Parent Forums and Parent Councils

From the 12th Sept 2006, all parents of pupils in Inverclyde primary, secondary and special schools have been members of the Parent Forum for that establishment.

As a member of the Parent Forum you can expect to:

• Receive information about the school and its activities
• Hear more in future about what partnership with parents means in your school
• Be invited to be involved in ways and times that suit you
• Participate in deciding how the parents’ representative body, the Parent Council, is organised and how it operates
• Identify issues you want the Parent Council to work on with your school
• Be asked your opinion by the Parent Council on issues relating to the school and the education it provides
• Work in partnership with staff
• Enjoy taking part in the life of the school in whatever way you can

Parents Councils are designed to:

• Give parents increased accessibility – to let more parents get involved in a way that suits them
• Focus on parents’ own issues, concerns and priorities
• Provide parents with more comprehensive information about their child’s education
• Ensure that parents’ views are taken seriously
• Builds positive partnerships between parents and schools and the education department

Parental Involvement is welcomed in all Inverclyde’s Schools and Establishments. It is recognised as being an essential part of building strong partnerships between home and school. Parent Councils have a very important role in developing Parental Involvement in our schools.

Support and training for Parent Council members takes place regularly throughout the year.

• Four times a year the Director of Education and Heads of Service meet with representatives of all Inverclyde Parent Councils.
• Parent Council Cluster Groups meet twice yearly. These informal groups offer parents the opportunity to meet together to share experiences and examples of good practice in parental involvement. All Parent Council members are made very welcome.
• Training for Parent Council members is offered throughout the year. This session training on Internet Safety, The Role of Parent Councils and Holding Cooperative Meetings is being offered

Information on all of these events is available from the Chair of your school’s Parent Council.

Page last updated: 27 July 2017