Who we are

The Parents and Friends of Ayton Primary School (PFA) is the Parent Council body for our School.

The Parent Council is a group of parents/carers selected by members of the Parent Forum to represent their views. All parents/carers are automatically members of the Parent Forum for the school, and they have a right to establish a Parent Council to represent them. Parent Councils have an important role to play in school improvement by ensuring that the parental perspective is represented and taken into account. Parent councils are constituted bodies, they are independent from the school and the local authority.

Office bearer roles

The chairperson

The chair’s role is to guide the PFA to achieve its aims and chair the meetings of the PFA. They will:

  • Liaise with the secretary and head teacher on the agenda and meeting arrangements.
  • Ensure fair discussion and that everyone gets a chance to have their say.
  • Sum up issues, points, and decisions.
  • Ensure decisions are carried out.

The secretary

The secretary supports communication, between PFA members themselves and between parents and the PFA. They will:

  • Work with the chair to make arrangements for meetings and prepare an agenda.
  • Send a notice of the meeting, venue and agenda to all parents/carers.
  • Take minutes of meetings, including attendance, recording decisions and actions to be taken and by whom.
  • Share minutes for all parents/carers following the meetings.

The treasurer

The treasurer will handle the finances of the PFA, but not the actual raising of money. They will:

  • Have a clear and accurate book keeping system that records any money received and how it is spent.
  • Maintain the bank account.
  • Advise on the amount of money available for the PFA.
  • Produce an annual financial report.

Sub-groups

It is always welcomed to have some sub-groups to carry out specific tasks and play an active part in the PFA. These include fundraising and events.

Members

All PFA members play a central role in helping to achieve our aims. We hold regular meetings, aiming for one each term. At meetings, should a vote be necessary to make a decision, each member of the PFA present at the meeting will have one vote, with the chair having two votes—one as a member of the PFA and one as the casting vote in the event of a tie.

Our meeting times will be advertised through our school newsletter, Eduspot and on the school website. Minutes from our meetings will always be shared.

Everyone is very welcome to attend—you don’t have to be a member of the PFA to come along. Anyone can raise an issue for the PFA to discuss, please contact one of the members if you would like to discuss any aspect of school.

Our current PFA members are:

  • Chair: Joanna Stewart
  • Vice-chair: Laura Cooksey
  • Secretary: Katie Aitchison
  • Treasurer: Toby Foster
  • Louise Birkett
  • Andrea Thacker
  • Ruth von Krause

What we do

  • Support the school to create a welcoming environment that is inclusive for all pupils
  • Effectively represent the views of the parent community to the school and local authority
  • Engage in activities that will achieve the best educational opportunities for pupils
  • Ensure we proactively support effective communications between parents, the school, and the community

We achieve this through the following:

Partnership work with school

Work in partnership with the school to create a welcoming environment that is inclusive for all pupils, and the first choice of school for all families within the school’s catchments area.

  • Work with the school to decide on the key priorities to take forward.
  • Support the school to develop strong home/school partnerships.
  • Help make links with the wider community.
  • Contribute to the annual update of the School Handbook.
  • Help with or undertake school consultations.

Represent the views of parents

Effectively represent and report on the views of parents on the education provided by the school, and other matters affecting the education and welfare of the pupils.

  • Provide a voice for parents in schools and in the local authority on issues that are important to them
  • Communicate regularly with the Parent Forum to hear their views and keep them informed.
  • Self-evaluate to inform improvement planning.
  • Capture the unique and varied skills, interests, knowledge and experience that parents can offer.
  • Gather and represent the views of parents to the head teacher, local authority and the Scottish government.
  • Contribute to school inspections.
  • Play an active role in the recruitment of head teacher.

Develop and engage in activities

Develop and engage in activities that support the education and welfare of the pupils (from strategic input, to grant raising, and events).

  • Fundraise in collaboration with the school for the benefit of all pupils and families.
  • Apply for grants and seek out funding sources.
  • Organise events.

Support successful communications

Support successful communications between the school, pupils, parents, staff, and the wider community.

  • Ensure that we come to decisions that everyone is happy with or has had an opportunity to debate and discuss.
  • Improve the school’s understanding of how to engage parents in their children’s learning and in the wider life of the school.

What we don’t do

We do not pursue issues regarding individual children or families, these should be discussed with a member of school staff as appropriate.

We do not have input in the school calendar, dates are normally decided by school and we support the school staff.