Parent Hub
Who We Are
We are everyone who has a connection with the school. As parents and carers, we all automatically belong to the Ashton Park Parent Hub. You can get involved on any level; helping out at the odd event, engaging with a particular project, attending events or being an active member of the Facebook group.
As we are a charity we are required to have a committee to oversee finances and decisions.
The 2022/2023 committee members are:
- Co-Chairs Mel Osborne and Darius Cavina
- Treasurer Mat Shard
- Secretary Jen Orme
- General committee members Emma Lutkin, Samantha Griffiths and Jo Sayers.
We all have children in various school years.
The roles are reviewed every year at the Annual General Meeting and can be shared; you can also join the committee with no specific role.
We welcome anyone who would like to be involved.
For GDPR reasons, you need to sign up directly to receive Hub emails. This can be done by emailing us directly apspta17@gmail.com or by speaking to us at any meeting or event.
What We Do
You may be familiar with the idea of a parent teacher association (PTA) from primary school. Having a group like this in a secondary school is less common, but it is hugely beneficial. Sharing parent and carer experience helps to understand how the school works, what we can expect and also how we can make sense of what we hear from our children!
The Hub has several roles as a support to the school; supporting initiatives, organising fundraising projects, assisting with communication and providing feedback from parents and carers. It is also vital for bringing together parents, carers, their families, and the staff to building a sense of community.
We don’t get involved in individual issues as the school has robust systems in place but we can help signpost you if needed.
Stay in Touch
Join the Friends of Ashton Park Facebook Group. The group has a wealth of experience and advice. It is a private group, please accept the group rules when joining.
Sign up to the Hub mailing list. We know that not everyone is on Facebook, so this is another way to stay in touch. We try to keep emails to a minimum; you will receive reminders for Hub meetings, notifications about events and essential information only. You can join the list at any Hub meeting or event or email apspta17@gmail.com with your contact details to be added to the list.
Hub Meetings
We meet in a very informal manner in the third week of every term.
Meetings are held between 7.30pm and 8.30pm at school.
The Annual General Meeting is held every year during the first school term.
- Wednesday 20 September 2023
- Tuesday 14 November 2023
- Wednesday 17 January 2024
- Tuesday 5 March 2024
- Wednesday 1 May 2024
Hub Projects, Events and Fundraising
Raising money for the school is a large part of what the Hub does but it is also committed to helping to build and support the community that the school serves. Our events and projects aim to help people feel ownership and connection with the school. The money that the Hub raises is spent to add value to the experience of our children in school when budgets are being squeezed. We ask departments for their wish lists on a termly basis which this year has funded high jump equipment for the PE department, equipment for geography field trips, materials for an extra curricular art club, aprons for food tech, calculators for maths, and books and magazines for the library.
During summer 2022 we helped stage Beerfest, a huge community event with the aim of raising money for a new school minibus. It was a joint effort and a fantastic day. The £9,000 that we raised will go a long way to securing a much needed new minibus.
Quiz night at the school was a really popular event in February, whilst it helped raise money it was also a lovely social (if competitive!) event. Staff were involved in running it as well as having several teams.
The Wellbeing garden is tucked away behind D block and is a large copse of trees, a wildlife pond and the beginnings of a wild flower meadow. It offers a little corner of tranquillity in the school day to children with extra needs, a learning experience for biology classes and a venue for art projects. The Hub supports the garden by regularly holding volunteer mornings to maintain and develop the site. They are hugely enjoyable and a great way to meet other people.
