Looking for some inspiration...school disco's

yellowbear

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

At the risk of taking the thread off topic, and of teaching grandmothers to suck eggs ...

In my experience there's only one way to get more parents involved, and that's to invite them, personally, to get involved, preferably with a specific 'ask'. So when our primary PTA was at its most extensive, we probably didn't have more than a dozen families involved, but most of them had children in DS2's class. I asked one of the mums if she'd help me do X, and before I knew it she'd invited 2 more along, and one of them had aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents in the area and all of them got roped in, and ...

We always sent a letter home to all parents in the first half of the autumn term, inviting people to our first meeting, but that HAD to be followed up by loitering in the playground and chatting, and you also have to make sure you don't look too cliquey - it's nigh on impossible, of course, because you do all know each other already, but if any new parent ventures into a meeting you have to fall on them like a long lost friend you haven't seen for years, listen avidly to all their suggestions and NEVER say "we tried that and it didn't work" ... at least not at their first meeting. :rotfl:

You CAN say "when we tried that we found that ... but if you think you can make it work ... do you know anyone who'd help you with it?"

We've had a stall at xmas markets, fun days etc. Made cakes to tempt them over. It's shocking how low our turnout is.
We haven't sent a letter out though. I suppose we could target the new joiners - get them in before they get signed up by the school gate crowd.

We don't want people to commit to to turning up at every do - just a meeting or two every term and a couple of hours a year on a stall.
You'd think we were asking them to sell their soul to the devil.