'Virtual school gate' launched

Acting as a virtual school gate, the Parents' School Network will allow parents to address issues such as bullying, or ask other families for advice on which school to choose.

Launching the new resource, schools secretary Ed Balls said: "We need to find innovative ways of involving parents in schools, particularly secondary schools.

"I like to think of it as a 'virtual school gate' - where parents can chat to each other online, find out what is happening in the schools and pass on useful information to each other."

Voicing her support for the initiative, Sally Russell, co-founder of parental advice site Netmums, hopes it will become a "hub" for every secondary school.

Some teaching unions are unhappy about the launch as they believe the site could be hijacked by those with prejudicial views.

Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, told the Daily Telegraph: "It could be a forum for extreme and biased views to be propagated against the school and would need to be watched."

Written by Theo Foulds





Published On 23/09/2009