What it means for parents
What the law says
The main aims of the Parental Involvement Act (the new law) are to:
- help parents become more involved with their child’s education and learning
- welcome parents as active participants in the life of the school
- provide easier ways for parents to express their views and wishes.
To help achieve these aims, all parents will automatically be members of the Parent Forum at their child’s school and will be entitled to have a say in what happens at the school.
Parents have said they want good opportunities to express views, to raise issues that are important to them and their child, to get a proper response to requests and questions and to know more about what goes on in schools. The law is designed to make it easier for you to do all of this.
What does being a member of the Parent Forum mean?
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.
As a member of the Parent Forum you can expect to:
- get information about what your child is learning
- get information about events and activities at the school
- get advice/help on how you can support your child’s learning
- be told about opportunities to be involved in the school
- have a say in selecting a Parent Council to work on behalf of all parents at your school.
How will parents be supported?
Education authorities and schools can support the involvement of parents:
at home – e.g. by providing them with information on what their children are learning at school and how this can best be supported at home
through school – e.g. by providing parents with opportunities to contribute to the life of the school e.g. by helping out in the classroom, on school trips and at school events
in a more formal way – e.g. by helping them to decide what kind of parent group the school should have.
