THE ROYAL HIGH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Parent Council

Parent Council Photographs
  PARENT COUNCIL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE CURRENTLY  UNAVAILABLE 

 

 

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Parent Forum and Parent Council FAQ's
 

Is there a PTA in the school?

 

There was a change in legislation in 2007, so the jobs and roles of PTA's, and of School Boards changed. Now schools have a Parent Forum, and a Parent Council.

 

The legislation was the Parental Involvement Act, and aimed to make it easier for parents to become involved with schools, and take an active, positive role in the school community.

 

In this FAQ, you will find these questions answered:

 

       What is the Parent Forum

 

    What is a Parent Council?

 

     What do Parent Councils do?

 

     How can I get involved?

 

  

What is the Parent Forum?

 

When your child starts school, you automatically become a member of the parent forum, and you can stand for election to the Parent Council. But in Royal High, all parents, as members of the forum, are welcome at all meetings, whether they are elected to the Parent Council or not. New faces are always welcome, and new ideas, skills, and offers of help even more so!

 

  

What is the Parent Council?

 

A Parent Council is the group of parents in school representing parent views. They work in partnership  with pupils, the head teacher and the local authority to achieve the best for their  school.

 

  

What do Parent Councils do?

 

The role of the Parent Council is 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. For example, The RHPS After-school Club works with Parent Council

 

¡¤       report back to all the parents in the school (Parent Forum)

 

¡¤      Parent Councils were recognised in law in August 2007, so the school and the local authority must listen to the Parent Council and give it a proper response. At Royal High Primary, most parents on the Council, and who attend meetings, simply want to help the school, and improve things in any way they can, for their children.

 

 

How can I get involved?

 

Every year, the parent forum elects a Parent Council, at an AGM which is announced in the school monthly newsletter. After this meeting, which any parent can attend, there are several meetings a year, usually on Tuesday evenings, to discuss events such as the Christmas Fair, and other fundraising activities. New blood, fresh faces, and ideas are always very welcome.

 

 

If attending meetings is difficult, you can become involved by helping at events; man a stall, send in home baking, help publicise events, there is no shortage of tasks! Lots of parents also bring their children to events to help too, and pupils seem to enjoy the responsibility, and getting to see behind the scenes!!

 

 

Are you interested in helping?

 

If you think you might be able to help in any way, please contact the school office. 

We have listed below some of the activities you might be interested in:    

 

gardening

 

creche

 

fundraising ideas

 

helping out on stalls, with teas and coffees etc

 

social events

 

administration back up

 

fair skills, eg, face painting, nail bar, or ...??

 

 

school uniform exchange (gathering, sorting, selling on)

 

School Eco committee work

 

IT help, eg, updating the website

 

other ideas ¨C please tell us more

 

 

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THANK YOU!       

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Constitution for Parent Council
   

  

 

  

THE ROYAL   HIGH   PRIMARY SCHOOL

 

Constitution for Parent Council

 

 

 

 

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

     

 

  1. Throughout this document reference to "parents" is to be taken as shorthand for "parents/carers."

     

 

 

Objectives

 

 

  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 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

 

 

  1. 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 ¨C which rightly are a matter between the parent and the Head Teacher.

 

 

 

Membership

 

 

  1. 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.

 

 

  1. 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.

     

 

  1. 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

 

 

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

     

 

  1. 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.

     

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1.  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.

     

 

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

     

 

  1.  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.

     

 

  1. 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. 

     

 

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

     

 

 

Accountability

 

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1. 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.

     

 

  1. 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.

     

 

  1. 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

 

 

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

     

 

Additional Meetings

 

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1. 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

 

 

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

     

 

  1. 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 31st 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.

     

 

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

     

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1. 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

 

 

  1. 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.

 

 

 

 

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Elected City Council Officials - Ward 14 - Craigentinny/Duddingston
   

Ward 14 - Craigentinny/Duddingston

 

 

 

Ewan Aitken

  

Scottish Labour Party

 

Tel: 0131 529 3261
E-mail: Ewan Aitken
Address: The City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers,

High Street , Edinburgh , EH1 1YJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Gary Peacock

 

Scottish Liberal Democrats

 

Tel: 0131 529 3182
E-mail: Gary Peacock
Address: The City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers,

High Street , Edinburgh , EH1 1YJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Stefan Tymkewycz

 

Scottish National Party (SNP)

 

Tel: 0131 529 3277
E-mail: Stefan Tymkewycz
Address: The City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers,

High Street , Edinburgh , EH1 1YJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

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Children & Families Property Review

 

 

Click the link below to access Children and Families Property Review information on the City of Edinburgh Council website.

 

 Property Review Information Link

 

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