The 2006 Parental Involvement Act placed responsibility on local authorities to get parents more involved in their children’s learning and to improve parental involvement in three ways:
- Learning at home
- Home/school partnerships
- Parental representation
All parents whose children attend the school are members of the Parent Forum.
All Parent Councils are different. Parents decide on things like:
- What size the council should be
- Who should be a member of the council
- How office bearers should be appointed
- When meetings are held
- Meeting agendas, such as; school uniform, parking near the school, anti-bullying policy
The role of the Parent Council is to:
- Support the school in its work with pupils
- Represent the views of all parents
- Encourage links between the school, parents, pupils, pre-school groups and the wider community
- Report back to all the parents in the school (called the Parent Forum)
- Play a role in the appointment of Head Teachers and Depute Head Teachers
- Support the school and pupils during school inspection
What is a Parent Council Meeting?
This is a very informal meeting where parents/carers come along and talk about what’s going on in school. Fundraising is also discussed.
An agenda is followed and, as it is a public meeting, parents can put forward suggestions or ask questions outwith the agenda. The HT/DHT presents the Head Teacher’s report and the Treasurer discusses the finances e.g. agreed expenditure. The Secretary takes notes during the meeting and the minutes from each meeting are discussed along with any outstanding issues. (Please note that the meetings are not to discuss any individual concerns you have with your own child as such concern should be made directly with the child’s teacher).
Where are the meetings held?
Corrie Primary School Parent Council Meetings are held termly, immediately after school in the staffroom. Meetings are noted on the school calendar and a reminder is sent out via Groupcall a few days before the meeting. Minutes can be requested from the school office.
What is an AGM?
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is very similar to the regular Parent Council meetings. The Chairperson gives an annual report to review the last 12 months and Office Bearers are appointed according to the constitution. Our AGM is held in September.
