What is a Parent Council?
In 2006 The Parental Involvement Act was passed by the Scottish Executive. The Act introduced a number of ways for parents and carers to get more involved with their children's education by forming closer links to their school. A key area of the act was the abolition of School Boards to be replaced by Parent Forums and Parent Councils. If you have a child at Eastern Primary School you are automatically a member of the Eastern Primary School Parent Forum. You also have a right to be a member of the Parent Council at Eastern. The Parent Council has a number of duties but its main role is represent the interests of the Parent Forum.
A Parent Council is a small group of parents and carers who represent the views and interests of the Parent Forum (any parent or carer of a child at Eastern Primary School).
An important aspect of the Parent Council's work at Eastern is similar to that of the old school board which was disbanded to make way for the new Parent Council.
The purposes of the Parent Council can be summarised as follows:
- to provide a focus for all parents to be involved with the School
- to work in partnership with the School and the wider community that the School is part of to create an inclusive welcoming school for all children and parents
- to promote partnership between the School, its children, and parents
- to develop and engage in activities which support the education and welfare of the children and pupils of the School
- to express the views of parents represented to it on the education and other matters affecting the education and welfare of the pupils of the School as may be directed by the parents from time to time
- to do those things that it is required to do under the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 it believes appropriate to the School
- report back to the Parent Forum
- to take on the social and fundraising activities previously run by the PTA
To compare duties of the School Board to the new Parent Council click here to download the Scottish Executive document - School Boards and Parent Councils: a comparison. PDF format.