A new award scheme designed to celebrate the best schools’ prospectuses is announced this week (see TES2, page 17). The TES School Prospectus Award, offered in association with Rank Xerox, will be given to any school - primary, secondary or special - whose prospectus:
* meets the legal requirements; * gives a clear sense of what the school stands for; * tells parents clearly and concisely what they need to know; * shows evidence of cost-effective planning and production; * uses good, plain English.
Awards will not simply be made for the glossiest or most expensive productions. Rank Xerox copiers with full maintenance agreements will be awarded to the schools which send in the best examples.
All award winners will also receive a certificate and be able to include the award logo in their prospectus next year.
WHAT MUST BE INCLUDED
Governors of maintained schools must publish a school prospectus every year for parents and prospective parents.
It must set out: * the school’s name, address and telephone number; * the names of the head, and of the chair of the governors; * the type of school; * the times school sessions begin and end; * the school’s principles and values; * the school’s admissions policy, (and for secondary schools only, a description of the previous levels of applications) and arrangements for prospective parents to visit the school; * the school’s policy for dealing with complaints; * any affiliation the school has with a religious denomination; * what is on the curriculum; * how the curriculum is organised for different year groups and key stages and how the curriculum is taught; * a summary of the policy for pupils with special educational needs; * special arrangements for particular categories of pupils including those with special educational needs; * a summary of the content and organisation of the sex education curriculum; * the religious education and collective worship provided; * the school’s national curriculum assessment results; * the LEA’s arrangements for considering complaints about the curriculum; * the governing body’s charging policy; * the dates of terms and half-terms for the next year; * pupil absence rates (authorised and unauthorised); * how parents and other may see (and obtain if necessary) the documents that the head must keep for inspection at the school.
Extra conditions for a secondary school: * details of careers education and work experience; * public examination results for GCSE, GCE AAS, and vocational courses; * the destinations of school-leavers.
