The Hill Primary reaches Gold standard for building trust with families and the local community

The Hill Primary Academy in Thurnscoe, has been recognised for the work it does to make sure parents feel welcome at and part of the school community.

The Hill is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the Gold Award by the charity ParentKind under its Parent Friendly Schools scheme and is only the ninth school in the country to have won this accolade.

This highest level of the award was given in recognition that The Hill has created a culture where families feel welcomed, heard and valued and that the school’s “exceptional practice” lies in the depth of trust it has built with families.

In the report, the assessor for Parent-Friendly Schools said that strong relationships, parent leadership and community partnerships made the Gold Award a “well-deserved” achievement. 

The report says: “The Hill has succeeded in becoming the ‘heartbeat of the community’ that its leadership set out to create.”

It goes on to praise staff at the academy for not giving up on families when engagement is difficult and notes that staff take time to build trust and “find a way in”.  

The report also says that communication at The Hill is relational and “not simply about sending information.”

A growing parent-teacher association (PTA) is highlighted for building up parent leadership, with the growing group running events and activities such as discos, tuck shops and the summer fair.

The Hill is also very proud to have been awarded the School Games Gold Award for making sport and physical activity a priority for pupils.

Kirsten Middleton, Principal at The Hill Primary Academy, said: “We are incredibly proud to have achieved Gold Award recognition, which reflects the strong and positive relationships we have built with our families and the wider school community.

“Working in partnership with parents and carers is at the heart of what we do, and this continued collaboration is helping our pupils to thrive, by improving attendance, supporting wellbeing and creating a real sense of belonging.

“This achievement is a wonderful reflection of the commitment of our whole school community, and I would like to thank everyone for their continued support and partnership.”