Parent Councils

[wifie]

Anybody getting involved in getting a Parent Council up and running in their school? How is it going? What do you think of the idea? Any good ideas for getting people interested in joining in?

[Cattach]

Anybody getting involved in getting a Parent Council up and running in their school? How is it going? What do you think of the idea? Any good ideas for getting people interested in joining in?

Since it is five hours ago you placed the Thread may be you have your answer.

[wifie]

What Difference Do Parents Make?
Children spend only 15% of their time in school.

85% of the language we use as adults is in place by the time we are 5 years old and 50% is in place by the time we are 3 years old.

Most differences in achievement by 14 years old in English, Maths and Science are due to home influences.

Doing homework regularly through their years at school has roughly the same benefit as an extra year's schooling.

When parents are actively involved in reading with their children at home their children's reading scores improve, on average, by between 12 - 18 months.

Did you have a bad experience of school Cattach?

[Bobinovich]

While I would get involved helping on a parent's council, I would personally prefer to spent the time with my children actively helping them with homework and reading to/with them.

My wife & I both share our sons' homework duties (and will do with our daughter when she starts P1 next year) and feel that, for their ages, have a good understanding of words & language as well as numbers.

However we're not pushing them past the point where they loose interest - otherwise our efforts may well backfire.

[Cattach]

What Difference Do Parents Make?
Children spend only 15% of their time in school.

85% of the language we use as adults is in place by the time we are 5 years old and 50% is in place by the time we are 3 years old.

Most differences in achievement by 14 years old in English, Maths and Science are due to home influences.

Doing homework regularly through their years at school has roughly the same benefit as an extra year's schooling.

When parents are actively involved in reading with their children at home their children's reading scores improve, on average, by between 12 - 18 months.

Forgot to say - I thorougly enjoyed my school days and my life in education.

Did you have a bad experience of school Cattach?

None. I spent 43 years in Education! Do not take my comment personally just seen it all and seen so much baby sitting by schools I get a little sarcastic about it sometimes. Also do not forget for the majority, not all I grant you, of children of the 85% of time at least 30% of this time is spent sleeping and a great proportion of the rest is spent in front of a TV.
It is so important that parents get involoved in their children's education but PTA meetings are badly attend (not events but meetings), school boards are hard to form and there are seldom contested seats, the same few volunteer to help for various activities. Those who do help are appreciated and are generally the same faces.

[Cattach]

What Difference Do Parents Make?
Children spend only 15% of their time in school.

85% of the language we use as adults is in place by the time we are 5 years old and 50% is in place by the time we are 3 years old.

Most differences in achievement by 14 years old in English, Maths and Science are due to home influences.

Doing homework regularly through their years at school has roughly the same benefit as an extra year's schooling.

When parents are actively involved in reading with their children at home their children's reading scores improve, on average, by between 12 - 18 months.

Did you have a bad experience of school Cattach?


Correction - had 53 wonderful years in education and never regretted one minute of it. Maths was never a strong point however and clearly my parents failed with my counting before I was 5 years old!

[Cazaa]

Are you involved in the local school's PTAs and School Boards? Both of these seemed to work well (and efficiently) as far as I am aware. In fact, didn't the Thurso High School PTA raise money for a minibus recently? I'm slightly concerned that these new Parent Forums (or againstems) are going to have a detrimental effect.

[Cattach]

Are you involved in the local school's PTAs and School Boards? Both of these seemed to work well (and efficiently) as far as I am aware. In fact, didn't the Thurso High School PTA raise money for a minibus recently? I'm slightly concerned that these new Parent Forums (or againstems) are going to have a detrimental effect.

They do work well and point I was making was more to do with the fact a very small number of parents actually get involved. Those that do make a really good contribution. The proposed set up looks like a backward step with change for the sake of change. However, if it gets more genuine and helpful invovement I will have to change my view.
Unfortunately, changes in education and inexperienced higher management in the education offices of the highlands is driving teachers and head teachers away - just look locally where we have three officials in Education, Culture and Sports with little or no experience and virually no qualifications in Mainstream Education and little enough in sport.

[wifie]

Thank you, these comments are exactly what happens! Same old faces doing the same old jobs. Getting jaded trying to think up new ideas and trying to dredge up some interest! Hope Parent Councils are not a step backwards. In our school hopefully the opposite as, since I have been here, I have only seen one set of minutes from the School Board who seem to be like some sort of secret society.
My original thread was to see if any interested people (not just parents) had any ideas to stop the same old, same old syndrome.
I do worry that my children are getting the education they should and most of the stuff that gets fed down from Government is just paper shuffling, vote catching rubbish. I feel that my children are much more confident and encouraged to be so which is a good thing up to a point as long as we are not breeding a generation of cocky little monsters who will breeze into a job thinking they will be running the company in a week. As a parent I feel it is my duty to get involved with the school and take every opportunity to do so. I am not a do-gooder and find pushing myself forward for these things hell as I am a naturally shy and reserved person but feel you definitely get to see the bigger picture. Parents are encouraged to help in classes with all sorts of things from teaching crafts to cycle training and road safety. It is fun and also quite hard work sometimes (giving you appreciation for the teacher's job). My children love me being in school - I thought they would be mortified - so that is a nice bonus. I am lucky enough to not be a working mother and can do these things and appreciate it is not easy for everyone to give their time but even if you just helped with one thing in one year there would be benefits all round.
Have to say the stuff from the Scot Exec is a nightmare as it is the usual "chuck out the information full of off-putting jargon and hope for the best" (well I hope they are hoping for the best) but we can but try.

[Cattach]

Thank you, these comments are exactly what happens! Same old faces doing the same old jobs. Getting jaded trying to think up new ideas and trying to dredge up some interest! Hope Parent Councils are not a step backwards. In our school hopefully the opposite as, since I have been here, I have only seen one set of minutes from the School Board who seem to be like some sort of secret society.
My original thread was to see if any interested people (not just parents) had any ideas to stop the same old, same old syndrome.
I do worry that my children are getting the education they should and most of the stuff that gets fed down from Government is just paper shuffling, vote catching rubbish. I feel that my children are much more confident and encouraged to be so which is a good thing up to a point as long as we are not breeding a generation of cocky little monsters who will breeze into a job thinking they will be running the company in a week. As a parent I feel it is my duty to get involved with the school and take every opportunity to do so. I am not a do-gooder and find pushing myself forward for these things hell as I am a naturally shy and reserved person but feel you definitely get to see the bigger picture. Parents are encouraged to help in classes with all sorts of things from teaching crafts to cycle training and road safety. It is fun and also quite hard work sometimes (giving you appreciation for the teacher's job). My children love me being in school - I thought they would be mortified - so that is a nice bonus. I am lucky enough to not be a working mother and can do these things and appreciate it is not easy for everyone to give their time but even if you just helped with one thing in one year there would be benefits all round.
Have to say the stuff from the Scot Exec is a nightmare as it is the usual "chuck out the information full of off-putting jargon and hope for the best" (well I hope they are hoping for the best) but we can but try.


Thanks for the reply. In every job you will find people who may not perform as we would want but on the whole Caithness schools are excellent. I have worked in many of them and have always felt that staff want to do the best for their pupils and put in many extra hours. The long holidays and short hours is a total fallacy. Even when away on holiday teacher often spend time in book shops looking for material and buy this at their own expense.
Unfortunately much good teaching time is lost to the impossible load of paper work demanded by local and national higher management many who have little or no knowledge of the system they are paid well to run. Keep up your own good work.

[wifie]

Glad we are on the same side Cattach - thank you for your replies too!