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Kerry Education and Training Board recently held its fourth and final Parents Forum for the 2017/18 school year. Parents attending this forum are representing members from their respective parents councils. The forum was first established in 2006 to promote effective liaison and consultation between schools and parents and to promote the interest of the students in the eight ETB schools.

This year’s agenda covered areas such as the Kerry ETB Strategy, ICT advancements, physical education priorities, mental health awareness, new Junior Cycle curriculum developments and discussions on healthy eating and well-being. Of major interest was the feedback from the first online applied maths curriculum that was piloted in Kerry ETB Schools this year. This involved fifth year students undertaking online classes via Skype on Tuesdays from 6-8pm with professional teaching support delivered during Saturday classes hosted in the IT Tralee. This proposal came from the Parents Forum last year. Ann O’Dwyer, Director of Schools thanked the Parents Forum for suggesting this initiative and for generating new and pioneering ideas.

At the forum Jeremy Wrenn, Schools ICT Support Officer from Kerry ETB, introduced the new Junior Cycle ICT course that is planned for Kerry ETB schools in 2018/19. Its introduction is further proof of Kerry ETB’s commitment to giving it students the most up to date ICT skills that will ensure they are fully equipped with the relevant 21^st century educational tools when they leave school after Leaving Certificate. The Parents Forum welcomed this new course and were also offered places on a Technology for Parents course that will be delivered free of charge by Kerry ETB in September.

At the conclusion of the Parents Forum the importance of parents coming together to share their ideas and experiences from their respective parents councils was reiterated, as was the necessity of parents having their voices and opinions heard by the Kerry ETB management.

Rosari O' Connor, Chairperson took the opportunity to sincerely thank David Musgrave (Killarney Community College), Helen O’Brien (Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí) and Cathy O’Donovan (Coláiste na Sceilge) for their outstanding service as their tenures on their parents councils have now come to an end. The agenda for the 2018/19 school was set with the forum looking forward to continuing its great work next year.