A Parent Council is a group of parents who represent all the parents at a school. Any parent with a child at the school can volunteer to become a member of the Parent Council. Parents can be members of the Parent Council for as long as they have a child at school.
Parent Councils can also choose to invite members of the local community and school staff to join their Parent Council. Elected Members can also be invited to attend meetings. In denominational schools, the Parent Council must invite the relevant church or denominational body to nominate a representative to be a member.
All schools in Aberdeen are entitled to have a Parent Council. Each school can set up their Parent Council in the way which suits them best with support from the head teacher and Aberdeen City Council. The Parent Council operates very flexibly and generally has a chair, vice-chair, treasurer and clerk who are chosen from the members.
What can Parent Councils do?
Parent Councils can:
- Support the school in its work with pupils and their families.
- Support the head teacher and the school in how to involve parents in their children’s learning and in the life of the school.
- Represent and provide a voice for parents in the school and Aberdeen City Council on issues that are important to their children and families.
- Encourage links between school, parents and carers, pupils, pre-school nursery groups and the wider local community.
Aberdeen City Council provides funding for Parent Councils. We also provide information, advice and training and support. Our Parent Councils are members of Connect, a national organisation which supports parents. For more information, please see Home :: Connect