CERES: Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland Accessibility and Display Options and Information
CERES: Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland 
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Making the Difference
The Scottish Executive recently ran a consultation on the draft Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Bill. Parents should have received a leaflet Making the Difference - Improving Parents' Involvement in Schools: A Consultation on a Draft Bill from their child's school which set out in summary form what the Bill is about and what changes it will bring about if it is passed by the Parliament
Consultation closed on 7th June 2005.
CERES welcomed the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Executive consultation on the draft bill on Improving Parents’ Involvement in Schools and is supportive of the Scottish Executive’s recognition of the need for greater parental participation in children’s education and initiatives in support of this.
This need was amply demonstrated in CERES’ recent research into Minority Ethnic Pupils’ Experiences of School in Scotland (MEPESS) http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/mepess/1 which looked in depth at parental perceptions and found lack of parental access to and involvement with teachers and schools among parents’ key concerns. Much of the data presented in this response will be based on findings from that piece of work.
Whilst CERES works for a comprehensive equality agenda to be kept alive and active in order to enrich and sustain the learning experiences of all individuals and communities, regardless of their backgrounds or minority /majority status, our specific focus is on ensuring that any racism, overt or covert, is addressed and the needs and rights of all ethnic minorities met. As such, this response deals with the issues raised in the consultation document as well as other areas of concern primarily from an anti-racist perspective.