advice pls. School not allowing PTA own bank account - can this work?

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setting up new PTA as school hasnt one.
Few parents very keen, HT states you raise funds WE have all the money straight into school funding bank account. PTA cannot set up as charity and have to request money (we have riased) from HT when needed for supplies for next event etc.
Chair Governer supported the HT in this decision. Its their way or no way they said.

My question can this work?? Do any other schools run successfully like this. Been advised by other organisations in the know they not keen for us to go ahead, PTA will still be accountable for money if it goes missing even though the school have the money in their bank!

Few parents were keen - now very dispondent looking to retreat hastily! lol

Hi
This happened to us. We set up a Friends of association and registered it as a charity. We set up a new bank account which was completely separate from the school. Just 3 weeks ago the HT demanded that we close the account down and transfer it into a new fundraising cost centre in the school bank. None of us were happy about it but, ultimately, we work at the school and don't want to make things difficult.

The HT wants us to now set up a new PTA but with no bank account etc. I dont' even know what to do next.

If your school is an LA maintained school, then the Full governing Body will be required to meet at least once per term. Calling papers should come out at least one week before, but an agenda item should include the date and time of the next meeting. I would send an email to the school to ask when the next meeting is of the FGB as you need to know when your letter will be discussed. I would also view the Complants policy, because if your letter is being classed as a complaint, you should have an acknowledgement within 5 days (usual policy). If so, it won't be discussed at the meeting becuase it is a different procedure, but if it is classed as a complaint, the headteacher and CoG will have to pass it to the vice-chair to investigate and deal wit, because they are the subject of the complaint.
I would communicate through channels that are evidential - verbal conversations in the playground are too easy to deny.

There is a very clear direction here. Any PTA or Friends of.... which is a separate charity is totally separate from the school. The head teacher or the governing board of the school have no legal right to demand anything of the charity. It is totally up to the charity how they spend the money or even if they want to spend the money.
It is obvious that the most sensible way for the charity to work is together with the school. The charity ask the school what they like and the charity if it is sensible then furnish the cash to allow the item to be purchased. For most schools the staff, head teacher and governors understand this stand alone relationship but in others they simply either do not know or do not care about how it should operate.

As to what to do, my suggestion would be absolutely nothing and let the head teacher understand that they cannot act as dictator in this way.

My DD's school's PTA chair spent their hard earned money to the tune of many thousands of pounds before it was discovered that it was happening. Perhaps the HT doesn't want to risk that sort of thing. Or they want direct control over what to spend it on.

There should be two signatures to authorise expenditure from a PTA account. It is extremely difficult to set up a Friends or PTA without the blessing of the school. However the Head is a numpty here and also it is perfectly clear that PTAs are not a voice for parental cements. Their terms of reference are about social events and raising money.

I am amazed this school can point to much it does regarding community engagement. I am also staggered that Headteachers like this still existed. A real dinosaur! Your children are missing out and why would you want to be in a school like this?

I'm a CoG and would find it very odd if our HT had this approach. Our PTA raises thousands but it is separate from school funding.