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Champion parents are getting their voices heard at their children’s Harlow primary school.

Nicole Simmons, Claire Hudspeth and Jade Nunn all have children at Freshwaters Primary Academy, in School Lane.

The mums felt they and their children could suggest improvements to the way the class reward points – Dojos – were allocated and so contacted head of school, Marios Solomonides.

Mrs Simmons, who has children in reception and Year 2, said: “It had been on my mind for a little while so I emailed the head. I was surprised to receive a reply immediately, asking me to go along for a chat with other parents who wanted an input.

“Within days, the system had been updated as we had suggested and we have seen the results of the improvements from the first week.”

By contacting the head with suggestions for improvements to the school, the mums joined the Parent Champions – a group of parents playing an active role in the school community.

They felt the reward system would be fairer if children started each week with a clean sheet, rather than Dojos being carried from one week to the next. The child in each class with the most Dojos becomes star of the week and is rewarded in assembly with certificates.

Mrs Simmons said: “By carrying Dojos over, the same children were always staying ahead and it was almost impossible for others to catch up and be star of the week. We feared children would become disheartened as they felt they could never win.

“Children are so excited at the prospect of winning star of the week; it makes them work harder and try harder. It will now be given to the pupil who has shone the most that week, which is how we felt it should be.

“I have not had any concerns with the school before, but the response from the head on this occasion has encouraged me to contact him immediately in future with any ideas I may have. We tell our children to tell their teachers if they have any concerns and we as parents should do the same.”

Mr Solomonides, who replaced the traditional PTA with the Parent Champions, said: “I do not have all the answers and I am not the expert on other people’s children. That is why I encourage our parents to come into school, to speak directly with me and to share their ideas. It has to come from the children and their parents. I love it when parents email me as it shows they care about their children and want the very best for them.”