Thread: Friends of the school/PTA advice

I'm starting to become more involved in the Friends of the School group. I've noticed that there seems to be a core group of mainly mums who attend everything and that's it, not many other parents are involved.

I've just come back from a coffee morning they organised. There was free coffee and cakes, and they had organised a little raffle. There was advertising on the noticeboard and an email was sent out on Friday to remind parents.

3 people turned up - me and 2 of the core group of mums.

So I'd like to pick brains about the things you do, if you're involved in stuff like this, about how to get parents coming to these sorts of things. What advertising do you do (bearing in mind the school is trying to stop bits of paper coming home)? What incentives do you offer?!

We have a meeting on Weds and it would be nice to come armed with some good ideas, as the newbie!! Things on the cards for the future are another coffee morning, tuck shop, summer fete, bingo night and race night.

TIA x

LOL sounds like us!

Mind you we only do a few big events and fewer small coffee mornings. I think ppl are intimidated by coffee mornings. I would be!

We are having a ladies night next Friday at the new pub in the village and as far as I can tell there'll be a LOT of us! Booze is a good incentive!

We do quizzes, a christmas fair and a summer fair and a school disco for the kids.

We aslo have a text messaging service that the PTA fund that sends messages out. But nothing beats a slip in their book-bags though!!

xx

I will be watching this thread too, there are 4 of us!

Our Friends Of group don't organise anything in school hours, such as coffee mornings. I assme they know that very few people could attend. Most things occur at weekend sor after school. Some of the events we have:

Christmas fayre
Wine tasting night
Come Dine with event - with school cook
Summer ball
Summer treasure hunt
Dads and girls camping night
Mum's Challenge (normally a lengthy walk iirr)
Quiz night
Girl's karaoke disco

At each Open Day (3 or 4 a year) the friends of group are present, with a refreshment table in the hall.
There is also a second hand uniform school run by the group.

There is a parent rep from every class in the school too. They update is via email after each Friends Of meeting, and send out reminders of events and coordinate money collections where required.

I joined ours the end of last year so far this year we have planned a magic show planned for this friday an organisation runs this and takes £1.50 from every ticket sale we've sold them at £3.50 and sold all 100 available tickets for the nights, we'll also provide popcorn and drinks etc to sell.

we're doing a school talent show on the lines of britains got talents which again we'll be an evening ticket thing with refreshments for sale.

school fairs
school disco
chocolate bingo night for easter where instead of cash we ask children to donate easter eggs for the night and have a bingo evening again refreshments are provied.
we're also at all school events such as sports day,school plays etc selling refreshments.

We get ad hoc emails, clarion call and weekly electronic newsletter. On the day of an event there is a white board outside the main door too. Again there is little during school day for parents - each class has a rep and they do a coffee morning once a term , as a class or year , at school or someone's house close by straight after dropping kids off. Evening dos include a quiz night, dinner dance and Summer Ball, Christmas Wreath making class and it is also involved in running the Christmas Fair and summer fete(every few years). Events for the kids include a disco. There is always a core group who run it and that can be offputting to "outsiders" ie potential volunteers. Also from experience at work , turn out can be affected by so many variables - a nice sunny day, shopping offers, exercise classes ...

We also get regular emails from the FO group with updates and general news, plus info about forth coming events.

Other events i thought of we have had is authors coming in - had Barbara Taylor Bradfold come in last year for example.

our school is apart of parentmail.co.uk you can choose as a parent whether to have letters sent by email or paper ones 9/10 children in dd's class go by this, we also recieve texts reminding about things and when school is closed for snow etc

Thanks all. We are part of Parentmail too and that's what they use to send things out, but it doesn't seem very co-ordinated - I'll get 3 at once, for example and then nothing for weeks! So maybe that's something to suggest - I like the idea of regular updates. There's the web page too, I think I can suggest that as a means to advertise. I'll say about texts too as most people I reckon have mobiles. And maybe, once in a while, we would be allowed to put slips in bags - reckon we would for the summer fayre.

I get the idea that there's quite a few stay at home/PT work mums and dads so a coffee morning should work, but I get what's being said about the core group being intimidating. I am totally intimidated by them! But I don't give a f&** in a way, so I just went for it and actually, they are very nice and friendly, if a bit cliquey. Don't think I can say that on Wednesday though lol!

Texts work for me!

I think if the friends could be an issue, you need a direct approach
See which mums look ringleaders in playground and approach them directly to do a specific role in a planned event

Pester power, do events that give a handful of kids a role - eg, selling biscuits they baked - and let those mums know their child is involved. And let child know mum is invited...

That should crumble the barriers