Welcome to your PTA – Information for Parents

A very warm welcome to all pupils and parents from Kenn Schools’ Parent Teacher Association, or Friends of Kenn Church of England Primary School.  We realise it can be strange and a little nerve-racking joining a school, and there always seems to be so many questions to ask.  This booklet aims to set out all the information you will need about our PTA.

If any of your questions have not been answered, please do get in touch with one of the PTA committee members, or ask via your class teacher, Head of School or the school office.

 

Why do we have a PTA? 

The PTA is an integral part of the school community and raises money to spend on improving equipment and resources to enhance our children’s education and the facilities in school in general.

 

Raising money 

Like most PTAs, the majority of our funds are raised through the events that we run.  Some of our most popular events are the Quiz Nights, Fayres, Cake Stalls, Film Nights, Children’s Discos, and Barn Dance.  The PTA always respects the ethos and morals of our school when organising and planning events.

Once money is raised from events the funds are banked.  It is at our PTA Committee Meetings, that the decisions on how to spend the money are agreed. Usually our Head teacher will have a ‘shopping list’ of items that the school would like to purchase.  Sometimes this will be as a result of the children or staff asking for something. In the main the PTA funds are for the ‘extras’ not provided by the school budget, that make our children’s learning experiences so much more fulfilling and exciting.

We always endeavour to spend our funds in ways that will benefit all our children across all areas of the school and curriculum.

Examples of what we have provided: Computer Tablets, Costumes for the Christmas Plays, Money for each class for use on school trips or external providers, we also have donated a substantial sum towards the new outdoor classroom area which is in the planning stages.

How can you get involved?

There are lots of ways you can help and support your child/ren through the PTA, and all parents are automatically members of the Association when their children join our school.

It doesn’t matter if you can’t help on a regular basis, however, any help at events or at other times during the year is so valuable – it really is a case of ‘many hands make light work’.  In helping with our PTA events you might discover some hidden talents and you will definitely make new friends.

You can of course if you feel able, volunteer to be a Committee Member.  Or you can simply support the AGM and give us your ideas for fundraising events – this is also the time to ask questions or voice your opinion.

You can help by letting us know if you have any contacts or skills we could use – everything is potentially valuable to us.

Role of the Committee

Our PTA committee usually consists of 3 Officers (Chair, Treasurer and Secretary).  We also generally have between 3 and 5 other ordinary members to make up the full committee. The Committee meet regularly to work on fundraising ideas and activities, with smaller working groups meeting as necessary to organise larger more complicated events.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Our Annual General Meeting is held at the beginning of the academic year and this is an opportunity for all parents to come along and hear in more detail about events run, funds raised and how the money has been spent.  It is also the occasion when we elect our new committee

If you are interested in joining the committee please do not hesitate to talk to any the PTA committee members or contact us via the school office.

Other information

The PTA is a registered charity and as such we must abide by Charity Commission rules and regulations and we are bound by a Constitution.

We are also a member of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations – PTA-UK, which is the national charity that advances education and supports PTAs.

School Uniform is purchased through the PTA, we have teamed up with School Trends as a supplier and orders are placed once a term. Should you require uniform in between order dates please contact a committee member.

We are registered with www.easyfundraising.org.uk this is a website through which you can access over 4000 high street companies and providers. By clicking ‘Support a Cause’ you can search for ‘Friends of Kenn Church of England Primary School’, register and start shopping. For each purchase through this site the companies donate a % to the school – its free money!

We hope you now know a little more about your Parent Teacher Association. On behalf of all the children we would like to thank you for your very valuable support which enriches their learning experiences and makes their time in school so enjoyable.

From all the PTA Committee