Communication

 

The British School in Tokyo Communications Protocol

Good communication is the backbone of any strong community and at BST we believe that ours is genuinely a community school. For many of our families, particularly those who are new to Japan, the BST network becomes something of a lifeline.

The Communications Team at BST is committed to keeping all members of our community informed of events in the day-to-day life of a busy school. Parents want to know what their children are doing; they want to keep up with any changes to routine or to the curriculum and they want to feel that they are well informed in terms of school policy and strategy.

 

 

Channels of Communication

BST uses a wide range of communication channels. For this reason, it is important that we have the most up-to-date contact information* recorded on our iSAMS database.

For sensitive exchanges of information it is likely that someone from school will contact parents directly by telephone. However, it may not be possible to make contact by telephone in the event of a natural disaster such as an earthquake.

We use email as our main channel of communication where direct emails are sent to relevant parents. It is very important that we are given any updates to parents’ preferred email addresses as this is likely to be a key channel of communication in the event of a major emergency.

BST makes significant use of social media. The main school accounts on Facebook and Twitter are particularly important as these will be used as a back-up to email in the event of an emergency. 

The website itself is a key element in school communications. The Calendar is regularly updated, and you can find our weekly newsletter, the Lion. 

At BST we recognise that face-to-face communication is often more effective. The professional email addresses of our teachers are published on the parent portal and we ask them to respond to queries within 24 hours, except at weekends and during the holidays. In the Primary School the first point of contact is the Class Teacher and in the Secondary School it is your child’s Tutor.

 

 

*Contact information can be updated at any time by sending an email directly to data@bst.ac.jp. Alternatively, a Contact Update Form can be completed at either of the Reception Desks or via the Parent Portal.

 

Check-list

To help you better understand the many communications channels that we utilise, please see the summary check-list below and the comprehensive checklist in the BST Communications Protocol above.

This is subject to change, but will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Channel	Content	Frequency
The Lion	School News & Events, with an introductory message from the Principal Head of Primary message, Primary News & Events, Primary Newsletter Links Head of Secondary Message, Secondary News & Events	Weekly
Social Media	BST News & Events- Facebook and Twitter PTA News & Events- Facebook and Twitter Emergency information- Facebook and Twitter Photos- Facebook and Twitter Alumni link- Facebook and LinkedIn	Daily
Website	About BST Curriculum information News & Events	Daily
Parent Portal	School reports Trip information Clubs confirmation letters	As required
Direct Emails	Emergency information Safety updates Health updates Trip updates Important notices Changes to ECAs/ASC/MECAs	As required

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact the Communications Team at comms@bst.ac.jp