Name

1.       This is the constitution of the Knox Academy Parent School Partnership (the Partnership).

2.       The Partnership is a representative group of parents/carers (hereafter referred to simply as parents) and school staff. Parent members of the Partnership are selected to represent all Knox parents, who are collectively referred to as the Parent Forum.

Objectives

3.       The objectives of the Partnership are:

·       To enable parents and school staff to work together to ensure the best possible educational experience and outcome for the pupils of Knox Academy.

·     To promote the involvement and responsibility of parents in the education of their children.

·     To identify and represent the views of parents on all matters affecting the education and welfare of the pupils.

·     To develop and engage in activities which promote the education and wellbeing of the pupils.

·     To provide school staff the opportunity to consult with parents on school policies and decisions.

·     To enable parents to participate in the appointment of school senior management.

Membership

4.       Membership of the Partnership will be made up of the following:

·     a minimum of three and a maximum of seven parents of pupils attending Knox Academy

·     a minimum of one and a maximum of three teaching staff

·     one support staff

The maximum number of members, not counting associate members, is eleven.

5.       The Head Teacher, or her/his representative, will be present at all meetings of the Partnership to participate and to advise, but will not be a voting member.

6.       The number of parent members on the Partnership must always be greater than the number of non-parent members. Where this is not the case one of the staff members will resign.

Selection of Members

7.       Members of the Partnership will be selected for a period of three years, after which they may put themselves forward for re-selection if they wish. Selection of parent members will be arranged on a rotating basis so that at least one member is selected each year.

8.       Any parent with a child at the school can be nominated to serve as a parent member of the Partnership. Nominations should be made in writing, initially to the School Board and thereafter to the Partnership, and be supported by two other members of the Parent Forum. A statement of up to 250 words may accompany the nomination and will be circulated to parents in the event of a ballot.

 9.       In the event that nominations exceed the number of places available, parent members will be selected by a secret ballot of Parent Forum members. Arrangements for the ballot will be announced at the time.

          Anyone not selected to be a member of the Partnership may be offered the opportunity to be part of any sub-groups set up by the Partnership.

10.     All members of the Parent Forum may take part in the selection of parent members of the Partnership. Parents will have three weeks to select their representatives from the time that the candidates are announced.

11.     In a similar way all teaching staff may take part in the selection of teaching members.

Associate Members

12.     The Partnership may from time to time co-opt up to five additional associate members to assist it with carrying out its functions. These may include representation from pupils, local councillors, community leaders and others. Associate members will be invited to serve for a period of one year, after which time the Partnership will review and consider requirements for the coming year. An associate member may contribute and advise as a full member, but is not entitled to vote.

Termination of Membership

13.     A member of the Partnership may resign at any time by giving notice in writing to the Partnership or to the Education Authority.

14.     Parent members of the Partnership must have a child attending the school. Where this is no longer the case the parent member will resign before the end of the current school term.

15.     Should a member of the Partnership act in a way that is considered by other members of the Partnership to undermine its objectives, their membership of the Partnership will be terminated if the majority of the members agree. Termination of membership will be confirmed in writing to the member within ten working days of the decision being taken.

16.     Upon termination of a membership the Partnership may co-opt an additional member until the time of the next elections.

Offices Bearers

17.     A Chair, Deputy-Chair and Treasurer will be appointed by the Partnership members immediately following its formation. Office bearers will be re-selected by the Partnership on an annual basis.

18.     The Chair of the Partnership will be a parent of a child attending Knox Academy. If the child ceases to be a pupil, a new Chair will be agreed at the next meeting of the Partnership.

          To provide continuity, the chair of the outgoing School Board will continue on as the chair of the Partnership for the the first year, and thereafter a new chair will be appointed.

19.     The Partnership will appoint a person to be Secretary who may be, but need not be, a member of the Partnership and who may be paid for his/her services.

          The Secretary will be responsible for preparing and distributing minutes of Partnership meetings, and for acting as a point of liaison between the Partnership and other bodies including the education authority.

20.     The parent members of the Partnership are accountable to the Parent Forum and will make a report to the Forum at least once each year on its activities on behalf of all the parents. In a similar way school staff members of the Partnership will report regularly to school staff.

