Parents

Parental Involvement

Home School Links

Parents are invited, informally or by letter, at least twice a year to visit the school in order to view their children’s work and discuss progress with the teacher and members of the Senior Management Team.

Parents are welcome to contact the school at any time to arrange an appointment to discuss any matter with the class teacher, Depute Head or Head Teacher. New families are welcome to contact the school and request a suitable visiting time at any point throughout the session.

Frequent invitations are issued to parents to participate in school activities such as open day, class assemblies, and curricular workshops and to assist with outings and visits, sports and concerts. We have early meetings for the parents of Primary I pupils and keep parents informed of events with a range of newsletters, website updates, texts and invitations.

Parent helpers and community members are also involved in classroom activities, library times and sports training, offering their expertise on a voluntary basis.

Reports to Parents
Parents’ meetings with teachers are held in school twice a year, usually in October and March. Written reports are made to parents annually in June and will contain information regarding their child’s attainment. A copy of this report is kept on file in school for the purpose of transfer of information between teachers in the school and into the secondary sector.

Parent Forum and Parent Council

The Scottish Parliament has passed a law called the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement Act 2006 to encourage and support more parents to become involved in their child’s education.

The main aim of the Act are to:

· Help parents become more involved with their child’s education and learning.

· Welcome parents as active participants in the life of the school.

· Provide easier ways for parents to express their views and wishes.

To help achieve these aims, all parents are automatically members of the Parent Forum at their child’s school and are entitled to have a say in selecting the Parent Council (the representative body) to work on behalf of all parents at the school.

The objectives of the Parent Council are:

· To work in partnership with staff to create a welcoming school which is inclusive for all parents.

· To promote partnership between the school, its pupils and all its parents.

· To develop and engage in activities which support the education provided by the school and other matters affecting the education and welfare of pupils.

· To be involved in the recruitment process for appointing the Head Teacher and Depute Head Teacher of the school.

St. Anthony’s has a very active and highly supportive Parent Council and the full group are displayed on the wall in our main corridor. The present chairperson is Mr E. Watterson. He can be contacted via the school, by letter or e-mail.

Any parent or carer of a child at the school can volunteer to be a member of the Parent Council. The Head Teacher is the professional adviser to the Parent Council and has a right to attend and speak at Parent Council or Parent Forum meetings.

For more information on the Parental Involvement Act or to find out about parents as partners in their children’s learning, please contact the school or North Ayrshire Council Education and Youth Employment or visit the Parentzone website on:-