Parent Teacher Association

Introducing the PTA

Dear Parents and Carers,

We feel that it is now the right time to properly introduce ourselves given that we have successfully launched a new PTA this academic year and are keen to get involved with future school events. The PTA are a group of volunteer parents and school staff who will work together to help to fund and make opportunities for students whilst they are at Hartford Church of England High School. Essentially, we will arrange fun events and activities for the students and raise vital funds to enhance their school experience. The funds can be used to provide the year 11 ties, sports equipment for break times, online subscriptions to support learning and homework, or accumulate to provide more expensive investments in the school. A wide range of expenditure can be considered, and parents vote on which to invest in.

All the school’s parents and staff can automatically members of the PTA. However a smaller group of parents form a committee, which ensures the PTA is run as a registered charity. Our registration is no 518983. Click on the number to see the details! This means we can run a bank account, apply for grants and funding, and obtain matched funding from a wide range of employers. We have strict regulations around the charity. The discussion around events and plans for the students is always the main focus of PTA meetings however, there may be small administrative tasks that need to be completed too. Recently we elected all parents who wanted to be members of our committee however, unfortunately, the Treasurer needs to step down, so we are urgently seeking a parent or member of staff who can look after the finances for us. If you are interested in this role, please read the job specification and email pta@hartfordcehigh.co.uk if you believe you are a suitable candidate for this position.

A PTA can be hugely successful and beneficial for a school, however, to make all of this happen, we need volunteer parents to help out. It can be in very small ways, for example spending an hour or two doing a task at home in your free time, helping in school with one of the events, researching suppliers for items we need for events, contacting local businesses for raffle prizes, or some parents might like to co-ordinate an event themselves (with support). Those who can offer an hour or two of support are called micro-volunteers because these parents dip in and out throughout the year, helping in whatever way they are able to; we are beyond grateful for their support. Micro volunteers are in a WhatsApp group so that they can hear about the events and activities coming up and know where help is needed. They also join online and in person PTA meetings when they can, to participate in planning the upcoming activities. All events are supported by the PTA Committee who will arrange all the finance, liaison with the school, risk assessments, insurance, licences etc. The micro volunteers do the fun bits!

Currently we only have parents in Year 7 in the PTA and we would love to have some parents involved who have more experience of the school and who have the knowledge of what activities older students would enjoy. We would also welcome any grandparents and relatives who might be willing to help out. Please email pta@hartfordcehigh.co.uk if you would like to join the PTA micro volunteer group, or are able to help with the Committee.

Current structure of the PTA

Committee Members are:

Hannah Graham, Chair, Trustee
Janine Kettle, Vice Chair, Trustee
Gavin Ball, Treasurer, Trustee (THIS ROLE IS BEING URGENTLY RECRUITED)
Claire Dutton, Secretary, Trustee
Lauren Pendlebury, Grants & Funding Officer
Lisa Stockall, Matched Funding Officer
Vacant, Events Officer
Vacant, Lottery & Raffles Officer
Amber Gregory, School Link
Sarah-Jane Falconer, Governor Link

The PTA recently re-formed after it dissolved around the time of the Covid pandemic. The charity needs a Constitution voting-in before we can open a bank account, obtain insurance for events etc. We are therefore giving 21 days' notice that an Extraordinary General Meeting will take place at Hartford Church of England High School from 6-7pm on Wednesday 11th December 2024. We really need micro-volunteers to come along to vote this document in, along with a host of policies to support it, and spend some time chatting through the Christmas Events for the students. Please come along if you can.

If you have any further questions do not hesitate to get in contact with the PTA. We look forward to working with you to support our children in the next stages of their learning journey at Hartford Church of England High School.

Parent Teacher Association

Introducing the PTA

Key Documents