Running your PTA

Rhi Quinton , Secretary for Gorseland Primary PFA , spoke to us about managing the social media accounts for her committee

“ Before I joined our PFA , I found it hard to find information about it , especially being a new parent to the school . One of the things I wanted to do when I joined was get as much information out there as possible through social media . It ' s free and easy to use , so why not use it ?”

Gorseland Primary is a big school with 500 plus children , and we ’ re a really small PFA with only four official committee members . I put myself forward for the role of Secretary in the first AGM I attended and , although it was a bit daunting , it was genuinely one of the best things I ' ve ever done .

I ' m not the only one running our social media accounts , but I probably do most of it because I have time in the day to put the information out there . I mainly use it to let parents know what events are coming up and where to find us , like where exactly our stalls will be on the playground , just to make it easy for everyone to get involved . Social media is also great after we ' ve had an event to let everyone know how much we raised . I get worried that I ’ m just asking for money all the time ! We are providing something in return , but it ' s nice to give everyone a massive thank you because we couldn ' t do it without the parents , grandparents and carers .

Most of our followers are on Facebook . Our school is on Facebook too . It ' s nice for parents because they can ask us questions directly on there , and it ' s nice for the school as they don ’ t need to answer questions about PFA things . We have an automated message on our Facebook that says to bear with us and one of our volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible . We

usually reply within 24 to 48 hours . My advice to other PTAs wanting to utilise social media more is to get Canva ! I absolutely love it , it makes our graphics and posters look so modern and professional . And it ' s so easy to do . It makes our posts really pop . Definitely get on it , if you ’ re not already !

Want to find out more about the traditional roles of Chair , Treasurer and Secretary ? Head to our website :

PARENTKIND . ORG AUTUMN / WINTER 2024 21