What a PTA AGM is for
The annual general meeting is where the whole membership checks how the PTA is run. Regular committee meetings plan events. The AGM looks back at the year, reports on the money and elects the committee for the year ahead. The PTA+ AGM quick guide describes it as the meeting where members hear what has happened, vote for a new committee and make any changes to the constitution.
This guide is a planning aid for UK PTAs and Friends of School groups. It is not legal advice. Your own constitution sets the rules for your AGM, so read it first and follow it wherever it differs from anything here.
Start with your constitution
Before you set a date, find the current constitution and note:
- who counts as a member, and so who must be invited
- the minimum notice period and how notice must be given
- the quorum, meaning the minimum number of members needed for decisions to be valid
- which officer roles are elected and how nominations work
- how votes are taken and whether the chair has a casting vote
- how the constitution itself can be changed
Parentkind's governance guide describes the AGM as a formal meeting held in line with your constitution every 12 months, with no more than 15 months between each one. If your constitution is missing or out of date, our PTA constitution guide explains what it usually covers.
Give notice and invite members
PTA+ says it is best practice to give at least 21 days' written notice to all members, and that your constitution should set the minimum period and method. The notice should give the date, time, venue and expected length, explain what the meeting is for and set out the order of business. Explain how to nominate someone for the committee and give the deadline for nominations and new agenda items.
Use more than one channel so you can show you tried to reach every member: the school newsletter, email, book bags, social media and the noticeboard. For an online AGM, PTA+ suggests asking people to request the link rather than posting it publicly. Avoid school holidays and INSET days, and check the head teacher can attend.
Make sure the meeting is quorate
If the meeting is not quorate, its decisions are not valid. Your constitution should give the number. As a general guide, PTA+ suggests attendance of at least twice the number of committee members, and asking each committee member and class rep to bring two people. If you are short on the night, you can wait, phone a few supporters or postpone. Follow any rules your constitution sets for adjourning.
Sample PTA AGM agenda
Circulate the agenda with the notice. This order is based on the PTA+ AGM quick guide. The timings are suggestions for a meeting of about an hour.
| No. | Item | Led by | Suggested time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welcome and confirm the meeting is quorate | Chair | 5 min |
| 2 | Apologies for absence | Secretary | 2 min |
| 3 | Approve the minutes of the last AGM | Chair | 5 min |
| 4 | Matters arising from those minutes | Chair | 5 min |
| 5 | Chair's report on the year | Chair | 10 min |
| 6 | Treasurer's report and questions | Treasurer | 10 min |
| 7 | Adopt the accounts | Members vote | 5 min |
| 8 | Appoint an independent examiner, if needed | Members vote | 2 min |
| 9 | Constitution changes, if notice was given | Chair | 5 min |
| 10 | Election of officers and committee | Outgoing chair or a neutral person | 10 min |
| 11 | Any other business notified in advance | New chair | 5 min |
| 12 | Close and date of the next meeting | New chair | 1 min |
A shorter agenda for regular PTA meetings
Ordinary committee meetings need less. Parentkind suggests sharing the agenda in advance, checking you are quorate, starting and finishing on time, and circulating minutes with actions and owners. A simple order works well:
- Welcome, apologies and quorum check
- Minutes and actions from the last meeting
- Treasurer's update
- Events and fundraising updates
- Decisions needed
- Any other business and date of the next meeting
Present the reports and accounts
Keep reports short and leave time for questions. PTA+ notes that the chair's report is not a requirement but is useful, especially for new members. It can thank volunteers, show how the PTA has helped pupils, and explain plans and the skills needed for the year ahead.
The treasurer's report is the formal part. PTA+ suggests it covers:
- the opening bank balance for the year
- money raised, broken down by activity
- costs incurred
- what was bought for the school
- how the accounts were examined and by whom
- the current bank balance
Send copies with the notice or bring printed copies to the meeting. Members then vote to adopt the accounts.
If your PTA is a registered charity
This section applies to PTAs registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The gov.uk annual return guidance says these charities must send an annual return, or report their income and spending, every year within 10 months of the end of the financial year. For charities that are not companies or CIOs, it currently says:
- Income under £10,000: report your income and spending only.
- Income between £10,000 and £25,000: answer the annual return questions.
- Income over £25,000: complete the annual return and upload your trustees' annual report, accounts and any independent examiner's report.
Charities registered in England or Wales must also write a trustees' annual report, signed by one or more authorised trustees. Accounting thresholds change for financial years ending on or after 30 September 2026. Under the new thresholds, an independent examination is needed when income is over £40,000, up from £25,000. