Ways to Raise Funds for your PTA

December 17, 2019February 13, 2020 Jayne2 Comments

Since Sausage starting at primary school, I’ve done my best to get involved as many PTA events as I can. This has meant chaperoning many discos, helping out with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas sales, setting up stalls at the school fete and as many other things as I’ve been able to get involved with, time wise. In September, the parents received a letter, letting us know that the remaining two members of the PTA were stepping down as the committee and my sister-in-law and I decided that it would be too sad to see the PTA close down all together so we would take on the role of Chair and Deputy Chair.

Since we took on the roles we’ve had brainstorming sessions with other members of the PTA and have come up with lots of fundraising ideas that we want to try over the next 12 months. Our current commitments to the school include keeping the minibus running, but we also want to provide them with some new school playground equipment such as climbing frames so that the kids can make better use of the outdoor space. Today, I thought I’d share with you some of the fundraising ideas that we’ve come up with so far, so they might inspire you to help raise funds for your child’s School.

Embroidery and Name Tags

There are several companies which will give you a percentage of sales when you share their leaflets for your parents. Labels and embroidery are the most common examples and they allow parents to get all of their labelling needs covered while the school benefits from the commission.

100 Club

The principle of a 100 club is that you have a list number one to 100 and parents are able to buy a number and pay £1 per month for this number. At the end of each month, you draw a winner from each of the 100 names and you split the £100 usually 50/50 between the parent and the school. Obviously if you have a much larger school and want more parents to get involved you can have more numbers but do bear in mind that the main work involved with the 100 club is ensuring that each payment has been made from each parents bank account every month.

Enterprise Evenings

Lots of the parents but our primary school are self-employed and run their own businesses, many of which revolve around crafty endeavours or selling things. Enterprise evenings are fairly simple, and there are two ways that you can make a profit. The first way is to simply sell table space so that each business pays a fee to rent a table and then any profits they make, they keep for themselves. The other way is to agree a profit share for the evening so any profit made per table is split with the school but you don’t generally charge for the space. The latter option is more difficult to arrange because obviously it relies on everyone being honest about how much profit they made in the evening.

Movie Nights

If your school has a decent sized hall with a projector, running a movie night is a really simple way to make some money. Advertise it so that kids bring their own bean bags, chairs, blankets etc and all parents have to do you drop them off to watch a film for a couple of hours and then collect them at the end. Our school has its own popcorn machine so we’re planning to offer a bag of popcorn in the ticket price, but as this is cheap to make it shouldn’t affect our profits too much. You can also set up refreshment stands and sell food and drink if you want to.

Open Mic Night

This one might not work if your school is small, however our primary school has almost 1000 pupils and therefore lots and lots of grown-ups who are willing to get involved with stuff. You can charge people to come along on watch and encourage everyone to bring their own food and drink so that everything you make is purely profit. It’s a really fun way to get the adults involved with the school community and you could even combine it with the movie night so that those who need childcare have it built in with their night out.

Collecting Coins

This one takes relatively little effort and is something that you can get the whole school involved with. All you need to do is take a decent sized container to each classroom and ask them to fill it with as many 1p, 2p, or 5p coins. Then, at the end of term, you count up which class has the most money in the pot and the class with the highest amount of money raised wins a prize. You can make the prize something like lollies for the whole class if it’s a summer event which means you’re out loud will be minimal and everything else will be profit for the PTA.

If you have any other ideas that you think would be good for raising money for the school PTA and our outdoor play equipment, please leave me a comment below as we’re always trying to come up with fresh ways to raise funds.

School

Preparing Your Child For A School Trip

July 16, 2018 JayneLeave a comment

Image source: https://images.pexels.com/photos/939702/pexels-photo-939702.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=350

If your child is going on an overnight school trip for the first time, they are probably feeling incredibly excited, albeit a little bit nervous. Your emotions are probably a mirror of this as well. However, the key to any sort of trip is to be prepared. If you ensure your child has everything they need and they are ready to go, you will both feel a lot better, and you can both focus on the fun you can have instead! So, let’s take a look at some steps to follow…

Refer to the school trip letter – When it comes to school trips, letters are always given out. If you haven’t seen one, it is probably because your child has either lost it or it is still in their school bag. Once you have got the letter, it is still a good idea to converse with one or two other parents just to make sure you have not missed any important correspondence. The letter(s) should detail what is required, the itinerary, certain activities that are going to take place, and so on. If you are unsure about anything, do not hesitate to contact the school for more information.

