Parent Council of St Mary’s Primary School, Haddington
Minutes of the 45th Meeting of the Parent Council held on
Thursday, 29th September, 2016
PresentPhil Larkman (Chair)
Dervilla Bray (Parent)
Barbara Hippie (Parent)
Lynn Soulsby (Support Staff rep)
Michael McHugh (Church rep)
In AttendanceClaire Graham (Head Teacher)
Fiona Bain (Parent)
Liz Syme (Clerk)
- Welcome and Apologies
Phil Larkman welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies from Kevin Rettie and ProvostLudovic Broun-Lindsay.
- Minutes of 44th Meeting - Review/Approval
Agreed and signed.
Review
-Storytimes
Phil Larkman was unable to attend storytimes to speak to parents and carers about the role of the Parent Council, but this will be looked at againin the future.
-Parent Council and PTA involvement
The Parent Council and PTA will set up poster boards at the next Parents’ Evening with images detailing their roles within the school.
-Named Person
The Scottish Government announced there will be legislative changes to the Named Person scheme.
- Head Teacher Report
Care Commission Inspection
The nursery had a Care Commission Inspection.
Improvement Plan 2016-2017
Claire Graham handed out copies of the school’s Improvement Plan. The local authorities altered the format and this has to be adhered to.
The first part of the plan pertains to vision, values and aims. This was brought to the Parent Council last year for consultation and some changes have been made. The vision encompasses what is wanted for the school and the community. The school values reflect the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. The aims reflect what is needed to keep every child safe, embracing the SHANARRI principles of Getting It Right for Every Child. The action for development is embedding this within the school, and pupils have been discussing subjects such as the name of the school, the meaning of the school badge and the importance of having a sense of identity.
The plan covers national, local and school priorities. The local authority states overall attainment and health and well-being must be improved. Reading skillswill be developed. Mrs McHugh took part in a Numeracy leadership programme and will be training staff. Parents have been involved in classroom visits, experiencing how children are taught in Literacy and Numeracy. Teaching methods could also be shown via the school website and at curriculum evenings. Staff will observe each other and share good practice, learning other areas of the curriculum and finding ways to apply them. Learning Logs will be introduced and these will be sent home for parents to share. Staff will also be working with Haddington Infant School, learning more about Growth Mindset and PE skills.
Pupils from the age of three until they leave school should be talking about and understanding life skills. Outdoor learning should be used more around the school environment. Pupils have been looking at skills needed for becoming prefects, JRSOs and house captains. Parents and carers will be invited in to the school to talk to pupils about their place of work, giving the children an opportunity to meet them and ask questions. Enterprise opportunities will be developed across the curriculum through the Christmas fayre, book swap and working on the school gardens. Other ideas and events will be considered.
All parents and carers will receive a copy of the Improvement Plan, and it will also be available at the front entrance,in classrooms and on the school website.Claire would like to create groups to break down each area of the plan, enabling easier understanding for parents and carers. Pupil participation could be considered.
- Chairperson’s Report
Named Person
The Scottish Government announced there will be legislative changes to the Named Person scheme. Leaflets have been sent to parents and carers, and there is a link on the website. Named Person will be an ongoing Agenda item.
Parent Council emails
Phil Larkman commented on the large number of emails sent to Parent Council members. He suggested filtering these and only relevant messages to be forwarded. Liz Syme will collate messages sent through the Parent Council website on a regular basis and forward to Phil for checking before sending out to members.
Drinks consultation
East Lothian Council’s Facilities Management Service has asked pupils, staff,parents and carers to complete a survey regarding drinks offered at school lunch time in primary schools.
Empowering teachers
The National Parent Forum for Scotland has asked Parent Council members to respond to the Scottish Government’s consultation on how education is run and the decision to empower teachers and early years’ workers to help make best decisions for children and young people.
Anti-bullying Policy
The Education Service is currently developing a new Anti-bullying Policy and is carrying out a consultation on this subject with pupils, staff, parents and carers. Parent Council members have been asked to complete an online survey, and this will also be sent to the Parent Forum.
- Future Meeting Dates
Thursday, 24th November, 2016
Thursday, 2nd February, 2017
Thursday, 23rd March, 2017
Thursday, 25th May, 2017
All meetings will commence at 7pm at the school.
Phil Larkman spoke about aParent Council meeting to be held during the day for parents and carers who are unable to attend in the evening. Phil will draft a note to send to the Parent Forum requesting preferable times.
ACTION POINTS: / To be actioned by:Named Person Agenda item / Ongoing
Parent Council and PTA stands to be set up at next parents’ evening to offer information on their roles within the school. / Ongoing
Collate emails on Parent Council website and forward to Phil Larkman for filtering / Liz Syme
Draft note to send to Parent Forum re day meetings / Phil Larkman