'I love our PTA' - said no one, ever

[DownToTheSeaAgain]

I am on a PTA (secondary) and I want to get more parents engaged with us and the school. Not just to help at events and donate to causes but so they feel more connected to what the PTA are doing for the school and their kids. So they feel so enthused by it that they want to have an input.

I'm looking for ideas. Services we can offer parents to help them feel more warm and fuzzy about the idea of fundraising for the school.

To give a bit of context it is an inner London comprehensive with a very mixed intake. The kids do well and it is a very oversubscribed school. The only thing you have to do to get in is live nearby. It is generally a happy place but like most schools it is strapped for cash to provide extras and sometimes even basics.

The PTA is small. It has put on some very successful events and initiated some innovative fundraising in the past but it also runs things that are not about fundraising but are about community.

Suggestions for things we can do for new/ existing parents to help them feel closer to us/ the school would be really welcome.

Complaints about how PTA's are cliquey etc are less relevant or helpful. I'm looking for ideas as to how to reach out. What would you like your (secondary) PTA to do for you?

Ours has held a quiz and an international food night event.

Change it to a friends of the school- engage recently retired in the local community. It will be transformed.

Our secondary PTA doesn't do a lot as everyone is PTA-ed out from Primary. Plus the catchment area is huge.

We do

• An annual Quiz
• A lottery
• Refreshments at most school events, including parents evening

I don't think parents round here particularly want a 'community' from their secondary. They want to send the kids in and get them educated.

Yeah. Sorry but maybe people don't want to be more engaged.

Sorry it is a friends of the school. Not a PTA I used it as a generic term.

Interesting point about not wanting involvement but it is the same as primary in that it is raising money to improve the children's experience. What's the difference?

Most secondary schools round here don't have a PTA, it seems to be more a primary school thing.

Quiz and chips does well for us. Adults only bring a bottle

The difference is that at primary you are way more involved in general.
You have to take them to and from the school each day.
They are with the same children/teacher all year.
You have to advocate for your children more as they are too young to do it for themselves.
You live nearer the school, you see the kids and their parents around day to day in shops etc.

My DD was at her primary for 9 years.
She will only be at secondary for 5.

I avoid going to any events because I always know they’ll spring further costs on me like raffles etc. I can bearly afford to run my house, I pay my taxes and don’t think I should pay to improve my child’s experience. They are their to learn, so long as that’s happening then I don’t want to spend my free time with people I have nothing in common with other than DC attend same school.

Ok so I am thinking of things we can do for them not necessarily social so something like helping them to sell old textbooks for example. That's not a very good example which is why I was hoping for some inspiration.

Thanks for all your responses though.

Something our local secondary did was fundraiser for a ‘first year of school essentials’ kit - it had a dictionary, calculator, key stationery, that sort of thing. I’ll see if I can find it on Twitter.

Some of the high schools here do things like selling pre-loved prom dresses? Could that be the sort of thing?

Sign up to Amazon smile if your pta is a charity - that way parents can contribute without much effort and without any cost.

Second hand uniform sales

What about a sponsored sporting event? Variety show? Talent competition?

Make sure that activities take place in the evening. Our PTA have meeting between 9am and 3pm, all bake sales and fundraisers are at 3pm. Effectively preventing anyone but SAHPs from having any involvement at all beyond donating money advocates, I can't even buy a cake at the bake sale as it's finished before I get there and parents have to be present so DD can't buy her own as she's in after school club.

I was really active on the primary school PTA but just can't even bear to think about joining the secondary school one. Perhaps I'm just burnt out! I do volunteer in other areas.

Thanks for all these:

We're on Amazon smile. And easy fundraising. Are there any other similar things?

And yes, second hand uniform etc is exactly the sort of thing although we already do that.

broughtonhighpc.org/2019/09/11/fundraising-for-s1-survival-kit-at-the-edinburgh-kilt-walk/

Other ideas - John Lewis and Waitrose community fund, Aviva community fund, Tesco community fund. Not sure if there are others!

All our meetings are in the evening ( we all work) but we're not expecting others to attend regularly. We want to offer services that make the parents feel more connected to us/ the school and hope that in time they'll get involved themselves.

Ours is very cliquey and it's put me off everything, I'm quite shy. They the pta only talk to who they know and they know quite a lot of people, so they are in more of an advantage position to reach out as it were.

I think maybe if they asked for ideas on what to fund raise for.. And how from parents might be good?

Then anything interesting they could meet up?
I am not really in favour of what our school pta raises money for. They never ask and yes the person who runs it acts like a martyr with rude messages on fb.

If I was no 1 pta parent I would stand in playground, wearing large sign.. I'm February, I'm pta.. And I'd greet people I didn't know, chat... Ask all to email me with ideas, for both fr and what to fr for.. What they do or don't like about previous events and ask opinions.

We've had 1000 at least spent on the most shit dark oppressive mural in our school, in old 80s colours.

Foul. No taste and not nice for the children.
However we also lack some basics.

Ours did a very successful casino night. Also the children in need bingo was a big hit.

For the feel connected - do you have a handout that goes in the welcome pack to new parents about what the pta does, what they can help with, what they’ve raised and what they’ve provided?

I'd also try and help the dp who want to meet other school parents but are to shy to go to events.

I am chair of pta at my dd primary ds started secondary last year and I have no wish to join their pta whatsoever!! I feel like my job is done once dd reaches secondary!! Though this could be because our secondary is shit at communication and the pta are all super clicky...I tried one meeting and never went back!!