Trustees Annual Report 2024-2025
Board of Trustees
Samantha Geenty, Co-Chair Rosie Lindley, Co-Chair Sarah Dunstall, Treasurer Kimbo Godsall, Trustee (resigned 31.05.25) Philippa Farrell, Trustee (resigned 31.07.25) Alexandra Barnard, Trustee (resigned 31.05.25)
Charity Number 1072957
Southborough C of E Primary School Parent Teachers Association (hereafter known as ‘The PTA’) was registered with Charitable Status on 1[st ] October 1997. The charity’s governing document is Southborough C of E Primary School PTA Constitution (including modern amendments).
The PTA is governed by a board of trustees who are responsible for its overall management and decision-making. The trustees meet at least four times a year, and more frequently when required, to plan and organise fundraising activities.
In addition, there is a wider group of volunteers known as the PTA Committee who support the organisation and running of events. For larger events, the PTA also calls upon additional volunteers from the wider parent and carer community, as well as members of the teaching staff and school governing board. As participation varies depending on the event, the number of volunteers involved cannot be precisely quantified.
Objectives and Activities
The PTA’s purpose, as set out in its constitution, is to raise funds to support resources and projects for the school, benefiting pupils and enhancing their educational experience.
Strategic Aim
The PTA raises funds to provide resources that will enrich the education of pupils at Southborough C of E Primary School. The PTA is committed to supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing by organising activities that enhance their happiness and overall school experience whilst also building a strong sense of community within the school.
The PTA encourages parents to volunteer at events, helping to ensure the successful running of these events, while also creating opportunities for friendships and connections. Strong relationships between parents and teachers are an important part of the PTA, fostering a supportive, positive environment that benefits the whole school community.
Strategic Objectives
To achieve our aims, we endeavour to:
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➢ To organise 3 large scale family events each year for pupils and their families to enjoy (fireworks night, a Christmas event, and a summer event).
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➢ To run a minimum of 2 smaller scale events throughout the year for children
and parents.
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➢ To sell second-hand school uniform, raising funds while also helping families save money.
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➢ To organise events specifically for pupils to enrich their wellbeing and enjoyment of school life.
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➢ To provide financial contributions to the school for resources and projects that benefit pupils.
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➢ To communicate regularly with parents and carers to strengthen the PTA community and encourage feedback and new ideas.
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➢ To where possible engage with the local community to foster a sense of collaboration an inclusivity withing Southborough.
Public Benefit
The PTA Board of Trustees has had due regard to the Charity Commission for England and Wales guidance on public benefit when reviewing and setting the PTA’s aims and objectives and when planning its activities. Further details about the PTA’s activities and how they deliver public benefit are provided in the following section.
Achievements and Performance
Fundraising:
Fireworks
The PTA’s biggest organised event of the year is the annual fireworks display. The fireworks are outsourced, and the event is open to the school and the wider community. This year’s display featured a pyrotechnic show set to the music of Sing 2 . This was the first year with music whilst also trialing low bang fireworks.
Refreshments were available throughout, including a barbecue, sweet treats, a fully stocked bar, and a neon stall for children.
As in previous years, the PTA ensured there was a dedicated quiet zone for children who are sensitive to loud noises.
The fireworks display remains the largest fundraising event of the year and completely sold out bringing in nearly 10k in revenue.
Christmas Fayre
This year, the PTA redesigned the layout of the Christmas event to make it more cohesive and easier for attendees to navigate. Alongside the usual Christmas games and crafts, the PTA introduced a paid, pre-booked opportunity for children to meet Santa and have photos taken in his sleigh.
As a new feature, the Kent Reindeer Sanctuary was invited to the event. The reindeer were extremely popular, and as a free activity, families had the chance to meet the animals and speak with the keepers. This addition was a fun and memorable change from the 2023 event.
Refreshments included a fully stocked bar, as well as hot sausage rolls and vegetarian
and vegan options, prepared using the school kitchens.
Entertainment was provided by members of the local community choir and the school community, who sang carols and ran Christmas-themed activities throughout the event. As an additional fundraiser, a Christmas raffle was held featuring prizes donated by local businesses, all of which were promoted in the marketing leading up to the event.
A local estate agent provided lead sponsorship for the event allowing for extra spend on entertainment in return for branding and advertising.
