Friends of Harpenden Academy (PTA)

All parents and carers of Harpenden Academy students are automatically members of the Friends of Harpenden Academy (FOHA). So why not come along and get involved? It’s a great way to meet other families and we have lots fun!

Friends of Harpenden Academy (FoHA) is the PTA for Harpenden Academy. We are a registered charity and led by a group of committed parents who meet regularly to plan events and fundraising ideas for the school. Every parent and carer of a child at Harpenden Academy is already a member of FoHA—so why not pop along to our next meeting and see if you fancy getting more involved?!

2023-24 FOHA Core Committee

CHAIR

Ellie Ratliff

EVENT MANAGERS

EASTER EGG HUNT, Nicola McGeown

COMEDY NIGHT, Erin Curnow

TREASURER

Aubrey Caulfield

SUB-TREASURER

Ben Dickens

SECRETARY

Jackie Clode-Dickens

SUB-SECRETARY

Vacant

Class reps help build a sense of community among the class parents and help provide the link between the parents and Friends of Harpenden Academy (FOHA) - our equivalent of a Parent Teacher Association). Like every parent, class reps are invited to the monthly FOHA meetings to gain a broader understanding of what the Friends do for the school.

With lots of busy parents – we recommend sharing the role with 1 or more parents.

The Role in a Nutshell

Organising Class Social Events for Parents

• Class coffee mornings and parents’ evenings are always good fun and the most effective way of helping parents get to know each other and generating a good team spirit in your class

School Events

• FOHA hold a variety of fundraising and social events throughout the school year. Class Reps are asked to encourage attendance and rally volunteers. For larger events (our Easter Egg Hunt and the post Sports Day Celebration) it works best if each class is allocated a stall/task and Class Reps are responsible for coordinating the preparation, rota and clearing up

Communication

• Some of our existing class reps send out weekly announcements via Classlist reminding class parents of upcoming class events/deadlines etc. They will often manage requests from the teachers such as bringing in extras for junk modelling or a themed week at school

Teacher's Presents 

• If your class decides it wants to give the Teacher and the Teaching Assistant a Christmas or end of year present, the Class Reps will organise this. Class Reps also generally coordinate a card or similar for the teachers with messages from the children at Christmas and the end of year

Next Year's Reps

• Towards the end of the year, please find at least one lovely volunteer to rep for next year!

CLASS REPS

LADYBIRDS

Sarah Elderton & Felicity Gregg

ELMER

Emily Barnham

MOOMIN

Abbie Collin & Rebecca Clacken

POTTER

Emma Chateauneuf & Jamey Doe

MILNE

Gillian Griffiths & Sophie Acton

DAHL

Pierre Oliviere & Geraldine Archbold-Shore

SHAKESPEARE

Helen Camfield & Sarah Elderton

Classlist at Harpenden Academy

Classlist is the way we share information from your Class reps and the Friends of Harpenden Academy. You can also use Classlist to communicate directly with other parents in your class: about school and non-school events. You can pay for school events online using Classlist and you can use it to organise parties or playdates.

Registering for Classlist

• Visit classlist.com

• Click ‘Join here’.  Enter our school name “Harpenden Academy” click continue

• Enter your basic information (name, email and a password you select)

• Your application will be sent to our school Classlist admin team for approval. This step makes sure only Harpenden Academy parents are on our Classlist site

• When approved, you will be sent an email letting you know you’re ready to go

• Once you have access to Classlist, you can (if you wish) add more personal information (like your address and a photo) to your profile

• Don’t forget to add @classlist.com to your safe senders list

• better still – add the Classlist app to your phone

• Classlist is registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office. This means it must meet obligations with regard to its data protection. Details are never passed to third parties

• Free to users, Classlist makes its money selling advertising - we have experienced it to be minimal, relevant and non-intrusive

Get Involved

Come to Meetings

All FoHA members are welcome to attend any of our meetings, even if you’re not a class representative or on the Committee. Don’t be shy! We meet roughly monthly, usually in the evening, and it’s always a relaxed occasion. Our meetings are social, welcoming and a great way to get to know your new school and other parents and carers.

Support Events

Many parents and carers have many commitments both in and out of the home and we appreciate how precious your time is. We make sure that when you do put your hand up to help, your contribution is enjoyable but never a chore. We usually need plenty of help both before and on the day to pull off events, so there is always something that can fit in with your schedule.

We realise that not everyone is able to give their time, so there are lots of other ways to show support. Please consider attending events and activities, making a fundraising purchase or donating items or money, all of which will contribute to the success of the events.sure that when you do put your hand up to help, your contribution is worthwhile and valuable. Most events for the coming year are already scheduled. We aim to be different and hold events you and your family will enjoy attending. But, we need plenty of help both before and on the day to pull them off.  You will be asked to help.

Be Your Class Rep

Harpenden Academy Class Reps are the link between teachers and parents and carers. They help build a sense of community amongst the school families. They are the teacher’s ‘go-to’ when information needs to be shared with all families in the class or when extra support is needed for things like school trips and activities.

We often have two or more reps from each class to help spread the responsibilities around, cover holidays, different drop off/pick up schedules and illnesses.

Volunteer in School

From time-to-time, the school asks for volunteers to help with activities taking place in school time with the children. Volunteering is incredibly valuable to the school and a fulfilling way to get involved.  You could volunteer for a regular slot (e.g. reading in class) or for special activities and school trips (great fun!).  Any volunteer who is likely to be in a 1-to-1 situation with a child needs a DBS check (criminal record check).  This is simple and free to do, but can take a few weeks for results to return - so please do get yours in advance so you are able to step up to join in!  Contact Kathryn Jackson in the school office to start the process.

Simple Ways to Help

Raise money for our school when shopping online. Simply choose “Friends of Harpenden Academy” as your charity on the below websites.

Stamptastic

Earn 30% commission for school by entering AL54EN at checkout.

Stikins

Earn 10% commission for the school by entering 35586 at checkout.

Earn the school a commission each time you enter our code when purchasing the below brands.

We regularly meet with our Headteacher to discuss ways that FOHA can help fundraise for projects across the school.

Our fundraising priorities are:

• Elmer class garden space renovation
• Technology upgrades for the pupils
• Much needed new books for the library

We aim to assist in completing these projects by holding various fundraising events, activities and initiatives throughout the year.

Thanks for all of your support!

• PTA UK Membership Certificate 2017.pdf
• Adopted Constitution.pdf
• Charity Commission Registration Certificate 2014.pdf

FoHA Chair Report 2021-2022

FoHA Chair Report 2020-2021