Pollokshields Primary School Parent Council

Constitution

(approved September 2015, amended September 2016)

 

1)          This is the constitution of Pollokshields Primary School Parent Council.

2)          The objectives of the Parent Council are:

• To work in partnership with the school to create a welcoming school, which is inclusive for all parents
• To promote partnership between the school, its pupils and all its parents and for the betterment of the local community
• To develop and engage in activities which support the education and welfare of the pupils
• To identify and represent the views of parents on the education provided by the school and other matters affecting the education and welfare of the pupils.

3)          The membership will include a minimum of 4 parents of children attending the school and a maximum of 16 parents.

4)          The Parent Council may co-opt up to 3 non-parent members to assist with carrying out its functions.

5)          There will be at least one staff representative.

6)          The number of parent members must be in the majority.

7)          Parent Council members will be selected for a period of 2 years after which members may put themselves forward for reselection.

8)          Co-opted members will be invited to serve for 2 years.

9)         Members of the Parent Council will be volunteers. If the number of volunteers exceeds 16 places for new and/or reselected members will be allocated by ballot and a reserve list kept.

10)      There will be a Chairperson and a Vice-Chair, who must both be parents. If nobody is willing to take the post of Chairperson or the Chairperson is absent, the Vice-Chair will chair the meeting. If both Chairperson and Vice-Chair are absent, members will take turns at chairing the meeting.

11)      There will be a Secretary who will carry out all clerical duties and a Treasurer who will keep financial records.

12)      The Treasurer will open a bank or building society account in the name of the Parent Council for all Parent Council funds. Withdrawals will require the signature of the Treasurer and one other Parent Council member. The Treasurer will keep an accurate record of all income and expenditure and will provide a summary of this for each Parent Council meeting and a full account for the Annual General Meeting. The Parent Council accounts will be audited.

13)   There will be a Fund-raising sub-committee, led by the Vice-Chair. This sub-committee will be made up of between 1/3 and 2/3 of the parents on the Parent Council.

14)      Office bearers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer) will be nominated and elected on an annual basis. Office bearers wishing to continue on the Parent Council will be exempt from ballot for reselection in the case of more than 16 volunteers.

15)      If a Parent Council member acts in a way that is considered by other members to undermine the objectives of the Parent Council, or misses three consecutive meetings without good reason, their membership of the Parent Council shall be terminated if the majority of parent members agree. Termination of membership would be confirmed in writing to the member.

16)      The Annual General Meeting of the Parent Forum will be held in September or October unless this clashes with religious festivals. The meeting must include an annual report, selection of new members, approval of accounts and discussion of pertinent issues.

17)      If 10 members of the Parent Forum or a majority of the Parent Council request a special general meeting to discuss issues falling within the Council’s remit, the Parent Council shall arrange this giving at least two weeks’ notice of the meeting and issues to be discussed.

18)      Meetings of the Parent Council shall be open to the public, unless the Parent Council is discussing an issue which it considers should be dealt with on a confidential basis. In such circumstances, only members of the Parent Council and the headteacher, or his or her representative, can attend.

19)      Should a vote be necessary to make a decision, each parent member will have one vote, with the chair having the casting vote.

20)      Copies of the minutes of all meetings will be available to all parents of children at Pollokshields Primary School and to all teachers at the school. Copies will be available from the Secretary of the Parent Council.

21)      The Parent Council accepts the school newsletter and website as the vehicle for reporting to the Parent Forum but retains the right to send letters to parents.

22)      The Parent Council may change its constitution after obtaining consent from members of the Parent Forum. Members of the Parent Forum will be given access to a copy of any proposed amendment and given reasonable time to respond to the proposal.

23)      Should the Parent Council cease to exist, any remaining funds will be passed to the education authority to be used for the benefit of the school (or schools), where this continues.