THE Scottish Consumer Council is stepping up its campaign to develop a “national parents’ body”, which is bound to infuriate existing organisations.
The SCC says parents need to be better represented in education policy-making, as distinct from home-school partnerships.
A discussion paper says the Scottish Parent Teacher Council and the Scottish School Board Association are essentially “partnership bodies” with teachers, who already have a powerfl enough voice in their own organisations. This means the parent partners are “weakened, diluted or compromised”.
The SCC would prefer a research-based parental organisation rather than a membership-based body funded, at least initially, by the Government. “Relying on membership alone would compound social exclusion.”
The Scottish Executive has already outlined plans for a “national planning forum” of parent bodies and other interests.