What is a Parent Council? The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 has changed the arrangements for parental representation in all schools. Since August 2007, all parents/carers are automatically members of the Parent Forum for their school and they have a right to establish a Parent Council to represent them. Parent Forum
The membership of the Parent Forum is made up of all parents/ca
rers who have a child or young person at an education authority school. Membership of the Parent Forum allows parents/carers to have a say in the local arrangements to enable their collective view to be represented on matters such as the quality and standards of education at the school and other matters of interest to parents/carers. One of the ways parents in the Parent Forum will be able to express their views will be through the Parent Council. Parent Council
The Parent Council is a group of parents/carers selected by members of the Parent Forum to represent all the parents/carers of the children and young people at the school. Parent Councils are very flexible groups and the Parent Forum can decide on the type of group it wants to represent their views. A Parent Council could get involved in:
-Supporting the work of the school.
-Gathering and representing parents/carers views to the Headteacher, education authority and HMIe.
-Promoting contact between the school, parents/carers, children and young people in the local community.
-Fundraising.
-Involvement in the appointment of senior school staff. Parent Councils are recognised in law from August 2007. As a statutory body, the Parent Council has the right to information and advice on matters which affect children and young people's education. So, the school and the local authority must listen to what the Parent Council says and give it a proper response. Every school's Parent Council will be different because it will be parents/carers in each school who make the key decisions. The Parent Council is also entitled to support the education authority in fulfilling its role. Membership of the Parent Council
Generally, members of the Parent Council must be parents/carers of children and young people who attend the school and the chairperson must have a child in the school. However, the Parent Council can decide to co-opt other members from teachers and the community who will have knowledge and skills to help them. Constitution. Our Lady of the Annunciation Parent Council was established in August 2007. The constitution of Our Lady of the Annunciation Parent Council is summarised below:
The membership will be a minimum of three parents of children attending the school. The maximum size is 12 parents.
~3 to 12 parent members
~1 Church Nominee from the local Diocese.
~a maximum of 2 staff members
The Head Teacher has a duty and a right to attend all meetings of the Parent Council but does not have a right to vote. The Parent Council will be selected for a period of one year, after which they may put themselves forward for re-selection if they wish. Any parent of a child at the school can volunteer at the AGM to be a member of the Parent Council. Where possible, at least two representatives from the infant, junior and senior stages will be elected. If each stage allocation is not filled, the places could be given to the parents of another stage. In the event that the numbers of volunteers exceeds the number of places set out in the constitution, members will be selected by ballot. Anyone not selected to be a member of the Parent Council may be offered the opportunity to be part of any sub-group set up by the council. The objectives of the Parent Council are:
~To promote partnership between the school, its pupils, all parents and the Catholic Church.
~To ensure that all pupils develop their full potential, leading to their lifelong activities being guided by Christ in the service of God and others.
~To work in partnership with the school to create a welcoming community which is inclusive for all.
~To develop and engage in activities which support the education and welfare of all pupils, promoting equality of opportunities and embracing diversity.
~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. Our goals are to enrich the learning experience of our children and support the families and teachers who make OLA such a great place. We hope you will come here regularly to find out what's happening in the school and how you can participate in our volunteer efforts and fun activities.