Winter Discos
The PTA organised both an Infant Disco and a Junior Disco during the Winter term. The Infant Disco was held at the local community hub, while the Junior Disco took place at the school hall.
Both events were ticketed at a flat rate of £5 per child, which included entry, unlimited squash, and glow items. The discos were open to all children at the school. Parents were required to stay for the Infant Disco, whereas the Junior Disco was for children only.
Professional DJs were hired for both events, providing their own lighting, music, and games to ensure engagement throughout. A local ice cream business was partnered with for the infant disco where a percentage of revenue was put towards the event in return for supporting with custom. This was something the children also relished.
There was huge uptake for both discos from across all year groups proving its popularity for subsequent years.
Parent Quiz Night
The PTA held a successful quiz night at the beginning of 2025, reflecting on events and highlights from 2024. The event was well attended by parents and carers and proved to be an enjoyable adults-only evening, building on the success of a similar event the previous year.
A bar was available throughout the evening, and guests were able to pre-order cheese and charcuterie platters. Prizes were awarded to the winning teams.
Uniform Sales
As in previous years, the PTA held several second-hand uniform sales throughout the year. These often take place in the church next to the school and provide an opportunity for parents and members of the school community to meet and connect.
The uniform is generously donated by parents whose children have outgrown their items or have moved on from the school. These are then sold at a low cost to support families while also raising funds for the PTA.
The PTA always ensures there is a uniform sale at the very beginning of term for new families to make use of.
Sponsored Bounce
After a year’s hiatus, the PTA ran a school-wide Sponsored Bounce during the Summer term. The event proved extremely popular and became our biggest fundraiser of the year. Parent volunteers kindly supported the event on the day.
Pupils from across the school had the opportunity to see how many bounces they could complete in one minute, with all participants receiving a certificate to record their achievement.
To encourage teamwork, the winning classes in both the Junior and Infant schools were treated to a special extra break the following week, complete with popcorn and milkshakes.
Parents were invited to support the event by donating via the PTA’s JustGiving page or by contributing cash brought into the school, providing flexible ways for families to take part in the fundraising.
Sports Day Refreshments
The PTA ran a refreshment stall alongside a second-hand uniform stall during the three school sports events. Local businesses were approached, some of whom kindly donated pastries, which were supplemented with additional purchases.
Following the positive feedback received last year, the PTA also provided ice poles for all pupils to enjoy after their races once they had returned to their classrooms.
Summer Festival
The PTA held a Summer Festival this year, having taken a break the previous year due to a lack of volunteers. To make the event more manageable, the format was streamlined and some activities fully outsourced. For example, a Nerf arena was introduced that children and parents could pre-book. This provided a lively and engaging 30-minute entertainment slot and required no volunteers as it was run by an external company. This was a new addition for the school and offered something different from previous years. It also served to guarantee footfall as the children and parents had prebooked their slots.
Refreshments were available throughout the event, including a bar, barbecue, ice creams and sweets, alongside additional food, and drink options.
The PTA also invited the local fire brigade to attend. They provided both fun and educational engagement for the children and parents, allowing them to explore the fire engine and speak with the firefighters, finishing with an exciting water display.
Local businesses were invited to take part in a small shopping area with stalls, and a local jewellery company sponsored the event in exchange for branding throughout the festival. Meat was also sourced locally from Southborough Butchers who offered it at cost price.As always, the PTA ensured there were free activities available, including a craft table run by teachers, music from a DJ throughout the event, beat the goalie football games and the opportunity to visit the fire engine.
Additional Fundraising
- Tote Bags: The PTA partnered with a local company to design tote bags for each class
in the school. Working with the Head of Art, pupils were able to contribute to their class bag design by adding their own painted handprints, creating a unique and personal keepsake.
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Crazy Hair Day: The PTA organised a Crazy Hair Day for pupils, where children could come to school with fun and creative hairstyles and accessories in exchange for a £1 donation. This was a popular and enjoyable fundraiser for the school community.
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Mad Hatter’s Tea Party: To welcome all new Reception families into the school and give them an opportunity to meet the PTA ran a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in the first few weeks of term. This consisted of crafting and cake, and donations were requested for the refreshments.
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Legoland: The PTA partnered with Legoland for one of the school’s inset days to offer tickets to the school community.
