FRIENDS OF OSWALD ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL – PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION (PTA)

WHAT IS THE PTA?

We are a group of parents, carers and friends of Oswald Road Primary School who help the school to offer the best possible experience to all pupils and their parents and carers. 

As a registered charity (1063063), we work to raise funds exclusively for the school, largely by organising well-run and well-attended events for children, parents and carers and staff to enjoy throughout the year. We also aim to develop and strengthen the relationship between pupils, parents and carers, and the local community, and are proud to support a number of local charities and organisations, such as Friends of Os, Simply Cycling, and Chorlton Bike Delivery. 

The PTA relies solely on the generosity of parents, carers and friends who voluntarily give their time to organise events and raise funds – without this, it would cease to exist.   

WHERE DO OUR FUNDS GO?

All the money we raise goes towards the purchase of playground facilities and equipment to benefit the whole school, with a strong focus on enhancing outdoor space, improving the natural environment, and encouraging active travel. 

EVENTS WE’VE ORGANISED:

Summer Fairs, Winter Fairs, Roller Discos, Kids’ Car Boot Sales, Mr Scruff’s Virtual Disco and The Big Dig, an all day community event to maintain and further develop some of our outdoor projects, such as the Owl Garden, landscaped borders and also our memorial garden. 

All our major events are fully-catered with hot food and a licensed bar. We also work with multiple third parties to offer a wide variety of entertainment and activities. We pride ourselves on offering high-quality events that are both memorable and profitable. 

PROJECTS WE’VE FUNDED:

Our fundraising activity has funded a variety of projects, which includes natural and sustainable play areas, such as the Adventure Treehouse and Reception playground, the School running track, Nursery play area equipment, and the Owl and Memorial garden. 

In 2023, we were able to fund various tree planting & landscaping projects for screening and clean air, an educational app used both in- and outside the classrooms, and also a brand new accessible roundabout to complement our existing outdoor facilities. 

The school and the PTA have a number of goals and ambitions in terms of the facilities we would like to offer to pupils at Oswald Road Primary School. 

WHO ARE WE?  

Abi – Events Coordinator 

Christina – Secretary 

Gavin – Treasurer 

Nic – Engagement Coordinator  

Phil – Outdoor space Coordinator 

Plus a great network of volunteers! 

HOW YOU CAN HELP: 

• Follow us on Facebook and keep reading our updates on School Spider and in the weekly school newsletter. 

• Continue to attend our events, and share them with your networks – we really value your support!  

• Join our committee team – we meet once or twice a month, usually online to discuss strategy and plans for our upcoming events. 

Currently we have a number of additional roles we would welcome some support with: 

• Bid/grant writing 
• Social media management 
• Raffle/Tombola coordination
• Chair (from September 2024) 

Equally, we’re always on the lookout for talented people, and this might include:  

• Photographer to help capture some shots of the school, our facilities and sometimes our events. 
• Designer to help create some marketing assets for the PTA.  
• Marketers to help with the promotion of the PTA and to increase reach in our community. 
• Artists and craftspeople to deliver creative adult and children’s workshops.  
• Events and hospitality to provide equipment, discounts and time. 

• Sign up as a volunteer – join our database of volunteers to help out in the set-up or delivery of our events, giving as much or as little time as you have. 

• Consider a donation – we always need kind donations for things such as raffle or tombola prizes, gardening tools, event equipment. 

• Put forward an idea – let us know if you have the inspiration for a great event, and we can either make it happen or help you to make it happen!  

NEW! KEY DATES FOR 2024

• Summer Fair: Sat 6 July 

• Back to School PTA Welcome Event: Wed 18 September 

EASYFUNDRAISING: 

An easy way to support us is to do your online shopping through easyfundraising.org.uk. You can access this via their app on your desktop or mobile device. 

Launched in 2005, easyfundraising counts on 2 million supporters and has raised over £42 million for thousands of causes across the UK. It works with over 8000 brands, who will donate part of what you spend to a cause of your choice. It won’t cost you any extra. The cost is covered by the brand. 

It’s really easy to use, doesn’t affect your shopping experience at all, and has so far raised almost £4000 for the Oswald Road PTA, which has gone directly back into ongoing improvements to the school’s facilities.

Simply create an account and choose your charity to support (we are listed as FORS Friends of Oswald Rd) then search for the retailer (e.g. John Lewis) rather than going to the shop’s website directly. 

The retailer then gives a percentage of sales to the chosen charity – that’s us!  

Retailers include: eBay, John Lewis, Argos, Marks and Spencer

See the video below for more information: 

BUSINESSES: 

We are always keen to engage with businesses in the area. So, whether you’re a small business in Chorlton that might like to donate a raffle prize, or a large business elsewhere in Greater Manchester looking to sponsor an event, we’d love to chat.  

Equally, if you’re a parent or carer who works for a company that might be able to support us in some way, please drop us a line. 

Contact Nic on the email address below. 

HOW TO CONTACT US:  

Email: oswaldrdpta@gmail.com for questions and suggestions about all things Oswald Road School!

Facebook

Buy tickets for our events here:  https://www.pta-events.co.uk/friendsofoswaldroad

ORPS is committed to ensuring that the PTA reflects the diverse community within which it sits, and therefore, we are extremely keen to engage with underrepresented groups of parents, carers and friends. 

Summer Fair 2023 Photos