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safeguarding procedures. Everyone was pleased that the school had fulfilled its responsibilities, but it left Milton School Association (MSA) with a big problem. Committee member Elizabeth Cook says: ‘Instead of the school becoming an easy place to be after half past three, it suddenly felt like they had extended the day to six o’clock. Volunteers who hadn’t been through a hefty checking process, known as ‘red lanyards’, had to be supervised constantly. To become a ‘green lanyard’ they had to provide references, take a course and pass an exam. There are two things about this: it takes time and there’s a cost to it. It was going to take six months to get any volunteers and made after-school events impossible.’ Elizabeth knew that many parents


at the school already volunteered for local sports clubs, such as football team Milton Colts, and charities that required similar vetting procedures. She asked headteacher Damien Homden if they could treat the Association in the same way as other contractors, such as PE provider Cambridge United Football Trust. ‘Our head is a reasonable man,


and to his credit he was open to this idea,’ says Elizabeth. ‘We had to accept the new requirements, but we also wanted to find a way to achieve the result we needed.’ Eventually the Diocese of Ely


Multi-Academy Trust agreed that if the welfare officer could provide the DBS numbers and names of volunteers along with confirmation that they had met the Milton Colts


safeguarding requirements, those people could be considered as green lanyards – subject to presentation of photo ID. ‘Having that agreement in place instantly took my pool of volunteers from a potential two to 16 – assuming they were willing. But that was enough to make a huge difference. It was our first strategic relationship,’ says Elizabeth. Next, she started looking for other


groups of parents who could also be considered as green lanyards. The number of potential volunteers grew further when Dr Homden confirmed that parents who had been checked and vetted for preschool activities could also be counted.


Repeat behaviour Dr Homden’s investment in


collaboration has significantly strengthened the school’s working relationship with the Friends. As a result they are able to be open and candid with one another. MSA traditionally held gift sales


around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. However, these sales didn’t raise a lot of money and required multiple volunteers. ‘The thinking was that it gave the pupils an opportunity to do some shopping on their own, which they don’t normally get to do,’ says Elizabeth. She asked Dr Homden if he


thought there was any educational value for the children in going shopping, describing it as ‘a moment where it hung in the balance, when he had to choose between telling us what he thought would make us


happy and the truth. Eventually he said no. That’s also when he explained that his priority was that there would be minimal loss of learning time for the pupils. ‘There are so many parts to


running a school that, as someone who isn’t a professional educator, I can’t actually grasp. But, I am not the headteacher; I don’t know the strategic aims. However, having clear parameters meant we could find a way to work within them. Being educated on what the school needs means we can do things like run a film or hire out the swimming pool for fun sessions with the support of the school, even if we no longer run painting workshops or hold gift sales in school time. ‘Our head is an intellectual person.


His approach to an issue is to stop, consider it, acknowledge how we feel about it, contemplate the reasons behind our thoughts and examine how it aligns with school priorities. MSA needs to get behind the objectives of the school. If the aim of the school is to increase learning time, then we’re all looking to increase learning time. And if anything changes – such as a change of headteacher, a change of culture or change of aims from the Trust – we have to follow those too, because we are there to support the school.’


Mutual support As part of her work with the Friends


Being educated on what the school


needs means we can do things like run a film or hire out the pool for fun with


the support of the school – Elizabeth Cook


JOIN THE CHAT PTA Ideas and


Advice Network


of Rush Common, Rebecca Strugnell often chats to other PTAs on social media. ‘I read a lot of posts where people talk about the difficult relationships they have with the school, and I’m so grateful we don’t have that,’ she says. ‘I want them to be proud of us and of


everything that we accomplish.’


School Fundraising AUTUMN 2024 19


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