Looking Back on My First Year as a PTA Chair (and Parent!)

As the school year wraps up, I’ve been reflecting on what has been a truly memorable first year—both as a new parent at Claremont and as Chair of the PTA. I’ve had more than a few people ask, “Why are you doing this?”—often with a look that suggests I might be slightly mad for diving into a new challenge while working and raising three children. My answer is always the same: yes, I play a small part, but it’s the incredible team around me—the PTA committee, the Friends of the PTA, the teachers, and the support staff—who lift this charity up and make things happen.

This is all for the children. Supporting their education, creating joyful moments, and building a stronger Claremont community. We should all be proud of what we’ve achieved together.

A Heartfelt Thank You

This year brought changes to our committee. We welcomed Julia, Zoe, Lisa, Becky, Ami, and from the teaching staff, Martha and Gemma. At the same time, we said goodbye to Emma, Sam, Ben, and Niloufer. To both our new and outgoing members—thank you for everything.

To the Committee Exec Team—Natalie, Lisa, and Shagun—you are the backbone of this operation. Thank you for being rock solid.

To the Comms Team: Zoe, Anna & Lauren- you are also my weekly go to! I hope you know how instrumental you are at making sure we are all on top of what’s happening.

To the Clarefest Coordinating Team — Carmen and Giles, your work in planning, running, and documenting the event has been outstanding. You’ve made it easier for future teams to follow in your footsteps. Emma, thank you for the seamless handover to Carmen.

To the Summer Fete Coordinating Team — Sarah, Helen, Anna, Marishka, Fran, Zoe, and Jess—thank you for your tireless efforts. Rain or shine, you raised the bar and delivered a fantastic & fun event.

Julia- Thank you for taking over the uniform shop, such a valuable service you provide to the parents! Jenny for leading the first Aiders, making sure the events are safe for the attendees. Lucy - can you please tell me who the Easter Bunny is? Thank you for all the work that’s gone into it,making sure no child is left out.

Playground Sales are a whole year round event- not only is it a high contributor but it takes constant work, Thank you Jenny and her army of helpers!

Sam:  Thank you for running a tight ship for the cinema club & Nicki making sure our kids are dancing their socks off at the discos. Hydrated and Fed!

Tea towels:  A special thank you to Jemma and her team- what an organisational feat- creating memories the children can keep forever

Becky & Jon: Thank you Becky for taking on the New Parents Initiative, making sure new parents know who we are, what  we do and feel that the PTA is there to support them & Jon for turning an idea into a beautiful, fancy brochure.

Cat & Ami: Our PTA crafters, thank you both so much for your passion and energy into organising the Christmas Wreath making and all things crafts during Clarefest & Kids Craft event.

And to our wider community of volunteers—you’ve sold at playground sales, served coffees, audited accounts, written newsletters, and run events & countless stalls.  Your contributions, big and small, have made a huge difference.

Finally, thank you to every parent who came to an event, bought a ticket, a doughnut, a second-hand uniform, or donated in any way. Every bit of support—whether time or money—has had an impact.

Read on to see just how much we’ve achieved together this year…

What we’ve raised 

We’re thrilled to share that this year has been a huge success! While the final figures are still being audited, early numbers show that the PTA has raised over £34,000 in profit—an incredible achievement!

Here’s a snapshot of what made that possible:

• Our two flagship events brought in £20,000:

  • Clarefest raised an amazing £13,000

  • Summer Fête followed closely with £7,000

• Playground Sales have been a steady and significant contributor all year round.

• Christmas Wreath Making continued to be a festive favourite.

• The children enjoyed a wide range of activities, including:

  • Secret Room

  • Easter Egg Hunt

  • Three Cinema Clubs

  • Four School Discos—full of dancing and fun!

• We also piloted a new Craft Event for Year 3, which we hope to build on next year.

• And let’s not forget the 800+ items of second-hand uniform sold, raising over £2,000!

Our CHIP-IN initiative is now well into its second year and helping provide a more reliable income stream for the PTA. For those unfamiliar, CHIP-IN allows parents to set up a regular direct debit, with every penny going directly towards the £15,000 we commit annually to the school’s IT equipment. It’s a simple, impactful way to support the school year-round.  We're currently raising around £12,000 per year through this scheme - huge thanks to all our contributors this year.

What we’ve spent

The PTA’s core purpose is to enrich the educational experience of our children and provide funding where the school or council budgets fall short. With school budgets continuing to face pressure, every pound we raise truly makes a difference. This year, we’re proud to say we contributed an incredible £50,800 !

Our biggest donations went towards the new canopy over the Maslow area (£23,042) and IT equipment (£15,000). We also supported the pantomime trip, Trim Trail playground equipment, Year 6 yearbooks and BBQ, and D.T. materials.

Earlier in the year, we were asked to support the library refurbishment—a fantastic project that benefits every child in the school. A huge thank you to Miss Oliver and Señor Lalo for their dedication to bringing this to life. We were delighted to contribute £2,600 towards the improvements. Check out the pictures and our special plaque below!

All of this makes a real, tangible difference to your child’s experience at Claremont Primary. These are the moments, resources, and opportunities that help shape their school journey—and it’s thanks to your support that we can make them happen.

What about next year?

We’ll be kicking off the new academic year with a PTA Committee meeting 9th of September - everyone is welcome! Whether you’re curious, considering getting involved, or just want to listen in, please do come along. We’re a genuinely friendly group—I promise! If I can make it so can you!

This first meeting is a great opportunity to take stock, reflect on what we’ve achieved and look ahead. We want to explore what’s possible for the year ahead, how we can strengthen the Claremont community spirit even more, and identify the priorities that matter most—for us and for the children.

The school has plenty of ideas for how we can support them, and we’ll be discussing those in the new term.

One big change next year is our Vice-Chair Natalie is stepping down - could you be our next vice chair? I asked Natalie what the job entails and she said "Whatever you want it to be! As vice-chair you support the Chair and the Committee in whatever way you can with whatever time you have. You don't need any prior knowledge or experience - just a bit of enthusiasm! In return you'll make new friends, learn new skills and impress your kids that you're helping make school more fun!". Please do reach out to us at claremonttwpta@gmail.com if you're interested in finding out more.

Now, before we wrap up for the year, I have one last favour during the holidays! If you happen to be shopping at the Tesco Superstore on the Pembury Road, you might notice the blue token voting station near the tills. Thanks to Emma’s hard work our application has been accepted — and we now have a chance to win £1,500 to support our outdoor equipment project. Every token counts!

Thank you once again to everyone for making me feel so welcome this year and supporting us all. I wish you a wonderful summer!

Axelle