Friends of Oswestry School (FoOS)
We are fortunate at our school to have a Parents Association that is and has been an integral part of the school community for a number of years.
In its time, the Friends of Oswestry School (FoOS) has raised thousands of pounds, which has been spent on equipment and resources to enhance our children’s education experience and the school’s facilities. However, it is about much more than simply fundraising. The FoOS 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, working towards a common goal. Obviously, as in any organisation, we have experienced some challenges but with the continued support of parents and staff, the FoOS has generally succeeded in its efforts.
All families are automatically members of the FoOS when their child joins our school. The FoOS Committee is extremely conscious of the ethos and diversity of our school, and we try very hard when organising and planning events to respect this.
How do we get information to you?
We communicate with you either by Social Media or via the School weekly newsletter. The communication includes information on forthcoming events and dates plus requests for assistance, particularly when we are planning large events. Following a FoOS event, we always write on the newsletter to let you know how much was raised, and if we can, we tell you what the money will be spent on.
Committee Members
Our committee members undertake a very important role. There is usually one representative per year group who provides a link between individual classes, parents, the FoOS committee and the School.
The committee members will usually coordinate parent gatherings perhaps during the day over coffee or in the evening over a meal to encourage parents to get together each term. The support from committee members is also vital when it comes to organising our main events - from encouraging parent support to organising rotas of help. We really could not manage without them.
How we spend the money we raise
Following a fundraising event the money is deposited into the FoOS's bank account immediately. It is at our FoOS Committee meetings that the decisions on how to spend the money are agreed. Usually the School will have a ‘wish list’ of items that the School would like the FoOS to consider funding.
Sometimes this might be as a result of suggestions from the children. At other times it will be for resources to improve a particular area of the curriculum or school environment. The FoOS funds are spent on the ‘extras’ that are not provided by the school’s budget, thus making our children’s learning experiences more fulfilling and exciting. For example, the enhancement of the School’s IT facilities, from the purchase of mobile IT equipment.
The FoOS committee will only commit the FoOS to spending money on things that will benefit the children directly and we always endeavour to spend our funds in ways that will benefit all our children across all areas of the School and curriculum.
The money we raise is usually spent fairly quickly. That way, you can be sure that in supporting our school, your child/children will feel the benefit, along with everybody else. Of course there may be times when we are fundraising for a large project. However, whilst saving for these, we still manage to find funds for smaller items thanks to the generous and continued support of our parents.
PA Fundraising Ideas
Much of the fundraising we do is through events and this has been done very successfully over the years. However, we are always on the lookout for new ideas.
Keep a watch for details of future fundraising initiatives.