Minutes from PFA meeting held 10 February 2026

Attendance

Present: Joanna Stewart (Chair) [JS], Toby Foster (Treasurer) [TF], Danielle McLeod (Principal teacher) [DM], Pauline Lannagan (P3–6 teacher) [PL], Louise Birkett, Ruth von Krause

Apologies: Laura Cooksey (Vice-Chair), Katie Aitchison (Secretary), Jill Horsburgh (Headteacher) [JH], Andrea Thacker, Rachel Davidson (ANA)

Discussion points

Minutes from meeting held 18 November 2025 approved by TF, JS.

Breakfast club

Numbers good, consistent. Running well. Funding tight but OK.

Children will be creating posters to recruit volunteers from community. Help from 8:15/8:20 would be really useful.

Government has announced funding for breakfast club, but no news yet.

  • DM to ask Mrs McAskill to calculate yearly costs for potential fund applications
  • TF to replace poster in Community Council notice board with kids’ one

Generation Science

Unanimous agreement to help fund Generation Science workshop after break for P5–7 (as previously agreed via WhatsApp), TF has handed cheque to school.

Funding support

School will investigate potential visits, particularly for P1–4.

Transport will be needed for the cross-country event on 26 Feb (which is an optional trip for the children). PFA to split transport cost with Reston.

PFA may be asked to pay for transport to a dance festival in March for the younger years.

School will be organising and paying for leavers hoodies. All agreed to provide calculators again.

Gardening support. The wildflowers were popular with the children, we would need to source more seeds. LB suggested we ask Abundant Borders for help.

Wishlist

As suggested in September meeting, staff have created a wishlist. PFA agreed to fund entire ‘small things’ list.

  • USB-C → 3.5 mm jacks
  • Top-up to existing £70 pot for sensory (e.g. cushions, boards, soft lighting)
  • Supplies for lunch clubs (chess club on Fridays (currently for P6/7, but plan to open to P4/5), potential crochet club)
  • Gritter for playground
  • LB to post on Ayton Eco Swap for lunch club supplies

The staff also provided a ‘big things’ list, which the PFA agreed we would like to fund, dependent on future funding.

  • 3 modern smart screens. Current screens are at least 15 years old, and the interactive elements don’t work. Cost: £1200 each.
  • Portable stage lights for shows. Cost: around £200.
  • New stage. Current one is old and very bulky, storage is difficult.
  • Summer school trip (~£1000)
  • LB to investigate funding options.
  • DM to liaise with PFA for writing funding applications.

Existing grant money

There’s some Drone Hill money currently unreleased because we haven’t been able to secure the rest of the money needed for the extra playground package. Asked about using money for markings instead, and we would need to ‘vary’ the application, which may result in the money being reduced or lost.

Fraser McGregor will quote for decking & fence area, we may want to buy benches for the area.

  • DM to provide JS quotes from children about trim trail
  • JH to reply about permission for sponsor plaque

Future fundraising

  • Sponsored walk. Plan is castle, farm if not available. Monday 25 May. Possibly in aid of screens/stage equipment.
  • Sports day bake sale again. Will be on a Tuesday or Thursday.

Sharing documents

No progress has been made since last meeting in documenting what the PFA tends to do each year (and how), for handover purposes.

  • LB to send document about Halloween party.
  • JS to write document about running the Christmas raffle.

Treasurer’s report

Income since last meeting (18 November):

Income:

  • £643 from raffle

Outgoings:

  • £193 Christmas presents
  • £48.94 crackers

Current balance:

  • NatWest: £8396.15
  • Cash: £203.42

Upcoming payments:

  • £175 to be paid in on Friday
  • £190 to school (cheque handed to school)

Restricted funds:

  • Playground: £5987.23
  • Transport: £992.40
  • (Unrestricted: £1619.94)

School update

  • P7 residential in May
  • P7 rugby festival mid-May
  • Countryside day
  • Priory Live
  • Post-Easter topic: decades. One per class. School as live museum.
  • 3 classes next year. Exact breakdown unknown, but good P1 roll.
  • Generation Science coming
  • Splash coming
  • Bikeability has been. LB: Sea the Change have fund for bikes
  • Reports will be published on 27th March
  • There will be a drop-in parents evening after Easter
  • Working on re-attaining Rights Respecting School

AOB

There was a discussion about how pick-up currently works, particularly when the field is so muddy.

  • DM to investigate whether we can/should change pick-up to the playground.

Next meeting

The next meeting will be held online on 19 May 2026 at 8pm. The link will be published closer to the time by school and in our WhatsApp Community.