They say variety is the spice of life and that’s certainly the case at St Andrew’s. At this North Lanarkshire High School a whole range of parents and representatives from the wider school community are involved with the Parent Council. Together, their eclectic mix of skills and experiences is helping the school thrive.
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Maureen Martin, Acting Headteacher at St Andrew’s, believes that the variety of people getting involved in the Parent Council has really shaped the identity of the school, particularly throughout its recent merger process. 'The Parent Council was involved in a lot of discussion as to the building and the resources the young people would get. They were very much involved in the whole consultation process and were consulted on the naming and identity of the school, even the school badge. They’ve been very active in getting us the excellent facilities here. Their voice was definitely heard.'
'I felt I could make a difference'
It’s not just parents and carers who contribute to the progress at St Andrew’s - two teachers sit on the Parent Council as well as the school’s home partnership officer and the campus police officer. Fathers as well as mothers contribute and collectively the group has listened to and acted upon the issues that matter most to local families. Their involvement isn’t confined to within the school walls and St Andrew’s Parent Council has also acted as an external voice.
For example, when parents highlighted problems with the local bus service, the Parent Council stepped in, and similarly they assisted with putting a school crossing patrol in place.
Chair Irene McCafferty explains what prompted her to get involved: 'I felt I could make a difference. It gives me more of an understanding of what my son’s doing and he’s got more of an understanding of what I’m doing. Now we can have better dialogue about what’s happening within the school.'
Good news for parents and pupils
Part of this enhanced understanding for parents has come about through the Parent Council’s determination to support the school in rolling out the new curriculum. Irene says at St Andrew’s they’re beginning to think about how the Parent Council can support other parents in developing a real understanding of what Curriculum for Excellence involves and how it’s relevant.
'A lot of parents may not even be aware of it - so we’ve talked about Parents’ Nights and setting up a website and we’re putting out a questionnaire to find out if they’d be willing to come along to an awareness session. We’re working with the school to support them and for them to support us in learning a lot more about it,' she explains.
While parents and carers are discovering more about how their children are learning, pupils are also benefiting. Irene’s son is in S5 and he says the fact that his mum is so closely involved in the day-to-day life of the school means he can contribute his own views more easily: 'I can discuss issues that I’ve heard and she can take that into meetings. So they’re getting a view of not only what the parents think but what the pupils think as well.'
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