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Donut Sale: The PTA held an ever-popular donut sale in the Spring term.
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Christmas Performance Donations: The PTA asked for donations from families during the annual school Christmas performances.
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Match Funding: Employers of patents of the school who donated an amount equal to the money raised by individuals.
Financial Review
| Financial Review | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds Raised | Income | Expenses | Net Income | Notes |
| Christmas Fayre | £6,965 | (£2,299) | £4,666 | |
| Fireworks | £9,799 | (£4,235) | £5,564 | |
| Summer Festival | £6,965 | (£3,382) | £2,933 | |
| Quiz Night | £1,251 | (£546) | £705 | |
| Smaller Events | £2,692 | (£1,353) | £1,339 | |
| Christmas Performance Donations |
£895 | £0 | £895 | |
| Junior Disco/Infant Parties |
£1,945 | (£525) | £1,420 | |
| Sponsored Bounce | £8,635 | (£206) | £8,429 | |
| Handprint Tote Bags | £1,914 | (£815) | £1,098 | |
| Second Hand Uniform |
£1,678 | £0 | £1,678 | |
| Match Funding | £1,570 | £0 | £1,570 |
| Other | £1,865 | £0 | £1,865 | Interest earned/Online Shopping/100 Club |
| TOTALS | £45,498 | (£13,361) | £32,161 |
This has been a highly profitable year for the PTA, benefiting from several successful largescale events and the return of the Sponsored Bounce. However, costs are increasing across the board, particularly for events such as the fireworks display and the food and refreshments required at our activities. Going forward, the PTA will continue to ensure that pricing strategies balance fundraising needs with affordability for families in the school community.
Running so many events has also helped to strengthen the sense of community within the school and the wider local area. The PTA will continue to promote appropriate events to the local community to further build connections while raising additional funds for the school.
Operating costs continued to be insurance, JustGiving and QuickBooks.
Financial Reserves
At the end of August 2025, the PTA had £21,709 in reserve funds.
Donations and AGM
An AGM was held on March 21[st] , 2025, with 20 members of the committee in attendance. The AGM was chaired by Samantha Geenty (Co-Chair) and Emma Savage (Headteacher) was also in attendance. Spending of funds was voted on and agreed by those in attendance.
Subsequently, in total the PTA donated £14,704 to the school this year (minus admin expenses):
----- Start of picture text -----
Use of Funds
Infant Christmas party £434
iPads for Classrooms £12,947
Dictionaries/Thesauruses £1,082
Year 6 Leavers Party £240
Admin Expenses £1,284
TOTAL £15,988
----- End of picture text -----
N.B. Admin – Thank you gifts for teaching and facilities staff, QuickBooks subscription, new Sum-up machines, Parent Kind membership, JustGiving subs and interest payable.
Learning Outcomes
There were many learning outcomes some of which are detailed below:
Volunteers: There was a significant increase in support this year, due to a more inclusive approach to the PTA and clear, consistent communication about the need for volunteers to run events. Maintaining this strong sense of camaraderie and enthusiasm for volunteering must remain a priority going forward. A strategy should be in place to keep volunteers engaged, informed, and up to date with upcoming opportunities.
Costs: Costs continue to rise across the board, making it important to carefully manage pricing for tickets, food, and drinks to maintain fundraising margins while keeping events affordable for participants. Partnering with local businesses, such as Southborough Butchers, to purchase produce at cost is an approach to continually explore and develop for future events. Adopting a strategy of ‘selling out’ rather than having stock left over is a lesson learnt to reduce physical and financial waste.
Scale of Events: After cancelling the summer event the previous year due to a lack of support, adopting a strategy that required fewer volunteers was a major success. Outsourcing activities and streamlining the offerings allowed this to happen. It not only allowed the PTA to raise more funds by running the school’s third large-scale event of the year but also provided a valuable opportunity for engagement with the local community, particularly families whose children are due to join the school in the following academic year.
Low Bang Fireworks: After several years of receiving noise complaints from residents, the PTA trialled low-bang fireworks for this year’s event. While the event was an enormous success, particularly from a fundraising perspective, feedback suggested that some residents interpreted “low-bang” to mean “no-bang.” To avoid further confusion and to ensure the level of excitement the school community expects from the event, the PTA plans to revert to standard fireworks whilst ensuring that appropriate and timely notice is provided to all local residents and businesses ahead of time.
