School pta- can it be charity?

cosyc

I have recently joined our schools PTA but wondered if any one has experience in whether they could become a charity.

I was thinking as they do a lot of sponsored type event if so they would be able to claim the tax back.

Any advice welcome?

carolt

Yes, they are, or should be, as is the school itself. Our kids' school has a charity number, which I know because I reclaimed the extra tax due to us as higher rate taxpayers for charitable donations.

Savvy_Sue

I am not sure all schools are charities: I don't remember the primary schools we've used were, but the secondary school is. Now the difference is that the secondary school is a VA Church School.

BUT even so there will still be, AFAIK, a distinction between school and PTA. In other words, I donate direct to the school and I can Gift Aid it, but if I give to the PTA I don't think I can.

the people who would know chapter and verse on this are the National Confederation of PTAs.

fredboris

my sons school's ptfa is a registered charity.

Savvy_Sue

Just to add that if the school PTFA is NOT already a charity, then you do need to consider carefully whether it is worth the extra work involved in registering it as one, and indeed how possible that is.

At the moment, the Charity Commission is not registering any new charities with an income of less than (I think) £5000 pa.

While a school PTFA can function more or less well from year to year with varying levels of committed support, a registered charity needs to do things properly every single year. Trustees must be appointed and do their job effectively, and so on.

Setting up a new charity isn't a job for the faint-hearted, and being a charity trustee isn't as simple as being on the PTA committee. Don't let that put you off: take advice from the NCPTA, but don't think it's something you can do just like that!

cosyc

Thanks for all your help. I will have to be brave and bring it up at the next meeting. It all seems very daunting at the moment and the people that were there (presume had been going a long time) didn't really want any other ideas but thier own.

KellyWelly

I'm secretary of my childrens' school PTA, which was set up as a constituted organisation last year which was easy enough (I did all the paperwork etc). If your PTA is a member of the NCPTA (which they really ought to be, it's more than worth it) they will help you to adopt a constitution if you don't already have one which is essential for charity registration.

We haven't yet registered as a charity because we haven't reached the £5000 limit and have only been a PTA since March, but it is certainly worth it. You will be able to benefit directly financially as a charity in your own right with regards to gift aid and VAT exemption, but also things like matched giving will be available to you and you will be more likely to be successful with grant applications.

There are other things that you have to consider though, such as the elected committee members will be the legal trustees of the charity and legally responsible if anything dodgy goes on. You will have to be audited every year (although this is the case if you are constituted and not charity registered as well so you may already find your PTA does this already). The legal implications should be fully understood by the trustees before they commit to it imho. It's easy enough for somebody to walk into the meeting and say 'we should be a charity!' but that person wouldn't be the one who had to have a CRB check and who could end up with a criminal record if something went wrong. The PTA would have to hold an EGM or wait until the AGM to decide to go ahead with it, it's a big deal.

If I were you I'd talk to one of the committee members about it and try to get it on the agenda, otherwise you could mention it in AOB but if your PTA meetings are anything like mine everyone will just nod and say next meeting!!

fengirl_2

Just to add to Kelly Welly, I am working on the incorporation of several PTA's - the main driver seems to be the ability to later run a breakfast club or an after school club. Some are raising the initial £5k from trusts in order to run a special project and this allows them to register as a charity.

Debt_Free_Chick

KellyWelly wrote: »

You will be able to benefit directly financially as a charity in your own right with regards to gift aid and VAT exemption

A word of warning to those who don't know .... charities are not automatically exempt from all VAT.