About us

Friends of Culvers House, informally known as the PTA at Culvers House Primary School, is a registered charity (no. 1098799).  Our aim is to advance the education of pupils in the school by running activities and providing facilities/equipment to support the school, as well as developing relationships between staff, families and others associated with the school.  You can read our governing document here.

The money we raise provides extra items and activities that would not be covered by the school’s normal budget.  Each year, we contribute to the cost of school trips (or school visits, for the younger children) for every class in the school.  

We provide funding for whole school workshops across a range of subjects e.g. Lego robotics/coding, e-safety, crazy science and first aid training for the children.  We also provide fun smaller items such as wet playtime activities, playground toys, crackers for the Christmas lunch and Christmas gifts for each class.  

Larger projects we have contributed to include playground regeneration (have a look at the fabulous new play equipment in the KS1 playground), outdoor canopies over the Reception outdoor area, the lighting, projector and screen in the hall, interactive whiteboards, books, IT equipment, an outdoor reading area and we have recently committed to funding a redevelopment of the school library. 

We like to think that our activities add some extra sparkle to the school calendar, too!

How do we raise money?

We run a series of fun events throughout the school year.  These usually include autumn and spring discos, a separate nursery disco, a Christmas fair, an Easter egg raffle, ice cream sales, sponsored challenges, a summer fair, weekly coffee mornings and second-hand uniform sales.  During the restrictions due to covid-19, we will have to replace some of these activities with more socially distanced ones, but we will still do lots of fun things.

We also try to apply for grants and donations from other organisations, encourage our members to apply for match funding or similar schemes from their employers and have a list of companies that donate to us when you shop with them.

Who is a member?

We are a ‘Friends Association’, which means that every parent/carer and member of staff is automatically a member.  Membership is also open to friends of the school e.g. grandparents, family friends and community members who would like to help us achieve our aims.  

The association is managed by an annually elected committee and supported by other volunteers.  

What can I do?

The simplest way to support us is to encourage your child and others to take part in our activities.  Look at ways to support us when you buy from certain companies, too.  

We also need volunteers to help us run things.  Tasks range from quick, one-off tasks right through to almost a full time job!  Whatever you can do will be very much appreciated.  

Some examples of things you can help with are:

As you can see, some of the things we need help with can be done from home on your own.  Others can be done with a small group of school friends, or at coffee morning.  For others, you would join a team with a committee member to guide you.  There is something for everybody!