A new panel representing Scottish parents will offer a “wider range of voices”, the Education Secretary has said, after funding for the National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) was withdrawn.
Jenny Gilruth said she wanted to establish a more representative model for engaging with parents.
Another organisation called Connect will now establish a national Parent Panel at a cost of about £50,000 a year.
At the weekend, NPFS chair Cheryl Burnett told The Herald newspaper she was “shocked” by the move to withdraw funding, saying there had been a lack of consultation.
The NPFS was set up in 2009 to give parents an opportunity to raise educational issues at a national level.
A recent organisational review found it was “at risk of spiralling into a downward trajectory without the financial support it requires”.
Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy raised the withdrawal of funding at Holyrood, asking why the decision was made and how much money would be saved.
Ms Gilruth said: “We have concluded that there is a need to establish a broader, more representative model to support engagement from parents and carers.
“I’m particularly conscious of the need to hear from a wider range of perspectives and experiences, including traditionally under-represented groups such as parents and carers from minority ethnic backgrounds, and those who have children with additional support needs.”
The minister hoped those involved with NPFS would contribute to the new panel, which would offer a “wider range of voices across the system”.
Ms Gilruth said she would be meeting with Ms Burnett later this week.
NPFS received funding of just over £53,000 in the last financial year not including staff costs, she said, noting there had been an underspend of around £13,000.