This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Parentzone website revamp
20/08/2003
The Parentzone website - where parents can get instant
access to key education information - has been
revamped.
It was re-launched today by Education Minister Peter
Peackock during a visit to Brackens Primary School in
Dundee where he promised a new era of better access and
better information for parents.
But the Minister also warned that greater rights would
bring greater responsibilities and that parents would be
expected to become more involved in their children's
education.
Mr Peacock said:
"Two of the key things parents asked for during the
National Debate on Education were better information and
better access. We will deliver these - parents deserve
meaningful information on what their children are learning
at school and how well they are doing. Schools should
actively welcome parents through their gates.
"But we also expect parents to play a much more active
role in their children's education. Too many of us in
Scotland have for too long expected to hand our children
over to the education system and to get a finished product
some years later.
"Children's learning is substantially enhanced by the
active involvement and support of parents. We all need to
ask ourselves as parents 'what am I doing to help my
child's learning and what more can I do?'. If, for example,
parents have concerns about discipline then they need to
play a part in finding a solution to the problem.
"So today I want to signal a new era for the role of
parents in the education system. An era where communication
between parents and schools is ongoing, not simply a case
of the occasional parents' evening and school report. An
era where schools value the input of parents and where
parents involve themselves more in supporting learning.
"We will look very closely at how to improve parental
involvement later this year but in the meantime we will
ensure the role of parents is taken into account across
education policy.
"As part of our work on discipline, we have already set
up a working group to look at involving parents in
resolving behaviour issues. And our plans to end the
current system of national tests and improve assessment
procedures will give parents better information about their
children's performance.
"This is just the start. In years to come, I want to see
parents remove themselves from the fringes of the education
system to play a greater role in supporting learning."
During his visit to Brackens Primary, Mr Peacock met
with members of Dundee's Parents Altogether Lending Support
(PALS) project, which helps parents, pupils and teachers
work together.
The Parentzone website was originally launched in
September 2000 and has been revamped to improve the range
of information available to parents. For example, the site
includes advice on choosing a school, the curriculum,
parents' rights and responsibilities and health and
welfare.
Parents Altogether Lending Support (PALS) is a six-week
parenting programme which brings together parents of pre
school and primary children to talk about the job of being
a parent, share common experiences and explore new ways of
dealing with the challenges everyone faces in bringing up
children. Approximately two hundred parents and carers have
taken part and have gone on to engage more confidently with
teachers and take part in a range of initiatives to support
both their own and their children's learning.