Running your PTA
I ' m currently on a PTA committee of four, which is a registered charity. Our current Chair is stepping down at the end of the year due to the time and responsibility it has taken up. The other committee members have discussed moving to a more community-led and team-driven model where there isn ' t one leader and we all share the load. Is there a legal requirement to have a Chair?
This will depend on what’ s written within your constitution. If there are roles specified, such as Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, then you will need to elect members into these. If, like in the Parentkind Constitution there are no roles specified and just a minimum number of committee members in post, then you do not need to assign roles to them. Although, we do always recommend there is one person specifically allocated to oversee PTA finances for consistency. Chairs also help ensure that PTA meetings stay on course, so at the beginning of each meeting a committee member should be nominated to chair it – they can take it in turns.
When completing risk assessments for events, what ratio of adults to children should we have in attendance?
There is no set ratio that is required when holding events. It’ s up to you as a committee to decide on the level of supervision required as part of your risk assessment. If you’ re unsure of where to begin, the NSPCC has published the following guidelines:
“ We recommend having at least two adults present when working with or supervising children and young people. We recommend the following adult-tochild ratios as the minimum numbers to help keep children safe:
• under 2 years- one adult to three children
• 2- 3 years- one adult to four children
• 4- 8 years- one adult to six children
• 9- 12 years- one adult to eight children
• 13- 18 years- one adult to ten children
Depending on the needs and abilities of the children and the nature of the event, you may want adjust the ratio to suit your needs. It might also be useful to talk with your school as they may have some useful guidance for you.”
As the Treasurer of a small PTA who are not yet a registered charity, how do we account for a grant of £ 18,500? Is it classed as income or treated separately?
Congratulations on receiving such a generous grant! This will be counted as income for your association and should be treated the same way as all other income. As this grant puts you over the £ 5,000 income threshold, you may need to register with the Charity Commission. If you consistently raise under the threshold each financial year, then you may be able to apply for an exception – if in doubt, it’ s always best to talk it through with the Charity Commission. You can also find out more about registering as a charity on our website.
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Are our committee members allowed to buy raffle tickets? It seems a bit wrong for them to win prizes.
There’ s no right or wrong answer to this – it ' s your committee ' s choice. Raffles are a game of chance, a random draw of numbers, so it ' s really down to luck! If it makes you uncomfortable, then you can decide as a committee not to buy tickets. If committee members do buy tickets, you might want to nominate a noncommittee member to draw the numbers so it doesn’ t look like they are favouring themselves or each other.
Got an issue you need advice on? Contact Clare and her team:
Helpline 0300 123 5460( Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00)
info @ parentkind. org
Message us at PTA Expert by Parentkind or post a question in our community group PTA Hangout by Parentkind
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