PRESTWICK ACADEMY

PARENT COUNCIL MEETING

TUESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2013

Present / Fiona Khaliq, Alison McNeil, Provost Helen Moonie, Elaine Kirk, Kay Cullen, Euan Terras, Euan Duncan, Hamid Gazem, Gordon Bone, David Watson, Margaret Thomson, Mary Devlin, Jennifer Burns, Helen Mathieson, Rhona Sturgeon, Audrey Hynd-Gaw, Cameron Winton, Cllr Margaret Toner, John Stewart, Susie Chamberlain, Fiona Wylie
Apologies / Cllr Hugh Hunter
1 / Welcome and Introductions
David Watson opened the meeting and welcomed those present. He was particularly pleased to see so many new faces, and thanked everyone for their attendance at the AGM.
2 / Chairpersons Report
D Watson reported that the Parent Council had enjoyed a successful session and had been involved in consultation on a number of ongoing school issues including transport, uniform, health and wellbeing and Curriculum for Excellence. He thanked G Bone and members of the teaching staff for attending meetings and advising on current issues throughout the year.
With regards to the Parent Council, he advised that there was a core group of parents who attended regularly, and the group also benefited from the attendance of the Prestwick Councillors.
Session 2012/13 had culminated in a visit from Jennifer Lancaster from the Scottish Parent Teacher Association in June and he hoped that her workshop on engaging the parent body would be a good starting point for the Parent Council in the new session.
D Watson stated his intention to stand down from the Parent Council, and his role as Chairperson as his children had all now left the school. He thanked all members past and present, and teaching staff for their input and support over the years and wished current members well in their future plans.
3 / Treasurer’s Report/Fundraising Report
The closing balance for session 2012/13 stood at £44.07.
£864 had been spent over the course of the year, with purchases including a new Dux board designed and hand crafted by the Design and Technology Technician, and football and athletics strips for the PE department.
There hadn’t been many fundraising opportunities over the course of the year and it had been the experience of the Parent Council that many members were reluctant to commit to fund raising activities for a variety of reasons, and as such, events became difficult to arrange and often fell to the same few individuals who couldn’t sustain it in the long term. A discussion followed from which it was generally recognised that there was a fundraising role for the Parent Council, and it was hoped that a fresh approach could be discussed to boost funds during the forthcoming session. G Bone spoke of his experience of the Kyle Association, a very successful fundraising group at Kyle Academy. He offered to liaise with the Head Teacher to arrange a meeting between the Parent Council and representatives of the Kyle Association to discuss their approach and some of the events that they held.
4 / Election of Office Bearers
It was agreed that Margaret Thomson would carry on in her role as Treasurer, and would invite interested parties to get involved over the course of the session with a view to taking on the role at the next AGM.
The remaining office bearer roles were elected as follows:
Proposed Seconded
Chair: Euan Duncan Euan Terras Hamid Gazem
Secretary: Euan Terras Euan Duncan Alison McNeil
5 / Head Teachers Report
Further to the Chairperson’s report, G Bone agreed that the visit by SPTC in June had been very successful and he was confident that the discussions would lead to an opportunity to reinvigorate the Parent Council over the coming session.
Communication - concerns around effective communication with parents had been discussed by the Parent Council in the past, and this was a matter that G Bone was keen to revisit and seek ongoing comment and feedback. It was generally agreed that the website should be the first point of contact for all school related information and this was something that would be further developed over the session.
Pupil Support Restructure – the restructure of pupil support, including a revised structure for Year Heads, was ongoing and it was agreed that G Bone would invite the DHT responsible for Pupil Support to attend a future meeting to discuss in more detail.
Results – a full report would be issued at the next meeting. Discussion took place on initial figures, in particular low attainment of 5 or more Higher’s.
School Captains – Ross McLeod and Caris Deakin had been appointed as School Captains, with Callum Grant and Caitlin Bell being appointed as Vice-Captains. Captains would attend future meetings to report on school issues from the pupil’s perspective.
S6 Leavers – This was another area that G Bone was keen to address over the coming session, following a disappointing end to session 2012/13. A discussion took place on the problems that had arisen, and how important it was to ensure that future year groups left the school on a more positive note.
7 / AOCB
Staffing – Recruitment had recently taken place for a number of roles across the school, including History/Modern Studies, 0.6fte French/Spanish (temp), Biology (temp) and interviews would take place over the coming weeks. New Probationary teachers had taken up their posts in Mathematics, Biology, Modern Languages and Design and Technology. It was also noted that the SMT had all returned to their substantive posts, and all acting posts had come to an end. A discussion took place on the ongoing national problems in relation to supply staff, and the steps that the school took to limit the impact staff absence could have on service delivery.
Exam Results/University Requirements – A discussion took place around initial exam result findings, which G Bone would expand upon at the next meeting. There was also discussion around advice from university admissions offices in relation to Advanced Highers. G Bone also provided information on the South Ayrshire Learning Campus which provided opportunities for pupils to study at other schools or colleges, and to access work experience placements, and participate in a range of other development opportunities across the local authority.
Vote of Thanks – E Duncan wished to convey the thanks of the Parent Council to departing Chairperson David Watson who had contributed to the group for a number of years, both as a member and as Chairperson over the past 3 years.
8 / Meeting Schedule 2013-2014
All meetings to take place at 7pm, at Prestwick Academy
Tuesday 8 October 2013
Wednesday 13 November 2013
Tuesday 3 December 2013
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Tuesday 11 February 2014
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Tuesday 13 May 2014
Tuesday 10 June 2014 (venue tbc)

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