Community Engagement: Over the past year, increased engagement with the local community enabled the PTA to raise additional funds by opening large-scale events to attendees beyond the school. This approach also helped generate sponsorship, most notably from a local estate agent and a jeweller and provided more raffle prizes for parents and children.
Heat: It is worth noting the risks associated with high temperatures at the summer event. Inflatables had to be closed due to heat and burn safety concerns. In future, it may be prudent to include a break clause allowing cancellation in extreme temperatures, or to consider alternatives to inflatables.
First Aid: Outsourcing first aid for larger events not only relieved the PTA of the responsibility of finding a qualified volunteer but also enhanced the safety of all participants.
Inclusion: Ensuring that all large events include quiet zones and clearly advertising the need for ear defenders or additional resources, helped to make events inclusive for all pupils. Outsourcing first aid also ensured we were inclusive of all medical needs.
Marketing and social media: Too few people on the Board limited the time available to dedicate to marketing and social media. Having a dedicated person on the Board to drive this would greatly benefit funds and engagement.
Lead Times: There were too few trustees relative to the number of events run, which led to burnout and limited the ability to plan events with sufficient lead time to maximise interest and revenue. Moving forward, it is important to have more individuals taking the lead on events to share responsibilities and ensure effective planning.
Future Planning
New Trustees: With the departure of three trustees during this academic year and notice from the Treasurer, a new wave of trustees will need to be recruited. The plan is to engage with parents from the new Reception intake through messaging from the Headteacher and the PTA in the Autumn term. The aim is to have a minimum of 4 new trustees in place by Christmas, allowing the group to move forward collaboratively into the following academic year.
Event Leads: To ensure each event has a designated lead to maximise its potential and fundraising revenue. Responsibility for generating ideas, planning, and executing the event should rest with the event lead(s), with the board providing oversight of expenditure and the Chair approving all final spend.
Earlier Planning: Earlier planning in place for events and smaller scale fundraisers like raffles to maximise potential revenue and reduce Trustee burnout.
Event Scale: Where financially feasible, to continue to outsource activities to minimise the number of volunteers required, ensuring that events can run smoothly without the risk of being postponed or cancelled.
AGMs: To continue to hold AGMs to ensure transparency regarding finances and planned expenditure. The Headteacher should continue to provide input on spending priorities and school needs in consultation with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and wider teaching staff. Possible note on ensuring maximum attendance at AGMs.
Inclusion: To ensure that all events are inclusive, an inclusion policy should be developed. Additionally, a note on inclusivity should be made for each event to ensure that proper consideration and planning have been applied.
Wider PTA Engagement: To continue to engage the wider PTA Committee by requesting small amounts of support regularly, while ensuring that members who do not actively contribute are reviewed and, if necessary, removed from the committee. To continually ask for ideas and feedback so that they can be weaved into future plans.
Social Media and Marketing: To recruit a dedicated Marketing and Social Media Manager to maximise engagement with the PTA and its fundraising activities. This role will ensure timely and effective communication across all platforms, reducing the messaging workload currently carried by the Chairs.
Pricing Strategy: To conduct a full review of prices across the board – ticketing, refreshments etc. to ensure that pricing is fair but that margins remain a focus of the PTA fundraising.
Promotion of Small Wins: To focus on promoting and maximising smaller, ongoing fundraising opportunities that generate regular income, such as match funding, the 100 Club, and school name-tag partnerships. Awareness of these initiatives is currently limited, so they need to be better marketed and communicated to ensure the whole school
community understands how they can take part and contribute.
Future Fundraiser Ideas:
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Break the Rules Day
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Smarties Tube Fundraiser
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Sponsored Mile/Mini Marathon
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Sponsored Colour Run
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Partnerships to Match Legoland
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Alternative Adult Evenings – Comedy/Racing/Bingo/Wine Tasting
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Family Silent Discos
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Designed Tea Towels
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Family Potted Sports Day
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Frozen Fridays
Additionally, the two co-chairs commit to meeting with the headteacher in the new academic year to discuss the potential for moving fundraising away from the proposed hub idea (due to KCC constraints on the acquisition of the building) and focus on new projects that can have more immediate benefit to those that have donated.
