Provision is made in the Education Act 1998 to allow parents of students of a school to set up a Parents’ Association. The Act states that:
The parents of students of a recognized school may establish and maintain from among their number a Parents’ Association for the school and membership of that association shall be open to all parents of students of that school.
The Parents’ Association in a school works with the principal, staff and board of management to build effective co-operation and partnership between home and school.
The role of the Parents’ Association is set down in the Education Act 1998 as follows:
A Parents’ Association shall promote the interests of the students in a school in co-operation with the board, principal, teachers and students.
The Education Act also sets out two broad tasks for a Parents’ Association which are:
- To advise the Principal or the Board on matters relating to the school
- To adopt a programme of activities which will promote the involvement of parents in the operation of the school, in consultation with the Principal.
To operate effectively as a Parents’ Association you need to have mechanisms in place whereby you can establish the views of the parents and pupils on matters relating to the school. In this way you can select activities that will promote parental and student involvement.
While all parents of pupils of a school are members of the Parents’ Association, the majority do not need to be involved in the day-to-day activities of the association. Usually the parents who are elected to the committee manage the responsibilities of the Parents’ Association on behalf of the other parents. The formation of the committee is usually determined by the size of the school and the activities to be undertaken.
The Constitution of the Parents’ Association is as follows:
- The Name
- The name of the Association shall be the Loreto Stephen’s Green Parents’ Association hereafter referred to as the Parents’ Association.