Lambeth Academy PTA

Welcome to Lambeth Academy Parent Teacher Association - LAPTA

LAPTA COMMITTEE AND MEMBERS

WHO WE ARE
All parents, carers, teachers and other staff of Lambeth Academy are members of LAPTA!

VISION
Our vision is a welcoming school at the heart of the community, and a supportive and inclusive community around the school.

ACTIVITIES
Our main activities are:

Organising social and cultural events centred on Lambeth Academy.
Helping to promote Lambeth Academy in the wider community.
Raising and spending funds for the benefit of the students of Lambeth Academy.
Supporting the initiatives of staff and students at Lambeth Academy.
Giving parents opportunities to take part in the life of the school and contribute to activities beyond the classroom.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED
We welcome everyone who wants to be actively involved, either on the committee, or as occasional volunteers for events. Our meetings are advertised in advance (you can find the dates on the school calendar).

LAPTA is a great way to support our children and be part of the life of the school. To join our contact list or to get any other information, please email parents@lapta.org.uk

COMMITTEE
LAPTA is managed by a Committee of elected officers and ordinary members. At the moment the officers are:

Chair: Andrew Hadley
Deputy Chair: Pamela Morgan
Secretary: Maria Hatter
Treasurer: (vacant)
Communications Officer: Rosie Johnson
School Representative: Ennelyn Schmidt-Roberts
Teacher Representative: Mike Conaghan

We have an open meeting once a term (six times a year), and one Annual General Meeting. Meetings are advertised in advance and all parents, carers, teachers and other staff are welcome to attend.

VOLUNTEERS
We rely on the help of all our members. We are constantly looking for more volunteers to help in all sorts of ways. Usually this needs no special skill and only a very little time. For example:

Serving drinks or food
Setting up before events or tidying up afterwards
Selling tickets
Helping organise an event
Being a "parent ambassador" to talk about Lambeth Academy to parents in primary schools

VALUES
We believe that LAPTA should:

Be open and transparent in all our relationships, activities and processes.
Respect different opinions and viewpoints.
Value all forms of diversity, and actively engage with all the groups and communities represented at the school.
Encourage participation by all parents, staff and friends of Lambeth Academy.
Promote equal opportunities for all young people.
Support all kinds of learning and creativity.

FUNDRAISING
We can raise funds in various ways, including:

Ticket sales from events
Bar and other refreshment sales at events
Raffles, tombolas, bring and buy sales, and other typical fête activities
Online services
Business sponsorship (in cash or in kind, such as discounts)
Advertising

Of course, all our fundraising and financial activities have to be consistent with our legal status and our values.

We raise money either for our general fund, or sometimes for special projects which we have decided to support.

HOW WE SPEND OUR MONEY
Any member of staff, student or parent/carer can make suggestions or ask for LAPTA support for an activity or project, as follows:

Staff - email to the Teacher Representative (or School Representative)

Students - discuss and get support from tutor, subject teacher or head of house; then email or written note to the Teacher Representative (or School Representative)

Parents - email or phone call to one of the committee officers

The School Representative can also suggest projects.

All proposals or bids have to be approved by the Committee. We normally decide these at our regular Committee meetings. Exceptionally (in urgent cases where the amount requested is £50 or less) we may take decisions via phone or email. We always consult the School Representative and the Teacher Representative, to ensure there are no competing (or more deserving) projects which we may not be aware of.

We only support projects and initiatives of direct benefit to Lambeth Academy and its students.

We do not raise or spend money on behalf of other charities. Also we do not spend money on anything which can properly be considered to be part of the school's everyday responsibilities.