Parent Council

Please click to link to:

Contact the Parent Council

Office Bearers

A Word from the Chair

Mission Statement

Constitution

What is a Parent Council?

Dates of Meetings

Minutes of Meetings

Parent Council Reports

Parent Council Suggestions

School Uniform Forms

Calderwood Primary School Parent Council Report 2009 is now available. Click to view and print.

Office Bearers

Gordon Brownlie Chair	Angela Dobelis Vice Chair	Mark Reilly Treasurer	Bronah Byrne Secretary

A Word from the Chair!

Welcome to the Parent Council Web Page.

2007 saw the legislation come in to force which disbanded the old School Boards and gave rise to the new look Parent Councils. (see comparison document)

Some schools have opted to retain their PTA and have a separate Parent Council. However at Calderwood we took the opposite view and have formed a strong unit which comprises elements from both the School Board and the PTA.

Our Mission Statement is here on the web page but basically our principle aim is to assist making our school even more successful than it already is.

We raise funds with events throughout the year, we liase with the local authority and the school regarding per capita and school funding, we look at our communications with parents and we try to address concerns for parents as they arise.

It is in all our interests to have the best and safest environment for our children to flourish in.

But every year we lose some of our team as their children make the big move to High School so we always need fresh talent so I would ask you to consider joining us.

You will be made very welcome and I can assure you that our meetings are not highly formal so they are not daunting in fact now and again some sub group meetings are so informal they take the form of discussions over a drink. So we really are a sociable bunch. Come along and see for yourself.

Once we finalise dates for meetings these will be provided via the link on this page.

You can see approved minutes from previous meetings and get a flavour of what we do.

I look forward to seeing some of you come along in the future. Remember we cannot continue with our high standards if we do not have your continuing support.

Let's ensure Calderwood continues to deliver a high quality educational experience for all our children.

On behalf of the office bearers and myself:

Thank you for your on-going support for the school and your parent council.

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Constitution

This is the constitution for Calderwood Primary School Parent Council.

1. Objectives of the Parent Council

1.1 The objectives of the Parent Council are:

• To work in partnership with the school to create a welcoming school which is inclusive for all parents and children
• To promote partnership between the school, its pupils, its parents and the community
• To develop and engage in activities which support the education and welfare of the pupils
• To raise additional funds to be used for the benefit of the children
• To identify and represent the views of parents on the education provided by the school and other matters affecting the education and welfare of the pupils

2. Membership of the Parent Council

2.1 The membership will be a minimum of three parents and a maximum of 30 parents of children attending the school.

2.2 Any parents of a child at the school can volunteer to be a member of the Parent Council. In the event that the number of volunteers exceeds 30, members will be chosen by sightless selection (names in a hat). Anyone not selected to be a member of the Parent Council may be offered the opportunity to be part of any sub-groups set up by the Council.

2.3 Post holding positions will include a Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary

3. Co-option

3.1 The Parent Council may co-opt up to 10 members who may include teaching and support staff in the school to assist it with carrying out its functions.

3.2 The number of parent members on the Parent Council must always be greater that the co-opted members, two thirds being made up of Parent Forum members and one third co-opted members.

4. Period of tenure

4.1 The Parent Council will be selected for a period of one year, after which they may put themselves forward for re-selection if they wish.

5. Selection of post holders

5.1 The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer of the Council will be agreed by the Parent Council members immediately following its formation.

5.2 The Parent Council will be chaired by a parent of a child attending Calderwood Primary School . If the child ceases to be a pupil, a new Chair will be agreed at the next meeting.

6. Report/meeting arrangements

6.1 The Parent Council is accountable to the Parent Forum for Calderwood Primary School and will make a report to it at least once each year on its activities on behalf of all the parents.

6.2 If six members of the Parent Forum request a special general meeting to discuss issues falling within the Council's remit, the Parent Council shall arrange this. The Parent Council shall give all members of the Forum at least two weeks' notice of the meeting and, at the same time, circulate notice of the matter, or matters, to be discussed at the meeting.

6.3 The Annual Meeting will be held in September of each year. A notice of the meeting including date, time and place will be sent to all members of the Parent Forum at least two weeks in advance. The meeting will include:

• a report on the work of the Parent Council and its committee(s)
• selection of the new Parent Council
• discussion of issues that members of the Parent Forum may wish to raise
• approval of the accounts and appointment of the auditor

6.4 The Parent Council will meet at least once in every school term.

6.5 Should a vote be necessary when making a decision, each parent member present at the meeting will have one vote with the Chair having the casting vote in the event of a tie.

