FUNDRAISING – Tell your school’s story
Mount an exhibition
Naburn C of E Primary School in York also turned to its local community to source old photographs for its 150th anniversary celebrations. The school received so many pictures, stories and artefacts that it decided to hold an exhibition. ‘We had a display in the school hall with all the photos on a timeline, plus a slide show that ran continuously from our ceiling projector onto a big display board so people could see the photos close-up,’ says Anne Clark, chair of governors. ‘People brought in objects from the past including a display of trophies, medals and certifi cates. There was an attendance medal from the 1930s that belonged to someone’s grandparent, and an essay, brought in by a little girl – about
keeping the village tidy and not dropping litter – written by her great, great-grandfather who attended the school in the 1920s. The older pupils were horrifi ed when they read the school’s original punishment book! On the anniversary day, pupils
dressed up in Victorian costumes and enjoyed a tea party attended by elderly villagers, who shared their memories of the school with the children. ‘The PTA paid for the cakes
and teas, and some of us hired costumes, but other than that, it was very cheap to put on,’ says Anne. The event was attended by the
local MP and covered by the local press and radio, helping to boost the school’s profi le after falling numbers had put it at risk of closure. ‘It’s shown we have massive support from the community,’ says Anne, ‘and it’s been instrumental in helping us survive.’
The PTA paid for the cakes and teas, and some of us hired costumes, but other than that, it was very cheap to put on
Publish a magazine If writing a book is too daunting, try putting together a shorter ‘memories magazine’. The PTA at Ecclesall CE Junior School in Sheffi eld decided to do this to record its history before it merged with the local infant school. ‘The idea was to be less formal than a
book – to have a little bit of history, but mostly contain memories of pupils and staff, past and present,’ says Victoria Parry, former PTA chair. ‘I set up an alumni Facebook page
and appealed for former pupils and staff to get in touch with their memories and photos. I shared the request on local Facebook pages and it generated a lot of interest. I also contacted all the famous alumni I was made aware of, and all but one
provided me with a piece for the magazine, which was a lovely touch.’ For images, Victoria scoured
Sheffi eld Archives and approached the local newspaper, which trawled its back catalogue for photos of the school over the years. ‘One of the older committee
members was very helpful with the editing of the magazine, and a parent who owns a printing company kindly helped me get the magazine to print. We didn’t make any profi t but that wasn’t really the intention. ‘All in all, it was a huge
amount of work, but I do think it was appreciated.’
pta.co.uk SUMMER 2023 31
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