2008 winners

A total of six Gold Star Reward winners were announced at a special Awards Presentation, held on Wednesday 30th April.

Achievement in Parental Involvement:

Dorchester Parents’ Group, Hull: Home/School Challenge

A survey of parents indicated that many were keen to become more involved with their children’s homework. So the Parents’ Group came up with a unique idea; special homework folders that the children could take home.  To fund the Home/School Challenge, the Parents' Group submitted a successful funding bid to the Community Investment Fund, which not only covered the cost of the materials but also released a Year 5 teacher to help set up the folders. The first topics covered were rivers and space.  A total of 61 children and their parents were selected to take part. Parents were then invited to a special Home/School presentation event where all the children who completed the challenge were given a book token and a certificate. More parents are now involved in the life of the school, as a direct result of the project and due to its success , a second Home/School Challenge is now planned on the topic of ‘My Hull’.

Yeo Moor Infant  School PTA, Clevedon: Parent Helpers' Handbook 

A small community school with just 153 pupils on the roll, Yeo Moor has an active PTA and has always welcomed volunteer helpers.  Keen to reach a wider section of the school population, the school and the PTA began looking for a way to increase the number of parents involved whilst recognising and maximising the support given by existing parent volunteers. A  Parent Helpers’ Handbook was suggested and it was quickly established that for this idea to be successful parents, teachers, governors and school staff would all need to contribute. At the school’s annual thank-you coffee morning the Parent Helpers’ Handbook was launched, with every existing helper being given a personalised copy. Since its introduction, the school has seen the number of parents helping in school increase by an amazing 60 per cent. Plus, the number of PTA volunteers and its gross income has almost doubled.

Changing the Life of the School

Friends of Madresfield C of E School, Malvern: Walking Bus Project 

Madresfield is a small school situated on a country road which serves as a cut through for traffic. The road was becoming more and more dangerous for pupils being dropped off and collected.  A Travel Planning Group, consisting of a governor, the Headteacher, parents and members of the Friends committee, was formed to discuss a resolution. The idea of a Walking Bus sounded simple, and was not a new concept, but establishing a route was complicated by the lack of footpaths to the school, which backs onto farm land and land owned by the parish council. It became clear that a number of groups throughout the village would need to work together for the Walking Bus project to have any chance of success. All these hurdles were overcome and the Walking Bus is now an established part of school life. It has changed the life of the school in many ways, not least the improved relationships between the school, home and the local community.

Stanley Infant and Nursery School PSA, Teddington: bogbusters!

bogbusters! was initially planned as a simple re-paint of the school toilets, to be undertaken by a team of four mums. On closer inspection, it soon became clear that the refurbishment was indeed a much bigger project that needed the support of the wider parent group. The PSA received a huge response from parents offering their time and skills, which were utilised in many ways. In addition to the practical support, the PSA were also busy fundraising, to meet the estimated cost of £13,400  Throughout the project the PSA noted a genuine sense of community amongst the parents and the PSA worked closely alongside governors, teachers and the School Council. The pupils are now far happier using the new toilets and behaviour in the toilet area has generally improved.  As a result of the success of the project an article was featured in a local newspaper and the Junior School have now embarked on their own bogbuster project.  

PTA Fundraising Achievement

Kings Copse Primary PTA, Hedge End: Sensory Experience

Kings Copse Primary School is currently undergoing a building replacement scheme; as part of this development the PTA is supporting the school by raising a staggering £114,000 towards the cost of a new sensory outdoor area. This was a massive commitment for the PTA and one that could not rely solely on financial contributions from parents. In light of this, the PTA decided to take a different approach. Utilising their new status as a registered charity, the PTA submitted applications to trusts and grant-giving companies, and developed partnerships with both private and public sector organisations. For a PTA that was only formed in February 2007, this was a bold approach as it involved presenting to organisations and pitching for grants. As a result the PTA has grown in confidence; it has learnt that not only can a PTA maximise the support of their parent body but there are other great opportunities to be exploited beyond the school gate.  To date, the PTA has raised a total of £78,351, with £10,500 coming from traditional PTA activities; the equivalent of £470 per child.

Newbridge Primary School Association, Bath: ReNewbridge

As a result of the amalgamation of Newbridge St Johns C of E Infants and Newbridge Junior School, the two PTAs merged to create Newbridge Primary School Association - NPSA.  The new Headteacher had ambitious plans for the future; however funds were exhausted before the plans for the new school were complete. In response to this, NPSA launched its ReNewbrige fundraising campaign, with a target of raising £25,000.  The fundraising centred on the idea that everyone, children and adults alike, would engage in a sponsored activity of their choice, to be undertaken during the set fundraising period. Ideas were many and varied and included skipping, scooting, swimming, trampolining and being photographed in front of as many Bath historical monuments as possible in one hour. With everyone taking part the £25,000 target was soon met and this amazing achievement was supplemented with an additional £7,000 from an Auction of Promises in November 2007. The NPSA raised a grand total of £32,000; the equivalent of £70 per child.