Running your PTA

Let’ s take the stress out of taking minutes! If you’ ve never made notes for a meeting before, here are our top tips

Please note This guidance is for committee meetings – AGMs, for example, have a different format.

Before the meeting

Take a look at the meeting agenda so you know what ' s going to be discussed, as well as any previous minutes so you can get a feel for how they’ ve been taken before. Set up a template – it will help a lot during the meeting.

Your minutes should include:

During the meeting

Write simply, clearly and factually – avoid opinions or assumptions. And you don’ t have to write down every word. Your role is to record what was decided, not what everyone says. If there ' s a lengthy discussion on one topic, for example, just summarise the main points.

If your meeting is online, you could always record it – most video call software has AI transcript-writing built in. However, please note that only the 2021 Parentkind constitution includes virtual meetings.

Sit as close as possible to whoever is chairing the meeting. That way they can clarify anything you’ re unsure of.

• Name of your association

• Date

• Time of the meeting

• Who is present and who sent apologies

• Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting

• Actions / matters arising – the Secretary will usually give a brief update on any matters discussed at the last meeting or confirm action that has been taken

• Treasurer’ s update on income and expenditure since the last meeting, and the current bank balance. If the Treasurer is unable to attend, they should provide a written report for another committee member to read out

• Items of business – general admin, organising events and / or discussion of any requests for funding received from the school

• Any other business – this is an opportunity for people to raise questions and make suggestions

• Time of adjournment

• Date of next meeting

After the meeting

Write up the minutes as soon as possible while the meeting is fresh in your mind. Have a read through to make sure everything is correct. Give a draft to the Chair for their review before sharing it with your committee members.

Images: Shutterstock / Evgeniy Yatskov, Freepik

PARENTKIND. ORG AUTUMN / WINTER 2026 11