Our parent council are strong supporters of the school and are actively involved in our improvement planning.  Parent Council Meetings are normally held every two months in the Conference Room.  New members are always welcome!

 

Minutes of our meetings:

 

Parent Council Chair's Report:

 

Your Space Counselling Information:

 

Parental FAQ's

 

Q     What do I do if my child is absent from school?

If your child is absent, please phone Pupil Support (01506 282155), preferably between 8 am and 8.30 am to let us know.  If you know in advance that your child will be absent, please send a letter to pupil support.  If a student is absent and we're not aware of any reason for this, you will receive a text message alerting you that your child is not in school.  

 

Q     If my child was absent and I called the school, do I still need to send in a note?

Yes, we need a note signed by the child's parent or carer.

 

Q     How do I find out who my child's pupil support assistant  is?

Students are introduced to their pupil support assistant at the start of the session.  If your child does not know or you would prefer to find out without asking your child, just contact the pupil support department (01506 282155) and they will let you know who the person is.

 

Q     Who do I contact if I have concerns about my child's progress?

For general concerns, your child's Head of House is likely the best person to contact.  They will speak to you and work with you to address the concerns, often liaising with other staff.  If your concern is about a specific subject, contact the Principal Teacher of the subject.  Again, they will likely liaise with your child's teacher and again work with you to address the concerns.

 

Q     What do I do if I think my child is being bullied?

Contact your child's pupil support assistant (01506 282155).  They will investigate and work with you and your child to resolve this.

 

Q     How do I get information about EMA?

If you have any queries about EMA, you can contact the school office.

 

Q     What clothing is not allowed in school?

Crop tops, low necks or other t-shirts and sportswear should not be worn in classrooms at any time.  Tracksuit or other trousers made from nylon type fabric.  (for fire safety).  Football colours. This is West Lothian Council Policy and includes outdoor jackets, scarves, hats, etc.

 

Q     How do I make parents' evening appointments?

The school use an on-line booking system.  The link is available on the homepage of the website.

If you are unable to access it, contact the school office and we will help.

 

Q     What do I do if my child is struggling with homework or class work?

Contact pupil support (01506 282155) and they will investigate to try to find the cause of the problem.  This will likely involve liaising with your child's teachers and possibly the support for learning teachers, in working with you and your child to help them.

 

Q     How can I support my child with her/his studies?

Firstly, ensure they are attending school and arriving on time.  Any time missed can quickly result in gaps in a student's knowledge and skills.  Secondly, encourage them to complete all homework and do some additional study at home.  This can be as simple as reading through the work they did in class to check that they have understood it, learning vocabulary in Modern Languages or working through some problems in Maths.  It is also important to recognise that the level of additional study needed at home will increase as your child moves up in the school.  As the work becomes more difficult, encourage them to stick with it and not give up at the first hurdle.  Developing resilience will help them immensely when they leave school too.

 

Q     How often are reports sent home to me?

You will receive one full report each session and the timing of these are given out at the start of the session.  You may also receive some additional brief reports during the year, depending on the stage your child is at and if there is information we feel you should be aware of.

 

Q     How do I make a complaint to the school?

You can contact us by phone, letter or e-mail using the details below.

Deans Community High School 
Eastwood Park
Livingston EH54 8PS


T. 01506 282155

E. wldeans-chs@westlothian.org.uk

We will do our best to direct your complaint to the appropriate person and to resolve any issues as soon as possible.