Support). We are still going through the various ‘setting up’ processes but that hasn’t stopped us from getting stuck in with organising fundraising events. We are holding a Christmas Fayre, which we are very excited about, coffee mornings and a disco for the children. We are a really good team and seem to have harnessed some fantastic parents already, whose help and enthusiasm is already making an impact”.

For Donnie, setting up the Friends was made easy by parents feeling they needed to do their bit for the school, “We’ve all felt part of a fantastic adventure and are passionate about wanting to offer the school our support”. Whilst not many of us will be involved in setting up our children’s school, the experience of both Gabrielle and Donnie shows the value of parents feeling involved in the school and its future. If your PTA is struggling to engage parents, explore ways to work more closely with the school and demonstrate that you are intrinsic to its future. For the Friends of Cobham Free School the £5,000 already raised will go towards providing the school with a sports facility – it is currently in temporary accommodation. His experience at Cobham Free School has also given Donnie a clear view on what is important when setting up a home-school association, “You need three to four organised and passionate people and that’s enough. They need a clear idea of what they want to achieve and shouldn’t get caught up in the detail – things need to get done quickly”. Donnie also makes the good point that those involved in setting up an association are also likely to be those that form the first elected committee, so it’s important this group works well together.

Whatever the structure of your school, PTA-UK offers support for PTA start-up. Contact the PTA-UK Advice Line, speak to one of our local advisers or come along to a PTA-UK workshop.

Brian Lightman

General Secretary, Association of School and College Leaders

ASCL has no objection to new schools opening in areas where there is a shortage of school places but we cannot condone the creation of costly surplus places when other services are being cut.

David Butler

PTA-UK Chief Executive

As a charity we cannot take a political view. All home-school associations are welcome to join and be part of the biggest network of PTAs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Whatever the structure of a school, we believe that it can be benefitted by having a PTA and working in partnership with its parents.

the facts

There were 24 Free Schools operating during the last academic year, a further 55 opened this term and the Department for Education has announced a further 114 will open in 2013

Free Schools is the flagship policy of Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, introduced by the Coalition Government in England only

They are set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, businesses, universities, trusts, religious or voluntary groups

Free schools are funded directly by central government and are not in local authority control

Headteachers have more control over the curriculum, teachers' pay and conditions, term dates and the school day

They are either brand new schools or existing independent schools converting to Free Schools

They are inspected by Ofsted under its inspection framework

They must operate an inclusive, fair and transparent admissions policy and cannot be academically selective

PTA-UK Magazine November 2012 19