Welcome to St Mary’s PTA
Registered charity number: 1083151
All parents, carers, guardians and staff are automatically members of St Mary’s PTA and are very welcome to attend meetings.
PTA relies on a continual cycle of parent involvement. As children reach their final year and leave, so do their parents. The teachers and Head support us when possible, but without all your support, we have no PTA - WE REALLY DO NEED YOU.
PTA is a mixture of parents that work together for the benefit of St Mary's. Some are full-time parents, some work part-time or work full-time. NONE of us are specialists in fundraising.
The current Trustees of the PTA Charity are-
Chair: Current Vacancy
Vice Chair: Mrs Shirley Meyers
Treasurer: Mr Darren Mantle
Vice Treasurer: Mrs Carla Neal
Vice Secretary: Ms Marsha Camilleri
Further PTA representatives are-
Vice-Secretary: Mrs Helen Branscombe-Kent
School Representative: Mrs Shirley Hulme
Communications: Mrs Jessica Taylor & Mrs Clare Hall
Why do we have a PTA?
We are passionate about our school and helping the children be the best they can be. Over the years we have raised money to help the school in numerous ways.
We are always looking for new fundraising ideas and opportunities, but we usually raise money through fun events and initiatives.
How do we raise money?
PayPal Giving Fund
https://www.paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3160605 There is an option to enter other amounts under “Other (GBP)”.
Easyfundraising
STIKINS Name labels - please enter St Mary’s fundraising code 20869
The events that run each year are chosen by you! The PTA send out an annual questionnaire asking parents to choose their favourite events and share any new ideas. The most popular events are then put into the calendar for the following year.
How can you get involved?
We are always very grateful for any support from parents, whether it be through volunteering for half an hour at one event or leading your own event.
Every September a questionnaire is sent to parents with a list of the proposed events (selected by you) for the upcoming year where you can express an interest in helping with an event. The PTA will then contact you on the run up to the event.
You can contact the team by:
- Coming along to a PTA coffee morning (see the school dates for the diary)
- Messaging your Class Rep via WhatsApp
- Messaging the committee members direct on the Classlist App (Join using the following link: https://classlist.page.link/zqC9FnwAXghGgeff6)
- Via email: stmarysnij.pta@gmail.com
- Chatting to us at an event or on the school run!
How can you help?
Help us by donating any pre-loved uniform, unwanted gifts, party bag fillers, teddies and books. Help us by donating some of your time to help us ‘sort’ the many bags of donations into our very organised PTA shed!
For an introduction to what Matched Funding is, please have a look at the national PTA website: http://www.pta.co.uk/funding/faqs-match-funding.aspx
How do we spend the money we raise?
It is at our PTA Committee meetings, that the decisions on how to spend the money are agreed. Usually, The Head Teacher will have a 'wish list' of items that the school would like PTA to consider funding. At times it will be for resources to improve a particular area of the curriculum or school environment. The PTA funds are spent to help contribute and enhance the school provision, eg new playground equipment, whole new sets of books and live theatre experiences, thus making our children's learning experiences so much more fulfilling and exciting.
We always endeavour to spend our funds in ways that will benefit all our children across all areas of the school and curriculum. The money we raise is usually spent fairly quickly. That way, you can be sure that in supporting our school, your children will feel the benefit, along with everybody else.
Charitable status
Charity law requires voluntary organisations such as ours with an annual income in excess of £5,000 to register with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. As a charity we must abide by Charity Commission rules and regulations and we are bound by a governing document referred to as our constitution. Our constitution sets out the rules about how we operate as a PTA and how we conduct ourselves.
Being a registered charity enables PTA to:
Support from Parentkind
St Mary’s PTA is a member of Parentkind, which is a national charity and membership organisation providing support and guidance for all home school associations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We pay an annual membership fee to Parentkind which gives us lots of member benefits including comprehensive insurance cover for all PTA run events, support and advice on running PTA plus fundraising ideas and good practice hints and tips.
How we get information to you
Information will be sent out via Parentmail, Whatsapp, Classlist App and/or letters in bookbags. These will provide information for up and coming events, dates for your diaries or general information. Please check your emails regularly to avoid missing something exciting. Following a PTA event, we let parents know how much was raised, and if we can, we tell you what the money will be spent on. A copy of the minutes from all PTA Committee meetings will be sent out via Parentmail.
Finally...
Our children are only at school for a relatively short time. Hopefully they will remember some PTA events fondly for a lifetime. The equipment and resources PTA helps fund, make learning even more engaging. Help us continue to create lasting memories for our children.
Thank you for taking the time to read this page. We hope you now know a little more about St Mary's PTA. On behalf of all the pupils and staff we would like to thank you for your very valuable support which enriches their learning experience and makes their time in school so enjoyable.
Thank you
St. Mary's PTA
