that enables every child to be and to do the very best they can.
• To create caring family atmosphere within a Christian ethos that allows this to happen.
• To respect and be sensitive to the diverse cultural and religious customs and values held by both adult and child members of our academy.
• Make everyone welcome, help people to belong and support them in flourishing. 

Adults will conduct themselves in an appropriate manner in their relationships with children and adults, recognising that adults in school, those visiting and our parent community are the role models for our children. Working together in a positive way brings about positive outcomes for everyone in our community, to create a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for pupils, staff and parents where everyone is welcome, everyone belongs and everyone flourishes.

This code of conduct aims to help the school work together with parents by setting guidelines on appropriate behaviour.

We use the term ‘parents’ to refer to:

• Anyone with parental responsibility for a pupil
• Anyone caring for a child (such as grandparents, other family members or child-minders)

Our expectations of parents and carers includes but is not limited to:

We expect parents, carers and other visitors to:

• Respect & support the vision and values of our school
• Work together with staff in the best interests of our pupils
• Treat all members of the school community with respect – setting a good example with speech and behaviour
• Seek a peaceful solution to all issues
• Correct their own child’s behaviour (or those in their care), particularly in public, where it could lead to conflict, aggression or unsafe conduct
• Approach the right member of school staff to help resolve any issues of concern
• Ask school to act when an issue arises, rather than trying to resolve it themselves

Behaviour that will not be tolerated includes but is not limited to: 

• Disrupting, or threatening to disrupt, school operations (including events on the school grounds and sports team matches)
• Swearing, racist, misogynistic, homophobic or any other offensive language
• Displaying a temper, or shouting at members of staff, pupils or other parents
• Threatening another member of the school community
• Sending abusive messages to another member of the school community, including via text, email or social media
• Posting defamatory, offensive or derogatory comments about the school, its staff or any member of its community, on social media platforms
• Use of physical punishment against your child while on school premises
• Any aggressive behaviour (including verbally or in writing) towards another child or adult
• Disciplining another person’s child – please bring any behaviour incidents to a member of staff’s attention
• Smoking or vaping on the school premises
• Using alcohol, drugs or being under the influence of either whilst on the school premises
• Bringing dogs onto the school premises (other than guide dogs)
• Using scooters on the school site
• Being continually late to collect children

Breaching the code of conduct

If the school suspects, or becomes aware, that a parent has breached the code of conduct, the school will gather information from those involved and speak to the parent about the incident.

Depending on the nature of the incident, the school may then:

• Send a warning letter to the parent
• Invite the parent into school to meet with a senior member of staff or the headteacher
• Contact the appropriate authorities (in cases of criminal behaviour)
• Seek advice from the trust’s legal team regarding further action (in cases of conduct that may be libellous or slanderous)
• Ban the parent from the school site

The school will always respond to an incident in a proportional way. The final decision for how to respond to breaches of the code of conduct rests with the Headteacher, though the headteacher will consult the chair of governors before banning a parent from the school site.