Minutes from PFA AGM held 27 October 2026

Attendance

Present: Laura Cooksey (LC) [Vice Chair], Toby Foster (TF) [Treasurer], Katie Aitchison (KA) [Secretary], Louise Birkett (LB), Danielle McLeod (DM) [Principal Teacher], Jill Horsburgh (JH) [Head Teacher], Ruth von Krause (RvK), Victoria Cox (VC).

Apologies: Emily Rennie, Rachel Davidson, Jo Roberts, Katie Virtue, Amy Meek, Andrea Thacker


Welcome

LC welcomed everyone to the 2026 AGM.

Approval of previous minutes

Proposed by TF, seconded by LC, and unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s report - TF

(Financial year: 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026)

See full accounts here

Closing balance £8,043.67 at 31 July 2026. We received £2,285.06 and paid out £2,335.23, leaving us with £50.17 less than at the end of last year. Of the closing funds, £7,077.59 is restricted (the majority of which is for playground).

Where the money came from

• Christmas raffle: £643.00, almost double last year’s £328.00.
• Playground fund: £1,055.00, from the sponsored walk.
• Events: Sports Day raised £286.71 and the book stall at Ayton Flower Show raised £188.60.
• Other: Easy Fundraising (£40.17), donations (£31.58), and £40.00 compensation from Bank of Scotland after the complaint about the account closure.

How it was spent

• Transport: £1,110.64 from the Transport fund, covering the rugby bus, dance festival transport and a £800.00 contribution to trip transport. This uses almost all of the money raised by the 2025 sponsored walk.
• School trips: £711.75 towards the cost of trips.
• Christmas: £241.94
• Generation Science: £190.00
• P7 leavers’ gifts: £48.40 for calculators.
• Administration: £8.50 in Bank of Scotland charges before the account closed.

Other matters

• Banking. We moved to NatWest and closed the Bank of Scotland account.
• Since the year end. The balance is £8,166.73 as of 27 October 2026, after the 2026 Flower Show stall (£143.00), online book sales (£26.87), less iPad styluses (£46.81).
• 50/50 draw. The draw has ended. Three 2024 prizes (£41.00), set aside for the winners when drawn, were handed over by cheque in September 2025. A £24.00 advance payment was refunded to a member.
• Cow Club. Ayton & District Cow Club closed and split their remaining funds between three local orgs. We have a cheque for £214.61, being paid in on Friday 30 October.
• Future expenses:
  • Decking and fencing should be £5,505.85
  • £105.56 for netball tournament transport
  • £143.60 for rugby & hockey festival transport
  • Cheque for £171.43 for last year’s Priory Live transport has been given to school but not paid in
  • Further £51 for styluses

Thank you to everyone who donated, baked, sold tickets and volunteered this year.

Election of parent council

The following members of the Parent Forum were unanimously elected to the parent council:

• Laura Cooksey
• Toby Foster
• Katie Aitchison
• Louise Birkett
• Ruth von Krause
• Andrea Thacker
• Victoria Cox
• Katie Virtue
• Amy Meek
• Emily Rennie
• Rachel Davidson

Election of office bearers

The present parent council members unanimously elected the following members to office. Each stood unopposed.

• Chair: Laura Cooksey
• Secretary: Katie Aitchison
• Treasurer: Toby Foster

Dates of next meetings

All in person at the school

• Friday 22nd January 2027 at 12.30pm
• Tuesday 1st June 2027 at 6.30pm
• Friday 10th September 2027 at 12.30pm - parent social and meeting
• Tuesday 26th October 2027 at 6.30pm - Annual General Meeting

Other business

The remaining playground allocated money is to be spent on markings on the ground in the playground. LB noted some potential wear to the existing tarmac.
Action: DM to review playground and contact estate if needed and explore options for markings.

Christmas gifts for children - this year the children will be receiving books as gifts, thank you for the kind donation from Slightly Foxed in Berwick.
Action: DM to liaise with PFA with regards to additional purchasing for older children.

Members voted unanimously to change the bank mandate to add LC and KA as signatories, remove previous office bearers, and to allow one person to transfer funds up to £300 without counter-signatory.
Action: TF to liaise with bank.

Raffle tickets have been ordered for the Christmas raffle. Agreed to ask local businesses again for vouchers or donations. We will also ask for donations from families to make up one or more hampers as raffle prizes. Donations can be handed into the school office.
Action: JH to include request in School newsletter.
Action: All council members to seek donations.

This year we will ask local supermarkets to donate Christmas crackers for the children’s school lunch.
Action: KA to ask Morrisons initially.

Tesco Fruit Forward is a fund available to schools and PFA to support healthy eating in schools.
Action: VC to work on an application to support cooking in school and growing fruits and vegetables in the grounds.

Scottish Borders Council has funding available to support the running of a PFA.
Action: TF to apply on behalf of Ayton.

We will host a Christmas film afternoon on Friday the 11th of December at 12.30.
Action: DM to organise permission slips for the children. Action: KA to advertise and look for parent helpers to run.

We intend to organise a Book Week themed trail for children in March next year. Planning to begin in January.

The meeting closed at 7.30PM.