Parent Council

  

 

  

THE ROYAL   HIGH   PRIMARY SCHOOL

 

Constitution for Parent Council

 

 

 

 

1. This is the constitution for The Royal High Primary School Parent Council.

    

 

2. Throughout this document reference to “parents” is to be taken as shorthand for “parents/carers”.

    

 

 

Objectives

 

 

3. The objectives of the Parent Council are:

    

 

·         To work in partnership with the school to create a welcoming school which is inclusive for all children and parents.

 

·         To promote partnership between the school, its pupils and all its parents.

 

·         To promote partnership between the school, the Portobello   High School and the High School’s constituent cluster primary schools.

 

·         To promote partnership between the school and the wider community.

 

·         To develop and engage in activities which support the school in relation to the education and welfare of the pupils.

 

·         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.

 

·         To raise funds.

 

 

 

Remit

 

 

4. The remit of the Parent Council is:

    

 

·         To act as a bridge between parents and the school on a range of issues which impacts across the interests of parents and pupils.  The Parent Council will not become involved in issues of a personal or individual nature – which rightly are a matter between the parent and the Head Teacher.

 

 

 

Membership

 

 

5. The Parent Council will comprise a minimum of four parents of children attending the school.  The upper limit is eighteen.  The target is to have one, ideally two, representative parents from each school year thus giving a good representative cross section of parents.  The Head Teacher is an advisor to the Parent Council and has a standing invite to attend all Parent Council meetings.
   

 

 

6. The Parent Council shall have four Office Bearers, namely Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer and their election will be agreed by the Parent Council members immediately following the Parent Council’s formation.  Office bearers will be re-selected by the Parent Council on an annual basis at the Annual General Meeting.  The Clerk to the Council will not be a member of the Council but will be paid an annual honorarium as agreed with the local education authority.

    

 

7. Representatives from the following groups may be invited to join, or to attend, Parent Council meetings:

    

 

·         RHPS Teaching Staff (one or two members of staff will be asked to attend regularly as staff representatives)

 

·         RHPS Non Teaching Members of Staff

 

·         RHPS Nursery Staff

 

·         RHPS Breakfast Club Staff

 

·         RHPS After School Club Staff

 

·         RHPS Pupil Representatives

 

·         City of Edinburgh Council Representatives

 

·         Other Community and Business Organisation Representatives

 

 

8. The Parent Council may invite such groups or individuals as considered necessary to attend Council meetings from time to time.

    

 

9. The Parent Council may form subgroups to take forward any particular issue, and members of these subgroups may be drawn from the Parent Forum as a whole, and may also include co-opted members.  All subgroups will report to the Parent Council on their activities.  The membership of the subgroup will be a minimum of four parents of children attending the school, with no maximum size.  The number of parent members on the subgroup must always be greater than co-opted members.

    

 

10. 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.  Terminated members would have the right of appeal to the Parent Council executive (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer).  Appeal should be notified within 14 days and hearing should be heard within 28 days.

     

 

 

Selection onto the Parent Council

 

 

11.  The Parent Council members will be appointed at an inaugural meeting and then appointed/re-appointed each year at the Annual General Meeting, standing for re-election if they wish, with the hope that they will stand for a typical 2 year term, subject to their period on the Council coming to an end when their youngest child at the school leaves the school.  All the parents of children at the school can take part in the selection by attending the AGM. Any parents of a child at the school can volunteer to be a member of the Parent Council.

     

 

12.  Any shortfalls in the make-up of the Parent Council will be made up by subsequently calling for volunteers – say, from an un-represented year group – and then selecting/approving their membership by the then existing Council members.

     

 

13.  In the event that the number of volunteers exceeds the number of places on the Council, council members will be selected by drawing lots.  Anyone not selected to be a member of the Council may be offered the opportunity to be part of any sub-groups/committees set up by the Council.

     

 

14. The Council may co-opt onto the Council anyone at any time to suit any particular circumstances, to assist it with carrying out its functions. 