Where the trip is taking place – It is always a good idea to find out exactly where the trip is taking place in terms of address. You should also get the contact information for the venue. It is unlikely you will need it, but in the case of an emergency you will want to have this handy if you need to get in touch with your child.

The activities involved and the time of year – Last but not least, these are two critical elements that need to be considered when packing. The time of year is important because you will want to ensure your child is protected effectively from the elements. In terms of the activities involved, if your child is visiting a farm, for example, old clothes, waterproofs, and wellingtons are going to be a must. If they are going to a museum, you may need to give them a little bit of pocket money to spend in the museum store. Some trips are often linked to projects, for example, school science trips, and so you should aim to find out whether there is any work that is involved beforehand or anything that your child should be taking with them in this regard.

So there you have it: some of the different things you need to make sure you pack for your child’s first overnight school trip, as well as some other steps you need to take. There is no doubt about it: this is a big step in your child’s life. It is a mark of their independence and an opportunity for them to learn plenty of new things. Preparing them effectively is the best thing you can do.

School

Researching Our Options with School Reviewer

September 1, 2016August 31, 2016 JayneLeave a comment

School Reviewer I’ve written here before about the potential conundrum with our school situation and with Sausage about to go into year 4, it’s becoming ever more pressing. When we moved to our little village, we gave Sausage three options. She could either quit school and be home educated, change schools to one more local to where we’re living, or stay where she is but have a bit of a commute each day. Ultimately, she decided to stay where she was and we weren’t unhappy about that as her current school is very good and was our only choice of Primary for her.

The conundrum happens when we start to factor in BB starting school in 2018, Sausage’s final year of primary. Do we send her to the same school as Sausage and tie ourselves into another 7 years of commuting a fair distance, send her to a primary closer to home and deal with very awkward school runs for a year (with both of them needing to be in different schools at the same times in the morning) or maybe even home educate BB for reception year until we know where Sausage will be going for secondary.

We recently happened upon School Reviewer, which really is a one-stop-shop for everything school related and it’s been an absolutely invaluable resource for us while we mull over this decision. They say:

School Reviewer is so much more than just a review site

It’s the only site with unique video walkthroughs to show how to score a 100% on Maths GCSE and SATs papers.
The only site with a unique Buy and Sell section specific to individual schools.
A site with a unique catchment area heat map for every state school in the UK.
A site that has discussion forums for parents on a local and national basis. A site that is recruiting tutors for free to create the biggest and most trusted tutor site for parents in the UK.
A site where you can read or write reviews about your child’s school to help other parents.
In fact, it’s the perfect choice for you and your child’s educational journey.

As well as allowing us to get a really comprehensive overview of all of the schools in our area, it’s also a fab resource for tutors, something we’re considering in the run up to the 11+. However, if a tutor is not within budget, School Reviewer also sells practice exam papers for SATs and GCSEs, with 11+ papers to be added to the site really soon. I really like the idea of being able to test Sausage at home and having access to official papers will make this so much easier. School Reviewer Buy and Sell

I think my favourite feature, however, is the buy and sell section, which School Reviewer have recently made completely free to use. You can buy and sell things which are specific to your school, allowing you to grab bargains like nearly-new school uniform, text books and other stuff for a fraction of the price. The back to school period can be ridiculously expensive so giving parents a way to save money is really positive, as well as allowing you to make a few quid off of anything that you no longer need.

All in all, I think the people behind School Reviewer are absolute geniuses. I’m not aware of any other sites which offer such a thorough overview of all things school related and I’ll be recommending it to basically anyone who will listen! Head over to the site to take a look yourself.

Kids · School

5 Ways Parents Can Help Kids Ace Their Homework

July 15, 2016 JayneLeave a comment

Pixabay

We all want to help our kids achieve their best possible results throughout school and college. And the best way a parent can get behind their kids is by helping them ace their homework. Even if you weren’t the brightest at school back in the day, there are still certain ways you can help them out. It isn’t all about sitting down with them and doing the academic stuff! So do you want to give your kids a fantastic chance in their academic career? Here are five ways you can help your kids ace their homework.

Create A Quiet Space For Them

One of the most important things you can do for your child is to give them a quiet spot where they can get on with their work without being disturbed. This will provide them with the peace and quiet that they need to concentrate. If you have a home office that you use for work, let them work at your desk when you are not there. That way, they can shut the door, so there are no distractions from elsewhere in the household. Is there is space in their bedroom? You could put a desk in there. You just need to make sure that there are no toys or electronic devices that could distract them away from their work!

