Anyone have an alternative to PTA structure at their school?

[RainAndRoses]

Hi all-

Just looking to see whether there are any parents out there whose primary schools have (deliberately or organically) chosen not to have a 'PTA' but still have a parent group supporting the school. I know some have 'Friends of ...' instead.

For example, it's not clear to me whether having an elected chair, secretary and treasurer is a formal requirement of being a PTA, but I'm interested in groups which don't necessarily have this.

Elections: E.g. maybe you have those roles but they are decided on in more of a 'matching' process (all those who want to support put themselves forward, and then roles are allocated to all).

Roles: E.g. maybe the role names are less hierarchical than having a 'chair' or the role of chair is not equivalent to 'in charge'.. at the moment we have someone organising meetings but not a chair.

We want to be able to have a bank account which requires a degree of formalisation, but yes, interested in other options.

Hope that makes sense! Thanks.

PS- on a related note, any tips on how to avoid PTA groups becoming clique-y / remain inclusive would be great!

Good point about not wanting to be too clique-y. Any school I’ve worked in has had a group of PTA parents who definitely dominate and this can be off putting for shyer, or hard to reach parents. I think it’s really important that any events are inclusive ie, yes to a family picnic or a cake sale but no to a black tie dinner dance!

The structure becomes more necessary if you want to become a charity. This can be a good idea in terms of not having to pay VAT on some things, and claiming gift aid. It does, however, mean you need certain structures in place. Lots of info on PTA UK site.

Thanks Pud2! Yes, as far as I can see it wouldn't necessarily be a requirement to be a PTA in order to be a charity, but I may be missing something.. All you need is a formal structure and AGM / finances sorted etc. But if someone else knows more that would be great. There's obviously a tension between needing some decision making processes (which some will engage with more than others) and smaller groups working on some things, and keeping it open / people not feeling excluded.. I was wondering if anyone had cracked it!

The difference between a 'PTA' and a 'Friends of' is that one has only members who are parents or teachers and the other can have anyone. The membership is set out in the constitution, so both are probably more formal than you were hoping for. Once you reach a certain fundraising level, you are obliged to register as a charity with the Charity Commission. However, don't let that put you off. There are loads of 'PTAs' and 'Friends of' who work together very happily. The Charity Commission website is pretty easy to navigate and you can look on pta.co.uk for information too.

Or have a PTFA