School parent groups
Parent and whānau groups provide an important link between parents and caregivers, teachers, the school and the community. Parent groups provide a channel where parents can voice their concerns, and some groups also help with fundraising.
Parent groups are established by parents who get together to discuss and act on issues relevant to children, school life and the school community. Parent groups may have different names, such as School Support Group, Friends of the School, and Home and School.
The NZPTA
Many parent groups are affiliated with the NZPTA (New Zealand Parent Teacher Association). This is a national body, which represents the interests of parents and whānau, to government and other groups.
The NZPTA aims to build closer relationships between parents, teachers, homes and schools so they can work together more effectively to support students. More information about the NZPTA can be found on the NZPTA website.
Getting involved
Contact your child’s school if you’d like to join a school parent group – they will be able to tell you who to contact. If a parent group does not exist, you may want to set one up yourself.
Setting up a parent group:
- Talk with other parents/whānau about setting up a group.
- Discuss setting up a group with the principal and board of trustees and seek support from the board of trustees. It may put you in touch with other interested parents and help with promoting your group.
- Talk to parents at other local schools about how parent groups have developed in their schools.
- Call a meeting.
- Discuss potential aims and objectives at the meeting. Record who’s present and their contact details. If the meeting proves there’s interest, set a date for holding an inaugural meeting of the newly formed parents group.
The PTA booklet has more information about setting up a parent group.