PTAextra Magazine Autumn 2025 | Page 40

Running your PTA

Back to basics: who’ s who in your PTA

Do you know the difference between Officers, Ordinary Committee Members, Volunteers and Trustees? PTA roles can be a little confusing, so we’ ve broken down exactly who’ s who in a typical PTA
Committee members are volunteers elected during the association’ s Annual General Meeting( AGM) to manage the PTA on behalf of its members. There are two types: Officers and Ordinary Committee Members. Officers have roles such as Chair, Treasurer or Secretary, but there is no difference in responsibility between Officers and Ordinary Committee Members – just those with specific role titles and those without.
Officers
What the Chair / Co-Chair is responsible for:
• Preparing and setting the agenda for meetings
• Setting the ground rules for and chairing meetings
• Delegating tasks to other committee members and volunteers, checking they’ re completed and offering support where needed
• Liaising with the school
• Ensuring the committee is governed in line with their constitution
• Ensuring any decisions are made correctly and fit the objectives of the association, as set out in the constitution
• Writing the Chair’ s report for the AGM
• May be a signatory on the PTA bank account
What the Treasurer / Co- Treasurer is responsible for:
• Keeping accurate and up-to-date financial records
• Presenting financial updates at each committee meeting
• Managing the PTA bank account and holding the association cheque book / debit card
• Monitoring and managing online payment platforms
• Preparing floats
• Ensuring best practice procedures are followed for counting and banking money, making payments and claiming expenses by all committee members
• Making any approved payments on the committee’ s behalf
• Preparing the annual Treasurer’ s report for the AGM and arranging an independent examination of the association’ s accounts
• Completing the relevant Charity Commission’ s annual return if your PTA is registered as a charity
• Managing Gift Aid( or assisting the person responsible)
All committee members have equal voting rights, but the Chair has an additional casting vote if a vote is tied – this is normally used to bring the subject to the next meeting for further debate.
What the Secretary / Co- Secretary is responsible for:
• Preparing for meetings with the PTA Chair
• Taking minutes at meetings, recording attendance, action points, decisions and proposals
• Circulating approved minutes, along with a reminder of any actions agreed
• Maintaining association records
• Making sure the association is GDPR-compliant
• Updating Trustee details with relevant charity commission( as appropriate)
• May be a signatory on the PTA bank account( along with at least one other committee member)
• Handling the association’ s correspondence
Turn the page to find out more about Ordinary Committee Members, Volunteers and Trustees.
Illustration: Freepik. com
PARENTKIND. ORG AUTUMN / WINTER 2025 21