InterParents is the federation of the Parents Associations of the 13 European Schools that represents the parents in the Board of Governors and its subsidiary bodies. 

The latest InterParents meeting to prepare the interventions for the Board of Governors’ (BoG) meeting took place on 4 and 5 April online. 

Reet Escribano (InterParents vice president, AMPA of ESA) together with Helen Valentine (InterParents president, PA of ES Luxembourg I) participated as InterParents delegates in the Board of Governors meeting held on 10 – 12 April under Italy’s Presidency in EFSA premises in Parma. 

Some of the concerns highlighted by InterParents representatives were:

School trips organisation, need for reassessment of the BYOD policy across all European Schools, training and support to teachers in the areas of e-assessment, gifted pupils, SEN pupils; need for ombudsman;  

Most importantly, for the Action Plan: Reflection on the Future of the European Schools System – Follow-up to the Report of the European Parliament, InterParents underlined the importance of the external evaluation. The challenge we face is how can this Board of Governors ensure that the European school system has good or even excellence governance across all of its activities. 

Many delegates expressed their concerns to us in the corridors and understood that there is a collective responsibility to address these concerns.  If we get this right, it will put the ESS on the path to being able to fix its own problems in good time as it goes along – without the need for outside parties or the EP to step in every 10 years or so. That is surely a goal that the Board of Governors can embrace.

For this to happen the BoG needs to initiate forthwith the requested in-depth review of the «governance and management structures across the ESS” (Resolution 8) and the “critical in-depth assessment of all aspects of the ESS” (Resolution 1). This analysis will provide the insights and actions needed to achieve the desired reforms and is therefore a foundation action. It should be both independent and include external experts, as in the words of Mme Cicurel on 12 February «It’s very difficult or even impossible to have a critical view of oneself.”

At the point Political Statement to «Action Plan: Reflection on the Future of the European Schools System – Follow-up to the Report of the European Parliament» we welcomed the recognition of the Italian Presidency that the current Action Plan is just an important first step of reforming effort and the feed for further septs under future Presidencies to take this reform programme forward.

You can ask for further information about parents interventions through our internal AMPA InterParents WG (interparents@ampaescuelaeuropea.com). 

Before the BoG meeting, on 8 and 9 April, Reet Escribano assisted a 1st Teachers Forum organised by the Italian Presidency in Scuola per l’Europa in Parma (Accredited European School of Parma), following one of the EP CULT Committee recommendations. During two days, teachers from European Schools, Accredited European Schools and National Schools and external experts were exchanging ideas and best practices. Alicante teachers run the inclusiveness workshop by presenting our quite unique Musical project, which received very warm feedback from all participants and was kindly praised by Ms. Anabela Gracio, a “heart” of inclusive education of the European Schools. You can see the presentation “Inclusive Musicals” on the website of the Scuola per l’Europa in Parma (section “workshops”).

Glossary:

ESS – European School System

OSG Office of the Secretary General

JTC Joint Teaching Committee

BoG Board of Governors 

WG Working Group

BYOD – Bring Your Own Device

ESA – European School of Alicante

PA – Parent Association

NB! If you feel that you would like to participate in InterParents work, please contact us at info@ampaescuelaeuropea.com.