Minutes of Loose Primary School Committee Meeting Wednesday 14 th January 2015 Present: Lucy Dewar Gavin Richards Linda Bremerkamp Michelle Finnegan Sarah Syrett Sam Hilder Bella Golding Jen Cox Steve Clements Charlotte Prior Michelle Garrett Debbie Bashford Rachel Hargrave Caroline Clements Gena Mellett Ingrid Dutch Nicola Jones Caroline Sexton Malandra Cornell Andrea Muir Sonia Nunn Item 1 Apologies Apologies were received from Louise Bird, Caroline Howarth and Michelle Brennan. Item 2 Acceptance of Previous Minutes The previous minutes were accepted. Item 3 Code of Conduct The committee agreed to adopt the Code of Conduct as a set of guidelines for the running of the PTA. It was clarified that the Code of Conduct is the one provided by PTA UK and applies to all ordinary and committee members, not just those with named roles. Item 4 Committee Roles and Class Reps Clarification was required over the named committee roles which had been agreed at the AGM, as well as some discussion over whether some were still appropriate within the new organisation: 4.1 Secretary, Chair, Treasurer These named positions have detailed roles, outlined on PTA UK. Copies are available on request.
4.2 Marketing Michelle Garrett has taken on this role, and it was clarified that this entails the maintenance of the facebook page as well as regular newsletters and the website. 4.3 Raffle Coordinators It was agreed that this will no longer be a permanent named position, but a Raffle Coordinator will be agreed for each raffle that is run, with a number of helpers. It will be important to ensure that clear guidelines are available for the individuals who take on this role in the future so that a comprehensive process can be followed. 4.4 Noticeboards Bella is happy to continue in this role, with the responsibility of ensuring that noticeboards are up to date. It may be necessary to display A5 notices on the KS1 noticeboard rather than A4 as it is relatively small. 4.5 Posters Charlotte is happy to continue to provide posters, although it was stated that should an individual who is organising an event prefer to organise the posters themselves then that is equally acceptable. 4.6 Event Coordinator Jen is currently in this role. However, with the merging of the former Junior PTA and Infant PTFA, the number of events has increased substantially and it was agreed that it is no longer realistic to have one person in charge of organising events. An Event Coordinator will be required for each individual event, but the PTA would like to encourage different people to take on responsibilities for different events. To ensure joint working of the Primary School PTA and as discussed at the previous meeting organised by Mr Webb, preference was for at least one person from the former Infant PTFA and at least one from the former Junior PTA to act as event coordinators to ensure that knowledge was shared on how different events work
4.7 Class Reps It was agreed that Class Reps will once again be sought as these provide a valuable point of contact between parents and the PTA. Individual class reps will move to Year Group reps in the KS2 years of the school, as at this point the classes are mixed up. Sam will email existing class reps and committee members to try to gain reps for each KS1 class and each KS2 year group. The possibility of providing each class with a personalised letter introducing their class rep was also discussed, and it was suggested that this would help to clarify the role of the class rep and ensure that as many parents as possible became involved with the PTA at an early point. It was also agreed that the committee need to look to harness the strengths of as many parents within the school community as possible, in terms of companies that could assist with materials as well as matched giving. 5.1 Shopping Evening Item 5 Feedback from Previous Events There was a good selection of stalls at the Shopping Evening, and a profit of 790.56 was raised. Parking raised some issues, and lighting could also be looked at in future for improvements. With notice, the King George V pavilion may be used for future parking if there is not an event already on at the building. In future, stall holders could be allocated their halls in advance of arriving at the event. Staggered arrival times were also suggested. More helpers would be need in future for setting up the event. The office were not aware of the contact details of the event organisers, but this issue should not occur in the future as an events sheet has been produced for the office with all the relevant details on it. For future events, the PTA will need to coordinate with Mr Lacey in respect of opening and closing the school. It was suggested that feedback forms could be left for stall holders in future to gain more of a picture of their views on the running and success of the event. 5.2 Quiz Night The Quiz Night went very well and was well attended with nine teams. Another Quiz Night could be run again before the end of the school year. 5.3 Christmas Fair This event went very well, with a profit of approximately 2,600 when the Christmas Raffle and Secrets Room are included.
