AGENDA
Rachel Seago (second left) at the RLS Glimpse of India event
How have your recent events gone? In April, we held an event called A Glimpse of India, which was a feast for the eyes and stomach! It was a wonderful display of dancing and food that showed off the cultures of different parts of India. We raised over £3,000. Then in June, we had our music event, RLS Fest. It went very well despite the weather turning from extreme heat to a deluge of rain. Although we had a plan B, we still needed to think on our feet. Everyone had a good time and we raised more than £2,500.
My PTA life
Rachel Seago is chair of the Friends of the Royal Latin School, a secondary grammar in Buckingham
What does your PTA job involve? It’s about developing new ideas and driving events to unite and strengthen the school community, working closely with the school. I am involved with most of our events, and our recent RLS Fest and Indian night were my suggestions. As I have bags of experience from primary school fundraising, I help others and try to inspire them to make things happen. My professional job is graphic and web design, so I’m in a great position to push awareness of the PTA and its activities.
Why do you think it’s important to get involved with the PTA at secondary level? Many parents feel detached from their child’s education when their child starts secondary school. Being involved with the Friends helps them reconnect and learn how the school operates by working alongside the staff. It’s also an invaluable way to build friendships with other like-minded families.
What have you got planned for autumn and Christmas? We’ll start with our Meet & Greet the Teachers barbecue for Year 7 in September, then there’s quiz night, selling calendars to commemorate the school’s 600th year in 2023, a school production, and hopefully ‘Run the Claydons’, a seven-mile race across local countryside that we’ve held successfully for the past few years.
It’s a constant drip of getting our name out there and telling them what we do
With your events, are there any particular lessons you’ve learned? Events need careful planning, and involving as many people as possible to share ideas and experiences helps cover all angles. Keep injecting new ideas and keep up with trends. Ask about people’s professional skills – they can be a huge asset. We also try to cater to different types of people as not everyone likes festivals and parties!
What other fundraisers do you engage in? We raise a lot by recycling clothes. There’s a bin outside the school gates so the community can donate to it. We sell donated second-hand uniformand unclaimed lost property.
How do you encourage parents to volunteer? Parents are asked in the induction pack if they’d like to receive news from us. We then send them minutes from the meetings and request help when needed via Mailchimp. We have a section in the school weekly news, a WhatsApp group for each year and social media. We also run an Occasional Helpers Group that parents sign up to if they can only lend a hand
on an occasional basis. It’s a constant drip of getting our name out there and telling them what we do.
What have you bought for the school? Last year, we purchased £7,000 worth of gym equipment for the new sports campus, headphones for modern foreign languages and micrometers for biology. FRLS has also purchased new computers for the library and IT suites, sports equipment, sports hall lighting, cameras, microphones, tablets, a drum set, software, furniture for the counselling room and a mixing desk for drama.
Any advice for potential PTA chairs? Listen to others and let them have a voice – allow their ideas to develop, so they feel involved and responsible. Be aware of what others are doing and encourage them.
pta.co.uk AUTUMN 2022 11
WORDS: DANIEL ETHERINGTON; IMAGES: DUNCAN_ANDISON/
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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