Committee Roles

Chair Person

The PTA Chair directs your committee’s meetings, making sure everyone’s views are heard, and that everyone is involved in the meeting. They should make sure all committee members are familiar with the association’s constitution, model policies if applicable, and their role and responsibilities as a committee member (and trustee, if your PTA is registered as a charity). The PTA Chair also holds the casting vote where there is tied vote. This usually defers the decision to the following meeting, allowing committee members more time to consider and discuss the matter.

Treasurer

The PTFA Treasurer ensures accurate financial records are kept, and that best practice procedures are followed for counting money, banking, and making payments. They should keep your committee updated with regular reports, and ensure end-of-year reports are completed for the association’s AGM and, if your PTFA is registered as a charity, the relevant Charity Commission's annual return.

If you have co-Treasurers, both individuals are equally responsible for carrying out the role. If you have a vice-Treasurer, they will deputise for the PTFA Treasurer, and carry out the role if the Treasurer is absent or steps down from their position.

Duties and responsibilities of the PTFA Treasurer

• Keeps accurate, up-to-date financial records
• Presents financial updates at each committee meeting
• Manages the PTFA bank account, and holds the association cheque book
• Arranges changes of signatories on the association bank account
• Manages different payment platforms 
• Ensures all bank cards, cheque books, and paying-in books are accounted for and obtained from any individual leaving the PTFA
• Ensures best practice procedures are followed for counting and banking money after events 
• Makes approved payments
• Ensures procedures for making approved payments and claiming approved expenses are followed by all committee members
• Prepares the annual Treasurer’s report for your AGM and arranges an independent examination of the association’s accounts
• Completes the relevant Charity Commission’s annual return if your PTFA is registered as a charity
• Manages Gift Aid (or assists the committee member responsible for managing Gift Aid)
• Ensures committee members have read a copy of your association’s insurance policy summary, which should detail cash cover, and that they adhere to any guidelines contained in the document

Secretary 

The PTFA Secretary supports the PTFA committee to build effective communication links between the school and the association. They also maintain accurate records.

Duties and responsibilities of the PTFA Secretary

• Prepares for meetings (with the PTFA Chair)
• Takes minutes at meetings, recording attendance, action points, decisions, and proposals
• Circulates approved minutes, along with a reminder of any actions agreed
• Maintains association records
• Makes sure the association is GDPR-compliant
• Updates trustee details with relevant charity commission (as appropriate)
• May be a signatory on the PTFA bank account (along with at least one other committee member)
• Handles the association’s correspondence

General Committee Member

The general PTFA committee members are equally legally responsible for the control of the association, its property, and its funds. If your PTFA is a registered charity, they are also trustees of the charity and can be signatories on its bank account. Only trustees can be signatories on your charity’s bank account.

Ordinary committee members have the same voting rights as officers in committee meetings, allowing them to make decisions on behalf of the association.

The roles of general committee members offer a good introduction to your PTFA's committee for those who wish to be fully involved in the association, but perhaps don’t want to commit to an officer role.

General PTFA committee members could be given extra tasks to help support the officer roles – for example, acting as a social media co-ordinator, and managing the association’s Facebook page and other social media channels. They could perhaps help new parents become involved in school life, or recruit existing parents to volunteer at events, maybe as a class representative.

Event Volunteering

Having regular and consistent volunteers are vital in the smooth running of all our events! We have had so many exciting and successful events so far and we are always appreciative of the ongoing support and generosity we receive from all the children’s adults and siblings, we really love hosting them for you and the children. For our bigger events hosted during school time it is essential we always have an appropriate adult to child ratio. This helps ease the busyness and means each individual can focus on a more manageable role. The safety and enjoyment of the children is the most important part for the PTFA and that is why we always require volunteers to help us run our events as smoothly and safely as possible. For our out of hours school events, where families are invited a long, it is important we have lots of volunteers to help us, this ensures our volunteers get to have regular breaks with their families and enjoy the event for themselves as well! If you’re interested in joining the Highwood Copse PTFA team or becoming a part of our volunteer or baker list, please get in touch via our Contact Us page.

Baking Group