Strathblane Primary Parent Council
Chair’s Annual Report on behalf of the Parent Council
17 June 2008
We are now at the end of the first school year since the new Parent Council was established in the School, subsequent to the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act, 2006. It has been an eventful year, with a number of positive achievements and a number of issues which have given cause for reflection and alternative ways of attempting to reach the desired aims. We feel we are now at a point where we have established a clear framework for action that should enable us to move forward with the aspirations of the parent body and with signs of progress on a number of issues. We have also gradually clarified our role and way of working, which we hope gives others confidence in our intentions and ambitions for the children in our school.
We only came into being as a new parent organisation in October 2007, replacing the previous structure of School Board and PTA. Preliminary work began at the beginning of 2007, based on the new legislation and the guidance produced by Stirling Council and Learning and Teaching Scotland. At the beginning of March 2007 a few parents in the school began the process of outlining a possible constitution, in conjunction with the School Board and the PTA, which was proposed to all the parents of children in the school for change or confirmation. In parallel, parents were asked what kind of relationship they wanted for the Parent Council and the old-style PTA, with the result showing an overwhelming desire for a single body to ensure strong communication and joint working between policies and fund-raising.
Prior to the AGM in November 2007, the parents were asked to comment on existing plans from the previous School Board and to make suggestions about any new ideas they wished to be developed by the Parent Council. These were collated and then presented for prioritisation at the AGM. In order to encourage the widest possible parental engagement with this priority setting, the exercise at the AGM was used to draft a questionnaire for the whole Parent Forum. In February 2008 the final questionnaire was agreed and 12 items were derived from the responses based on nearly 30% of the families of children at the school. These were discussed in the Parent Council meeting in March 2008 and included (in order of priority):
1. Advance the MUGA and other play/sports facilities.
2. Put anti-bullying strategies in place and make them work effectively.
3. Ensure that homework challenges children academically.
4. Improve school dinners and encourage balanced diets.
5. Begin the study of foreign languages earlier.
6. Get parents more involved in fundraising.
7. Encourage openness about academic targets, aims and goals.
8. Improve communication between teachers and parents.
9. Ensure parents and children are consulted about the refurbishment of the school.
10. Strengthen links between the school and the community.
11. Discuss the teaching of religion, including a range of faiths.
12. Encourage parents and older people to give talks to the pupils.
The 7 elected members of the Parent Council have taken the lead on a number of these issues, but at the same time have been attempting to encourage other parents to get involved and develop the strategic themes listed above. Charlie Haggerty has taken on the portfolio for MUGA from the old School Board, but, due to a number of promises of funding having lapsed in the meantime, has needed to begin the process of fundraising virtually from scratch. Recently there have been promising developments through joint working with the Greenheart project, linking MUGA with the redevelopment plans for the recreational space next to the school. It is intended that this will form the basis of a broader funding strategy, linked to the fundraising group (below) and hopefully promoting stronger links between the school and the local community.
In response to a declining uptake of school meals and an increasing number of complaints, Bernd Schwahn has worked with the School Nutrition Action Group to survey the opinion of pupils and parents about the current school meals and an action plan is being developed as a result.
Foreign language provision in French has begun in the summer term for pupils as young as P3 as a result of the welcome support of Ms McCrae, one of the teachers. Depending on its evaluation and the demand and resources available, this provision might be extended in due course.
Fundraising was recognised from the outset as a key aspect of parental support in the school, with its own standing committee within the Parent Council. Leadership of this group, the Strathblane Primary Fundraisers, has been in the capable hands of Val McCorquodale and Wendy Barrett, who have been involved in the day to day planning and organisation, while Cathie Moir has acted on its behalf in the PC meetings. A range of successful and very enjoyable social functions have occurred during the year, at which many parents attended and contributed financially. These funds have enabled a wide range of facilities and support to be provided for the benefit of the children in the school. Gun Orgun, as Treasurer, has taken responsibility for both the fundraising and PC accounts, enabling us to plan and be accountable for the ways monies have been spent.
A very useful discussion of the School Action Plan in relation to the last HMIe report on the school was carried out at one of the Parent Council meetings, with presentations by Jennifer Cunningham (Head Teacher) and Alex Black (Stirling Council officer with responsibility for schools). Targets, aims and goals were outlined and will form the basis for a continuing dialogue between the teaching staff and the Parent Council over the coming year. Issues such as anti-bullying and homework standards will form part of that discussion. It is believed that this form of joint working will foster improved communication between parents and teachers, with regular feedback through Parent Council meetings and communications via the website, newsletters and mailings. Fergus Mitchell has worked hard at developing these channels of communication, which we hope will encourage a flourishing network of parental involvement. Debbie Bolton has worked unremittingly at bringing more parents into the various activities of the Parent Council through talking with parents and helping them to see what an amazing contribution they can all make. Outstanding issues that will be taken forward in the next academic year will include discussion of the teaching of religion and faiths, school refurbishment (plans for which have been announced recently and are in place for 2010), and the involvement of parents and others in communicating with pupils about work and society outwith the school.
It has to be acknowledged that the new structures for parental involvement have not been without difficulties for both parents and teachers, given the changing nature of how parents and teachers are expected to work together under the new policies of partnership working. As I discovered at a recent Parents’ Conference (7/6/08), this has been a fairly common experience across Scotland. However, I believe that we have worked through many of those concerns and are ready for making more rapid progress towards the strategic aims of the Parent Forum in a spirit of optimism and co-operation over the coming year.
Of course, the small group of volunteers that form the Parent Council can only do so much to help represent the views and wishes of all parents, guardians and carers of children in the school. I would like to take this opportunity, as Chair, to thank them for being such a dedicated, enthusiastic and delightful group to work with and to hope that my leadership style has felt more enabling than bureaucratic in the pursuit of democratic principles of parental representation combined with participation.
We are extremely grateful for the professional dedication to all our children from the teaching staff, under the leadership of the Head Teacher, Jennifer Cunningham, and the Depute Head Teacher, Anne Spencer. These senior staff, together with the teachers’ representative, Morven Bulloch, have been tireless in their attendance and contributions to the meetings and functions of the Parent Council. We also thank the rest of the school staff in the office, canteen and janitorial services for the way in which they have supported the functioning of the school and for the care they have shown to the children. We also wish to acknowledge the important contribution made by the pupils and their representatives on the Pupil Council in the many activities of the school. Finally, we would like to thank the many parents who have responded to our requests for ideas, feedback and help, and for their willingness to get involved in advancing the educational experiences of our children at the school. We look forward to working with all these groups in the next school year, in the sincere belief that together we can make a bigger and more lasting difference than we could ever hope to achieve on our own.
Andy Thompson