PTA
Welcome to your Tubbenden Friends Association! The TFA is the PTA of Tubbenden Primary School, and is made up of parents/carers and teachers at the school. As soon as your child joins the school, you will automatically become a member!
What does the PTA do?
The TFA is at the heart of the school community, bringing parents, carers and teachers together to fundraise for the school whilst having fun at the same time. The TFA raises funds for projects that are not covered by the funding the school receives from government sources. These include regular school events and one-off projects, and all are designed to improve the school for the benefit of all children. Typically the hard work of the TFA, teachers and parent volunteers provides the school with over £10,000 of funding. In 2024/25 we have been able to fund:
- 30 Chromebooks
- Steel the Galdiator visit
- Musical projects, including Djembe drumming and recorder lessons
- Outdoor play equipment for the infant, junior and The Burrow playgrounds
- Special presentation books for all new Reception starters
- New book corners for every classroom
- A brand new climbing frame for the infant playground - being installed over the summer
For 2025/26 we have already pledged to upgrade the food tech equipment, install a climbing wall in The Burrow and make further improvements to the infant and junior playgrounds.
Most of the fundraising is done through a programme of events that run throughout the academic year. We run a varied events calendar with something for everyone, including fireworks night, family discos, Christmas Fair and quiz nights. We also have a pre-loved uniform “shop” that normally opens about once a month.
How does it all work?
As mentioned, every parent and carer is automatically a member of the TFA and we invite you to get involved in whatever way you can!
The TFA is run by the TFA Committee, who plan the events and manage the funds. The committee is led by Lucy Hole-Thomas. Lucy leads an enthusiastic and driven team of dedicated parents and teachers to deliver the events and support the community. If you would like to be part of it, you can find out more about joining the committee by speaking to any of the members or by attending the AGM, held towards the end of each academic year (see events calendar for this year’s date).
Sounds great! How can I get involved?
Go shopping! No, really. We all purchase goods online at some point during the year. Did you know that by shopping online you can generate donations for the TFA at no extra cost to yourself? This sort of fundraising is going to be more important than ever this year – here’s how you can do it:
- For other online retailers head over to https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ and nominate “Tubbenden Friends Association” as your charity
- Or if you need name labels for your child’s/children’s uniform etc head over to https://www.mynametags.com/affiliate?id=20750 – using that link will automatically generate a sizeable donation to the TFA (use code 20750 at checkout if prompted).
Volunteering: Parent volunteers are the lifeblood of the TFA and we would not get anywhere near the astounding levels of success we have if it weren’t for you. So firstly, a big THANK YOU to everyone who has volunteered in the past, and everyone who is considering it for the future. We need volunteers to help run all the events on our calendar (see below), running stalls, checking tickets at the door, helping set up and helping clean up.
If you have any skills you think would be helpful to us please also let us know, for example perhaps you are a skilled artist or graphic designer and could help design posters for our events, or maybe you work somewhere such as a printers or wholesalers and could help get us discounts to minimise our costs? Whatever your contribution it will be extremely valuable, so if you would like to volunteer your time, please contact Lucy Hole-Thomas at chair@tubbendenfriends.org.uk.
Matched Funding: If the company you work for kindly offers matched funding for any fundraising events you have been involved in at the school, please contact our treasurer Anne Dwyer at treasurer@tubbendenfriends.org.uk to discuss further.
Donate your used uniform: We all know how expensive it can get to purchase school uniform, especially if you have multiple children at school. To help raise further funds and save you some money, please consider donating any uniform in good condition for our uniform sales via to Blue Bins just inside the Sandy Bury gates and Tubbenden Lane gates. Clean uniform in a good condition only please and no white shirts.
Our Fundraising successes
As mentioned, our TFA has raised a huge amount of money this year with your help. This money goes straight back into the school, providing for all pupils. As well as agreeing to fund regular items for the school (Reception books, Year 2 recorder lessons and Year 6 first aid training), at the end of each academic year the committee agree with the Governors fundraising targets for specific projects.
We have high aims for providing support to the school over the next academic year.
Our Events!
Please see below for a list of our upcoming events for the 2025/2026 academic year. These are subject to change and we will keep you informed via our half-termly newsletter, regular communication on email and via your class reps.
Date Event
03/10/2025 -Disco Bingo - tickets on sale now via https://buytickets.at/tubbendenfriendsassociation/1790696
07/11/2025 - Fireworks
28/11/2025 - Christmas Fair
TBC - Christmas Concert