FAQs

Friends at Balfour Questions and Answers!

What is FAB? FAB, or Friends at Balfour, is a ‘Parents & Teachers Association.’ Any person with an affinity to Balfour Primary School is automatically a member.

What does FAB do? We raise money to enhance the children’s experience at Balfour Primary School.

How do you raise funds? Our main events are Christmas Fair, Summer Fair and Easter Egg Hunts. We also hold a couple of Quiz Nights and also raise funds through child designed tea towels and Christmas card initiatives. We also run ‘Balfour Swimming School’ and the Balfour 100Club lottery.

Are you a registered charity? Yes! Our Charity number is 1070234 and we presently have 6 Trustees who strategically oversee the management and administration of FAB.

How much money do you raise? It varies but around £20,000.

How often do you meet and where? Normally once a month, and normally at KS2. Check out the Calendar page for more information about the dates of our meetings and events.

Who attends meetings? The officers, a member of the SLT (Senior Leadership Team), other ‘ordinary committee members,’ any other parents/carers and staff that wish to attend.

Who are the officers? We have a Chair, currently Vice-Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The minimum requirement is Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, however, we also have 6 Trustees who regularly attend committee and sub-committee meetings.

Do you have public liability insurance? Yes- through PTA-UK.

How do you communicate with parents and staff? Through the school’s newsletters which are emailed to those on email, and paper copies for those who are not. We also have information on the school website, and have a Facebook  and Twitter page. You can email us at info@friendsatbalfour.org

What is a sub-committee? A sub-committee is a team of people who plan an event, e.g. Christmas Fair and Summer Fair. At least one officer from the committee must sit on a sub-committee.

What is the criteria for spending money and who decides? Money spent must benefit the children, rather than upkeep for the school. We normally take guidance from the Head Teacher, or the SLT.

What have you spent funds raised on? We have funded playground equipment at both sites, subsidised school trips, School Projectors, Sports Week, Netbooks, digital and flip cameras, toys, wet play items, ICT toys, Year 6 and Year 2 moving on celebrations…and most importantly… ice lollies for every pupil after Sports Day!

How much time do I have to give up? It’s up to you! Meetings are monthly, and normally last approximately an hour and a half. You don’t have to come to all of them. It gets busier with events coming up, but if more people helped this would be reduced!

Can I be involved without sitting on the committee? Yes! If you would like to help out at an event (or help organise an event!) please email volunteers@friendsatbalfour.org. If you would like to be added to our committee mailing list and be informed of committee meetings, or contacted if we need a little help from time to time then please email info@friendsatbalfour.org. Or if you are interested in taking on a more strategic role and become a Trustee then please email info@friendsatbalfour.org.

I have a complaint about FAB or the Balfour Swimming School. We may be FAB… but we do recognise that complaints may arise, either about an event, a Committee decision or individual Committee members. In the event of a complaint please consult our Complaints Policy. The Balfour Swim School has a separate Complaints Policy.