Category: Uncategorized

At the next meeting we’re going to propose some changes to the parent council constitution and that the parent council adopt an operating manual. You can see the draft forms of the amended constitution here and the operating manual here.

In brief, the main proposed changes to the constitution are:

• it explicitly allows the chair role to be divided up in a number of different ways
• we’ve clarified some of the roles and duties of the chair and other office holders
• there’s a section on how to deal with conflicts of interest, real and perceived.

We hope that by introducing a bit of extra clarity and flexibility, we can help smooth the process of finding new members and make the chair’s role, which can seem daunting, more attractive to a wider range of people.

The operating manual contains sections on:

1. What the parent council is (and isn’t) for.
2. How the parent council carries out its role.
3. The office holders and their roles.
4. The communications channels (email, social media etc) and how to manage them.
5. How the parent council should communicate with the school.
6. Joint parent-council and school working groups: what they’re for and how they operate.
7. Handling parent requests and questions.
8. Conflicts of interest and how to deal with them.
9. What to do about complaints.

As you can see, the operating manual expands on what’s in the constitution. It’s meant to give us some rules and guidelines, to help us to do our job well. But because it’s not the constitution, it’s easier to amend, if that’s necessary.

Both documents are intended as starting points for discussion. The plan is that we’ll debate them at the meeting on Wednesday 26 October. If the meeting wants any changes, we’ll make these. Hopefully we’ll then adopt both documents.

If you have questions or suggestions about either document, or both, please drop us a line at chair@breadalbaneparents.com. We’d very much like to hear your thoughts.

The following are proposed goals for Breadalbane Academy Parent Council (BAPC) in the 2021-22 academic year.

1. Work with the school, parents and pupils to identify any attainment gaps which have opened up, or widened, as a result of lockdown and then support the school and pupils to close those gaps.
2. Work with the school, parents, pupils and local road-safety activists to identify any scope for improvement in road safety at the campus; to identify any extra resources the school could use to improve road safety; and help the school acquire these resources.
3. Work with the school, PKC and the Highland Perthshire Learning Partnership (HPLP) to identify and eliminate any bottlenecks in school network performance.
4. Work with the school; pupils and parents to identify unmet needs, for instance pastoral and support needs, arising from lockdown and then to address these needs.
   • To include renewed liaison and listening exercises with sub-groups and affiliated groups such as the ASN Parents Group and Comann nam Pàrant.
   • Work with the mental health and wellbeing group to understand the extent of problems such as bullying, what the school is doing now (policies, practices etc) and if there are other things it and we should be doing?
5. Identify areas in which the parent council can productively spend its available funds to support pupil experience, attainment, and personal development.
6. Work with the school, parents and pupils to identify groups of pupils, for instance pupils with additional support needs, who may not be fully included in the life of the school, to ascertain the extent and causes of exclusion, and then to develop policies and practices to increase inclusion.
7. Revive the parent council’s fundraising arm, to replace funds as we spend them.
   • Ensure that our fundraising volunteers, including the Friends of Breadalbane, have the skills, qualifications and support they need to succeed.
8. Build links to Pitlochry High School and other associated schools, to help improve transition and pupil experience.

This is the agenda for the parent council meeting that will take place at 6:30pm, 26 January, 2022. If there’s something you think should be on the agenda but isn’t, write to hello@breadalbaneparents.com and let us know.

Breadalbane Academy Parent Council Meeting

Wednesday 26 January

6.30pm – 8.30pm

Agenda

The meeting will take place on Zoom. Click here for the meeting link.

You will not require a password.

1. Welcome, introductions & apologies
2. Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) items:
   • Approve the minutes of the 2020 AGM
   • Treasurer’s report
   • Parent Council 2022 goals
   • Parent Council code of conduct
   • Parent Council communications
3. Matters arising from the December 2021 meeting
   • Misuse of the fire alarm and its impact on pupil learning and safety
   • Update on the Health and Wellbeing Survey
   • Update on parental concerns about teens buying alcohol in the town.
   • Proposed joint meeting with Pitlochry High School Parent Council
4. Approve the minutes of the December 2021 meeting
5. Headteacher’s report
6. Update on the Pitlochry bus issue
7. Continued use of face masks in Breadalbane
8. Update on road-safety concerns at the campus. What next?
   • Results of an FOI about school crossings in PKC
9. Update on school broadband and connectivity
10. Update on the playground project
11. AOB
12. Time & date of next meeting

—

Back to school guidance for parents and carers