Reporting and Parent Communication

This section contains useful information about how we monitor and communicate your child’s progress. You can also book parent evening appointments here.

Keeping you Informed

School Reports

Parents’ Evenings

Keeping You Informed

We have two apps for parents and carers that allow you to receive updates about your child and communications from our school:

Schoolgateway App

Download to receive updates about:

General school messages
Parents’ evening bookings
Notice of school closure
Absence
Event reminders
To access ParentPay

Class Charts Parent App

Download to receive updates about your child’s:

Attendance
Progress
Behaviour
Timetable
Homework

Please enable ‘Push Notifications’ on both apps to receive updates.

If you have not received an activation email, please email parentlogons@horsforthschool.org and we will be able to help.

School Reports

Students will receive three Progress Review reports a year containing:

Attendance and behaviour summaries
Summary of their progress in each subject area
Attitude to learning scores.

Reports for year groups 10 to 13 may also include current GCSE/A Level grades.

Horsforth School places great emphasis upon developing and monitoring each student’s Attitude to Learning. It is our belief that if students consistently show a positive Attitude to Learning, there will be direct benefits on their achievement. We want our students to be curious learners who fully engage in every opportunity, and we expect them to take responsibility for their own learning through actively participating in lessons and developing their resilience to overcome challenges.

We have 5 key elements that we will look for when assigning ATL scores:

Engagement in class / Willingness to learn
Resilience / Response to feedback and challenge
Quality of work / Pride in what they do
Behaviour for learning (including punctuality)
Homework completion and quality

The ATL scores are on a scale from 1-6. We expect our students to achieve a minimum score of 4 in all subjects but ask that they ‘Strive for 5’ at all times. Students who meet these expectations will be recognised and rewarded for their positive attitude. Any students who display a less positive attitude will be supported to make the most out of every learning opportunity.

The table below shows what each score means:

ATL Score	Student Descriptor
6	What a student with an EXEMPLARY attitude looks like… You are a highly self-motivated and independent learner, always trying to be the best you can You show exceptional engagement with your learning and respond effectively to feedback You always produce high quality work you can be proud of, including all homework tasks You show a high level of respect to staff and students all of the time You already regularly go above and beyond staff expectations – keep it up!
5	What a student with a MOTIVATED attitude looks like… You are an enthusiastic learner who is keen to succeed and usually seeks help when needed You engage well with your leaning and respond positively to feedback and support You try to produce high quality work you are proud of, including homework tasks You show respect to staff and other students in all learning environments Even greater self-motivation and independence would help you demonstrate a more ambitious ATL
4	What a student with a COASTING attitude looks like… You do what is asked of you in lessons but may sometimes lack drive and ambition You complete the work set in line with your ability but sometimes it can lack pride or detail You complete most homework tasks but may not actively seek help if you are struggling You show respect to staff and other students in learning environments Increased enthusiasm and self-motivation would help you demonstrate a more ambitious ATL
3	What a student with an UNMOTIVATED attitude looks like… You may show inconsistency in your approach to lessons and can lack focus in this subject You may be too easily satisfied with your progress and be reluctant to act upon feedback You may need reminding of some key expectations including taking pride in your work and completing homework and only meet staff expectations some of the time You can be inconsistent in showing respect to staff and students at times Taking a more active role in your own learning would help you demonstrate a more ambitious ATL
2	What a student with a DISENGAGED attitude looks like… You may often show a lack of desire to engage in your own learning in lessons in this subject You may attempt tasks in class but give limited responses to feedback and leave work incomplete You may sometimes need reminders about basic expectations around engagement, behaviour or completion of homework. You can show a lack of respect through words or actions to staff and other students Addressing concerns raised by your teachers would help you demonstrate a more ambitious ATL
1	What a student with an UNSATISFACTORY attitude looks like… You may regularly be off task and not bring your personal best to lessons in this subject You may rarely meet staff expectations in the work you complete in lessons You may need regular reminders about basic expectations around engagement, behaviour or completion of homework. You show a concerning lack of respect to staff and students in lessons Addressing all concerns raised by your teachers would help you demonstrate a more ambitious ATL

Please note: A score of zero is only assigned when a student does not attend lessons in that subject – this may be for a variety of reasons and is not a reflection of poor attitude, teachers are simply not able to assign a score of 1-6 due to student absence from that subject / class.

Assessing Progress

ATL scores will be shared (via Progress Review Reports) 3 times a year and the scores sent home via the Sims Parent App.

In Years 10 and 11 staff might also report a current GCSE grade for their subject.

Parents’ Evenings

We try to ensure that every parent has the opportunity to meet with their son/daughter’s teachers at least once during each academic year, at a year-group specific parents’ evening, held in the school hall and library.

Book an Appointment

Parents’ evenings will be held on the following dates:

Year Group	Parents’ Evening
Year 7	3rd July 2025
Year 8	6th February 2025
Year 9	27th February 2025
Year 10	24th April 2025
Year 11	5th December 2024
Year 12	13th March 2025
Year 13	19th December 2024

Parents’ Guide for Booking Appointments

Parents Evening Guide 2018 2, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Step 1: Login

Fill out the details on the page then click the Log In button. A confirmation of your appointments will be sent to the email address you provide.
Enter your unique login code shared by the school.

Parents Evening Guide 2018 3, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Step 2: Select Parents’ Evening

Click on the date you wish to book.
Unable to make all of the dates listed? Click I’m unable to attend.

Parents Evening Guide 2018 4, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Step 3: Select Booking Mode

Choose Automatic if you’d like the system to suggest the shortest possible appointment schedule based on the times you’re available to attend. To pick the times to book with each teacher, choose Manual. Then press Next.
We recommend choosing the automatic booking mode when browsing on a mobile device..

Parents Evening Guide 2018 5, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Step 4: Choose Teachers

If you chose the automatic booking mode, drag the sliders at the top of the screen to indicate the earliest and latest you can attend.
Select the teachers you’d like to book appointments with. A green tick indicates they’re selected. To de-select, click on their name.

Parents Evening Guide 2018 6, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Step 5a (Automatic): Book Appointments

If you chose the automatic booking mode, you’ll see provisional appointments which are held for 2 minutes. To keep them, choose Accept at the bottom left.
If it wasn’t possible to book every selected teacher during the times you are able to attend, you can either adjust the teachers you wish to meet with and try again, or switch to manual booking mode (Step 5b).

Parents Evening Guide 2018 7, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Step 5b (Manual): Book Appointments

Click any of the green cells to make an appointment. Blue cells signify where you already have an appointment. Grey cells are unavailable.
To change an appointment, delete the original by hovering over the blue box and clicking Delete. Then choose an alternate time.
Once you’re finished booking all appointments, at the top of the page in the alert box, press click here to finish the booking process.

Parents Evening Guide 2018 8, Horsforth School and Sixth Form

Step 6: Finished

All your bookings now appear on the My Bookings page. An email confirmation has been sent and you can also print appointments by pressing Print. Click Subscribe to Calendar to add these and any future bookings to your calendar.
To change your appointments, click on Amend Bookings.