Parent Councils
Introducing Parent Councils
The Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006 established a new structure and process for creating a parent representative body for each school.
All parents who have children in a school are automatically a part of the Parent Forum for that school. The Parent Forum can set up a Parent Council to represent them and act on their behalf
Supporting parental involvement
Parent Councils play an active role in supporting parental involvement in the work and the life of the school, while also providing opportunities for parents to express their views on children’s education and learning.
The Parent Council, as a statutory body, has the right to information and advice on matters which affect children’s education. The school and the education authority must consult with the Parent Council and take their views into account whenever decisions are being taken on education provided by the school.
Setting up a Parent Council
It is the role of the education authority to establish processes for encouraging parents and schools to set up Parent Councils. Section 7: The Parent Forum and the Parent Council of the toolkit provides information on setting up a Parent Council.