Agenda item

With reference to (1) Councillor Cormack’s motion to the Policy and Strategy (Education) Committee of 28 April, 2009:-

“That this Council agrees to promote further and to continue to develop parental involvement in the Council’s decision-making process and that a report is therefore produced with recommendations for including parents in the work of the main Council Committee with education responsibilities, relevant Sub-Committees and consultation processes.”  and

(2) Article 4 of the minute of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 24November, 2009, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided an update on actions and progress and the arrangements that had been put in place to establish an Aberdeen City Parent Forum.

The report advised that since the last update to Committee at its meeting in November, 2009, officers had arranged an additional meeting with Parent Councils to establish how individuals would be identified to serve on the Forum and to also discuss the remit of the Forum.  As a result of this meeting, a proforma had been circulated to all Parent Councils to seek their views on the appropriate mechanisms for identifying representatives for the Forum.  Officers had suggested that representatives could be selected via city-wide elections, through categories or communities of interest, or by nomination from each Associated School Group (ASG).  Following further discussion with Parent Councils, and a vote by the attendees at a meeting on 22^nd February, 2010, it was agreed that the Forum should adopt the proposal to nominate members through ASGs.  At this meeting, officers had also circulated a draft remit for the Forum, which combined suggestions from the Walker Road and Airyhall Parent Councils.  It was agreed by those present at the meeting that the draft remit was appropriate, but that the new Forum would possibly wish to make further adjustments prior to its adoption.

The report advised that officers had circulated information to Parent Councils which set out both the process for establishing the Forum and how Parent Councils could nominate representatives.  It was noted that the first meeting of the new Forum would be held in the week commencing 21 June, 2010, and that roles and responsibilities on the Forum would be determined following the formation of the body. 

The various papers which had previously been circulated to Parent Councils, as well as the draft remit and the timeline for the establishment of the Forum, were appended to the report.  A further appendix detailed the outcome of a meeting held with Parent Councils on 18 May, 2010, to consider the process for the establishment of the city-wide Parent Forum and how to secure nominations to the body.

The report recommended:-

that Committee endorse the work undertaken by Parent Council representatives and officers to establish the new Forum.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve the recommendations contained in the report with a request that officers submit a further report back on the matter in six months’ time;

(ii)        to request that the wording of Councillor Cormack’s original motion be included in the next report to Committee, in order not to lose sight of the second part of the motion, namely, “that a report is therefore produced with recommendations for including parents in the work of the main Council Committee with education responsibilities, relevant Sub-Committees and consultation processes”;  and

(iii)       to thank Sohail Faruqi and Rhona Jarvis for their work to establish an Aberdeen City Parent Forum.