Colfe’s Parents And Friends Association

Constitution and Rules

October 2003

TITLE

The name of the Association shall be: Colfe’s School Parents and Friends Association.

1. OBJECTS

The objects of the Association are:

to foster and encourage interest in, and to provide such additional support as may be required, financial or otherwise, for the furtherance of the education of the pupils; and
to organise social and fund-raising functions for the benefit of the School and its pupils and the Association

2. MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to parents of pupils of the School and friends of the Association who wish to further the objects of the Association. Approved applicants of the Association’s monthly Draw and Covenantors, where not already subscribing members under Paragraph 3 (subscriptions) shall be deemed to be members.

3. SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions may be fixed by the General Committee from time to time and be payable each September.

4. MANAGEMENT

The affairs of the Association shall be managed by a General Committee comprising:

The Headmaster who shall be President of the Association;
A Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary all of whom shall be parents or friends;
Up to 48 parents or friends selected from across the sixteen School years (including the Chairman and Vice-Chairman);
Up to three members of teaching staff who shall be appointed by the Headmaster;
The School registration Secretary, Bursar or Development Office who shall be proposed by the General Committee and approved by the Headmaster;
Up to two members of the Old Colfeians Association who shall be appointed by the Old Colfeians Association.

In addition, the General Committee may co-opt any members of the Association and up to two members of the sixth form.

5. SUB COMMITTEES

The General Committee may form Sub-Committees as necessary, and invite any member of the Association to serve of such Sub-Committees. The Chairman or Vice-Chairman shall be, ex officio, a member of every Sub-Committee.

6. ELECTIONS

Elections for Chairman, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Secretary and members of the General Committee shall take place annually at the AGM. Nominations for these posts may be supplied to the Hon. Secretary before the AGM; the Hon. Secretary shall supply details of all such nominations received to the members of the General Committee. Nominations may also be made at the AGM. In the case of a contested election, the members of the General Committee shall return their votes to the Hon. Secretary to be opened and counted at the AGM.

The Chairman shall have the right to nominate a Vice-Chairman, and the election for this post shall take place at the first meeting of the General Committee after the AGM.

7. MEETINGS

The General Committee shall meet at least once per term and as soon as possible after the AGM, and such other meetings as shall be considered necessary. Any member of the General Committee not attending two consecutive meetings, of which due notice has been given, shall be deemed to have resigned unless a satisfactory explanation of absence is supplied to the Hon. Secretary of the Association.

An Extra-Ordinary meeting of the Association may be called by the General Committee at any time, and may be demanded by not less than one tenth of the members of the Association. Notice of such demand shall be made in writing to the Hon. Secretary, who shall convene the meeting within one month from the date of request, giving seven clear days of notice in writing, to each member of the Association. Voting at all meetings shall be by show of hands, or by ballot if demanded by the majority of members personally present. The Chairman shall have only a casting vote.

8. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

The AGM shall be held in the Autumn Term each year. At least fourteen days notice, in writing, shall be given to each member.

9. FINANCE

The Hon. Treasurer shall be responsible for the general finances of the Association, and will account to the General Committee for all income and expenditure. All expenditure shall be authorised by the General Committee, who may authorise unspecified expenditure by any Sub-Committee to a stated maximum amount. The Hon. Treasurer, in conjunction with the Chairman, may sanction reasonable expenditure in case of need between General Committee meetings, to a sum to be arranged by the General Committee from time to time. Such unspecified expenditure must be ratified at the next meeting of the General Committee. The Association shall hold all funds in two bank accounts managed by any reputable high street banking organisation as shall be agreed from time to time. Such accounts shall be held in the name of the Association. Any proposals for changes to the terms and conditions of these bank accounts or the banking organisations must be presented to the General Committee for approval.

The requirement to pay a subscription of £1 per term (November 1987) is hereby removed.

All payments to the Association’s accounts shall be made by the Hon. Treasurer as soon as possible after the receipt of funds. Authorised signatories to the Main Account will be two of the Officers of the General Committee. Each cheque to Bank must bear two of these signatures. An additional signatory to the Monthly Draw Account shall be the Bursar.

10. ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT

The Association’s Annual Accounts will be prepared by the Hon. Treasurer, who will present them to members of the AGM. The General Committee may appoint a practising Chartered or Certified Accountant, or two member of the Association (but not representing finance), at the Annual General Meeting to carry out an audit of the Annual Accounts if required by regulation or if otherwise desired by the General Committee.

Copied by LF 24/01/07