BEMIS and SPTC (Scottish Parent Teacher Council) are working together on an exciting new project, Gathered Together (Cruinn Còmhla), to support parents from ethnic and cultural minorities getting involved with their children’s school.
Check out the Gathered Together website for more information
Funded through the Scottish Government Early Intervention Fund and managed by The Big Fund, this new innovative approach is to encourage parents and carers from ethnic and cultural minorities throughout Scotland to come and be part of Parent Councils enabling wider parental participation in their children’s education.
We are looking for Community Champions!
We need passionate and dedicated parents from diverse backgrounds who are actively involved in their community to volunteer with Gathered Together.
Details
Our mission is to promote inclusion and active citizenship for Ethnic Minority parents and carers, stimulating pro-active engagement in their children’s education and advancing pathways to establishing closer relationships between home and the school community. The focus on initiating and sustaining such cooperation between parents, carers and parent councils is crucial to success in driving the desired enhancement of children’s achievement and attainment.
MIssion & Strategy document
Read our Mission & Strategy Document (PDF)
The project is taking part in 6 pilot Local Authority areas:
- Glasgow
- Abderdeen City
- Aberdeenshire
- Stirling and Clackmannanshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
Key Strategic Aims and Objectives
- Build capacity across parent councils to enable them to better represent the wider parent forum.
- Engage with parent councils and support them to engage with the wider parent community, bridging the gap between home and school.
- Engage directly with ethnic minority parents and carers to identify barriers, increase participation and active citizenship within school education settings.
- Empower ethnic minority parents to increase their participation and engagement with their children’s learning and education.
- Engage with local authorities to support equalities focused work in school communities.
- Develop a range of practical support to ensure a sustainable legacy through the work of SPTC and other organisations.
- Take a proactive role in enhancing pathways to influence future government policy in Scotland.
- Utilise the principles of the UNCRC as the hallmark for all work with parents, highlighting parents’ key role in furthering the rights of their children and modelling of its principles.
Parliamentary Motion
Motion S4M-11330: Bob Doris, Glasgow, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 28/10/2014Gathered Together
That the Parliament welcomes the recently launched project, Gathered Together, which encourages parents from ethnic minorities to be more actively involved in their children’s school; notes that the project is a joint venture between BEMIS Scotland and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council and is funded by the Big Lottery’s Third Sector Early Intervention Fund; believes that parental participation in their children’s schooling has significant benefits not only for pupils but also for communities; further understands that parents from ethnic minorities can face particular barriers in getting involved, and welcomes what it sees as the success that the project has already achieved in harnessing and enhancing the diverse skills of parent councils, community groups, ethnic minority parents and educators.Supported by: David Torrance, Joan McAlpine, Dennis Robertson, Bill Kidd, Jean Urquhart, Ken Macintosh, Jayne Baxter, Kevin Stewart, Stuart McMillan, John Mason, Mike MacKenzie, Richard Lyle, Rob Gibson, Annabelle Ewing, Chic Brodie, Hanzala Malik, Jackie Baillie, Drew Smith, Roderick Campbell, Adam Ingram, Colin Beattie, Angus MacDonald, Nigel Don, Gil Paterson, Sandra White, Maureen Watt, Clare Adamson