     

 

15. The business of the Council will not be invalidated by any defect in the election, appointment, co-option or qualification of any member.

     

 

 

Accountability

 

 

16. The Parent Council is accountable to the Parent Forum for The Royal High Primary School and will make a formal report to it at least once each year on its activities on behalf of all the parents.  Equally the Parent Council will aim to use all available means of maintaining a regular flow of communication with Parent Forum members, including newsletters, parent evenings, Parent Forum discussion meetings and a special section on the School website.  The Parent Council will also endeavour to work in close partnership with the School, in terms of the Head teacher and his/her staff, and the City of Edinburgh Council as the main funder of the School as well as the Local Authority with responsibility for implementing Government education policy, and will therefore aim to keep both of these fully informed as to the Parent Council’s activities and priorities

     

 

 

Meetings

 

 

17. Any member of the Parent Forum will be welcome to attend any Parent Council meeting and to participate in the meeting as though they were a full regularly attending member of the Council in all respects other than that they will not be able to vote.  Should the Parent Council be discussing an issue which it considers to be confidential, only members of the Parent Council and the Head Teacher, or his or her representative, can attend.

     

 

18. Should a vote be necessary to make a decision, each Parent Council member at the meeting will have one vote, with the Chair having a casting vote in the event of a tie.

     

 

19. For a meeting of the Parent Council to be valid a quorum of no less than 3 full regularly attending parent members will be required.

     

  

Routine Meetings

 

 

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

     

 

Additional Meetings

 

 

21. Any 4 members of the Parent Council can request that an additional meeting be held, and all members of the Parent Council will be given at least two week’s notice of date, time and place of the meeting.

     

 

Annual General Meetings

 

 

22. The Annual General Meeting will be held in the last week of June each year.  A notice of the meeting including date, time, place and draft agenda will be advertised on the school website and 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 subgroups

 

·         Head teacher’s annual report to the Parent Forum

 

·         selection of the new Parent Council

 

·         Annual review of the Parent Council’s constitution

 

·         discussion of issues that members of the Parent Forum may wish to raise

 

·         approval of the accounts and appointment of the auditor.

 

 

 

Special General Meetings

 

 

23. If 20 members of the Parent Forum request a special general meeting be held to discuss issues falling within the Parent Council’s remit, the Parent Council shall arrange this.  The Parent Council shall give all members of the Parent Forum at least two week’s notice of date, time and place of the meeting and, at the same time, circulate notice of the matter, or matters, to be discussed at the meeting.

     

 

 

Proceedings

 

 

24. The proceedings of any Council meeting will not be invalidated by any accidental omission to give notice of the meeting to a member, to or non-receipt of notice of a meeting by a member.

     

 

 

Minutes of Meetings

 

 

25. Copies of the minutes of all meetings will be available to all parents of children at The Royal High Primary School and to all teachers at the school. Copies will be available from the Secretary of the Parent Council and from the school office, and the minutes will be placed on the school website.

     

 

 

Finance

 

 

26. 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 Office Bearer member  i.e. the Chair, Vice-Chair or Secretary.

     

 

27. 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 year ended 31^st March to the Annual Meeting.  The Parent Council accounts will be audited by the auditor appointed at the previous Annual Meeting.  The auditor will be independent of the Parent Council.

     

 

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

     

 

29. Should the Parent Council cease to exist, any remaining funds and assets will be passed to the education authority to be used for the benefit of the school, (or schools), where this continues.

     

 

 

 

Alterations to the Constitution

 

 

30. No alteration or addition shall be made to the Constitution except at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for this purpose.  The proposed change shall be specified in the notice requesting the meeting and will require approval by not less than two thirds of the membership of the Parent Council.

     

 

Dissolution

 

 

31. The Parent Council will be dissolved if:

     

 

·         Insufficient parents volunteer to become members of the Council; or

 

·         If the Parent Forum decides that it does not require a Parent Council to exist.