Parents talk pupil attainment with Council’s education chiefs

Parents from across Renfrewshire met with Council education chiefs to discuss how parents and schools can work together to benefit pupils.

Renfrewshire Council’s Education Convener, Councillor Jim Paterson, welcomed parents to the first Parent Council Liaison meeting of the new school term, which is an opportunity for parents to talk directly with senior managers of Children’s Services.

Attainment levels, assessment and opportunities for children and young people were all topics discussed during the meeting, with everyone talking about building upon partnerships between parents and schools.

Debbie Newlands, Renfrewshire’s National Parent Forum of Scotland representative, was at the meeting and said: “The Parent Council Liaison meeting is an opportunity for parents to come and speak with senior managers, find out what is happening across all schools and feed in any concerns.

“It was good to see so many parents turn out for this first meeting and I hope that many more come along and add their voices to our own. It is important that parents know how they can feed in to what schools do. Parent Councils are the voice for all parents but they only work well when all parents feel they are involved.

“We know that some parents may never have engaged with their child’s school and I think we as members of Parent Councils should find new ways of reaching those parents.”

Councillor Paterson said: “We already have a good relationship with parents but we also know that improving these relationships will have a significant impact on attainment levels for children and young people.

“The support children have from their parents at home is fundamental to how well they perform in literacy and numeracy. By working together, schools and parents can support children to reach their full potential and raise attainment for all.

“Renfrewshire is part of the Scottish Government’s Attainment Challenge and we know there are many ways pupils’ attainment levels can be affected by poverty-related factors. That includes building upon established communication channels between schools and parents, such as Parent Councils, as well as empowering parents to come and talk to us.”

Plans for Renfrewshire to host a local conference that will link up with the National Parent Forum of Scotland conference on 10 March 2018 are also being developed. Parents are asked to contact Debbie Newlands on renfrewshire@npfs.org.uk with their suggestions.

Parents looking to get in touch with their local Parent Council should contact their child’s school or visit education.gov.scot/parentzone orwww.npfs.org.uk.