Andrews Memorial Primary School
Parent Teacher Association
Trustee Annual Report
Year ended 31 August 2023
1. Objectives and Activities
The objectives of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) are:
-
To organise fundraising events for the benefit of all children in the school; and
-
To organise social events for all parents and children in the school and develop links in the wider community.
Funds raised by the PTA are to purchase educational and recreational materials for the benefit of all the children at Andrews Memorial Primary School (AMPS).
Some of the activities which took place during the year ended 31 August 2023 were as follows:
- Supporting the school with refreshments at their event “A Trip down memory lane”
*Easter disco and Tuckshop
-
Tuckshop and refreshments at The Lion king school play
-
Tuck shops at sports day
-
Summer fair
Full report by chairperson is included in appendix a
The key activities were mainly gained towards fundraising as well as providing some fun for the children and to recruit new members of the PTA to reinvigorate the committee and recruit new . associate members who wish to volunteer at individual events. The PTA was able to provide funds for an outdoor classroom and 10 new computers
2. Achievements and Performance
We started the school year by deciding not to ask for voluntary subscriptions from families as many were still struggling financially due to global pandemic.
The PTA was successful in attracting many new members, and meetings were changed to alternate between evenings and afternoons. This allowed more parents than ever to get involved. On Valentines day a sweet treat and note was sent home with every people inviting parents to consider getting involved.
The number of events overall and the amount of fundraising taking place was still reduced in number as it was difficult to get things moving after the pandemic.
3. Financial review
According to PTA treasurer, Ms. Elaine Dempster, an excess of receipts over payments of £9,560 was reported during financial year ending August 2023.
Overall, an income of £12,189 was recorded.
Income differs from previous years due to changes of committee members, different events being trialled and a lack of opportunity to run events in the first half of the financial year.
As of 1[st] September 2022, the opening balance/reserve was £6,912 . With an excess in receipts of £9,560. The total profit made was £2,629. The closing reserve was £9,542.
Our PTA policy is to keep a small reserve each year to allow funds to be available for future fundraising projects and unexpected falls in income.
*The amount we hold in reserve will vary from year to year depending on future projects and the needs of the school
*Our reserves can be spent when agreed by the PTA committee and in line with the aims of the PTA committee
*The reserves policy is reviewed annually with the principal of the school.
There are no current uncertainties regarding the PTA’s ability to continue as a going concern.
4. Future Plans.
The future plans of the PTA are to continue to focus on building a strong committee to continue fundraising for the school and continue to improve bonds within our school family and local community.
It is hoped to continue with popular events and be able to hold more events for the children where the can resume normal social activities.
We aim to continue to fund ICT resources, classroom refurbishment and improve the outside areas of the school grounds and playground. The school identified the playground and its equipment as an area which could use substantial investment.
5. Structure, Governance and Management
The trustees who held post throughout 2022/2023 were
Ralph Magee
John Sandford
Emma Lynch
Andrea Downey
Charity trustees are the parents of current AMPS pupils who volunteer to be members of the PTA committee along with the principal and vice-principal of AMPS.
The PTA is governed by its constitution which has been agreed and is adhered to by all members of the PTA committee.
Appendix a
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrews Memorial PTA membership and enthusiasm had suffered greatly. Thankfully, a handful of parents remained committed to keeping the PTA in operation and it was decided 2023 would be a year for reinvigoration and re-energising of fundraising efforts.
The school provided fundraising goals for the PTA which included new IT equipment and an outdoor classroom area, as well as a financial contribution towards the costs of the school production of The Lion King.
The PTA agreed to initially prioritise recruitment of new members. Mr Sandford designed eyecatching recruitment materials and these were given to all parents together with chocolates for Valentine’s Day. Recruitment information was also circulated by email to all parents. As 7pm meetings were proving difficult for parents to attend, it was decided some of the meetings going forward would take place at 3pm, with provision for children to be cared for by a teacher in a nearby classroom. This proved very popular and soon the membership numbers were growing.
In March 2023, an event was arranged to celebrate the AMPS 50[th] anniversary. ‘A Trip Down Memory Lane’ was a fantastic event arranged by the school and supported by the PTA who provided hundreds of shortbread biscuits for visitors. On 30[th] March, the children were delighted to see the return of the school disco, this year arranged to coincide with Easter. The PTA provided a tuck shop for this event which was a successful fundraiser.
April 2023 also caused great excitement within AMPS, as the PTA ran a hugely successful Pub Quiz in McBrides on the Square. We could not have predicted how triumphant this event would have been. Every available quiz admission and ballot ticket was sold out on the evening. The ballot prizes were donated by extremely generous local businesses and everyone had a fantastic evening. Everybody who attended was keen to know when the next AMPS pub quiz would be arranged!
May was another busy month for the PTA tuck shop, which was in attendance at every performance of The Lion King as well as both P1-4 and P5-7 Sports Days. These tuck shops have proven really popular and make a reasonable return, particularly teas and coffees.
June 2023 was a fantastic finale for the year. The PTA arranged an event that would exceed expectations and surpass the fundraising targets due to massive local support. The Summer Fair had 30 small business stalls and food vendors, crafts, outdoor games, preloved uniform sales, book and toy sales and the ever-popular tombolas. This event was extremely well attended, despite the inclement weather. The ballot proved popular again, with the remainder of the kindly donated prizes being shared with the winners. June was also an opportunity to welcome new children and parents into the school as the PTA provided tea and coffee at the P1 induction days. The final event for the year was tea and coffee provision for the P1-3 end-of-year service.
The PTA benefitted from the Asda Health Scheme and kind support from Santander with the Summer Fair.
Due to the cost of living crisis, the decision was taken not to collect annual subs or charge for events such as non-uniform days and the pumpkin carving competition during this academic year.
The PTA were delighted to provide the school with all required funds for a new outdoor classroom and 10 new computers for the ICT suite.
All-in-all a really busy year and a lot of hard work from the PTA members. Sincere thanks to the teachers for all of their hard work and support of the PTA. Heartfelt gratitude to the new and existing PTA members and parent-helpers without whom none of these events would have been possible.
Russell Hughes
j