Pixabay

Set Up A Routine

You need to insist on a daily schedule for your child. This way, they will have an allocated time in which they should be doing their homework. There are a few benefits of a regular schedule. The best one is that it frees up time for fun stuff, like hobbies and sports. You will know when your child will work best at home. Perhaps it is as soon as they come in from school. Or maybe they need an hour or so to settle down at home before they get on with homework. Whichever you decide, you need to stick to it. Also, make sure that your child has half an hour’s break in the middle of their homework. This helps them refresh and grab a snack. But don’t let them watch TV or go on a computer – you may have a hard time getting them away from the screen!

Pixabay

Don’t Be Overbearing

No matter how much you want your child to succeed at school or college, you should never be too overbearing with them. If you are very overbearing, this could have a negative effect on your child’s behaviour. They may begin to rebel and refuse to do any of their work. So whatever happens, try to stay relaxed and stay out of their hair as much as possible! Remember that we all need breaks sometimes, so don’t push your child too hard or criticise them for taking a break. It can help them clear their mind so that they can continue to work to a high standard.

Teach Them The Repercussions

Has your child called you because they forgot to take their homework book to school? Don’t give in to their wishes and take it to them. Instead, they need to understand that their actions have repercussions. Once they have been punished for forgetting their book or equipment, they will always remember to pack their bag correctly! And the same goes for not doing homework. If they don’t do an exercise, don’t constantly remind them of it. They will have to face the repercussions and be punished at school. Hopefully, this will ensure that they become more responsible and always do their homework in the future!

Pixabay

Get Extra Help

If your child appears to be struggling with their homework on a regular basis, they might need some extra help. You might be tempted to try and reteach them a topic. However, this won’t be helpful for them. You might not have a full understanding of the topic, and this can only confuse them more. There are a number of steps you can take. Discuss the matter with your child’s teacher. They might go throw the subject again in class if a few pupils are struggling. Your child might also benefit from after-school study clubs. There are also some services that specialise in UK coursework writing if your child is struggling with a college assignment.

If you follow these five steps, you’ll find that homework won’t be such a big struggle in your household. By being a supportive parent, you can help your child achieve fantastic results and achieve everything they want from life!

Education · Family · School

The Catchment Catch

March 1, 2016March 1, 2016 JayneLeave a comment

With my Facebook awash with friends who’ve had emails today about Secondary placements for their older children, it’s got me thinking again about our own catchment issues. When Sausage was due to start school, we had a real dilemma; the house we lived in was close to the school we wanted her to go to, but wasn’t actually within the catchment. The school was also very oversubscribed and one of those real rarities; a really good school within an area where house and rental places weren’t too high – the Holy Grail for a lot of parents!

school catchment Catchment appeal advice provided by Simpson Millar LLP

Fortunately, we were in a position to move and found a reasonably priced little bungalow within the catchment area, which meant Sausage was given a place at the school we wanted. She’s been at the school for 4 years now and is really happy, which makes me glad that we were able to get her in. Other people in our area aren’t always so lucky. Many of the other schools with a good reputation are in areas of very high rents, which means that even though it’s not private education, many ‘normal’ families simply cannot afford to send their kids to the best schools. Of course, it’s possible to appeal, so that’s always an option.

In two years, we’re going to have the same issue all over again. BB will be due to start school the same year that Sausage goes into Year 6. This means that we have to either put BB in the same Primary as Sausage and potentially tie ourselves into a 36 mile-a-day journey for all the school runs for another 7 years (providing we still live here in the sticks) or try to get BB into a more local school and have each girl at different schools. Also, would BB even get into Sausage’s school, now that we’re so far out of catchment? See our dilemma?!

On top of this, we have to factor in the quality of local schools where we are now. Our two most local schools are church-run (and we all know how I feel about that!), and because they’re tiny schools, they don’t attract the funding or the most dynamic teachers, like large town schools, meaning that they often flounder when it comes to OFSTED results. Having said that, I don’t put a huge amount of stock in these inspections these days and do think a school with just of 90 pupils in the whole place might be a great way to get a more personal, one-on-one education for BB.

Home schooling is looking like a fairly attractive option, even if it’s just for Reception year. I often think that 4 is far too young for them to start school anyway, and we could home school BB until we know which senior school Sausage will be attending. That way, we could apply for a school place for BB closer to where Sausage is going to school, which could make our lives a whole lot easier!

Have you had to face a similar dilemma? Do you have kids who go to school in different towns? How did you cope? I’d love you to leave me a comment and let me know.

*Collaborative Post*