1. Parents as Partners in their Children’s Learning A guide to the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006

2. Why parental involvement? Where parents are involved, children do better and achieve more

3. What difference do parents make? Children spend only 15% of their time in school

4. What difference do parents make? 85% of the language we use as adults is in place by the time we are five years old and 50% is in place by the time we are three years old.

5. What difference do parents make? Most differences in achievement by 14 year olds in English, Maths and Science are due to home influences.

6. What difference do parents make? When parents are actively involved in reading with their children at home their children’s reading scores improve, on average, by between 12-18 months.

7. What difference do parents make? Doing homework regularly through their years at school has roughly the same benefit as an extra year’s schooling.

8. Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 Purpose To improve the quality of parents’ involvement in their own child’s learning and in education and schools more generally Part of the Ambitious, Excellent Schools Programme

9. Objectives To modernise and strengthen the system for parental involvement in school education To engage parents meaningfully in the education of their children and in the school community To achieve a more flexible and inclusive statutory system for parental representation To strengthen parents’ rights both collectively and individually

10. Parents as partners in children’s learning Involving parents to enable all young people to become Confident individuals Successful learners Effective contributors Responsible citizens

11. Duties Duties on Government Ministers and Education Authorities to promote Parental Involvement Duties on Government Ministers and Education Authorities to promote Parental Involvement Education Authorities were required to: Education Authorities were required to: prepare a strategy for parental involvement prepare a strategy for parental involvement give advice and information to parents give advice and information to parents promote and support Parent Councils promote and support Parent Councils establish a complaints procedure for parents establish a complaints procedure for parents

12. What do we mean by parental involvement? Three elements Learning at home Learning at home parents as first and ongoing educators of their own children parents as first and ongoing educators of their own children Home/School Partnership Home/School Partnership schools, parents and the community working together to educate children schools, parents and the community working together to educate children Parent representation Parent representation parents have an opportunity to have their views represented parents have an opportunity to have their views represented and a voice in the development of education policy at school, local authority and national level.

13. Learning at home North Lanarkshire’s home learning initiatives include: Family Fun Bags Technology kits Storybags Curiosity Kits Storytelling

14. Home School Partnership Parental involvement in life of the school Parent Helpers Partnership Officers (Secondary Schools) Parent Support Workers

15. Parent Councils

16. Previously… School Boards governed by legislation and, therefore, all following the same pattern. Parent Councils agreed locally and are all potentially unique.

17. Parent Forum and Parent Council Every parent with a child at the school is a member of the Parent Forum. Every parent with a child at the school is a member of the Parent Forum. Parent Forum can choose to have their views represented through a Parent Council Parent Forum can choose to have their views represented through a Parent Council Parent Council Parent Council smaller body that represents parents views to the school, local authority and HMIe smaller body that represents parents views to the school, local authority and HMIe

18. Establishment of Parent Councils Parents in every school decided how they would be represented and how their Parent Council would be constituted. (The legislation did not apply to stand-alone nursery schools or centres.

19. Parent Council Parent Forum decides on shape, composition and constitution of Parent Council. In a denominational school, the Parent Council will have a co-opted member nominated by the denominational body. Parent Council chairperson must be a parent of a child at the school. Meetings open to the public. Provision for Combined Parent Council to represent parents in more than one school where that is the wish of the parents.

20. Functions of Parent Council to support the school in raising standards and securing improvements in the quality of education and in developing to the fullest potential the pupils at the school to make representations to HT and education authority about arrangements for promoting parental involvement to report to parents annually to find out the views of the Parent Forum on any matters of interest or concern and reporting to the HT or authority

21. Functions of Parent Council to promote contact between the school and the community or other individuals or groups involvement in the appointment of head teachers and depute head teachers the power to make representation to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Education (HMIe)

22. Complaints Procedure North Lanarkshire Council’s complaints procedure for parents Existed before the Act Allows parents to register concerns with the authority