An outdoor BBQ could be considered as an alternative to turkey rolls in the future as it may not be possible to obtain turkeys next year. Mulled wine may not be provided at next year s event, as this did not generate enough profit. A tokens system could be considered for next year to avoid any confusion over which presents children have paid for. The dressing up room was very successful. It was also suggested that the event be expanded into two halls next year as the hall was quite crowded at times, with people struggling to access stalls. It was discussed that the choir could be asked to perform some carols during the afternoon. 5.4 Secrets Room This project ran very efficiently, and children and pupils seemed happy with their gifts. There were a reasonable number of helpers, although it may be possible to look into extra wrapping stations next year. Consideration was given to the cost of the event which was charged at 1.50 per present, a price of 2 was discussed but not agreed on at this time and would be debated closer to the event. 5.5 Christmas Card Project This went very well, with a good uptake from KS2 pupils, considering that they did not complete the artwork during class time and completed it on a voluntary basis during lunch hours or at home. One order had to be reprinted due to marks which appeared on the cards, but this was done quickly and the parent involved was happy with the reprint. 496 profit was raised by the project. It was suggested that in future the PTA could look at making the project more accessible to KS2 year groups or re-approach the school to run this during lesson times throughout the school as the uptake in KS1 where this was done was extremely high. 5.6 Christmas Raffle A question was raised as to the recording process for raffle stubs, as the names of the purchasers and the ticket numbers are currently recorded on sheets. Gavin stated that this was following the advice of Sevenoaks Council, who issue the licence to the PTA. He will follow up with Sevenoaks Council to check that this is still the process that they advise. All stubs also have to be kept for three years following the raffle draw for audit purposes. The need for correct information on the tickets was also raised as an important detail, as the charity number was incorrect on the Christmas Raffle tickets. This should not arise in future.
5.7 Christmas Lunch The children loved the hats and tablecloths, and many continued to wear their hats in the playground after their meal. In future, different table cloths would be sourced. There was confusion over the budget set for this project. The budget set at the previous meeting was 250, but this was not clearly minuted, and there was some confusion over whether the agreement was for hats or specifically paper hats. Apologies were made for the lack of inclusion of the budget in the minutes. However, it was also made clear that this could have been flagged up by committee members following the distribution and prior to approval of the meeting minutes. The cost of the project was less than the budget allocated to it. Item 6 Forthcoming Events 6.1 Valentines Disco A request had been made by the school to change the date of the Valentines Disco from 13 th February to 6 th February. This was due to the availability of staff on the evening, particularly due to the fact that parents evenings are also taking place during the same week. However, it was felt by the committee members responsible for the disco that too much of the organisation had been done to change the date at this point, as the DJ has been booked and the tickets printed etc. Sam will communicate this to the school. Details were collected from committee members wishing to help on the night with the disco. 6.2 Film Night Approximately 30 tickets remain unsold, but this should not affect the profitability of the event as adult tickets have been charged this time as well as child tickets. Linda will be coordinating the event on the night. As in previous cases, the film will be raffled off at the end of the event. The event will be held in the KS2 hall as the KS1 hall is now used by the after school club. Setting up will take place straight after the end of school on Friday, and anyone who can stay to help clear up at the end of the event would be appreciated.
6.3 PTA Coffee Mornings It has been suggested that the PTA run some coffee mornings, similar to the FLO coffee mornings. These could take place monthly. Sam will feed back to the school that the PTA would like to look into this possibility. It may also be possibly to use these coffee mornings as an opportunity to sell more uniform from the second hand shop, as well as to provide another opportunity for parents to communicate with the PTA. 6.4 Easter Craft Event This event has historically been organised for KS1 children, comprising crafts and refreshments, and more recently an Easter Egg Hunt. It was agreed by the committee that there are simply too many children to continue to offer this event for all year groups, and the event will be modified into two Easter Egg Hunts of different difficulty levels for KS1 and KS2, with refreshments also still being provided. Sam will liaise with the school regarding the possibility of this event, with Friday 27 th March suggested. 6.5 Mothers Day The committee discussed whether a Mothers Day secrets room would be too close to the Easter Event to be profitable, and it was agreed that this would be asking too much money from parents in a short space of time. Therefore there will be no Mothers Day Secrets Room this year, and the committee will look to run Fathers Day events instead. 6.6 Running Community The Running Community will have its first meeting on Sunday 25 th January. This has been advertised through book bags and on facebook. 6.7 Camping The school have agreed that camping can be run once again this year for years r 2, and after discussion it was agreed that the weekend of 16 th / 17 th May will be looked into. 6.8 Summer Inflatable Afternoon A summer inflatable afternoon could be run on the afternoon of 10 th July, meaning a large whole school event to end the year with.
