« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
CHAPTER 2: THE CONSULTATION PROCESS
2.1 Timing of Consultation
The consultation ran from 1 March 2005 to 7 June 2005. In total 1025 responses were received, providing a wide range of views and information for consideration.
2.2 Nature of Consultation
The consultation document ( Appendix 1) set out the background to the consultation, highlighted the key aspects of the draft Bill for consideration, presented the draft Bill (Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Bill), and posed a series of questions around the range of proposals contained within the Bill to which respondents were invited to respond.
The questions focused on 6 broad topic areas divided into a number of sections relating to parent forums. This was followed by questions relating to the four additional proposals in the Bill. The questions were intended to focus on key issues which were raised in the draft Bill or which might yet be included in it, in light of responses to the consultation. The list of questions was not intended to restrict responses, and all comments and views, whether or not they related directly to a specific question have been taken into consideration.
The draft Bill is made up of 17 sections and each of the proposals below broadly relate to each of the sections.
Table 2.1
The Questions Contained in the Consultation Document
Sections 1-3 | Promoting Parental involvement |
Consultation questions | Question 1: Do you agree with the placing of a new duty on education authorities to promote parental involvement?
Question 2: Do you agree that education authorities should be required to prepare new Strategies for Parental Involvement ( SPIs)?
Question 3: Do you agree that incorporating these Strategies in existing Annual Statements of Education Improvement Objectives and School Development Plans (as set out in the 2000 Act) is the right way for education authorities to set out their intentions? Or should this be done in some other way? |
Sections 4-8 | The Parent Forum: (this large section is divided into several sub-sections) |
Consultation questions | Question 4: Do you agree that the current system of parental representation, i.e. School Boards should be replaced by a more flexible system of parent forum, as decided locally by the parents, in a way which suits them and their school best?
Question 5: The Bill does not prescribe the means of appointment to the new forums (elections to Boards are mandatory) but provides for parents to decide this locally. Do you agree? |
Section 4 | The Parent Forum: Education Authorities to promote parent forums |
| Question 6: Do you agree that education authorities should have a new duty to promote the establishment of a parent forum in each school and to support their operation?
Question 7: Should the Bill provide for 'composite' parent forums where this is the preferred option of parents in each school in a combined school or cluster of schools? |
Section 5 | The parent forum: Establishing the Parent Forum |
Consultation questions | Question 8: Do you agree with the proposal for the involvement of education authorities to get the initial parent forum off the ground? If not, what alternative would you suggest?
Question 9: The draft Bill leaves the forum's 'constitution' to be determined locally, either by the parents or initially under the education authority scheme. Do you agree with this approach? If not, what alternative would you suggest and why? |
Section 6 | The Parent Forum: Membership of Parent Forums |
Consultation questions | Question 10: Do you agree that membership of a parent forum should be confined to parents (the broad definition) of children attending the school or individuals co-opted by the parent forum? Should parents always be in the majority?
Question 11: Do you have a view as to how the needs of looked-after children should be addressed and catered for in the Bill?
Question 12: Do you agree that the Bill should not result in parent forum members being subject to automatic disclosure checks but that members, like any other parent, should only be checked when engaging in activities defined under the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003?
Question 13: On balance, do you agree that 'rights of attendance' for certain nonmembers of a parent forum should not be a part of the new arrangements? In other words do you agree that non-members of the parent forum should attend only by invitation or do you believe the headteacher should have the right to attend, with the councillor or other individual by invitation? |
Sections 7-8 | The Parent Forum: The Function and Financial Powers of a Parent Forum |
Consultation questions | Question 14: Do you consider these functions appropriate to parent forums? Would you suggest removing or adding any, or making some obligatory and others optional?
Question 15: The Bill has been drafted to allow the parent forum to find out and report the views of parents in the school on any matters which are of interest or concern to them. Do you agree with this open-ended provision or would you suggest defining the areas of interest more restrictively?
Question 16: Do you agree that the Bill should designate parent forums as 'agents' of the education authority for the purpose of their dealings with third parties, and that the issue of insurance should be looked into further? Or do you take an alternative view? |
Section 9 | The Education Authority's Duties to the Parent Forum |
Consultation questions | Question 17: Are these the appropriate obligations to place on education authorities in relation to their working with parent forums?
Question 18: Do you agree with the provisions requiring education authorities to provide financial support or support in kind to parent forums or would you suggest alternative arrangements? |
| The four additional proposals on which comment was invited were: |
Section 10 | Advice and Information to Parents |
Consultation questions | Question 19: Do you agree with the proposed duty on education authorities to provide advice and information to individual parents on request, on matters relating to the education of their children? |
Section 11 | The Appointment of Headteachers and Deputy Headteachers |
Consultation questions | Question 20: Do you agree that education authorities should be enabled to replace the current system of appointing headteachers and deputy headteachers with more modern, flexible processes and procedures?
