Stockbridge School Board - Parents' Room Online

Stockbridge Primary School, 23 Hamilton Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5BA. Tel/Fax: 0131 332 6109
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Stockbridge Primary School Board ANNUAL REPORT 2002 - 2003

School Board Members: Anna Beynon, John Burton, Alan Thomas, Wilf Treasure, Joan Cook, Moira McGovern, Geraldine Hobbs.
School Board Clerk: Susan Macinnes
Board Webmaster: Graham Bodenham

This last year has been a relatively quiet year, and we have been conducting an experiment in changing the format of the meetings.

The School Board has managed to carry out all its statutory duties, but has tried to develop a new informal approach.

It has attempted to increase its links to the PTA over the last year. There have been monthly meetings in the school which have been officially either Board or PTA meetings, but which have included agenda items for discussion which are common to the two bodies. There has also been an attempt to introduce more open forum discussion items of interest to the general parent body.

Future

Next year the intention is to still hold monthly meetings, with an allocation of official Board agenda time at the beginning of each meeting, (ie. 6:30 - 7:00, or 7:30). After this the items will be predominantly general business or PTA specific business.

Both PTA and Board welcome parents to come along who might wish only to be partly involved - there is no requirement to join the full committees.

Retrospective

As this is the end of my time on the Board, I thought a look back at some of the achievements and changes that have happened in the school would be appropriate. These are things that have come about through the involvement of parents in the life of the school, where parental partnership with the school has helped make a difference.
They are, in no particular order, and this is by no way complete and comprehensive, more a list of my recollections:

1. Development of the computer suite and school (award winning) websites
2. Successful petitioning and pressure for the pedestrian crossing outside the school. It's strange now to remember now quite how dangerous the access to the school across that road used to be!
3. Re-design of the access to the Nursery away through the main school.
4. Bicycle racks.
5. Negotiating access to Edinburgh Academicals ground for school sports - much more accessible than Warriston.
6. Discussions (and ongoing monitoring) with Scotmid to limit loading time for lorries to ensure it is outwith peak school access times.
7. Setting up and production of 'The Bridge'.

The point that I'm trying to make is that it is important and valuable for parents to interact with the school on more than just the day to day issues we all have as the parents of individual children. There are lots of ways for us to be involved - the Summer Fair is a fine example. The money raised improves the general life of the school. As one simple example, in the last years it has brought Scottish Opera very successfully into the life of the school.

Conclusion

The aim of the Board in partnership with the PTA is to try to promote opportunities for more parental involvement on all levels, and to make it as easy as possible for parents to be involved.

One of the priorities for next year, under the new Chair, Anna Beynon, is for parents and school to build on the excellent road safety achievements of the past, and to look at the safety of more of the access routes to our school.

John Burton
SCHOOL BOARD CHAIR
June 2003                                         

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