The Friends of St Joseph’s –Who are we?
We are the Friends of St Joseph’s, a welcoming bunch made up of Parents, Carers and School Staff who, as a team, organise fundraising events which not only provides a great socialising opportunity for parents and children but raises much needed funds to assist the school.
What do we do?
Examples of the types of events we run include:
- Family Quiz nights – fun night for all the family testing your knowledge
- Film Nights – These are run a couple of times in the year and are a hit with the kids!
- Summer Fete – A popular event on a summer afternoon, traditional stalls are run by the children featuring old time classics such as tombola.
- Christmas Disco – Our most popular event, getting everyone in the Christmas spirit!
- At most of our events we provide refreshments, including a bar.
What do we do with the money Raised?
Examples of how these funds have benefited the school include:
- Books and board games
- School Leavers hoodies
- Funding theatre performances
- Subsidising school trips
- New sports kit and playground toys
- A projector for nursery
I pay fees to the school, why does the school need more ?
The question is often asked as to why we need a PTA to raise funds for the school when we are in receipt of fees.
Firstly, please be aware that all school receive ‘fees’ either directly from parents as do independent schools, or through taxation such as state schools or academies.
In all cases, the income is finite and head teachers must budget to provide the best for the children, cover the bills, pay the staff and maintain the premises. Therefore, most schools operate a PTA to supplement their income and to help bond the school community.
At St Joseph’s we are a charity school and not for profit. To this end, we operate on very tight margins reinvesting any surplus money back into the community via potential bursaries and ensuring our fees remain the lowest in Nottingham.
We budget to cover all the basics above, keep our class sizes small and employ additional staff to provide the best start and educational provision for the children in our care.
Regretfully however, this leaves very little for the luxuries in life and that is where the PTA comes in. As well as providing community and social events, the group helps fund special projects to support the school enabling us to widen the curriculum with visits, replace aging kit and subsidise events to help parents with the cost of living.
They may also pay for things that are not seen as a necessity, but feature highly on our wish list and for which some children may miss out on as we save up and they move through the school. A good example of this was by providing for a projector in Nursery which was desirable, but not immediately necessary and was therefore in our long term development plan subject to funding. The children now have the benefit of this projector and it’s all thanks to the past efforts of the PTA.
How do I get involved?
So, as you can see, the role of the PTA is a vital organ of the school and nursery and if you would like to be involved, either fully or occasionally then please just get in touch. The commitment is not onerous and can extend to a few meetings and several events throughout the year. Alternatively, if you struggle for time then join us on an ad hoc basis, or just come along to the events and enjoy yourself.
We are always looking for new members and helpers to support events. Help comes in different forms whether it be planning events, attending meetings, helping out on at events, folding raffle tickets, making hampers, the list goes on.
We know time is precious and we all lead busy lives however we would appreciate your help, whatever you are able to give.
Your support would be much appreciated by all the children and stakeholders of St Joseph’s School and Nursery, so please get involved.