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The Committee

 

Long Buckby Preschool is a registered charity and is jointly run by the Preschool staff and a committee of parents. The Committee work alongside our fantastic Preschool team and our Manager, who manages the day to day aspects of Preschool, such as the staff, implementation of the curriculum and the children’s development and welfare.

We are a mix of Mums and Dads of children who are attending Long Buckby Preschool (and some whose children have left!) and other committee members such as Wendy who helps represent the church where Preschool are based.

We are members of the Preschool Learning Alliance, who provide us with the framework we operate under, training, support and up-to-date information about policies and legislation affecting the Preschool. The committee members are the charity trustees and together they are responsible for the overall management of the Preschool. The day-to-day running is the responsibility of our highly qualified and experienced staff but the behind the scenes management is down to the committee.

 

Who is the committee?

The committee is made up of parents/carers/of children who attend or used to attend Preschool (60% of the committee members should be current parents). There are a number of key roles on the committee as well as general members who make up the team.

 

What does the committee do?

The committee works together similarly to how a school PTA or board of governors work. A lot of the work the committee does is fun- fundraising ideas, getting exciting plans off the ground (for instance, designing our Preschool outdoor area), but there are some regular jobs too, such as updating policies, recruitment and monitoring the budget.

We are members of and work with The Preschool Learning Alliance to ensure we are up to date with all aspects of Early Years education.

The committee is responsible for:

· Employment of staff

· Working with staff, to ensure the maximum quality of care and education is given to our children

· Fundraising, for example, our annual Valentine’s disco, school fete and other activities

· Promotion of the Preschool to encourage new parents

· Support the team with safeguarding and other policies

· Agreeing improvements to the buildings/outdoor areas

· Deciding on level of fees payable

· All major Preschool expenditure

 

The committee is made up of three key roles; chair, treasurer and secretary and also general committee members.

 

Chair

The Chair heads up the committee and is the main point of contact for the Preschool staff, Committee members and other bodies such as OFSTED. This role is challenging but varied and means you work really closely with the Preschool Manager to complete recruitment, sign off/develop policies, manage staff and dealing with any day to day issues that need to be escalated to the Committee. The Chair also leads the Committee meetings and works with the Secretary to ensure agendas and minutes are correct. The Chair is a co-coordinating role – it doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself! No experience is necessary and you should never feel overwhelmed, as there are always plenty of existing/former committee members and staff on hand to answer questions and offer support.

 

Secretary

The secretary is responsible for organising our committee meetings- finding a date and time that suits the majority and arranging the venue and taking and distributing the minutes at meetings. They work closely with the chairperson.

 

Treasurer

The treasurer is responsible for reporting all matters of finance to the committee. 

The Treasurer needs to keep clear, accurate records of the Preschool’s financial transactions, prepare, forecast and manage our budget, prepare and present financial reports at committee meetings, calculate fees and handle invoicing and payments. They manage the bank account in consultation with the rest of the committee. The Treasurer should have accounting experience.

 

General Committee Members

General members attend committee meeting and help (or lead!) any activity the Committee is undertaking. You can get involved in anything that takes your fancy but it is expected that members all contribute to fundraising efforts and supporting events.

 

Committee meetings

The committee meets approximately once a month (during term time). We discuss everything that has happened since the last meeting and what actions need to happen next. We meet in the evening, usually at a member’s house.

 

Joining the Committee

Being on the committee lets you have a say in the way your child’s Preschool is run. You do not need any specific skills to join!

New members are welcome all year round! New members are elected onto the committee at the AGM in early October (or speak to a member of Preschool staff who will introduce you to a committee member).

The word ‘Committee’ can sound off putting, but we are really just a group of parents with a little time to give to Preschool. It’s not a huge commitment and you can volunteer for whatever role interests you most, either using the skills you already have or developing new ones you could add to your CV!

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