PTA Meetings in the Pub? Really?

[AwkwardMary]

It seems inappropriate to me...our PTA is trying to recruite more members as it's traditionally seen as a bit cliquey so their idea of trying to make more parents join is to call an evening meeting in a particularly hard to get to pub in the evening.

I dont mind going to PTA meetings maybe half an hour before school picck up..but I dont want to go to some out of the way pub an hour befoe the DCs bedtime.

Is it me or is this a silly idea? The clique who oranised it happen to use this pub as their base for socialising...it feels like they've thought..."HOw can we get more parents invoved and not think we're cliquey?" and then come up with the idea of inviting us into their inner sanctum.

AIBU to say "Can't you do a meeting in school hours or just after?"

Our PTA has meetings in the pub 8pm. If ours were held in school hours we wouldn't have anyone there, majority of parents at our school work.

We hold ours in the pub at 6:30pm, as I work part time (chair) our secretary works full time and our treasurer works shifts.
We have a core group of parents who turn up to most meetings and also do most of the jobs at events, most of whom have other commitments during the day. This time suits us best and whilst we could look at other venues the village halls around here are busy every night of the week.

If the pub is hard to get to that's not great though, we use the one nearest the school, so it is very easy for everyone to get to (small catchment area means everyone lives within half a mile or so of school).

We also use the pub at 8 pm, little DCs in bed and Dads/ mums in some cases available to baby sit.

School is freezing at night, the village hall charges and no one has to tidy their house, have enough parking or risk waking their DCs.

Still a pain for single parents, but the best we've found, in school hours is the same group who are able to help with everything.

It is a Parent Teacher Association, not parents who don't work with no pre-school children.
It is more inclusive in the evening - teachers can't pop in for a meeting 30 mins before pick up, nor can parents who work.
At DS school, the previous committee resigned and the chair is now a working father. Meetings are at 8pm. The turnout and ideas/actions are now really good, it was all a bit samey before.

Yabu - try it, you may find it better.

It is a Parent Teacher Association, not parents who don't work with no pre-school children.
It is more inclusive in the evening - teachers can't pop in for a meeting 30 mins before pick up, nor can parents who work.
At DS school, the previous committee resigned and the chair is now a working father. Meetings are at 8pm. The turnout and ideas/actions are now really good, it was all a bit samey before.

Yabu - try it, you may find it better.

PTA in our primary was tradionally in the evening I was on it for 2 dds so a few years some years they did do some meetings in the pub however most of the time was in school but still int he evening the thinking was so people could come not everybody is around just after school I think YABU a little , Recruiting for PTa is hard work and they maybe want it to be seen as a social informal thing to do rather than a sit down meeting ,

and Mary you dont have to attend every meeting register you interest in the PTA get on the mailing list and they will send you info that you can help out on ,

We used to have them in the pub, it was quite popular. Sometimes it was loud though, not everyone could hear if we were sitting on a big table.

Ours quite ofen has meetings in the pub. Either that or the local coffee shop for daytime meetings.

We do ours in the evening in the school - but do drink wine!!!

I have always attended PTA meetings in the evening in the pub - thought it was the norm.

YABU - you are likely to exclude far more parents by having it during the day.

Sounds like a bloody brilliant idea.

Pub not unreasonable.

Out of the way pub that you have to drive to IS unreasonable, if that is the case. Defeats the whole point of the pub, for me anyway.

We always have ours in the pub or round someone's house ( with ) if they haven't got child care. Why is it bad OP?

I wouldn't think twice about going to one in a pub in the evening. Evenings are easier. The pub is presumably warm and sells refreshments of my choice.

Only issues would be: 1) genuinely how difficult is it to get to (you say 'out of the way') and 2) if the school is predominantly of a faith group who don't condone alcohol.

plenty of none drinking religious people go to pubs - and drink coke :)

Our PA meets in the pub. I don't join because it is a closed shop. For a committee that supposedly elects a chair every 2 years, the incumbant has clung on by her gel-nails for at least 10 years.

Keeping the school open would involve the caretaker having to lock up and there is no valid reason why he shouldnt be allowed home to his family now and again.

Ok I ABU. I just can't get there and wanted to. SO bah!

"Our PA meets in the pub. I don't join because it is a closed shop. For a committee that supposedly elects a chair every 2 years, the incumbant has clung on by her gel-nails for at least 10 years."

You have, of course, stood against her every two years?

I think it is a good idea.
I joined the pta when my dd1 first started school.
10 years on and I am going away this weekend with the friends I met at the pta, so for me it turned out to be much more than a fundraisiung experience.

sugarpaste - I think it really depends tbh on the area. For example, where my SIL lives they are the only muslims in the whole of the school. In that case I think it is unreasonable to avoid pubs as only a small number of muslims won't go into pubs at all and ime most who won't, will if they are sure other muslims won't see them going in. But in the area I live which has a large muslim population then pta meetings in a pub would bu.

Oooh what a good idea! Ours are always in the evenings, but are held in the school staff room. There is tea and coffee available but no . I do know though (from the Christmas book-wrapping evening which was held at someoen's house and involved copious quantities of ) that many of the PTA do like a beverage! Our catchment area is very small, so it could easily be held in a pub which most people could walk to........