FOUNDER'S DAY & PTFA NEWS | PG 16

Our first event was the Italian Night which saw 48 parents attending and a very enjoyable social evening for Year 7 and 8 parents. This year we decided to use the school caterers to deliver the entire catering service, this allowed PTFA members to spend time with parents who had attended. This was followed by the infamous Year 7 and 8 Disco (with SCGS). The Disco saw our largest ever turnout of over 320 students and raised an astounding £1,900 in profit. The evening was a great success and we have had some fantastic feedback from parents and students alike.

We have run a new initiative this year which is the ‘preloved uniform’ , the second-hand uniform sales. With more families being affected by the cost of living we have worked closely with the school to collate good quality used uniform, our first sale was held in October, selling over 100 items. We will be following this up with another sale on the 13th January. The January sale will be for ‘preloved’ and new uniform and sports kit. Clivemark and Speedone have agreed to attend this event with items ready to buy at special discounted rates. We have also invited Sportology to showcase their sports equipment at the sale, offering all students a special BVGS discount on the day.

Another new initiative we are implementing next term is our ‘Question Time with BVGS’ , a Q&A opportunity for parents to engage directly with the school. This will allow questions to be answered in person by school representatives, we feel this will further strengthen relationships between the school and parents. This will take place at school on Wednesday 19th January from 7:30-8:30pm.

An event we run annually is our Comedy Night, which has historically been another successful evening. The event is planned for March 10th in Big School, and is for adults only. It is open to all adults, not necessarily just parents of the students. Having a bar and light snacks on the night, and being only £15 a person, it proves to be a great night out. This event may be of interest to some of the Old Veseyans and allow a social opportunity within the school for all.

Having run an internal survey for students we have had some amazing feedback as to what the students are wanting in terms of events going forward. We will use this intel to ensure we deliver events which suit the demand. The feedback also highlighted students are keen for us to invest in the renovation of the pavilion. This is something which has been put forward to the committee and plans are now in place to support the school in the upcoming renovation project. We look forward to 2023 with excitement as we hope to enhance the students' Veseyan experience through more events and social opportunities in the spring term.

Wishing all the readers a healthy, happy and restful festive break with their family and loved ones.

Sofia Fazal PTFA Chair