Constitution

WELWYN ST MARY’S JUNIOR MIXED INFANT SCHOOL PARENT TEACHER AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION

CONSTITUTION

This constitution is based on a model provided by the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Association and has been varied to meet the needs of this Association.  However, It is important to note clauses 2, 21 and 22.  The wording of these clauses has been agreed with the Charity Commission and the Inland Revenue so that inclusion in their entirety establishes an association as a charity for tax purposes.

1. The name of the Association shall be Welwyn St Mary’s Junior Mixed Infants School Parent, Teacher and Friends Association
2. The object of the Association is to advance the education of pupils in the school. In furtherance of this object the Association may:-
   1. Develop more extended relationships between the staff, parents and others associated with the school
   2. Engage in activities which support the school and advance the education of the pupils attending it
   3. Provide and assist in the provision of such facilities or items for education at the school (not provided from statutory funds) as the committee in consultation with the Governing Body shall from time to time determine.
3. The Association shall be non-party political
4. The Association shall take out Public Liability and may take out Personal Accident Insurance to cover its meetings, activities, Officers and Committee
5. The President of the Association shall be the Head Teacher
6. Membership shall consist of all parents and/or guardians of pupils attending the school and all Teachers.  Where a child leaves school during the year then the parents/guardians shall be deemed to cease as members of the Association forthwith.  However, where parents no longer have children at school but wish to continue their interest in the school through the Association, such parents may be accepted as Friends of the school and shall be entitled to full membership of the Association with the exception that they may not hold office as Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary or Treasurer.  They may serve on the Committee with a simple majority agreeing thereto.  If a Committee Officer ceases to have a child in the school then he/she will continue in office until the next Committee meeting or the next AGM, whichever is the sooner.
7. The management of the Association shall be vested in the Committee consisting of the Head Teacher and the following Officers:-
   Chair, Vice Chair, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer together with up to 12 other members, representing both the Infant and Junior Departments plus up to two members of staff, preferably one from each Department of the school.  Any parent or guardian may put themselves forward to act as Parent Member of the Committee.  A Parent Member may be either a named individual or a couple.  In the latter case, either or both may attend any meeting of the Committee but only one party may vote in any formal proceedings of the Committee.  For the avoidance of doubt any member of the Association may attend any meeting of the Committee and participate in the proceedings of that meeting, other than in the case of a formal vote which will be restricted to Committee members.
8. The Officers and Committee members shall be elected either at the Annual General Meeting or the first Committee meeting following that Annual General Meeting, as decided from time to time by the Committee, and shall serve until either the commencement of the next Annual General Meeitng or the first meeting following the AGM, as appropriate.
9. Three members of the Committee plus two Officers shall constitute a quorum for Committee meetings.
10. The Committee may appoint sub-committees as it deems necessary and shall prescribe their function provided that all acts and proceedings of any such sub-committee shall be reported back to the Committee as soon as possible and provided further that no such sub-committee shall expend funds of the Association otherwise than in accordance with agreement given by the Committee.
11. Committee meetings shall be held at least once each term.
12. The Annual General Meeting shall be held no later than the last week of September in any year.  At the General Meeting, the chair shall be taken by the Chair or, in his/her absence, the Vice Chair of the Committee.  Ten members shall constitute a quorum for proceedings at Annual General Meetings and/or Special Meetings.
13. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt up to a maximum of five people onto the Committee.  Any persons so co-opted shall serve only while the person in whose place he/she is co-opted would have served.
14. One auditor, not being a member of the Committee, shall be appointed by the Committee annually (with that appointment ratified at the Annual General Meeting) to audit the accounts and books of the Association.  The auditor’s report should be attached to the annual accounts (see Clause 17) presented to the members at the Annual General Meeting.
15. Special General Meetings may be called by the Committee or at the written request of a minimum of ten members.
16. At least 30 days notice shall be given of any Special General Meeting to all members of the Association.
17. The Honorary Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping account of all income and expenditure.  The accounts recording these transactions should be approved by the Officers of the Committee and then, duly audited, submitted to the Annual General Meeting for adoption by the members.
18. Bank Accounts shall be operated in the name of the Association and withdrawals shall be made on the signature of any two Officers of the Association.
19. The financial year shall commence on 1^st September in any year.
20. Any matter not provided for in the Constitution and concerning the organisation and activities of the Association, shall be dealt with by the Committee whose decision shall be final.  The Head Teacher shall have the ultimate decision on all educational matters.
21. No alteration to this Constitution may be made except at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for this purpose.  No amendments or alterations shall be made without the prior written permission of the Charity Commission to Clauses 2, 21 and 22 and no alteration shall be made which could cause the Association to cease to be a charity in law.  Alterations to the Constitution shall receive the assent of two-thirds of the members present and voting at an AGM or Special General Meeting.
22. The Association may be dissolved by a resolution presented at a Special General Meeting called for this purpose.  The resolution must have the assent of two-thirds of those present and voting. Such resolutions may give instructions for the disposal of any assets remaining after satisfying any outstanding debts and liabilities.  These assets shall not be distributed among members of the Association but will be given to the school for the benefit of the children of the school or, in the event of the closing of the school, will go in any manner that is exclusively charitable in law.  If effect cannot be given to this provision then the assets can be given to some other charitable purpose.

This constitution was approved by members at a special meeting on 1^st May 1996.