Risk Management
Financial Risk Management
The PTA has a Treasurer and two Chairs, all of whom have access to the bank account to ensure full accountabilities for all funds received and spent.
The PTA operates a two-signatory policy for all bank payments, providing security and protecting all parties involved. At the end of the year, all transactions are independently checked by a party outside the PTA to add an extra layer of accountability.
Any cash counted after events is double-checked before being deposited, and full records are maintained. All petty cash is stored in a locked safe and may only be accessed by a limited number of authorised staff on school premises.
As annual income exceeded £25,000, the accounts have been reviewed by an independent auditor in accordance with Charity Commission requirement.
Risk Assessments
Risk assessments are in place for each event in line with HSE and KCC recommendations. All activities are assessed identifying any risks of accidents, safeguarding, disabilities, and medical needs (i.e. allergies, diabetes, and asthma, which follows the procedure needed within the school).
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
In conclusion, this has been a hugely successful and rewarding year for the PTA, with many achievements in fundraising, events. and community engagement. We are deeply grateful to ourtrustees, committee members, volunteers, parents, staff, governors, and local businesses for their support. Looking ahead, the PTA is excited to continue building on this momentum, welcoming new trustees. and delivering events that benefit the pupils and the wider school community. Together, the PTA looks forward to another successful year of collaboration, fun, and fundraising. Co-chair.. Co-chair.. Signed: Signed: Printed: SAMANTHA GEENTY Printed: ROSIE LINDLEY Date= 04.02.2026 Date= 04.02.2026 io
Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Southborough C of E Primary School PTA On accounts for the year ended 31ST August 2025 Charity no (if any) 1072957 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity {e Trusf) for the year ended 3110812025. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 <e Act"}. I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(51(bl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm thal no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Independent examiner's ststement Signed: Date: 201 Name: Relevant professional qualificalion(s) or body (if any): Address: J INOM ILL -FALm (VJL£g 9.4 g i £IlJEC. c IAL_f?tsJT sf 6 IL6. dcLS, ttP[ Lk£ IER October 2018
Charity Name Southborough C of E Primary School PTA
No (if any) 1072957 CC16a
Receipts and payments accounts
For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01/09/2024 31/08/2025
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 1,214 40,302 1,570 607 1,678 - 83 44 45,498 - - - 45,498 - 13,737 504 216 162 14,704 26 - - 29,349 - 381 433 813 30,162 15,336 - 5,535 20,871 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 1,214 40,302 1,570 607 1,678 - 83 44 45,498 - - - 45,498 - 13,737 504 216 162 14,704 26 - - 29,349 381 433 813 30,162 15,336 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
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| 100 Club | 1,214 | 1,264 | ||||
| Events | 40,302 | 24,058 | ||||
| Match Funding | 1,570 | 840 | ||||
| Online ShoppingCommission | 607 | 96 | ||||
| Second Hand Uniform Sales | 1,678 | 1,731 | ||||
| Gift Aid | - | - | ||||
| Gift Aid Donations(GASDS) | 83 | 312 | ||||
| Interest | 44 | 501 | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
45,498 | 28,802 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
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| 28,802 | ||||||
| Events | 13,737 | 10,257 | ||||
| Support Costs(Administrations) | 504 | 181 | ||||
| RaisingFunds(Just Giving) | 216 | 216 | ||||
| Professional Fees | 162 | 602 | ||||
| Southborough C of E Primary Donations | 14,704 | 46,678 | ||||
| Interest Payable | 26 | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 29,349 | 57,934 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
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| Stock for Fireworks Event | 381 | |||||
| Stock - Bar for future events | 433 | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 813 | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
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| 57,934 | ||||||
| 15,336 | - | - | 15,336 | - 29,131 | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5,535 | - | - | 5,535 | 34,666 | ||
| 20,871 | - | - | 20,871 | 5,535 |
30/06/2026
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B1 Cash funds |
Signature Details Details Details Details Stock for Fireworks Events Stock - Bar for future events Lloyds Business Bank A/c Lloyds Treasurers A/c Petty Cash/Accrual Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 516 - 20,174 - 180 - 20,871 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 381 - 433 - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Sarah Dunstall |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
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| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
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| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
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| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
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| Sarah Dunstall | 30.06.26 | ||
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
30/06/2026
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2