Introductory Letter

Email: parentcouncil@bearsden.e-dunbarton.sch.uk

Dear Parent,
Greetings from the Parent Council
I am writing to you in my capacity as Chairman of the new Parent Council, which was
set up last year, to replace the old School Board. This was part of the implementation of
the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006.
The Council consists of 6 or 7 parents of children in the school, Mrs Young the Head
Teacher, with Mrs Park & Mrs Ralph representing the staff of the school, and we meet
at least once a term, in the school.
There are 4 main aims of Parent Councils
1. To support the school in its work with pupils and parents
2. To represent the views of parents
3. To promote communication between the school, parents, pupils & the community
4. To report to the Parent Forum (all the parents of children in the school)
It is not the role of the Council to deal with individual concerns about parents, pupils or
staff members, but to take a more strategic view of issues which may be addressed to
the advantage of the entire school.
Some issues which we are currently involved with are continuing to press East
Dunbartonshire Council to work on road safety around the school, and to improve
playground facilities.
In Bearsden Primary we are very fortunate to have a very active Parent Association,
which is a fund raising and social group, and an After School Club. These are
completely separate from the Parent Council, and will remain so.
We are very keen to hear from any parent who has ideas about issues which the Parent
Council might take forward. Our meetings are open to any parent who wishes to attend,
and the dates are posted on the school notice board, and on the school website. If you
have an issue which you would like discussed at a Council meeting you should write to
me, or to Mrs Young, or to our clerk, Ros Halliday. You can also get in touch by email,
via the address at the top of this letter.
I am sure that good communication is the key to a successful Parent Council. To this
end, we are working on setting up a blog for the Council on the Bearsden Primary
School website. I would encourage you to keep an eye on this, and to contribute when
it’s up and running.
Finally, we have room for another parent on the Council, so if anyone would like to join I
would encourage you to write to me, or to Mrs Young. You may wish to check out the
new mugshots of the Council on the website before deciding if you want to be
associated with such a motley crew!!
Best wishes
Lawrie Morton