Partnering with whānau and parent groups
Most schools have a whānau or parent group to support activities within the school.
These groups, such as the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Home and School Association, and Friends of the School, have official rules and constitutions.
We will refer to all these groups as “parent groups” in this article.
They are established to support your school in practical ways, such as arranging social functions for your students and the community or providing parent help at school events.
They also fundraise for the school and organise community events.
A strong, transparent relationship with them benefits the entire school community.
While there are no official guidelines, the following has been written to help you understand your board’s role.
What are the benefits of working with parent groups?
Board and parent groups working closely together will improve community involvement in school life and help make your school more welcoming.
Parents join a parent group to support the school and help their child(ren) succeed.
By working together you will gain a mutual understanding of each other’s key priorities.
This helps strengthen engagement from parents and whānau while also boosting student engagement, progress, and overall educational outcomes.
The parent group may organise events like dances, school fairs, and BBQs as part of its activities. These can help raise funds for projects or items your board might not be able to cover from its operational grants, like extra library books, classroom resources, or playground equipment.
Funds raised by the community for these projects can free up board funds for other areas of need, such as staffing or specific student support.
How do parent groups and your board work together?
It’s important to remember that your board and any established parent group are separate organisations and independent of each other, even if the parent group uses your school’s name.
As an independent organisation, the parent group can determine its own priorities, but you can achieve much more if your relationship is positive and you have a common understanding of how you work together.
It is common for the principal to be your board’s main point of contact with the parent group.
We recommend having a memorandum of understanding between your board and any parent groups so everyone is clear on roles and responsibilities.
What should you consider when creating a memorandum of understanding?
Keep in mind that a parent group can play an important role in ongoing community engagement.
Your board and the parent group should always try to act in alignment.
Consider engaging with the parent group when reviewing your strategic plan or annual implementation plan so you are clear about this year’s priorities and can plan events accordingly.
Your memorandum should include the expectations of both parties and how your board and parent group intend to interact:
- Who is delegated as contacts for each group?
- How often will you connect – will it be once a year or once a month?
- How can your board support the parent group?
- Can the parent group support your board in engaging with the community more effectively?
- Will representatives of each party attend each other’s meetings, or will the principal be the liaison?
- Do you have an agreement on what you will work on together, and how any donated funds will be used?
- Have you included any conditions around when and how the school’s name and logo can be used?
- Are there any conditions around communicating with the wider community or media, particularly if you are working on a large project together? Whose responsibility is it to communicate, when and how?
Can a board member also be part of a parent group?
This may depend on your school’s policies, but yes, you may be a board member and a member of the parent group.
Most board members have the same rights as anyone else when attending parent group meetings, either as parents or staff.
However, you must remember that when you are in the parent group, you are there as a community member (not a board member) unless you have been delegated to represent your board for a specific reason.
Note: Any member of the parent group who is not officially a board member will be considered a member of the public if and when they attend your board meetings.
If these members want to speak to your board, or if you’d like to hear directly from the parent group, they’ll need to be granted official speaking rights.
Can a parent group use your school’s name and logo?
Any community or parent group wanting to establish themselves as a group formally associated with your school must obtain permission from your board to use the school’s name or logo.
This is because your board is the legal entity of the school.
The parent group may become a legal entity by becoming a charitable trust or a not-for-profit organisation.
They should also ask permission to use your school’s name in any event they organise, whether it’s a fundraising event or not, to ensure they work within the school’s special character, values, and mission.
What are the rules about any money raised?
All money raised by a parent group belongs to that parent group if held in its own bank account.
Any funds the parent group raises become Crown funds when gifted to your board or if the group uses a school bank account.
When transferring funds for use by the school, the money should be donated (gifted unconditionally) to your board to avoid GST implications.
Negotiate how the funds will be used before they are donated to your board.
The parent group will need to have its own policies and safeguards to ensure security and ethical use of money raised in the school’s name.
We recommend consulting your accountant to establish the best approach to manage funds between the parent group and your board.
Money raised and held by the parent group may be subject to an audit, but this is separate from audits of your board accounts.
Questions your board could ask
- Do we have a parent group in our school?
- What is our relationship with the parent group?
- Do our board and the parent group have a memorandum of understanding?
- How could we strengthen our relationship?
- Do we connect with our parent group to get input into school policies, annual planning, and board decisions?
Templates, resources, and references
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Ministry of Education