HOLTSPUR SCHOOL & PRESCHOOL PTA COMMITTEE’S REPORT FOR 2019-20
This is the report by the PTA Chair for 2019-20 to be presented at the Annual General Meeting on Monday 9 November 2020 at 20:30 by Zoom. At the end of each financial year (the end of the school year) we are legally obliged to finalise our books, have them audited by an independent accountant and then present them to the PTA members for acceptance. Parents are always welcome to any meeting, but this is the formal opportunity to scrutinize what the PTA does during the year on your behalf, to provide feedback and elect your committee for the new financial year. There are no matters arising from the last AGM.
2019-20 was an unprecedented year for the PTA with the school closing at the end of March due to the COVID-19 lockdown, bringing an abrupt end to our usual calendar of fundraising events. Notwithstanding that, we had a very successful first half of the year and a runaway success in the summer, post lockdown, with the inaugural Holtspur Scarecrow Trail organised by Felicity Dexter.
Firstly, I, as an individual, and we, as a committee, would like to thank all those who have worked so hard by taking responsibility for running events and fundraising for the school. In particular I would like to thank Cathryn Anderson and Lorraine Adnett for organising the fantastic Family Fireworks event, complete with local DJ, Briony Markham and Emma Hanford for running the ever popular Wine Tasting at Laithwaites, Melissa Oxnam and Christine Adali for spreading some festive cheer by organising and running the Christmas Fair, including turning the Nest into a magnificent Santa’s Grotto, Dee and Manu Dillon for turning St Thomas’ hall into a glamorous space for an adults-only disco and Cathryn Anderson and team for running the Sponsored Bounce. This was the point of the year at which the reality of COVID struck and PTA activities on site were paused as the school closed.
However, even a lockdown didn’t stop the most determined members of our school community, with Felicity Dexter running a fantastic scarecrow trail in the summer. This was incredibly well received by the community and is now planned to be an annual event. The Committee would like to say a huge thank you to Felicity for having the idea and putting all the work into making the Scarecrow Trail a success, as well running the second-hand School Uniform shop all year round which raises hundreds of pounds each year. As the Chair, it is a privilege to be involved in an organisation where the people involved are so committed to raising funds for the school. A wider thank you must also go to everyone who participated by coming along to PTA events, donated items, and the large number of volunteers who gave their time to help out at an event, without which no events could run at all. A thank you also to Class Reps for sending reminders, coordinating donations and running Fun Food Fridays.
A special mention must also go to Maxine Ashman, who is tireless in applying for grants for various projects for the school and whose work in this regard is so vital in terms of fundraising.
Outside of events and grants, we continue to raise funds through the “Easy Fundraising” website and Amazon Smile for online shopping, as well as the Buckinghamshire Lottery. We review these schemes each year and are always open to new suggestions to ensure we are making the most of the fundraising opportunities that are available to us.
In terms of spending, a treasurer’s report from Melissa and Ben Oxnam will be available separately. To summarise, we ended the year with approximately £9000 in the bank.
In 2018-2019 one of the key areas for spending was turning the area behind the Nest into a useable area for LOTC and replacing the dining room floor, some of the expenditure for which tipped over into this financial year. In the summer of 2019, the school undertook a major renovation of the school toilets, to which the PTA was asked to contribute. Funds were raised for this project in the summer term of 2018-19 and the autumn term of 2019-20. In total £20,000 was given to the school for the toilet renovation. Having subsequently looked at the project costs, the school decided not all of the funds were required for that purpose and as such the school is currently holding a few thousand pounds of PTA money, to be spent on projects approved by PTA members. The focus for the next year looks like it may be the ICT suite, with a new smart whiteboard being a priority.
In the spring term, the priority for the PTA was to pay for each child to take part in a ‘History Off the Pages’ Day or to enjoy Zoolab coming into the preschool. Sadly, only Years 3 and 6 managed to benefit from these experiences before lockdown; however the school was able to obtain a refund for the cancelled days and as soon as they are permitted to happen, the PTA will do its best to fund them again. They are an excellent example of how the PTA funds can add value by providing experiences for the children that otherwise they might miss out on. Following the lockdown in March, any further spending plans were put on hold until the new school year, which also coincided with a change in Bursar and Headteacher.
