Each stakeholder in the School has invested in a number of ways in the School- Parents have chosen it for their children; staff whether teachers, SNAs, secretary, caretaker choose to work here; members of the Board of Management give of their free time to volunteer to act on the Board using their expertise in the interests of the School; and Parents with particular skills are available to advise when called upon to do so.
On a personal level, I am in the yard each day to meet with Parents on any issue they may have. Parents regularly come to me and say how well their son is doing, how much progress their child with special needs, or dyslexia or any other issue has made. I invariably ask them to give the message directly to the staff member whose work they are complimenting. Often, they are stating that such effort by the staff whether class teacher, learning support teacher or SNA has gone beyond the call of what might be called duty.
Similarly, I am available to meet Parents when something has not gone well; when the procedures in the School do need a fresh look or when, to put it bluntly, a Parent is not happy. The School exists for the pupils and so everything we do is for them. Whether by phone or by letter, I am happy to address any issues or complaints any Parent or prospective Parent may have. It is the most important aspect of my work. As such, I do feel very strongly that if a stakeholder has an issue, the least I am entitled to as Principal is that such a letter is signed.
It is the essence of what a loyal critic would do.