PTA

THE WALLACE HIGH SCHOOL PTA 

The Wallace High School PTA is a group of committed parents and teachers who have the school’s, but more importantly, the pupil’s, best interests at its very core.

We are fortunate at The Wallace High School to have a PTA that is, and has been, an integral part of the school community for over 40 years.  During its tenure, the PTA has raised thousands of pounds, which have been spent on equipment and resources to enhance our children’s education and experience, as well as the school’s facilities.

Our PTA is about much more than simply fundraising. The PTA exists to provide closer links between home and school and it is an excellent way to bring staff, parents and friends together socially, in support of the school, while working towards a common goal.

The PTA is very conscious of the ethos and diversity of our school, and we try extremely hard, when organising and planning events, to respect this.

All parents and members of the school community are encouraged to get involved, even if they only have a small amount of time available.

How we spend the money we raise

Following a fundraising event, the money is immediately banked.  Our PTA Committee meetings are held on the first Monday of every month.  It is at these meetings that the decisions on how to spend the money are agreed.

Typically, the teachers, of both the preparatory department and the grammar school, will fill in an application for funding.  Our pupils are also warmly invited to apply.  The fundraising application is done by submitting an online form, the link for which is available on the intranet of the school.  These applications are collated by the teacher members of the PTA, who will then present these requests to the rest of the committee, where they are considered in light of the constitution.

The PTA funds are spent on the ‘extras’ that are not provided by the school’s budget, thus making our children’s learning experiences so much more fulfilling and exciting.  At other times it will be for resources to improve a particular area of the curriculum or school environment.

A good example of a recent successful request, is the BookBuzz reading initiative which supply a book for each of our Year 8 and Year 9 pupils, as well as class sets of books for the English department.  We also gave a donation towards the recent Lego trip to Brazil where a team of Wallace students had earned their place in the final!  In the past two years, we purchased WHS branded masks for each Year 8 pupil – thank goodness these are no longer required!  Very recently, the PTA funded an ice-cream truck to come to school on A’level results day; a great treat for all their hard work!

Another recent request which was passed by the committee, was a polytunnel for the preparatory department outdoor garden area, used for planting vegetables and herbs, which will benefit all pupils from Primary 1 to Primary 7.  There has been a recent surge in interest for the gardening club run by the school which allows the children the opportunity to learn more about planting and growing their own food.  We also purchased a SMART whiteboard for one of the classrooms in the preparatory department.

PTA funds are generally not spent on improving the fabric of the school building as this is the responsibility of the school Governing Body.  Our Constitution commits the PTA to spending money on events or items that will benefit the children directly.

How you can get involved

There are lots of ways you can help and support your child through the PTA.

Whether you want to become a committee member, or whether you cannot promise to help out on a regular basis; offering to support the committee before events or at other times during the year is so valuable.  We really couldn’t achieve what we do without the support and assistance that we receive ‘behind the scenes’.

Contact us with a message on our Facebook page or Twitter account.  Alternatively, you can e-mail enquiries directly to PTA@wallacehigh.net.

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The PTA Social Media Policy can be found here

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