Parent Involvement

At Prince’s Mead we actively encourage parental involvement in school life. The Prince’s Mead Association (PMA) is a social and fundraising group that helps bring together the school community. Every parent with a child at the school automatically becomes a member of the PMA. It is run by a voluntary body of parents and teachers and headed up by a parent as the Chair and the Headmaster as President. The PMA organises a range of activities that both support the school and enable parents to meet socially.

The Prince's Mead Association (PMA)

The PMA organises various activities that encourage parents and families throughout the school to meet up. The first of these is a Michaelmas Drinks reception to welcome parents of new children: the PMA committee; Class Representatives and a large number of staff are normally present. Recently, social events have also included Fireworks Night, Colour Run, Golf Day, Summer Fête and Camp Out. For the children, the PMA organise Christmas events, an Easter Egg Hunt, Stay and Play and the ever-popular mufti (non-school uniform) days, which are held once a term.

The PMA Committee members are:

Upcoming PMA Meetings

You are warmly invited to attend our meetings held on a Monday in our Dining Hall at 8pm. This is attended by the PMA Committee, the Headmaster and staff representatives.

Volunteering

The PMA is involved in many events across the school calendar and relies on a small army of generous volunteers. All offers of help are very gratefully received, so if you can spare even a small amount of time and would like to be involved please email the Chair of the PMA michael.walsh@princesmeadschool.org.uk or the PMA at pma@princesmeadschool.org.uk.

Class Representatives

Each class has one or two parents who volunteer to represent the parents in their child’s form for a year. This is primarily a social function and representatives are encouraged to hold one to two get-togethers for their fellow parents at least once a term. They are also called upon to support and help at other PMA social and fund-raising events i.e. Sports Day, Fireworks Night. In addition, representatives may be asked to support the form teacher/tutor in enlisting parental assistance with particular activities i.e. outings and reading for the early years. A member of the PMA Committee oversees the system and circulates a list of Class Representatives to parents.

The Class Representatives for the academic year are:

Form Teacher List

Other Events

We believe in involving the extended family in school life. Grandparents’ tea parties are held once a year for specific year groups. Grandchildren give their grandparents a tour of the school. This is then followed by a tea party with their grandchild. If grandparents are unable to attend, it is perfectly normal for children to bring along another family relative or Godmother/Godfather or family friend.

Music concerts and LAMDA performances are held throughout the year. The informal nature of the concert gives children the opportunity to perform in front of an audience in a relaxed setting.

At Christmas there are two plays for Pre-Prep. Nursery and Reception perform an Early Years Nativity. Year 1 and 2 put on a Christmas play. All parents are invited to attend. The annual Carol Service involves pupils in Prep.

Year 6 are involved in a production in their final year, which takes place in the Summer Term. The whole school is invited to watch the performance.

Sports Day, Summer Concert, and Speech Day conclude the academic year in June and July.

Fundraising

Each academic year the school holds a pupil vote to decide which two charities the PMA will raise money for. Parents are invited to put forward nominations of charities which the children can then vote for.

Mufti days are held throughout the year. On these days we raise money for the two nominated charities and the children are asked to bring in a small donation. They are invited to attend school in ‘home clothes’.

The school also regularly supports local charities through initiatives such as the Home-Start Christmas Gift Appeal and collecting donations for the Winchester Basics Bank.

If you or your child are raising money for a charity then you can share this with the school community via 'The Link' weekly newsletter. Simply send through details of the fundraising you are doing to the.link@princesmeadschool.org.uk.

Parents' Handbook