SPTC 2012 Annual Report
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2012 Convener’s Report – Jeanna Brady Reflections on SPTC’s 64th Year Change continues to be the watchword for Scottish education and for SPTC too! As Vice-Convener of SPTC, I have encountered significant change as I found myself stepping into the shoes of our Convener, Kate Cunningham, who began long-term sick leave in the summer of 2011. Kate stood down late in the year but I am pleased to report she has made a good recovery and everyone at SPTC wishes her well. The pace of change at SPTC has continued unabated over this last financial year. Our target is SPTC’s long term financial sustainability, while strengthening the organisation’s services to parents and carers across Scotland. Parents and carers see SPTC as both independent and knowledgeable, something this year’s survey of our members has confirmed to us (more of that later). Members also told us how much they value the advice and practical support we provide. Membership is the backbone of our organisation: as our only source of funding, membership fees are vitally important if we are to continue in this unique role. The new three-year membership model for local authorities, which includes support time from SPTC for parent groups, continues to grow in popularity, as does the range of information and training sessions our team is able to offer. This financial year we worked face-to-face with in excess of 450 parents and carers in local authority areas from Moray and Aberdeenshire in the north, to North Ayrshire and Scottish Borders in the south – and many points in between. Our sessions – which are constantly being added to and reviewed – address the key issues facing parents as they seek to work productively with their children’s schools. All of this has been made possible only through the creation of our Regional Advisor Network: during the year we appointed and trained three Regional Advisors (all parents) who each work in a specific geographical area, co- ordinated by our information officer, Eleanor Coner. This is a departure for STPC and represents a step change in the organisation’s approach to supporting parents and carers. During 2011 we were also pleased to add our first College member: City of Glasgow College has taken membership to help the staff team connect more successfully with parents whose children may select college as a destination post-school, as well as those attending college part-time as part of a school- college partnership. Our opportunities to speak to our members, and listen to them, have been further increased with the launch of our e-newsletter in September 2011 and 1 the growth of our Parents’ Voice on-line survey group. In addition, SPTC’s Twitter account @parents_sptc is growing in popularity. Individual parents can subscribe to the e-newsletter, which provides a brief update on SPTC news and events, as well as events and issues we believe will be of interest. The Parents’ Voice survey group has grown from strength to strength: the number of parents who have signed up for the group continues to grow and was almost 800 by the end of the academic year in June 2012. Over the Christmas and New Year period of 2011/12 we also moved office – a significant event for our office team but one which we hope our members hardly noticed! From our own self-contained office in George Street, we have taken up desk space in the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ office in the magnificent Mansfield Traquair Centre – a historic and splendidly refurbished building. The move meant shrinking SPTC’s archive and library (most of it is now in soft copy having been scanned or located on-line) as well as disposing of machines and furniture, as we moved into serviced office space. This new arrangement is much more cost effective for the organisation (a fact we anticipate will become apparent in our financial statement next year) and also puts our office team physically in the centre of the voluntary sector in Scotland. The process was a trying one for the office team but they managed it very professionally and effectively. They also successfully managed the return of our former office to the landlord, spick and span and ready for a new tenant to move in. The team is now well settled in to new space at Mansfield Traquair and I am very grateful to each one of them for managing the move while keeping the operation of SPTC working so effectively. So, while much has been happening within SPTC this year, the wider world of Scottish education has also continued to be a hive of activity. As the membership organisation for parents and carers in Scotland, SPTC has been very involved in many aspects of this. We continue to engage with government and Parliament and are at the table in a wide range of working groups and committees considering many of the significant issues around education. Throughout the year we also participated on behalf of parents and carers in many consultations, ensuring the parental perspective is put forward consistently. I have been Acting Convener of SPTC through this hectic but very productive year and have enjoyed the experience very much. We continue to strive to be effective stewards of this unique and valuable organisation. In common with the other directors – both parents and teachers – we want to make sure SPTC remains a strong voice for all parents, carers and their children, particularly those who are easy to ignore. We will therefore continue to air issues and concerns we encounter in our work with those involved in influencing the education of our children. 2 As I highlighted earlier, change remains the watchword for STPC and for our education system as a whole. What does not change, however, is our guiding principle: that children do better at school when their parents are involved with their education. That’s the reason SPTC was formed more than 60 years ago, and it’s that principle which sustains us today. SPTC and our Members Membership The overall number of member parent groups has decreased slightly this year as a result of mergers between PTAs and Parent Councils, and also school mergers. However our Group Membership continues to increase. The membership numbers at end July 2012 are: 2011-12 2010-11 Individual Parent Councils 366 400 Parent Councils through Group Membership 950 932 PTAs 354 375 Clubs & Groups 18 17 Associate Members 25 29 Corporate Members 25 22 Corporate Members includes our first college member, City of Glasgow College, which we are delighted to be working with. A full list of members as of 31 July 2012 is given at the end of this report. Parent Councils We continue to see substantial differences in the level of support provided to parent groups in different areas: an issue of concern to us as this disadvantages many parents. We continue to have a role to play in addressing this gap by highlighting it to local authorities, government and Education Scotland, and also in highlighting it to parents themselves so they can agitate for change. The pivotal role of head teachers in enabling effective parental involvement is central to this issue. PTAs PTAs continue to decline in numbers as many opt to become a sub-committee of the Parent Council. However, many retain their independent identity and continue to play an important part in the life of their school. Parents are often more willing to engage with the fundraising and social activities of the PTA – whether a sub-committee of the PC or not – than the policy and educational issues of a Parent Council. From our perspective this is no more or less worthwhile than the activities of a Parent Council as PTAs do much to enhance the sense of community around a school. 3 PTAs may be fewer than in the past but we continue to celebrate them and offer practical support and advice. Conference 2011 Our 63nd Annual Conference was held at the Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue in November. The theme of the event was Making Sense of the Change, and we were delighted to welcome David Cameron, education consultant and former director of education, as chair and keynote speaker. Around 60 parents and professionals took part in the day, where we explored the changes taking place in schools and what we as parents really want from the education experience. Denis Mongon from the University of London was the other key speaker. He argued strongly that parents’ values and aspirations are broadly similar whether we live in a leafy suburb or a city scheme: parents for the most part care about their children though some are unable to follow through on that concern because of health, social or other issues. Delegates were also able to select from a range of discussion groups covering a range of subjects under three broad headings: Assessment, Reporting and Qualifications; Curriculum for Excellence in the Secondary Sector/Senior School and About Schools and Schooling. The full conference report is available on our website or by contacting the office. Insurance Public liability insurance provided as part of our membership continues to play a significant role in our organisation. We work competently within financial regulations, guided by our professional advisers at Towergate Risk Solutions. No claims were received during this year but due to tax increases and the nature of the insurance industry, our costs continue to rise. However, the insurance product we are able to offer continues to be refined so that it is absolutely tailored to the needs of parent groups.