CHAIRS REPORT - AGM 4th July 2024

I am honoured to present the Chair's Report for the 2024 Annual General Meeting of Owlsmoor Primary Parent Teacher Association. This is my third year as chair and I feel like we are a small, but mighty PTA. Laura, our treasurer, will be providing our financial update in due course.

Firstly, for those of you who don’t know, I will explain how the PTA Is run. The PTA is a registered charity, which is therefore governed by the Charity Commission.  There are 3 trustees – Myself as chair, Laura as treasurer and Trace as secretary. We are a separate legal entity from the school and it is the legal responsibility for the trustees to ensure the charity is well run. Trustees have independent control over, and legal responsibility for, a charity’s management and administration. We are governed by a constitution, which is our own set of rules. The trustees, alongside the wider committee are ultimately the decision maker for how PTA funds are spent and to ensure that the funds and other resources are managed responsibly.

2024 has been a year of resilience, adaptability, persistence, and accomplishment for our small yet dedicated PTA. We continue to make strides in supporting our school community and fostering a spirit of collaboration and engagement and enrich the experiences of our children. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments and the future of our PTA.

Our key successes have been our annual fireworks night and our building up of new events, such as the comedy nights, theatre trips, break the rules day, opportunity for legoland tickets in the summer holidays, hot drinks at Rudolf Rave, Fred in the shed, the panto coming into school at Christmas and more!

The PTA continues to benefit pupils. Although we have purchased less this year in terms of actual physical products, our major spend was over £23,000 on 64 chrome books, the build costs, licenses and charging trolleys. I am sure you will all agree this is a significant achievement. Not only the physical products we purchased, but the PTA continue to provide new opportunities for children to access different events and experiences. One example was our two Lion King trips and our coach trip to Frozen which enabled families to access reduced price tickets to a West End show. Another is the amazing class tea towels organised for the first time this year which enables children to remember their classes fondly.

I would like to personally thank Laura and Trace, the other trustees, for their continued support.  I would like to thank all the committee who provide support for decision making and running events! All of our volunteers are appreciated beyond measure, we cant do any of our events without them.

We have our Autumn term planned out already. We obviously have two theatre trips, one to Mrs Doubtfire and one to Matilda. We also have a comedy night, our fireworks night and Christmas products. We are also trialling something new for our Christmas disco and we have booked a silent disco. Personally, I can’t wait.

I welcome all members present today to consider supporting the PTA, and encourage anyone willing to contribute their time, skills, and passion for our school community to step forward. There are always roles that need filling, whether its social media guru, web developer, idea giver, communication, or event planner, your involvement will be instrumental in ensuring the continuity and growth of our PTA's activities.

In conclusion, I am proud of what our small PTA has achieved in 2024, I thank everyone for their involvement, enthusiasm, and dedication. Together, we have made a positive impact on the lives of our children and the school community. I am confident that our PTA will continue to flourish.

Becky Sutton

Chair