Welcome! The Friends of Appleton School are a registered charity . The aim of the Friends is to fundraise for the school and to foster a community amongst parents/carers, and indeed those from the wider community who wish to support the school. The funds we raise are used to purchase resources that the school might not otherwise be able provide, within the government set budget. This could be anything from books, maths equipment and computers, to school trip transport and outdoor play equipment. Every penny we raise directly benefits our children!
The Friends Committee
The Friends committee consists of the Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. It is a small, self-governing body made up of parents and carers who meet once or twice a term to plan and implement ideas for fundraising, and of course have fun along the way.
All parents, guardians and carers of children at Appleton C of E School are automatically members of our Friends committee and there are many ways you can be involved should you wish to support. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Friends team members or your class rep.
Chair – Andy Tristram
Treasurer – Sophie Mould
Secretary - Vacancy
As a charity we are governed by our constitution. Find it here
How do Friends contribute?
The Friends team works closely with the school to ensure that their fundraising is in line with the school’s current needs. We make yearly contributions to support the school’s routine and extracurricular activities. In addition, specific fundraising projects are also undertaken to better the school’s infrastructure and facilities, that would directly benefit the children.
Regular contributions
- School Trip Transport Costs & Subsidies (e.g. PGL, Swimming, Pantomime coach travel etc.): around £1650 per year.
- Extra Classroom Resources (funds allocated to class teachers): £2100 per year.
Recent contributions
Sandpit for the Foundation Play Area
The Foundation kids now have a fun and safe sandpit, with tonnes more sand to play in, making break-time all the more fun and engaging. A budget of £800 was set aside to give the sandpit a facelift. Let's get digging!
Other Key Projects
- IT – Upgrading the school’s IT equipment (iPads, PA system etc.)
- A Modular Unit – A standalone but a vital extension to the school building that will offer more space for the kids to assist them in improving their reading and other academic skills.
- Outdoor Play – Adventure Trail on the back field
*Parents can partially sponsor projects or elements of a project. To know more about how you can get involved in project sponsoring, please get in touch with the Friends.
Fundraising - how do we do it?
Fundraising is a vital part of the Friends. The essence of fundraising is directly connected to the benefit of our children at school. Well-funded Friends see a positive impact on their children’s wellbeing, social skills and academic progress, which feeds into the overall performance of the school.
Friends Events
Friends events are a fun way of raising awareness, engaging the community and raising money. These social events bring children, parents and the whole school together in a safe and enjoyable space that enhances our children’s overall school experience. Friends endeavour to plan all events well in advance to ensure they run smoothly, effectively and are enjoyed by all.
Fundraising at School Events
In addition to organising independent Friends events, the committee willingly support the school at various school events by providing tea, coffee and other refreshments. School Sports Day is one such event where parents look forward to a drink and snack corner arranged by Friends. The money raised at such school events offer a handy stream of income.
Grants & Business Sponsorships
Grants can be a significant source of funding for Friends committees, particularly for special projects that are of a bigger scale and require large funding. Friends work alongside the school on raising money for such big projects and apply for grants under various grant schemes, along with writing to businesses and educational institutes to gather their support and financial contributions towards projects.
Project Sponsorship from Parents
Sponsoring Elements of Projects or Partial Sponsorship is an effective way for parents to contribute towards a big project. Small individual offerings for an aspirational project are considered practical by parents and PTA both. Such contributions lend structure to donations and can get parents excited about the end-result, therefore encouraging parents’ involvement and a source of supplementary funds. Friends have a few such projects in the pipeline and will announce a sponsorship plan when ready.
Passive Continuous Fundraising
We are registered with Easyfundraising, which means you can raise FREE donations for us every time you shop online. It has over 7,000 brands, so when you make a purchase via Easyfundraising, the brand donates a percentage of what you’ve spent to us for free, without any cost to you. So we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up (it’s free) and support us. These donations mount up and make a huge difference to our fundraising pot. Please Sign Up here. Thank you so much!
Uniformerly is a second hand uniform sale portal that gives you an opportunity to cut costs on new uniforms every year and encourage recycling, helping Friends raise money alongside. It's absolutely FREE and very easy to use. Find it here
If you have old school clothes in good condition, feel free to donate them to Friends and we can list them on Uniformerly.
Contact us
Each class has their own class rep so please feel free to speak to them to find out how you can become more involved. Alternatively, you can send an email to friendsofappleton@gmail.com and share your ideas and willingness to get involved. We are also on Facebook @friendsofappletonschool so please do follow us and feel free to drop us a message via Facebook Messenger.