The Parent Council is a group of parents selected by members of the parent forum (the collective name for every parent, carer or guardian at a school) to represent all the parents of children at the school.

Parent Councils have an important role to play in ensuring that children’s education is enriched by parents’ valuable life experience, individual personal skills and unique knowledge of their own child.

Parent Councils can:

• provide a voice for parents, in schools and in their local authority, on issues that are important to them and their children
• help the school to understand how to most effectively involve parents in their children’s learning and in the life of the school
• support the school and headteacher in developing strong home/school partnerships
• support the school in its development and improvement, and in understanding and making links with the wider community
• capture the unique and varied skills, interests, knowledge and experience that parents can offer.