To question school spending £20000 on event space in school car park…

My post was to the OP though.

Possibly. We have schools ranging from 15 pupils up to 1800.

We also work to make sure that strategic planning is based on the needs of the school. Analysis of records, logs, visit notes, minutes etc etc might show a rising trend in accidents with actions required to address this, or it maybe a school circumstance or locality means it has high H&S risks.
In those cases, one governor would conduct just that one role.

In another school, with very low assessed risks, it is more prudent, for governor volunteer time, to double up the role.

@Rivertrudge depends on how many governors you can get and who are willing to take on lead roles

Fair enough, but perhaps your LA (or whoever you work for) work differently to mine. In my school both roles are huge and it would be very difficult for one governor to do both.
https://schoolgovernors.thekeysupport.com/school-staff/health-safety/governors-role-monitoring-risk-assessments/

Checking back, I have tagged the OP as she is the one who requires the advice about her particular situation. The information tracks through the information shared with her and follows through from my last piece of advice given directly to her, as well as responding directly to her questions/response.

Where it is other posters, I have quoted them.

The PTA is separate to school and the finances are outside the schools control.
They should be audited separately and decisions made based on their constitution. This may exclude the usual run of the mill resources like books, it may say something about providing additionality or enrichment. I can not say as they all vary.

The car park may fall under safeguarding the school, have been identified as a risk, be on the risk register, or have other risks you are not aware of.

The sensor for a barrier costs @ £5k having been upgraded across schools following barriers coming down on cars and pupils so I know the provision and upkeep is stupidly expensive.

First thing is to ask for a copy of the PTA constitution but if the correct process has followed there is nothing you can do.

Yes, they can be.
I have an advisory role in education including safeguarding and governance. We always advise that the H&S governor and Safeguarding Governor work together as the remit is so closely linked. On many boards the two roles are carried out by one governor.

Yes, it would have taken a couple of years at least for the school/ PTA/ governors to agree what they want to use the £22k for, get the building designed, have the planning application approved, appoint a contractor (following whatever procurement process applies), and get it built. This must have been communicated to parents. The OP mentioned that there were objections to the planning application so some people were aware at least!

Not to mention the process of campaigning for donations - £22k is quite a sum to achieve!

How big is the school? It’s hard to judge the number of non-teaching staff without that information.

PTAs aren’t meant to fund the basics of a school

Providing adequate books is a fundamental of a school.

If the school have any money to spend, books should come first. It’s quite easy to buy kids books cheaply second-hand online. The PTA could help with that. If they’ve got £10k for an event space, the books should come first.

Is it an academy @OrangeCrushing? Or part of the local education authority? If the latter, and there’s a bit of a cabal at the school, I’d speak to the LEA and ask what can be done about providing more books. What’s the blockage? Funds? Someone’s time?

My gripe with PTAs is that they’re now usually just a parent fundraising group when they should be a joint venture of teachers and parents focussing on how to make the fundamentals of the school better for every kid.

Op you can request copies of the PTA meeting minutes. Perhaps ask for these over the last 2 years and you’ll see and why how the discussion developed and how the decision was made. You can criticise the majority vote, but the only way to have an influence is to join.
the PTA whether a registered charity or not will have a frame work and memorandum, they are separate to the school and do not have to co tribute to what the school wants if they disagree and that is that, school can’t force them to fund anything ( although the PTA has to justify why they won’t)

Don’t forget the additional costs associated with renting out premises. Schools have to consider insurance, opening, closing and administration time as well.

If you quoted people's posts instead of just tagging them, your thread would make more sense.

Re PTA approving this spend. I agree it should be agreed and voted on by the committee. However £22k is a huge amount to spend and there is no clear benefit to the children in the school. I’ve volunteered on a PTA and, without a clear benefit to the children, would not have agreed to it. The PTA relies on parents supporting its events and if the money raised isn’t spent appropriately parents won’t attend events to raise further funds. We run voluntary donation schemes at some of my schools and the Heads consider carefully what we spend it on and it always something visible and that directly benefits children because we want to encourage future donations e.g laptops, playground equipment, improving facilities like libraries and classrooms. I can’t see how a shed that accommodates 10/15 children is going to be a hot rental property that will raise funds to pay back all the investment.

@OrangeCrushing - if it helps you get an idea of funding and why this might be a good idea, when Covid hit and our school primary had to stop hiring out its space to external users (evenings and weekends), the school had a shortfall of £12k.

the Slimming world group you are dismissive of- our local one hires a room from a nearby church. I know they pay £55 each week to hire it once, assuming they run it 50 weeks a year (they do run through school holidays but not Christmas) that £2,750 for one year for one evening booking. Let’s say the school gets 4 bookings a week for various clubs, that’s £11,000 a year. That’s 2 years and it’s paid for itself and if the posh shed lasts 10 years, from year 3 that’s a regular income for the school that the PTA doesn’t have to do anything to create.

4 bookings a week is perfectly reasonable, it may well end up more, our primary school has regular clubs paying to use the space 4 nights a week, one regular Saturday morning and on Saturday afternoons and anytime Sundays will do hires for parties.

this is before you factor in the benefit to the kids to have an extra space they can use for small group sessions.

I think the ship has sailed a little now. They would have spent ages campaigning for the funds for it, getting planning etc and then actually building it... what is raising an issue about it now it's already built going to do. You can't get the money back. Go and do some campaigns and raise money to buy some new books.

I'm a safeguarding governor. Analysing accident trends etc are the province of the H&S governor.

There is always a parent like this and they are generally the same ones who never ever attend the PTA committee meetings, where donations to the school are discussed and approved, by a quorum, as you have quite rightly pointed out. You would think if someone was concerned about PTA effectiveness/choices, they would make it a priority to attend meetings and advocate for themselves and their children? At the very least confirm for themselves that process was democratic.

What are you suggesting? Financial corruption?
You'd better report this.

No but they seek assurance that the RA’s are in place and triangulate with the Health and Safety Adviser visit, school logs of accidents ( patterns and cause) and their own governor monitoring on site.

They can also ask questions to challenge policy and practice.

No gates - absolute madness, so dangerous. Our school even changed their wooden fence to a metal one following that horrific incident when a Range Rover drove into a school with a wooden fence last year and killed 2 little girls.

Why don’t you come up with a fundraiser idea for the library books and offer to help the PTA with its delivery? Most PTA’s have too few volunteers and too many armchair critics.

Have you considered joining the PTA or standing as a governor? You really aren’t happy with the school so either get involved or move your child.

So easy to criticise from the sidelines, whilst not doing anything yourself.