Mighty oaks from acorns grow
The Schools Standards and Organisations (Wales) Act 2013 (The Act) removed the requirement for school governing bodies to hold an annual meeting with parents. Instead, new arrangements were introduced to enable parents to request up to 3 meetings in any school year with a governing body, on matters of which are concern to them.
If parents wish to use their rights under the Act to hold a meeting, 4 conditions will need to be satisfied:
1. Parents will need to raise a petition in support of holding a meeting.
The parents of at least 10% of the school’s registered pupils will need to sign the petition. If it is a paper petition, then a written signature must be given as well as the name and class of each child who is a registered pupil at the school. If the petition is in electronic format, the ‘signature’ required is the typed name of the parent plus the name and class of each child who is a registered pupil at the school and the email address of each parent who ‘signs’ the electronic petition.
Exact roll numbers at any time during the year may be obtained from the school office.
2. The meeting must be called to discuss matters which affect the school.
The meeting cannot be called to discuss such matters as the progress of individual pupils, or to make a complaint against a member of the school’s staff or governing body.
The petition should contain brief details of the matter(s) to be discussed, and the reasons for calling the meeting. This information should be clearly displayed at the top of the petition, with parents’ signatures appearing below.
3. A maximum of 3 meetings can be held during the school year.
The law allows parents to use their rights to request up to 3 meetings with a school governing body during the school year.
4. There must be at least 25 school days left in the school year.
The law makes it a condition that at least 25 school days are left in the school year when the petition is received so that the meeting can be held.
A ‘school day’ means a day when the school is open to pupils: it does not include weekends, public holidays, school holidays or INSET days.
The address for service of a petition requesting a meeting with the school’s governing body is:
clerical@pwll.ysgolccc.cymru
Alison Rees,
Clerk of the Governing Body,
Pwll CP School,
School Road,
Pwll,
Llanelli
Carmarthenshire,
SA15 4AL
Further advice on how parents may go about requesting a meeting with a governing body is available on the Welsh Government’s website at:
Mae Deddf Safonau a Sefydliadau Ysgolion (Cymru) 2013 (Y Ddeddf) wedi dileu’r gofyniad i gyrff llywodraethu ysgolion gynnal cyfarfod blynyddol gyda rhieni. Yn lle hynny, cyflwynwyd trefniadau newydd i alluogi rhieni i ofyn am hyd at 3 chyfarfod mewn unrhyw flwyddyn ysgol gyda chorff llywodraethol, ar faterion sy’n peri pryder iddynt.
Os yw rhieni’n dymuno defnyddio eu hawliau o dan y Ddeddf i gynnal cyfarfod, bydd angen bodloni 4 chyflwr:
1. Bydd angen i rieni godi deiseb i gefnogi cynnal cyfarfod.
Bydd angen i o leiaf 10% o rieni ddisgyblion cofrestredig yr ysgol lofnodi’r ddeiseb. Os yw’n ddeiseb bapur, yna mae’n rhaid rhoi llofnod ysgrifen yn ogystal ag enw a dosbarth pob plentyn sy’n ddisgybl cofrestredig yn yr ysgol. Os yw’r ddeiseb ar ffurf electronig, yr enw ‘llofnod’ sydd ei angen yw enw’r rhiant yn ogystal â enw a dosbarth pob plentyn sy’n ddisgybl cofrestredig yn yr ysgol a chyfeiriad e-bost pob rhiant sy’n ‘llofnodi’r’ ddeiseb electronig.
Gellir cael rhifau rholio union ar unrhyw adeg yn ystod y flwyddyn o swyddfa’r ysgol.
2. Rhaid galw’r cyfarfod i drafod materion sy’n effeithio ar yr ysgol.
Ni ellir galw’r cyfarfod i drafod materion o’r fath fel cynnydd disgyblion unigol, neu i wneud cwyn yn erbyn aelod o staff yr ysgol neu’r corff llywodraethol.
Dylai’r ddeiseb gynnwys manylion cryno o’r mater (au) sydd i’w trafod, a’r rhesymau dros alw’r cyfarfod. Dylai’r wybodaeth hon gael ei harddangos yn glir ar frig y ddeiseb, gyda llofnodion y rhieni yn ymddangos isod.
3. Gellir cynnal uchafswm o 3 chyfarfod yn ystod y flwyddyn ysgol.
Mae’r gyfraith yn caniatáu i rieni ddefnyddio eu hawliau i ofyn am hyd at 3 chyfarfod â chorff llywodraethu ysgol yn ystod y flwyddyn ysgol.
4. Rhaid bod o leiaf 25 diwrnod ysgol ar ôl yn y flwyddyn ysgol.
Mae’r gyfraith yn ei gwneud yn amod bod o leiaf 25 diwrnod ysgol yn cael ei adael yn y flwyddyn ysgol pan dderbynnir y ddeiseb fel y gellir cynnal y cyfarfod.
Ystyr ‘diwrnod ysgol’ yw diwrnod pan mae’r ysgol yn agored i ddisgyblion: nid yw’n cynnwys penwythnosau, gwyliau cyhoeddus, gwyliau ysgol neu ddiwrnodau HMS.
Y cyfeiriad ar gyfer cyflwyno deiseb sy’n gofyn am gyfarfod â chorff llywodraethu’r ysgol yw:
clerical@pwll.ysgolccc.cymru
Alison Rees,
Clerc y Corff Llywodraethol,
Ysgol Gynradd Pwll,
Heol yr Ysgol,
Pwll,
Llanelli
Sir Gaerfyrddin,
SA15 4AL
Mae cyngor pellach ar sut y gall rhieni fynd ati i ofyn am gyfarfod â chorff llywodraethu ar gael ar wefan Llywodraeth Cymru yn:
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/publications/guidance/parents-meetings-statutory-guidance/?lang=en