Welcome back to school — here’s to a great year!

PTAs

02 September 2026

Image: Three adults sat outside talking.

Caroline Hayward is a Parentkind PTA Community Adviser and former PTFA Chair.

The first few weeks back at school always feel a bit like a whirlwind.

One minute you’re enjoying the relative calm of summer, and the next you’re back in committee meetings, checking inboxes, replying to WhatsApp messages and trying to remember where you saved that document everyone suddenly needs.

Sound familiar?

The start of a new school year is always busy, but it’s also a great opportunity to take stock and think about the months ahead.

Not in a ‘let’s plan every event until next July’ kind of way.

More in a ‘what foundations do we need in place to make this year a success?’ kind of way.

Because while fundraising events are often the most visible part of PTA life, a lot happens behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly.

Take stock of where you are..

The start of the academic year is a natural time to reflect on what’s working well and what could be improved.

What worked brilliantly last year?

What caused unnecessary stress?

Which activities were worth the effort, and which left volunteers exhausted for very little return?

It’s easy to roll straight into another year doing things because ‘that’s how we’ve always done them’, but sometimes taking a fresh look can save a lot of time and energy.

Focus on your people

Every successful PTA relies on volunteers, and the start of the year is the perfect time to think about how you’re engaging them.

New families may have joined the school over the summer. Existing volunteers may be ready to take on something new. Others might simply be looking for small ways to help.

Do parents know who the PTA are and what you do?

Have you introduced your committee?

Are there clear opportunities for people to get involved?

One of the biggest misconceptions about PTAs is that volunteering means joining the committee or taking on a huge responsibility. In reality, many parents are happy to help if they’re given manageable tasks and clear expectations.

Sometimes all it takes is asking.

Review roles and responsibilities

Every committee works differently, but clarity is always helpful.

Who is leading on communications?

Who manages volunteer recruitment?

Who keeps track of actions and key dates?

Who is responsible for finances?

You don’t need a detailed organisational chart, but making sure everyone understands their role can prevent confusion and reduce the risk of everything ending up on the same person’s to-do list.

We’ve all seen that happen.

Give your finances a health check

I know. It’s not the most exciting job.

But it’s one of the most important.

Now is a good time to make sure bank account access is up to date, financial procedures are clear and everyone involved understands how spending decisions are made.

It can also be helpful to review your budget and fundraising goals for the year ahead.

Sorting these things out now is much easier than discovering a problem halfway through a busy term.

Future you will thank you.

Check your governance basics

Nobody joins a PTA because they’re passionate about governance.

But good governance helps everything else run more smoothly.

Take some time to check that key documents are current, accessible and stored somewhere everyone knows how to find them.

That might include:

Your constitution

Policies and procedures

Committee contact details

Meeting schedules

Risk assessment templates

It’s not the most glamorous task, but getting organised now can save a lot of headaches later.

Think about communication

PTAs communicate with parents in lots of different ways, from newsletters and emails to social media and messaging groups.

The start of a new school year is a good opportunity to review what’s working and what isn’t.

Are parents receiving information from too many places?

Are important messages getting lost?

Do you have a simple, consistent way of sharing updates?

Good communication isn’t just about promoting events. It helps build trust, recruit volunteers and keep parents informed about the impact your PTA is making.

Set realistic goals

This is probably the most important point of all.

Most PTAs start the year with a long list of ideas and far fewer volunteers than they’d ideally like.

That’s completely normal.

The most successful PTAs aren’t necessarily the ones doing the most. They’re the ones that understand their capacity and focus on what matters most to their school community.

It’s okay to start small.

It’s okay to say no to ideas that don’t fit your priorities.

And it’s absolutely okay to focus on doing a few things well instead of trying to do everything.

Your volunteers will thank you for it.

Final thoughts

If you’re already looking at the year ahead and feeling slightly overwhelmed, you’re not alone.

Every PTA starts the new school year with a long list of jobs to do. That’s simply part of being a volunteer-led organisation supporting a busy school community.

But you don’t have to tackle everything at once.

Focus on building strong foundations. Focus on your people. Focus on what will make the biggest difference to your school.

The events, fundraising and celebrations will follow.

And remember, successful PTAs aren’t built through one big event or one brilliant idea. They’re built through lots of small actions, carried out by volunteers who care about making school life a little bit better for everyone.

One step at a time.

You’ve got this, here’s to a great year!