Agenda

That the Education and Children’s Services Committee:

1.     Agrees that strong parental engagement is important to educational outcomes and notes that this is enshrined in law via Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006, which established a “duty of the Scottish ministers to promote the involvement of the parents of pupils in attendance at public schools”

2.     Notes that the National Parent Forum of Scotland is a statutory consultee mentioned by name in the Education (Scotland) Act 2016 – Gaelic provisions

3.     Notes with concern the decision of the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills to defund the National Parent Forum of Scotland on 18^th May 2024.

4.     Notes that the independent organisational review of the National Parent Forum of Scotland published in February paid for by the Scottish Government gave the following recommendation:

“The findings of this review provide strong evidence of the on-going impact of NPFS. However, without adequate funding, the current situation is not sustainable, and the organisation is at risk of spiralling into a downward trajectory without the financial support it requires”

The review did not recommend defunding the organisation.

5.     Notes that the Cabinet Secretary has outlined in her response to the Scottish Parliament on 21^st May 2024 that the National Parent Panel run by the charity Connects will be up and running by the new academic year in August

6.     Instruct the Chief Officer Education and Lifelong Learning to write to the Cabinet Secretary to ask for the implementation plan including timeline and volunteer mobilisation plan, so that there is no loss of the parental voice of Aberdeen at a national policy level and to also ask for clarification around any potential impact on Gaelic Medium Education.

7.     Instruct the Chief Officer Education and Lifelong Learning to write to parent councils and parents across the city to reassure them of continuity of support from a national organisation.