In terms of the role of the PTA members, over the past year, we have tried to ensure greater clarity regarding the process by which spending is approved so that parents are able to see where the funds that are raised are used. The Chair meets with the school leadership team each term in advance of the PTA meeting to discuss what the school’s spending priorities are. These are then discussed at a PTA meeting by those present and either approved, or alternative suggestions made. The PTA Committee is always open to new ideas and/or suggestions and we always welcome any parents or staff members to our meetings.
Before we nominate people for next year’s named roles in the Committee we would like to say an enormous thank you to Clare Warnett and Emma Hanford who, who are stepping down as CoSecretaries. Emma has been involved with the PTA for well over ten years and Clare has been an invaluable source of support as the former Chair of the PTA and as Secretary over the past two years. Their efforts have been very much appreciated and we would like to thank them both so much for all their hard work and their promise of continued support for the PTA. Karen Usmani and Lucy SnowballOver have been proposed and seconded to take over the role of Co-Secretaries and we look forward to welcoming them on to the PTA Committee.
TREASURER’S REPORT
For period 1st September 2019 to 31 August 2020
The Treasurer's report is more formal and is a presentation of the examined accounts for the past year. The Treasurer should detail the income of the association over the year, the expenditure made from this income and any balance remaining. The accounts should be examined but this does not mean conducting a complete audit. It is sufficient that someone with some relevant experience be appointed but this cannot be a committee member or someone who is connected to anyone on the committee. The independent examiner should verify the accounts as a true record. At the end of their presentation, the Treasurer should ask
for the accounts to be formally accepted and approved by a vote of all those present and entitled to vote at the AGM.
As the PTA Treasurer, I need to give a formal summary of our accounts for the year ending 31 August 2020.
➢ Total INCOME over the year was £ 37,527.13 (including the following grants: a final payment of £250.00 from the Heathrow Community Fund and £2,500 from the Beaconsfield Old Church School)
➢ Total EXPENDITURE over the year was £48,668.51 (including payments to the school and pre-school for activities and equipment of £38,327.15)
➢ Our BANK BALANCE at the end of the last school year therefore decreased from £20,258.91 to £9,117.53.
➢ PTA fundraising and events for the year raised £12,820.84 after expenses, including the following key events: FFF 105.10 Wine Tasting 1325.22 Fireworks 5288.35 Christmas Fair 3279.36 Sponsor Bounce 436.50 Second Hand Uniform 145.00 Scarecrow Trail 1122.02 Parent Disco 1119.29
➢ A total of £38,327.15 was spent on Equipment and Activities for the school and preschool, as follows:
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£8,130.00 for the floor in the dining hall• £8,800.00 for the Nest Outdoor Learning Garden
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£10,000.00 towards the cost of refurbishing the school toilets
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£285.15 PTA contribution towards Year 6 Hoodies
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£99.00 for Pantomime performance of Cinderella
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£1,013.00 for History off the pages experience days for Year 3 and Year [6]
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£10,000.00 held on account by the school to be used for purposes approved by the PTA Committee
Before I hand back to Emma Morton, I have to formally ask for the accounts to be accepted and approved by a vote of people here who are PTA members. Please raise your hands if you approve the accounts. → approved
VOTING
The attendees will first be asked confirm that they approve (or not) the Chair’s reports (vote taken by show of hands) and approve by the accounts (vote taken by show of hands).
The last formality of the AGM is to vote to approve the committee for the coming year. The committee’s job is to represent you all when it comes to fundraising and spending money to benefit all the children in the school and preschool. As a registered charity, all elected committee members are also trustees of the charity, which means that they have formal responsibility for making sure that it is solvent, well run and meeting the needs for which it has been set up.
The members standing for election are: Emma Morton: Chair
Dee Dhillon: Deputy Chair
Ben and Melissa Oxnam: Co-Treasurers Karen Usmani and Lucy Snowball-Over: Co-Secretaries Maxine Ashman: Communications and Grants (Vote taken by show of hands)
Jacqui Blackmore also sits on the PTA committee currently as the Deputy Head and School’s PTA liaison.
Emma Morton Chair
9 November 2020
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