A New Beginning for FOMS: leadership change & incorporating the Parent Council
- friendsofmorgans
- May 18
- 5 min read
Updated: May 19
A new era for Foms
Our school is entering an exciting new chapter as the current trustees of Friends of Morgans School (FOMS) step down, and a new team takes the helm. Alongside this leadership transition, we are merging FOMS with the Parent Council to create a stronger, more unified group dedicated to supporting our school community.
Firstly, we would like to welcome our new FOMS Trustee Members: Hayley (Chair), Theo (Treasurer) and Sinéad (Secretary). Huge thanks to them for stepping up to ensure our treasured FOMS events can continue. They will need more help to organise and run our events so, if you can contribute to FOMS, no matter how much or little time you can offer, please email us and let us know.
Why combine FOMS and the parent council?
FOMS has always played a vital role in connecting parents, teachers, and staff to improve the school experience. However, having two separate groups—FOMS and the Parent Council—sometimes led to overlapping efforts and missed chances to pool resources.
By merging these two groups, we aim to:
Create a single, clear voice for parents and carers
Increase volunteer participation by simplifying involvement
Enhance communication between families and school leadership
This change is about building a stronger community that works together more efficiently and effectively.
Key features of the new structure:
Joint meetings between FOMS, Link Parents and the school leadership team, held every half term to discuss school matters and FOMS updates
Subcommittees focused on fundraising, events, communication, and school support
Open membership so any parent or carer can join and contribute
Clear roles and responsibilities to avoid duplication and confusion
This approach encourages collaboration and makes it easier for parents to find a way to help that fits their interests and availability.
What is the PArent council?
The Parent Council (PC) supports the development of the school, learning environment and the curriculum, to foster a positive setting for the children at Morgans School.
Key Principles
To gather constructive feedback from parents/carers.
To celebrate the school and provide positive feedback.
To discuss new initiatives.
To distribute information to class parents, obtain feedback and discuss viable options.
To strengthen and reiterate key messages from school to home.
Membership
The PC is composed of Link Parents, FOMS members and members of the School’s Senior Leadership Team.
Standing Members of the PC will be:
Parent Council Chair – Chair of FOMS (Hayley)
Parent Council Secretary - (Nikki)
Parent Council Deputy Chair – a Link Parent
School Head
School Deputy Head
School Business Manager
Link Parents
FOMS members
In addition to the standing members, the PC may invite individuals to attend meeting(s) to discuss specific topics. These may be thematic leaders or individuals leading on a specific matter of relevance to the PC.
Link Parent appointments
Parents interested in being a Link Parent nominate themselves for the role at the beginning of each academic year.
Class teachers request nominations for Link Parents during the introductory class teacher meeting(s) with parents or via email each September.
Each class teacher should aim to have a Link Parent appointed by the end of the second week of the new academic year. The Parent Council Chair can help to recruit Link Parents if required.
There will be a maximum of two Link Parents per class.
Link Parents can remain in role for continuous academic years if they wish.
Link Parent role
The Link Parent role is a voluntary role.
Link Parents are an intermediary between class parents/carers and class teaching staff. They are a point of immediate contact for class communication. For example, asking for volunteers, sending messages from the teacher to all class parents, reiterating policy and organising rotas.
Attend termly PC meetings and feed the views of the collective into PC discussions.
Disseminate key messages from the PC and FOMS back to their class parents. For example, the message on the importance of attendance, or requesting volunteers for an upcoming FOMS event.
Collate whole class matters arising from parents and inform the teacher, or put forward for discussion at a PC meeting.
Communicate the views of the collective to the teaching staff.
Be proactive and remind class parents/carers of key dates, assembly dates, non-school uniform days, payment deadlines etc.
Parameters
The following are not within the jurisdiction of the Link Parents or the Parent Council:
Being a Link Parent does not afford said parent/carer any preferential treatment, and the role is not a means of getting special access to the teaching staff or senior leaders.
Any safeguarding issues – these must be referred directly to the teacher or the school.
Anything related to an individual child – matters related to individual children should be directed to the teacher.
Meetings
The PC meets once every half term. Meeting dates and times are agreed between the PC Chair and the school’s Head at the start of the academic year and circulated to all members.
Link Parents collate matters from class parents two weeks prior to each meeting.
The PC Chair and Deputy Chair produce an agenda and send to the school Head and Deputy Head at least one week prior to the meeting.
The School Head circulates to all class teachers for their input and comment.
The PC Deputy Chair takes notes of the meeting. These notes are checked by the Head prior to circulation to all parents/carers within two weeks of the meeting.
Communication
Link Parents must adhere to the Parental Behavior Policy and the School’s Communication Policy as noted in the Home School Agreement.
A WhatsApp group may be established and used by individual classes as a tool for parents to communicate with each other and to gather feedback.
Any social media usage by classes is subject to the Social Media Protocol and the Home School Agreement which states parents/carers must respect staff and must not:
discuss other children (other than their own),
discuss anything contentious or potentially slanderous,
bring the school into disrepute.
Link Parents are permitted to remind class parents/carers of the above rules.
How to Get Involved
The success of this new chapter depends on active participation from the whole school community. Here are some ways to get involved:
Volunteer as your class Link Parent
Attend meetings to share your ideas and hear updates
Volunteer at events such as fairs and discos
Join a subcommittee that matches your skills or interests
Spread the word to other parents and carers about the new group and its activities
Even small contributions make a big difference. For instance, helping set up tables or baking treats for a fundraiser supports the group’s goals and builds connections among families.
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