Committees resigning

[Lilyjay]

Please help! Does anyone know what would happen if a preschool committee resigns not at the AGM?
Are there any legalities involved in this situation? Also, can a head teacher of the school that the pre-school is attached to come on the pre-school committee?
I am at my wits end!!!!

[Norksinmywaistband]

The head teacher can not be on the commitee as i a paid member of staff as far as I am aware.
Has the whole committee resigned?
You could call an exraordinary general meeting to reelect
Remember you need 5 people minimal on a committee

[Sam100]

You may need to call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) if you need to elect a new committee. I do not think there is anything to prevent a head being on the committee - would need to be proposed and seconded.

Have you tried to talking to the PreSchool Learning Alliance? They have resources on their website that may help see here.

[Lilyjay]

The trouble is there is NO ONE who wants to be on the committee. Everything is just getting too much- leader messing about hours, head pressuring us to open a before and after club, how are only four normal people who work supposed to sort all this out. We all work and every spare minute is spent on pre-school. It's one of the usual situations of people staying on out of guilt.
The AGM is on Thurs, if we did not resign then, you're saying we could do at an EGM if the situation does not improve?

[scarletlilybug]

Gosh, I'd love to resign. I'm constantly fantasising about it! One of these days...

You can resign at any time, I think ... as long as there are enough people left behind to form a full committee. And you can co-opt members, so the head teacher could join the committee if he wants to.

HTH.

[Ripeberry]

How many parents use this pre-school? It must be quite succesfull if they want an out of school club.
See who turns up at the AGM. If no-one new turns up and there are only 4 of you, then you need to call an EGM and tell the parents that if they DO NOT turn up and volunteer then the pre-school WILL close.
We had to do that back in October as no-one came to our AGM or our EGM, then we had a big talk with the parents to say that we would be closing if no-one helped before the end of half-term and all of a sudden everyone wanted to be on the committee, BUT surprise, surprise no-one wanted any of the important jobs (Chair, Treasurer or Secretary). We eventually found a local man who likes organising things and runs his own business to take on the Chairman job.
I've been on committees for 4yrs and i'm out next year, but i've got a feeling i'll be there for years more

[Clayhead]

It may be that the before and after school club is to comply with the need to have one by 2010 rather than to do with the success of the pre-school.

[Ripeberry]

I think it should be written in the pre-schools constitutions that all parents have to be on a committee if they want their children to attend.
But of course then nurseries would have a field day!

[scarletlilybug]

I think government funding should provide each pre-school with enough money to employ a paid administrator to take over the role of chair/treasure/secretary and the committee could help with making decisions and perhaps do fundraising activities.

Hate, hate, hate being on a committee and wish I'd never signed up. So much stress, so much work and so little reward. Or is that just me?

[Lilyjay]

It's a long story about the pre-school. It is now (only since Sept) joined to our village primary. The School wanted a pre-school to reduce their chances of being closed. Our pre-school WAY before my time ( it was at a village hall before that) there put in tender to have the pre-school there. It was refused and a private nursery got the tender. They pulled out and eventually the school came back to us. The only reason that we got it is because the previous Chair said we would start a before and after club for the school. She then left and dumped on me basically by saying, it'll just be liasing with the head etc. etc. same old lies. My ds had only been at the ps for 2 terms, I was new to committe let alone chair and had to spend all of the summer setting it up, policies moving stuff in fencing etc! Now it's just a nightmare. School have passed the buck with the B&A club, no help from governors or anything and the pressure from the head (emotional blackmail too is awful) On top of all this, we have been advised by PLA lawcall not to sign the lease as it will make us PERSONALLY liable for the B&A club should it not succeed.
Help!!! See why we want to call it a day!!
Is there anyway someone could come in and run it as a business?? That's what it needs.
There are about 10 at the PS and 70 at school

[Lilyjay]

Clayhead, you're not wrong there, that is exactly what it's all about!!

[Lilyjay]

Ripeberry, When ds first started this pre-school last year, I had no idea there were any differences with pre-schools, private, committee etc. Not until after a day of being there (still in V Hall) being asked to come on washing up duty and make cakes!!!
It should be obligatory to tell mums to be all about it at antenatal classes!!!!

[scarletlilybug]

Is there anything in writing about the agreement to form a B&A club? Was it just the Chair who agreed, or the whole committee? I don't think an agreement would be worth much if the Chair agreed without the committee's say-so. Could you call an EGM to discuss the B&A club matter with the pre-school members (i.e. parents) and to announce your intention to resign?

If Lawcall are advising you not to sign - don't. And don't let anyone bully you into it.

This sort of story seems so commonplace - it's a bl**dy nightmare being on a committee and I don't honestly see what reward there is for doing it.

[Helennn]

Don't know if you sign up to the pre-school learning alliance constitution, (if not sure it should be in the old secretary's file). If you are then have a look here, www.pre-school.org.uk/ and download the Constitution. You didn't used to be able to be on the committee if you were a paid member of staff, but you can now, just not vote. It also states the procedure about resigning, minimum quorum allowed etc. If you do not use their consitution then it should be clearly stated somewhere in your own version.

Sounds like you need to get someone in to help with this, ie speak to someone at pre-school learning alliance or through your district council and see who there is to help you sort this out. I'm sure they've seen it all before!

[Clayhead]

If Lawcall say no DON'T do it, they are very good and reliable.