Parents - You Need to Read This Book!

"A-Z of Scots Education Law - A Guide For Parents" prepared by the Scottish Consumer Council and published by The Stationery Office. This book covers a wide range of issues including the choice of school; the curriculum; discipline; human rights; homework; school closures and transport. There are also special sections on getting advice, making a complaint and taking legal action. Read a review of the book by SPTC Director, Morag Bramwell and find out how you can get a copy.

How often do we parents of older children say of the education system, "if only I'd known"? Once you have this book on hand you're unlikely to have to say this again. Here's a book which will enable you to find your way around virtually every aspect of school life which is legislated for, and to ensure that your child's school years will be as useful and productive as they can be, or to something about it if the system fails.

The book lists your child's rights, then your rights and responsibilities, then goes straight into a comprehensive alphabetical list of subject areas. These include bullying, choice of school, disability, exclusion, discrimination, holidays, inspections and sex education. The section on Legal Action is quite short and is seen as "a last resort". There is also a very good section at the back giving useful websites and addresses. The advice in the book is based on at least 22 separate Acts of Parliament, and numerous regulations and individual legal cases spanning more than 40 years.

The amount of detail is about right and the information is bang up-to-date - there is even a section on the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2005 due to come into force in Autumn 2005.

Here are a few examples from the book of things that I wish I'd known 15 years ago:
* "A parent whose child's fifth birthday falls between the school commencement date and latest appropriate date (usually mid-February) has the option to either send the child to school while they are still four, or to defer entry until the following session when they have turned five."
* "When a school is being inspected, parents who aren't part of the random sample can request a questionnaire .... lay members of the inspection team may also telephone parents or hold meetings with parents as necessary."
* Each year the Education Authority must prepare, for each school they manage, a school development plan ... (it) sets objectives for that school based on the Education Authority's annual statement of educational improvement objectives ... parents of pupils at the school are entitled to free access to the plan and the annual report on request."
* If parents do not think that the information (contained in their child's education record) is accurate, then they can make a request for the inaccurate information to be rectified or erased."

This book is really for everybody - parents, teachers and LEA staff - and it has everything to do with understanding what we can all expect from each other. The amount and quality of information available to parents varies hugely between Education Authorities and the "A-Z of Scots Education Law" fills many of the gaps, or points you in the right direction.

I hope that this guide will give you enough back-up to ask what you need to ask and to assert your rights with confidence and dignity - whoever you are.
Report by Morag Bramwell.

If you would like a copy of this guide, then contact:
The Stationery Office bookshop
71 Lothian Road
Edinburgh
EH3 9AZ
Telephone: 0870 606 55 66, Fax: 0870 606 55 88
Website: www.tso.co.uk