6.6 Any two members can request an additional meeting be held, and all members of the Parent Council will be given at least one week's notice of date, time and place of the meeting.

6.7 If a Parent Council member acts in a way that is considered by other members to undermine the objectives of the Parent Council, their membership of the Parent Council shall be terminated if the majority of parent members agree. Termination of membership would be confirmed in writing to the member.

7. Minutes/procedures of meetings

7.1 Copies of the minutes of all meetings will be available to all parents of children at Calderwood Primary School and to all teachers at the school. Copies will be available from the school office or posted on a web forum should such provision exist.

7.2 Meetings of the Parent Council shall be open only to members of the Parent Council and the head teacher or his or her representative.

7.2 Members of the public who wish the Parent Council to consider issues, views or topics falling within the remit of the Parent Council should put in them in writing to the Parent Council c/o Calderwood Primary School . Such requests will be considered at the next meeting of the Parent Council.

8. Funds

8.1 The Treasurer will open a bank or building society account in the name of the Parent Council for all Parent Council funds. Withdrawals will require the signature of the Treasurer and one other Parent Council member.

8.2 The Treasurer will keep an accurate record of all income and expenditure, and will provide a summary of this for each Parent Council meeting and a full account for the Annual Meeting. The Parent Council accounts will be audited by the auditor appointed at the previous Annual Meeting.

8.3 The Parent Council shall be responsible for ensuring that all monies are used in accordance with the objectives of the Parent Council.

8.4 Should the Parent Council cease to exist, any remaining funds will be passed to the Head Teacher of Calderwood Primary School to be used for the benefit of the school, where this continues.

9. Changes to the Constitution

9.1 The Parent Council may change its constitution after obtaining consent from members of the Parent Forum. The Head Teachers and members of the Parent Forum will be sent a copy of any proposed amendment and given four weeks to respond to the proposal.

9.2 A copy of the revised constitution will be sent to the local education authority along with a list of Parent Council members.

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What is a Parent Council?

Calderwood Primary's Parent Council will be very parent-friendly - it's a great opportunity to become more involved!

The role of the Parent Council will be to:

• support the school in its work with pupils
• represent the views of all parents
• encourage links between the school, parents, pupils, pre-school groups and the wider community
• report back to the Parent Forum.

Our school's new Parent Council is recognised in law from August 2007, so it will have a loud voice. The school and the local authority must listen to what your Parent Council says and give it a proper response.  Every school's Parent Council will be different because it will be parents in each school who decide such things as:

• how their Council will be set up
• what it should be called
• what size it should be - e.g. in a very small primary school, all parents could be involved      
• who should be a member of the Parent Council
• how they should be appointed
• what's the most convenient time to hold meetings
• what will be discussed at meetings - these might be topics such as school uniform, parking near the school, the school’s anti-bullying policy

Generally, members of the Parent Council must be parents of children who attend the school and the chairperson must have a child in the school.  However, the Parent Council can decide to co-opt other members from teachers and the community who will have knowledge and skills to help them. 

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Dates of Meetings

Calderwood Parent Council meetings will take place on the following dates. All meetings will be held in the school staff room at 7pm.

7th January 2010

4th February 2010

4th March 2010

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Minutes of Meetings

Please select the minutes you would like to see.

The minutes are in PDF format and require Adobe Reader to open them. Click the link to download Adobe Reader.

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Parent Council Reports

Parent Council Report 2009 - view document

Parent Council Report 2008 - view document

The reports are in PDF format and require Adobe Reader to open them. Click the link to download Adobe Reader.

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Parent Council Suggestions

Calderwood Parent Council always welcomes your suggestions. If you have an idea or suggestion you would like to tell us about just click the link to print off a suggestion slip. Please put your completed suggestion slip in an envelope, marked 'FAO Parent Council' and send it via pupil post. Many thanks.

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School Uniform Forms

Please click the link to download and print the forms required for ordering school uniforms.

Please note that upon submission of completed uniform order form your order will be fulfilled the first week of the following month. Outwith these times uniforms are availble for purchase from Parent Council at Parents' Evenings twice a year.

Note placed 12/03/2010 - New forms will be available soon please check back.

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