Parents want to help
'Excellent conference, inspiring, informative, fun, great networking' – just some of the positive feedback from Scotland's second National Parent Conference, hosted at Hampden Stadium on 13 June.
The conference aimed to build on the foundations laid at last year's event, with a special emphasis placed on informing parents about the key developments in the curriculum and qualifications, and addressing the issue of parental representation at a national level. Around 180 people attended the event, a significant increase from the previous year, representing 26 of Scotland's 32 local authorities – ranging from Orkney to the Borders.
National Parental Involvement Co-ordinator, Lorraine Sanda, said: 'Our objective for this year's conference was very much based on feedback from last year's conference – that parents really valued the chance to network, to meet parents from other parts of Scotland, and to find out about key developments in education.'
Parents heard from Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop MSP, who delivered a speech, addressing the three principal issues regarding parental involvement – how schools can support parents to support a child's learning, how to strengthen relationships between parents and schools, and national representation.
A series of workshops allowed Parent Councils from across Scotland to exchange ideas about how to better engage with their children's schools. The afternoon was dedicated to a group discussion during which parents discussed some of the issues raised by Ms Hyslop.
'The overall feedback we've had from parents was that it was a very interesting day that offered some really useful insight into recent developments in the curriculum,' said Lorraine.
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