What is the PTA?

All parents and carers of children attending the Chalkwell Hall Infant School as well as the school staff are automatically members of the PTA. We warmly welcome all members to take part in the range of activities offered and sincerely thank those who have participated in the success of the PTA to date.

The PTA exists, firstly to promote close, positive co-operation and communication between parents, carers, teachers and others associated with the school and secondly to engage in activities which raise funds to advance the education and experiences of all children attending the school. The majority of our funds are raised either through donations, events that we run or from discounted ticket sales. Our fundraising events include quiz nights, summer and Christmas fayres, movie nights and inflatable fun days. We also sell discounted tickets for local and West End theatre shows as well as Adventure Island wristbands.      

Charitable status

                                                        
The PTA is a charity, registered with the Charity Commission, and bound by the terms of a constitution. Our constitution sets out how we operate as a PTA and how we conduct ourselves. The management of the PTA is vested in a committee currently comprised of the infant and junior school headteachers plus four elected officers who are:

Chairperson - Danielle Maynard
Secretary - Nicola Moule
Treasurer - David Baldwin

We also have general members who help, in particular with the running of the larger events.

The PTA is one way parents and carers can become more involved in our thriving school community. Offering to help at events or at other times during the year is invaluable, new members are always welcome and you can be involved as much or as little as your time permits. If you would like to support us please speak to one of the PTA committee members, contact the school office or email us on PTAChalkwellHall@gmail.com. Meetings are held each term so why not come along and see what's in the pipeline or suggest a new idea you may like to promote.

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

     
Our AGM is held  at the beginning of the academic year and provides an opportunity for all parents to come along and hear in more detail about the work of the PTA, the events we ran during the year, the funds raised and how the money raised has been spent. It is also the occasion when we elect committee members and discuss our plans for the forthcoming year.

Current year targets

For the current year, we have set ourselves a very ambitious fundraising target of £50,000, the reasons for which are two-fold. Firstly, we would love to provide the children with new equipment in the playground to replace the ageing treehouse that has proved so popular over a number of years and secondly, we hope to support the school with the fitting out of new classrooms planned for this year.

Other ways to help your PTA raise funds

Even if you are unable to volunteer at one of our events, there are many other ways you can support the fundraising of your PTA. Perhaps you would like to enter our monthly cash lottery "The 500 Club" or have a prize you could donate to include in one of the PTA raffles.

If you shop online you could sign up to Easy Fundraising where a number of large retailers, including John Lewis, Amazon and M&S donate cash to our charity from registered shoppers using their online link to each store. Alternatively, the Co-op have kindly agreed to support our charity in their local community fund which means that every time Co-op members purchase selected branded products, 1% of their value is donated to the PTA. Further details of these and many other ways you could help can be found by selecting the stars below:

What the PTA means to our school

Because our PTA involves the whole school community we thought you would like to know what those who help to run the school think about our PTA.

From the Governing Body: 

"Our school is incredibly lucky to have a wonderful PTA, which is made up of an extraordinary group of parents, carers and teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty, giving up their free time to support our school by raising much-needed funds. Year on year like all schools, we face financial challenges and the money that the PTA raises is absolutely invaluable.
 

The PTA provides a vital link between our school, families, the local community and local businesses, many of whom generously provide sponsorship and support at PTA events that take place throughout the school year. These well-attended events have been great fun and as well as raising funds, they provide opportunities for families to enjoy a range of fun activities, to meet socially and feel part of a cohesive school community.
 

The PTA is only a small committee but with their dedication and the support they receive from teachers, families and the wider community, what they achieve is truly amazing and we are hugely grateful to them."
 

From the headteacher:
"We are extremely lucky to have a committed, hardworking and creative PTA here at Chalkwell Hall Infant School. Not only are PTA events fun for all the family, they are also fantastic fundraisers! The money raised by our PTA recently has allowed us to fund 2 mini-buses, additional ICT equipment and much needed books to stock our library. Without the hard work of the PTA, these special extras would not be possible and the children’s opportunities and experiences would be compromised. Please continue to support our PTA, by either donating, volunteering or simply attending some of the wonderful events throughout the year."
 

We thank you kindly in advance of your support.