Accounts

General information

Parent councils

Publication date
26 May 2026

What parent councils are

Every parent or carer of a pupil attending a school is automatically a member of the parent forum for that school.

The parent forum will receive updates and information about the school and matters of interest to parents and carers.

A smaller group can be chosen from within the parent forum to represent the interests and views of all parents and carers at the school. This is called a parent council.

Although a parent council's main members will always be parents and carers, it can also include:

  • school staff
  • people from the local community
  • someone from a church or denominational body that's linked to the school. 

What a parent council does

The role of a parent council is to:

  • gather and represent the views of parents and carers and make sure the school takes these into account
  • support the school in its work with pupils
  • encourage parents and carers to get involved in their children's learning and education
  • encourage links between the school, parents and carers, pupils, pre-school groups, and the wider community
  • report back to the parent forum.

Parent councils are also consulted whenever a school is appointing a new headteacher or deputy headteacher.  

If this process involves a recruitment panel, some parent council members will usually sit on this.

In some cases, a parent council might also arrange activities that support pupils' education and welfare such as fundraisers or social events.

How to join a parent council

If you're interested in joining a parent council, ask your child's school for more information:

The head teacher at the school is the first point of contact for information on parent councils.

Parent council liaison meetings

Meetings take place twice a year between representatives from Renfrewshire's parent councils, staff from our Children's Services, and the Director of Children's Services.

All parent forum members from all Renfrewshire schools are invited to attend.

We’ll email all parent council chairpersons with the date and agenda in advance of each meeting.

More information

The Scottish Government has published guidance on parent councils on the Parentzone Scotland section of the Education Scotland website.

You can also find more information on the National Parent Forum of Scotland website.