PTFA meeting minutes, 6 Mar 2025

Attendees: Helen Albon, Johanna Probert, Ellie Eakins, Kat Pollock, Kelly Brown, Sandra Whitehouse, Heather Turner, Sarah Shreeves, Lou Wakefield, Siobhan Riordan

Agenda

Finance
Past events / fundraising totals
Proposed future spending
Planned events
PTFA development
AOB

1) Finance

Current balance in LLoyds: £21819

Recent spending:

£2,216.20 for greenhouse
£1k for books

Simon Voisey, our new Treasurer, and Jason Rayner, previous Treasurer, are currently doing a handover of the Treasurer role. Simon is looking at another system for recording activity related to the account to review expenses and payments.

2) Past events / fundraising totals

Annual report states March 2024 - December past fundraising.

Bake Sales

Year 3 bake sale, Friday 28 Feb: £314 raised.

The bake sales this year are being run in the same way as last year. A guide has been distributed to class reps. The proceeds from all sales will be split equally and given directly to each year group so teachers can buy whatever resources they need for their classes. This year £100 of the total profit will go to the year group that raises the most money.

3) Proposed future spending (remaining commitments up to July 2025)

Meeting with Mrs Ballantine: HA will be meeting with Mrs Ballantine in coming weeks to discuss upcoming school events that the PTFA may be able to support. Also to confirm the school vision for the greenhouse, pond area, back playground and plans for how children will use the areas, to help inform how future funds are spent.

Books: £1000 on books. The book order arrived earlier in the week to coincide with World Book Day. An Instagram reel & PTFA blog have been posted publicising this purchase, with pictures of St Bon's children preparing the books for the school library. Links to these have been sent out to parents on WhatsApp.

Year 6 leavers: £600 and SATs breakfast £200

PTFA contributions agreed from PTFA meetings last year. Year 6 leavers committee are yet to provide details of how they wish to receive the money [Action-KI]

Show you care park elsewhere signage: The issue of cars parking and driving close to school (top of Egerton road) making children's journey to school potentially unsafe has been raised in previous meetings, and by school. The PTFA previously agreed to purchase metal signs to be placed at the top of Egerton road to encourage parents to park elsewhere and make children's journey to school safer. School has previously confirmed that the cleaners would put signs out and take them back in - morning and afternoon. Carol in the school office is the link for this project and should be contacted to confirm price and purchase [Action HA]

Branded St Bons coaching staff tops: Feedback that other schools have school branded tops for teachers / coaches at sporting events to give a professional appearance and to advertise their school. St Bon's children already have branded sports attire. The proposal from Sandra was that we investigate cost of purchasing ‘Coach’ top with St Bons branding.

No objections. HA will review with Mrs Ballantine how many tops we would be looking to purchase ? Miss Rigg, Mr Morgan, Mrs Hinkins and what type of top [Action HA]

Grow with it Project / Greenhouse installation: HA thank you to Kelly for greenhouse base and everyone involved with advising on best way to have greenhouse set up securely.

There are school plans to develop the area into something with a ‘school garden’ feel.

HA already stated above meeting with Mrs Ballantine to discuss vision for grow with it project and how the PTFA can support the development of the garden. KI suggested seed collection - Tesco selling seeds, request to donate these to school. HT request to know school vision and what they are hoping to grow, greenhouse, troughs, raised beds? 1 veg bed available. Children could grow seedlings in the greenhouse - look at having a plant stall at the summer fair to sell what kids have grown.

Norbot the Gnome will be arriving in school this Spring following fundraising from non school uniform day and from the refreshment sale at the Carol service in 2024. Desire to have him visible at the front and in the school garden- no objections.

Action for HA to discuss these ideas with Mrs Ballantine and the Grow With It team.

Galvanised troughs: PTFA have already agreed pending purchase (company identified).

Alex (site manager) has submitted plans for placement of galvanised troughs for health and safety of children, and to help protect greenhouse. Plans include water butts but feeling may not pass risk assessment. Waiting for sign off on position of troughs before purchase. Alex looking into possibility of moving outside tap closer to greenhouse.

Pond: request from school for PTFA support to fund structural work required (pond liner).

Feeling from PTFA that we have in previous years have invested PTFA money and time into re-establishing this area as a resource for the children to benefit from. Did the pond area get used previously, which pupils accessed it, is there a staffing challenge to allow children to access the pond area, could the pond area be re-purposed for something else which would be more readily used by the school, should we ask the children their thoughts?

PTFA request that HA discusses school vision and commitment to maintain pond area to ensure PTFA money is being used efficiently and effectively. HA action

Playground: request from school to spend funds to further enrich children's playing experience in the back playground with a specific focus on activities that would engage older children and encourage them to move and stretch. All part of the previously agreed Grow With It project plan.

Helen in contact with Pentagon Play Playground Equipment Supplier & Manufacturer.

Consider multiple small items instead of 1 item so more children can be engaged in play at any one time considering solar powered stop watch, wicker walkways for wellbeing spaces, Mr Davies feedback included a suggestion for more line markings for 4 square. Back playground space is tricky with bank and sloped area.

Feedback from meeting group:

Monitoring of back playground means that if not enough staff available back playground is not used
Consideration of wellbeing spaces need to be open so children can be supervised appropriately
What do kids want - do we have their voice?
In past we have funded enrichment equipment such as den building quick kit, is it being used, need to justify spend
Request from PTFA for HA to raise this with Mrs Ballantine when they meet (added to above action)
Consider funding a forest school practitioner so there is further access to forest school activities throughout the school (beyond reception and selected others).

4) Planned events

All dates agreed with school now.

