What is a Parents’ Forum?

The Parents’ Forum is an important link between home and school to give parents the opportunity to voice their views and to establish a listening culture so that parents feel that their voice can be heard. 

The Parents’ Forum does not replace any of the duties of the Parent Governors on the Governoring Body and their decision making roles but is in addition to it in the capacity of feeding back information of parents’ views to the school.

Who makes up the Parents’ Forum?

Anyone that is a parent or carer or guardian and has a child attending the school was invited through a regular Newsletter to all parents to express an interest in the creation of a Parent’s Forum; it was initially suggested that two representatives per year group would be a good starting point. Several parents contacted Jenny Lockwood, to register an interest and as a result a Parents’ Forum was set up in November 2006 with Jenny Lockwood, representing the school along with 14 parents, all ladies at this point, from a cross section of year groups but predominately from the lower years.

What is the aim of the Parents’ Forum?

In the first place to get the Forum started an open meeting was held and a number of issues were raised which affect the whole school rather than individual classes or tutor groups such as:

* Getting information to parents
* School uniforms
* Setting children into learning groups
* Homework
* Bullying

From discussing different aspects of the above communication to parents and from parents into the school was considered key to any other issues.

As a result of this it is the Parents’ Forum’s aim to get as many parents as possible onto Parentmail (email system for parents). 90% of parents have access to this messaging system but not all had signed up. Volunteers from the forum attended Parents’ Evenings to explain the value of the system and encourage more parents to sign up.

The school website gives parents a wide range of information about the school; new sections are to be added on textbooks and extra-curricular activities and a Termly newsletter will be added. The Forum discussed ways in which the website could be even more useful and a few examples were:

* More information on Speech Day and what it is about
* More prominent heading for achievements; perhaps linked to when celebration assemblies are to take place
* A Frequently Asked Question Page

The Year 7 Handbook is a comprehensive source of information to new parents and answers to questions they might have but it continues to be a source of general information throughout the year groups and maybe should be highlighted as such.

These are just some of the initial issues that are being discussed at these very early stages. However we feel that our views are already making an impact on communication although there is still much to be discussed such as the issues of homework and bullying.

We will keep you posted on further developments.

Thank you
Your Parents’ Forum