Question 21: If you do not agree that the principle of parental involvement should be retained by the involvement of parent forums in the new senior appointments processes, please give your reasons. |
Section 12 | Complaints Procedures |
Consultation questions | Question 22: Do you agree with the proposal to require education authorities to establish complaints procedures in relation to the way they exercise their functions under the Bill? |
Section 13-16 | Transitional Arrangements |
Respondents were invited to respond freely to each question in the consultation document. Some respondents answered each question, others chose to comment on a limited number of questions.
2.3 Distribution and Advertising of Consultation Document
A key concern was to develop a consultation document which encouraged a wide range of School Boards, individuals, groups and organisations to submit their views. A summary leaflet was issued to schools to be distributed to all parents which directed them to the consultation paper should they wish to respond to it. The consultation paper was also on the Scottish Executive website and on the Parentzone website for any interested individuals.
Consultation papers were distributed to a wide range of organisations and bodies with a professional interest.
These included:
- educational associations and organisations
- professional associations
- community organisations
- charitable and voluntary organisations
- local authorities
- trade unions.
In order to stimulate greater awareness of the consultation, the Scottish Civic Forum were commissioned to organise a series of twelve events across Scotland on behalf of SEED. The details of these events and findings emerging are provided in appendices 4-7.
2.4 Responses and Respondents
A total of 1,025 responses to the consultation were received. These consisted of two distinct types of responses:
- Structured responses following the questionnaire structure: these responses followed the structure of the consultation document. Respondents provided an answer in relation to some or all of the 22 questions posed.
- Free flowing commentary: these responses did not always follow the structure of the consultation document but were free flowing responses, some of which were lengthy and detailed.
The largest number of responses was structured responses following the questions on the consultation document and a total of 737 responses of this type were received. Each response was analysed and coded to enable quantitative analysis to be conducted.
There were a total of 268 free flowing or large responses. Given the depth and breadth of comments of these responses, they were entered into a bespoke database designed specifically for this element of the public consultation paper to enable qualitative analysis. In order to compare all responses to the consultation in the final report, the 268 database responses were also coded and included in the final analysis of responses to the consultation.
There were 20 petitions or multiple responses which have not been included in the analysis but have been detailed separately in Appendix 3.
The total number of responses analysed was therefore 1,005. (The total excluded the 20 petitions). The quantitative analytical approach for all responses is detailed in the following chapter.
As table 2.2 illustrates, the largest number of responses (691), representing 69% of the total number was received from those responding on behalf of an organisation or group and these respondents were able to base their views on their professional and/or personal experience and insight into these issues. 314 responses (31%) were received from those responding as an individual.
The organisational respondents were grouped into broad categories as shown in table 2.1. As the table shows, the largest number of organisational responses was received from School Boards - 435 responses were received from this category of respondents, constituting 63% of the total number of organisations providing a response and 43% of the total number of responses.
Table 2.2
Total number of Respondents by Category
(Base: All Respondents)
Respondent Type | Number of respondents | Percentage of respondents (%) |
|---|
Responding as an individual | 314 | 31 |
|---|
Responding on behalf of an organisation or group | 691 | 69 |
|---|
TOTAL | 1005 | 100 |
|---|
Breakdown of Organisation Type: | | |
|---|
School Boards | 435 | 63.0 |
|---|
Education Authority Schools | 66 | 9.6 |
|---|
Unknown | 54 | 7.8 |
|---|
Joint School Board & PTA | 34 | 4.9 |
|---|
Education authorities | 24 | 3.5 |
|---|
PTA committees | 17 | 2.5 |
|---|
Other | 14 | 2.0 |
|---|
Religious Organisations | 11 | 1.6 |
|---|
Education Organisations | 10 | 1.4 |
|---|
Directors of Education | 8 | 1.2 |
|---|
Charitable Organisations | 3 | 0.4 |
|---|
Other schools | 3 | 0.4 |
|---|
Representative Bodies | 3 | 0.4 |
|---|
Trade Unions | 3 | 0.4 |
|---|
Voluntary Organisations | 2 | 0.3 |
|---|
Disability Organisations | 1 | 0.1 |
|---|
Health Organisations | 1 | 0.1 |
|---|
Professional Bodies | 1 | 0.1 |
|---|
Training Organisations | 1 | 0.1 |
|---|
TOTAL | 691 | 100.0 |
|---|
Gaps in Respondent Type
A scan of the respondent list along with a review of the respondent organisations revealed no obvious gaps, although the four types of organisation least well represented were disability organisations, health organisations, professional bodies and training organisations.
Form of response
As table 2.3 shows, the greatest number of responses (41%) were submitted as paper versions using the questionnaire form. Almost two in five respondents chose to respond via the Parentzone website, although smaller numbers of responses also chose to respond by letter / fax (12%) and email (10%).
Table 2.3
Form of Response
How response was submitted | No | % |
|---|
Questionnaire form | 409 | 41 |
|---|
Parentzone | 375 | 37 |
|---|
Letter / fax | 116 | 12 |
|---|
Email | 104 | 10 |
|---|
Other | 1 | * |
|---|
Total | 1005 | 100 |
|---|
* = less than 1% |
|---|
« Previous | Contents | Next »