PTA of the Year 2023 winner discusses inclusivity amidst cost of living crisis

“The idea came up at our AGM. We had been talking about fundraising for the much-needed improvements for the school, whilst ensuring we did not add a further financial burden to parents already struggling with the increased living costs”, explains Jimena Vergara-Lincoqueo, their Chair.

“We wanted to run a Halloween disco, so we adapted the response slip that we sent out notifying parents/​guardians of upcoming events to add the option of I would like to sponsor a place for another child and enclose the additional amount’.

We were delighted to have an incredible 48 sponsored places returned. This, in turn, built trust with parents so that children who may have previously missed out on events were now included. Parents came forward to thank the school and PTA for this initiative as it alleviated the burden on them, while allowing every child to participate in the school community events.”

“As not all sponsored places were needed for the first event, we put the leftover funding toward the next event, our Christmas fair. We held it during the school day, which meant parents sent the spending money in with the children and we used the sponsorship money to discreetly ensure every child was able to go to every stall to either play a game or purchase an item even if they didn’t have the money to spend.

All the children had a fantastic day and returned home with lots of prizes and sweets, whilst we could still fundraise for the school. We now have a fully-tested operating model for all future events, which has not only positively increased the attendance for each event, but also allowed us to sustainably continue to raise much-needed funds for the school without leaving a single child behind.”