At St Thomas’ there is excellent communication between parents/carers and teachers, and the class teacher is usually the first point of contact for parents/carers. However, there may be times when you need a longer chat or support with signposting to other services and that is where my role lies. I will be available to have an informal chat on the phone or in person about any concerns you may have regarding your child, or even about yourself or another family member. We believe that any issue in a family is likely to affect the child in some way and as a school it is important we support families and foster good relationships to encourage the best outcomes for the child.

Sometimes a chat can be enough, but where that is not the case, I am available to work with you longer term and put you in touch with other services that you and your child might find helpful.

An important part of my role is also offering one-to-one emotional support for children; this will involve taking them out of class for a short while to listen to them and offer a chance to talk about any worries and concerns in our lovely well-being room. If your child is in a situation where you feel they may benefit from some extra support of this kind, please do not hesitate to contact me or speak to their class teacher.

I am also in the process of organising a lunch time club which will be for students who may find lunchtimes outside difficult.

Another part of my role here at St Thomas’ is to monitor attendance. It is important that as a school we regularly monitor attendance and contact parents/carers if we are concerned about their child’s attendance. We want the amount of missed education to be reduced as much as possible to ensure the best outcomes for our pupils. If you do have any concerns about your child’s attendance or would like some advice on attendance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

I will be in school from 9am until 3:15pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and you are welcome to contact me during those times by any of the following ways:

- Just pop into the school office and if I am free, I will be more than happy to see you and if not will contact you as soon as I am available.

- Call the school office on 01227 462539 and ask to speak to me.

- Email me on morgansa@st-thomas-canterbury.kent.sch.uk

I look forward to getting to know all the families at St Thomas’ and working with the children.

Amy Morgans