Item 7 Summer Fair The date of Saturday 20 th June has previously been set for this event, and it was agreed that this date will remain. Linda, Michelle Garrett, Sam, Lucy, Gavin and Sonia will be the main organising committee for the event, and will meet before the February committee meeting. They will then present their ideas to the committee for their approval before continuing with the organisation. Bella will also attend this initial meeting to assist in communicating the most successful aspects of the former Junior PTA summer events. Item 8 New Event Ideas During previous discussions with the school, it had been suggested that the new Primary PTA run a completely new event. Committee members had been asked to bring their ideas and suggestions to this meeting. 8.1 Beer Festival This event has been run successfully by other PTAs. It would be open to all, not just those at the school, and for this reason a venue other than the school may be required. It would be a large event to organise and potentially one to look into for 2016. Sponsorship from local breweries would be essential. A prosseco bar could also be run as an alternative to beer. Local bands could be invited to perform at this event, and it was also suggested that Kent Life be approached for suggestions as they also run a similar event. 8.2 Open Air Cinema This is something that could be looked into as a summer event. The PTA have previously run Theatre in the Field events, but not open air cinema. 8.3 Fireworks The PTA committee were very positive about the possibility of running a fireworks event, and this is known to be a large profit maker. BBQ food would be provided as well as the sale of glo items etc. This will be discussed with Mrs Dutch as a possible event. The PTA would ensure that the event did not clash with the event run by the Scouts, but it was agreed that the scouting population of the school is relatively small and there are many people who would welcome this as an event.
8.4 Christmas Present Wrapping It has been suggested by a parent that the PTA run an evening whereby parents bring their purchased Christmas presents to the school and pay the PTA per item to wrap them. It was agreed that this would be possible to trial, and refreshments could also be provided for people to enjoy while their presents were being wrapped. Item 9 Clarification of Funding and Allocation of Funds It was felt that it would be useful to provide clarity over the way in which the PTA funds projects and items within the school. Clarification was given that anyone can propose ideas for the use of the money raised and the committee will vote on each idea individually. The PTA are hoping to receive a wish list from the school in the near future. 3000 has been requested from the school as a contribution to the running costs of the swimming pool. Gavin proposed this and Lucy seconded. A request has also been received for Maidstone Museum to provide workshops for Year 1 pupils to support their learning about toys past and present. The committee agreed this funding. Gavin advised that the school may be looking at buying more books for their new Kindle e-readers but at this time he had no specific ideas on costs and would wait for further information before we can agree funding if needed. Gavin informed the committee that the bank account name has been updated and is now in the name of Loose Primary PTA. Item 10 Storage Space Mr Lacey did a site walk this week to look at storage space, and the reallocation of storage spaces. It has been suggested that the PTA could have use of the large shed on the KS2 playground. This will be confirmed by the school, who will then remove their items from this shed. There is quite a lot of shelving currently in the shed. A concern was raised over the storage of sweets and chocolate, particularly in hot weather, and it may be that an alternative space for items such as these could be found. Once this storage space has been confirmed, a working party will be needed to move all PTA items from all other previous storage spaces, to stock take and to reposition PTA items in the new shed.
11.1 Spelling of Fair / Fayre Item 11 Any Other Business The spelling of Fair / Fayre for the Summer Event was discussed, with the feeling that Fayre is traditionally used to describe food, while Fair would be the correct spelling for the event. 11.2 Well Done There is positivity over the funds raised so far this academic year which total 7500. This is a great result. 11.3 Matched Funding The PTA will look to approach parents who work for business who can provide matched funding. 11.4 Costco Account A Costco account would cost the PTA 30 plus VAT per year. A decision on whether to open an account was deferred. 11.5 Meeting Dates Suggested dates for committee meetings for the remainder of the year will be emailed to the committee shortly, and it was agreed that meetings will be held in the back room of The Chequers. The meeting closed at 10.30pm.
Actions Arising from January Meeting Sam Email existing class reps and committee members to re-establish class reps and year group reps. Gavin Clarify raffle ticket recording process with Sevenoaks Council. Sam Speak to Mrs Holman regarding the date of the Valentines Disco. Sam Liaise with Ingrid regarding PTA coffee mornings. Sam Liaise with school regarding Easter Event. Michelle Garrett Research beer festival event. Linda Contact Stamptastic to run cashback scheme again. Lucy Contact Lee regarding bulk booking of inflatables for summer events. Sam Circulate future meeting dates to committee members and The Chequers.