These people and organisations are working to promote the home-school partnership:

Every parent who has a child at school is a member of the school’s Parents’ Council. The Parents’ Council elects a working committee (Norwegian abbreviation FAU), which is the voice of the parents with respect to the school. The FAU’s key tasks include ensuring the real involvement of parents and taking joint responsibility for ensuring that the pupils’ learning environment is secure and good.

 

Coordinating Committee (SU)Coordinating Committees (Norwegian abbreviation SU) are the school’s highest advisory body, on which all parties involved in the school are represented: pupils, parents, teaching staff, other employees and two representatives of the local authority, one of which must be the head teacher. SUs have the right to issue statements regarding/in all matters that concern the school. (SUs can be replaced by a School Board).

 

A School Board is a board for an individual school and is comparable to the board of a company. The aim of a school board is to ensure that all the parties involved in the school are represented on a decision-making body. (School Boards can replace Coordinating Committees).

 

The purpose of a School Environment Committee (Norwegian abbreviation SMU) is to ensure that the school works systematically to promote a good school environment. SMUs must act as an advisory body for the school concerning matters relating to the school. Pupils, parents, the school, employees of the school and a representative of the municipal authority must be represented. Parents and pupils must together have a majority in an SMU.

It is the responsibility of the school’s owners and head teacher to ensure that all the advisory bodies are established and act in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act.

 

Municipal Parents’ Council (KFU)
There is no legally founded parent body between the Parents’ Council Working Committee (Norwegian abbreviation FAU) at an individual school and FUG at central level. Parents’ councils have been established on a voluntary basis in around 180 of the country’s municipalities (out of a total of  430). The aim of these councils (Norwegian abbreviation KFU) is to coordinate the needs and wishes of the schools in the municipality and to provide education/teaching and ensure the exchange of experience. KFUs should have a broad representation and be a natural cooperation partner for politicians and school administrations.

 

The National Parents’ Committee for Primary and Lower Secondary Education (Norwegian abbreviation FUG) is a national committee for parents who have children at school.