Contact Us
Communication Guidance
At The Hinckley School, we know that our students thrive when parents and other valued community partners work closely with us to support students’ academic progress and personal development. We pride ourselves on our culture of clear communication and aim to respond to any enquiries received, whether by email or by phone, within 48 hours (2 working days) during term time. No staff member is expected to respond to communications before 8.30 am and after 4 pm, though some may choose to do so.
Our school telephone number is 01455 632183, with the line being open between 8 am and 4 pm Monday-Thursday and 8 am – 3:30 pm on Friday. Conversations are often the best way to resolve any queries. However, with many staff members having significant teaching commitments followed by training and meetings after school, as well as break and lunchtime duties, you may not always be able to catch them by phone during the day. Schools are complex organisations, with each staff member committed to a timetable of teaching or student support each hour of the day, so please avoid unannounced visits to the school, as it is unlikely that the person you wish to speak to will be available on the spur of the moment. Instead, we will make every effort to arrange a time to call or meet with you as soon as possible.
Please use the following communication guide to help you reach the most appropriate staff member for your type of query, according to their role, expertise, and connection to your child. For non-urgent queries, please remember to allow at least 2 full working days for a response.
- Senior Leadership Team Email Directory
- Teaching Staff Email Directory
- Year Team/Pastoral Email Directory
If you need help communicating with us, perhaps because English is not your first language, please let us know, and we will do all we can to help.
Our Communication Approach and Expectations
Our communication approach has been designed to be as easy and transparent as possible. Most of the staff at the Hinckley School are also parents themselves and know how important it is to be kept informed and updated, and for questions and concerns to be resolved as quickly as possible.
Due the incredibly busy nature of life in a secondary school, there may be times when we fall short of the response time we set ourselves, or cannot resolve issues as quickly as you would like. This is never intentional, and we always act with students’ best interests as our guide.
We understand that sometimes emotions can run high. We ask all parents and community partners not to take out frustrations on our staff, but to meet our professionalism with equal respect. Although it occurs very rarely, any rude, demanding or threatening language or behaviour will be taken very seriously and followed up by senior staff.
No telephone conversations or face-to-face meetings should be recorded without the knowledge and agreement of school staff. We pride ourselves on being open and transparent in our communication, and any recording is likely to hamper home-school relations and trust.
We usually find that any problems are quickly resolved through an open dialogue between parents and staff. However, if, after giving school staff every opportunity to resolve a concern, you are unhappy with the response, please refer to our complaints procedure.
Emergencies
In an emergency, please contact the main office: 01455 632183
Reporting a Student Absence
If you need to let us know your child will be absent from school, please telephone the school office on: 01455 632183 – please listen for the option which prompts you to report a student absence. All student absences should be reported by 8.30 am.
Please inform us in advance of any medical appointments, but make every effort to schedule these for after school hours or during school holidays to minimise the impact on your child’s learning.
Procedural Enquiries
If you have a general enquiry about school procedures such as term dates, absence requests, uniform or equipment, most of the answers can be found through our website. However, if you need clarification, please contact the school office: 01455 632183 or office@thehinckleyschool.co.uk
Please remember to check the emails, newsletters and messages sent by the school to parents, as these contain important information to keep you up to date with school events and announcements.
Alternatively, you can complete the general contact form below, which will send your query straight to our office team:
General/Pastoral Concerns/Information about your Child
If you have a general, non-urgent issue or concern about how your child is getting on, or some information you wish us to know to support their welfare, please contact your child’s form tutor using our pastoral staff email directory.
If you have a more serious or urgent pastoral concern, please contact the Head of Year or Pastoral leader for your child’s year group.
Questions/Concerns - Academic Experience or Progress
If you have a question or concern about your child’s experience or learning in one of their subjects, please contact their class teacher or the relevant head of department, using our teaching staff email directory.
If your query is linked to a special educational need or disability, please contact your child’s Key Person in the first instance. Our SENDCo, Mr Nathan Bennett, can be contacted on nbennett@thehinckleyschool.co.uk, but please be aware there are almost 300 students on our SEND register, so Mr Bennett is unlikely to be able to respond as quickly as your child’s form tutor, key person, teacher or year team.
Safeguarding
To contact the safeguarding team, please email kpriestnall@thehinckleyschool.co.uk / ipawley@thehinckleyschool.co.uk . In an emergency, please remember to phone the main school office number: 01455 632183
Contacting a Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Should you have a particularly serious or whole school matter of concern, you may wish to contact a member of the senior team. You can find their roles and email addresses in the Senior Leadership Team staff directory. If you are unsure which senior leader is the right person to deal with your enquiry, please email office@thehinckleyschool.co.uk and your message will be directed to the most appropriate person.
Contacting the Chair of Governors
On occasion, you may feel you need to contact the Chair of Governors. Please only do so if school staff are aware of your concern and have been unable to resolve your issue via the standard procedures.
Please note that the Chair of Governors is a voluntary role and response times may vary.
Danielle Goodayle DGoodayle@thehinckleyschool.co.uk
The Hinckley School
Butt Lane, Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 1LE
Tel: 01455 632183
Email: office@thehinckleyschool.co.uk
Headteacher: Mrs K Groocock
DSL Email Address: dsl@thehinckleyschool.co.uk
Facebook Page: Click here
To request a paper copy of any page on this website, please contact the Headteacher's PA using the email below: lhackett@thehinckleyschool.co.uk
