Last word
A good relationship with your PTA will pay dividends, says Helen Burge, especially when it comes to fundraising events
Don’t be
(coconut) shy This year's summer fair might have been cancelled, but hopefully it won’t be too long before schools can start preparing for the next event, ordering their coconuts and fi lling their offi ces with donated soft toys for the teddy tombola. Many parents and carers are keen to demonstrate their support by becoming active members of the PTA – raising funds and creating better learning opportunities through provision of the ‘nice to haves’. Don’t be shy of capitalising on this goodwill.
Best laid plans Hook-a-duck, splat-the-rat and welly wanging all sound like they’re going to make a bit of a mess (and could potentially cause harm to someone or something!) Since health and safety is everyone’s responsibility, make sure you complete a risk assessment for your event with a member of the PTA. This way, you can double check that the event will be
adhering to your school’s H&S policy. The school business leader can be a valuable source of advice and support for events, to iron out any miscommunications and ensure there is a clarity of expectations. A risk assessment is an opportunity to discuss Plan Bs, and to anticipate and avoid any mishaps. After all, the last thing you need is disappointing ice-cream sales because sockets have been overloaded with un-PAT- tested, broken extension leads! It’s also really handy to establish ‘the rules’, so that every volunteer staffi ng the bouncy castle knows how many children are allowed to bounce at any one time.
How many sweets in the jar? School diaries are full on for 38 weeks of the year, so overfi lling the ‘jar’ by scheduling too many PTA events and overloading fi nancial demands on parents
and carers is best avoided. Mix up the contents throughout the year.
Dust off your tannoy system Your PTA will need the support of the school to communicate with parents and carers. Make sure they know the deadlines for newsletter content, and be mindful if you know there is an event coming up – remember, many PTA committee members will be juggling their volunteering with jobs, young families and other priorities. Provide the PTA with a page on the school’s website so it can share important dates and activities, but also share the support it has given in the school – whether that was providing ice lollies on sports day, or a set of iPads for curriculum use.
And the winner is… Your relationship with the PTA is unique. It’s not one fundraiser but multiple. The need to retain volunteers or have a succession plan for PTA chair, secretary or treasurer is ongoing, just like that never- ending queue for the BBQ! You need to work closely with the committee to help them retain and recruit. Moreover, if there is a perception that raising funds is hard work because ‘blockers’ are put in place, that is only going to disadvantage the children. So keep an eye out for any blockers and remove as many as you can. Nurturing the PTA relationship is a win-win – everyone gets more enjoyment from running or attending events, and hopefully more funds are raised to spend in school.
Helen Burge is deputy chief operations officer at The Priory Learning Trust and SRMA with Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust. @DeputyCOOatTPLT
58 SUMMER 2020 FundEd
IMAGES: GLINSKAJAOLGA/
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