Meetings of the Partnership

21.     The Partnership will meet at least six times in every school year.

22.     Meetings of the Partnership will be open to the public, unless the Partnership is discussing an issue which it considers should be dealt with on a confidential basis. In such circumstances, only members of the Partnership, and anyone specifically invited to the meeting, may attend.

23.     The quorum of the Partnership shall be not less than a half of its members.

24.     Should a vote be necessary to make a decision, each member of the Partnership present at the meeting will have one vote. In the event of a tie the the Chair will have a second or casting vote.

25.     All meetings of the Partnership will be minuted. Copies of the minutes will be posted on the internet and will be available to all parents and members of staff, either through the internet or from the Secretary through the school office.

26.     Any three members of the Partnership can request that an additional meeting be held, and all members of the Partnership will be given at least seven working days’ notice of the date, time and place of the meeting.

27.     If 30 of the members of the Parent Forum request a special general meeting to discuss issues falling within the Partnership’s remit, the Partnership will arrange this. The Partnership will give all members of the Forum at least two weeks’ notice of the meeting and, at the same time, circulate notice of the matter or matters to be discussed at the meeting.

Matters for Consideration 

28.     The agenda for meetings will be a matter for the Partnership to decide upon, but will be in line with the objectives of the Partnership.

29.     The Head Teacher will provide for the Partnership

·       an annual report, including attainment levels

·       a financial report of outturn for the previous year and budget for the current year in respect of the running costs of the school and, where available, capital expenditure related to the school

·       a draft of the school development plan for comment

·       such other reports and information as may provide a full picture of developments within the school, including matters relating to curriculum, staffing, ethos and the wellbeing of staff and pupils.

30.     The parent members will provide for the Partnership

·       a regular account of developments within the Parent Forum

·       a survey of views within the Parent Forum as and when required

·       a budget and outturn report of the Partnership finances

·       such other information and representation as may be helpful in accomplishing the objectives of the Partnership.

Sub-Groups

31.     If the Partnership chooses to set up sub-groups, each sub-group should involve a member of the Partnership. Other members of the Parent Forum and the school community may be co-opted onto sub-groups. Sub-groups will last as long as required to carry out their tasks. Membership should be reviewed annually. The Partnership members of the sub-groups will be responsible for liaising with the Partnership.

Finance

32.     The Treasurer will open a bank or building society account in the name of the Partnership for all Partnership funds. Withdrawals will require the signature of the Treasurer and at least one other member.

33.     The Treasurer will keep an accurate record of all income and expenditure and will provide a summary of this for each Partnership meeting and a full account for the Annual Meeting.

34.     The Partnership will be responsible for ensuring that all monies are used in accordance with the objectives of the Partnership.

35.     The Partnership accounts will be audited by the auditor appointed at the previous Annual Meeting.

36.     Should the Partnership cease to exist, any remaining funds will be passed to the Education Authority to be used for the benefit of the school. If the school is amalgamating, the funds will be passed to the school or schools which pupils will attend.

Meetings of the Parent Forum

37.     The parent members of the Partnership will organise and chair at least two general meetings of the Parent Forum in each school year. Notice of the meetings, including date, time and place, will be sent to all members of the Parent Forum at least two weeks in advance. One of these meetings will include the Annual Meeting of the Partnership which may be attended by all members of the Partnership.

38.     The Annual Meeting will be held in May of each year. The meeting will consider:

·     A report on the work of the Partnership and its sub-groups.

·     Arrangements for the selection of new members of the Partnership.

·     Discussion of issues that members of the Parent Forum may wish to raise.

·     Approval of the accounts and appointment of an auditor.

Amendments to the Constitution

39.     The Parent Forum may, having consulted with the Head Teacher, alter the constitution of the Partnership at a General Meeting of the Parent Forum attended by at least 30 of its members if at least 75% are in favour or, where less than 30 are in attendance, if all are in favour.

          All members of the Parent Forum and of the Partnership will be sent a copy of the proposed amendment and be given reasonable time to respond to the proposal.

40.     Copies of the amended constitution will be lodged with the Education Authority and with the Head Teacher.

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