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North Ayrshire Council

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Parent Councils

The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 replaced School Boards with Parent Councils. Parent Councils help decide the direction, focus and ethos of schools, and represent and communicate with parents. You should contact the school directly if you are interested in being involved with a Parent Council.

 

The aim of this Act was to modernise and strengthen the framework for supporting parental involvement in school education. It aims to help schools, education authorities and others to engage parents meaningfully in the education of their children and in the wider school community.

 

The Act covers three main areas - Learning at Home, Home/School Partnership and Parental Representation. North Ayrshire Council have a Parental Involvement Strategy (PDF 11.7Mb) which states clearly our commitment to engaging with parents in a meaningful way.

 

Each school can make decisions about the nature and format of the Parent Council and can write their own constitution. All parents who have a child attending the school are automatically a member of the parents forum and the Parent Council have a duty to represent the views of all parents.

Contact Details

Educational Services

North Ayrshire Council Cunninghame House

Irvine

KA12 8EE


Telephone 01294-324400

Email: education@north-ayrshire.gov.uk

Who can stand for election as a member to a School Board?
Any parent of a pupil in attendance at a school may be elected as a parent member of a School Board by other parents of pupils in attendance. The term 'parent' includes a guardian and any person who is liable to maintain or has parental responsibilities for a pupil. Members of staff, who have children at the same school, cannot stand as parent members although they can vote in parent elections. Teachers on the staff of that school can serve as staff members. Councillors also cannot be elected to a School Board if the school is in the same ward as they are a councillor. Any parent of a pupil at a particular school can become a parent member of the School Board for that school. People may be co-opted onto the Board (as a co-opted member), provided they are not eligible to serve as a parent or staff member. People who are eligible to serve on the Board may do as long as there is no legal reason which might otherwise restrict them from doing so.

What is the purpose of a School Board?
School boards exist to promote contact between the school, parents and the wider community and promote the involvement of parents in their children's education; to promote a good flow of information between the education authority and the whole school community and to provide a formal mechanism for collective parental views to be made known to the school and to the education authority. They also give parents a greater say in the running of schools.

How long does a parent member serve on a School Board?
A parent elected to the Board at a regular election or co-opted to the Board as part of the regular election process will serve for four years.

Does the School Board need a Clerk?
Yes, every Board must appoint a Clerk, who need not be a member of the board. Payment can be made to the clerk, but only if he or she is not a member of the board.

Do School Board members have to undertake any training?
There is no statutory requirement for Board members to undertake training. However, members are actively encouraged to attend training courses which will assist them in undertaking their roles and responsibilities effectively.

Do I need any qualifications to be a School Board member?
No, you do not need any professional qualifications or expert knowledge of education to be a School Board member.

Can local Councillors sit on School Boards?
Although the local councillor for the area in which a school is situated is entitled to attend and speak at any meeting of the School Board, he or she cannot be a member of the School Board.