February

Daffodils sale: this didn’t happen on Friday 28 Feb to celebrate St David’s Day as the prices were too high. Discussed how we might move this to just before Mother’s Day on Friday 28 March subject to cost of daffodils. There was a discussion in meeting about whether we should pursue a daffodil sale this year and decided not to.

March

Class bake sales, March to May: All agreed a simple way to raise money for class resources.

The money raised from bake sales is given directly to class teachers (see details above).

Window Wanderland 8 March - refreshments: TENS licence now obtained. Hot chocolate sale. Hot chocolate and alcohol purchased. School asked if proceeds could go towards more books in line with this year's theme for St Bon's windows. The committee agreed this previously.

Wonderlicious: Selling Wonderlicious bars for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 13 and 14 March - all set. Bars wrapped. Golden tickets placed in bars using digital random number generator. Ticket bars are now mixed up with all other bars so no one knows where they are. Advertising has started. Prizes decided, thank you from HA to everyone who helped with buying, wrapping chocolate and arranging prizes. PTFA plan in place for selling.

There was a question from a parent about how many bars could be sold to one person? The reply back from the PTFA 'just be sensible about it and considerate of others - so everyone who is there can get an opportunity to buy a chocolate bar...and to take into consideration the fact the bars of chocolate are fairly sizeable'. We will make sure there are bars available to buy on both Thursday and Friday (some bars will be held back from Thursdays sale)

HA to draft risk assessment for parents delivering some of the activities (sweet making, science experiments and tortoise visit) [Action HA] .

Serving refreshments at the drama performances w/c 24 March: It was previously agreed at a PTFA meeting that no TENS licence would be obtained for this event, however, Miss Rigg is now keen to apply for one.

KP to apply for TEN license [Action KP] .

HA to speak to Miss Rigg about advertising for help from parents to sell refreshments at the play [Action HA] .

Spring Refresh Friday 28th March 2025 7pm - 10pm: Rachel, Kelly and Karen are organising. The event includes talks on wellbeing and fashion, a preloved fashion sale and raffle. £10 a ticket. Now advertised. Need to make clear friends and others not at St Bon’s can sign up too. SS will need help to restock supplies between play and Spring Refresh. Two people agreed to help her purchase further refreshments.

April

Easter Bonnet parade refreshments: TBC

Quiz night for parents Friday 25 April: Matt McMahon agreed to write and host the event. Sub committee of Matt McMahon, Katie, Helen, Sarah, Charlotte and Martha. Risk assessment needs to be drafted [Action HA] . Committee agreed same format as last time and to call it the same as last year 'The Big (St) Bon's Quiz of the Year'.

May

Friday 16 May, Disco: to be discussed at next meeting - not enough time tonight.

Frozen Fridays: Dates now sorted.

Friday 23 May year 5
Friday 6 June year 6
Fri 13 June year 3
Fri 20 June Reception
Fri 27 June year 1
Fri 4 July year 2
Thurs 10 July year 4

June

Sunday 22 June, 2-5pm Summer fair ‘’DATE FOR THE DIARY’’.

Discussion about if we want to book the bouncy castle? yes
Request from Emily Baker dance to put on a performance as there are many students of the dance studio who are also St Bons pupils - Yes no objections [HA to get back to Emily with details]
Expect school choir may want to sing - to confirm nearer the time
Football on the MUGA - yes
Any another ideas which need booking now?
KB suggested nerf battle, did it at another school fair, organised company ran it, very busy and a lot of fun, could use back playground
Could we use the car park for rides/ stalls?
Discussion around offering stalls to external businesses - feedback that in the past this has taken potential profit (sales) away from PTFA run stalls, and that vendors have fed back saying they haven't made as much as they would have hoped. Decision made not to invite businesses to run stall this summer fair
Feedback from Yr 5 and 6 children - can there be something different / consideration to activities which they would be interested in and pay money for?
Inflatable fun day - would need to run on another day, potentially not enough space at school fair. Agreed to book the bouncy castle again as it's so popular.
HA to contact the summer fair team and start the process of looking for sponsors and donations. [Action HA] .

July

Sports day refreshments: Reception and KS1 9.00-11.30 Tuesday 8th July, KS2 9.00-11.30 Wednesday 9th July

New reception parents open evening: dates TBC

Other

Do we want to do tea towels - Sarah investigating
Bag 2 school - prices have dropped considerably across all companies offering this service, so a question was asked - can we raise money another way? A decision was made to leave Bag2School this year and do a pre-loved clothing sale at the summer fair to support our community and to (hopefully) increase the amount raised.

5) PTFA development

Urns: two flasks purchased and being trialled this weekend at Window Wanderland.

Communications: The PTFA and Mrs Ballantine received an email from one parent requesting that we consider how we communicate the qualitative impact of our fundraising on children's experiences in school. A response was sent to that parent by Mrs Ballantine on behalf of the PTFA. The parent wasn't present in the meeting to talk further about their email.

There was a discussion about the communications that have been done to date which have shown the impact and value of our fundraising. The consensus was that the annual report sets out very clearly the ways in which money has been used and the value it has added to school life; and communications throughout the year have supported that using all channels available including messages directly to classes via Whatsapp. There was an acknowledgment that some parents still don't see all the communications that regularly go out through all channels, so some of the messaging might be lost. A suggestion was made about trying to get more feedback from the children, via school, regarding the experiences and donations they receive as a result of PTFA fundraising that is undertaken.

Timing of meetings: Feedback was received from a few parents that the time of meeting at 8pm is challenging from some to attend. The meeting lasted until 9.20pm tonight. We will consider how we can identify what may be a time that more people could make, or consider how more people can feed into the meeting.

Next PTFA meeting will be confirmed soon.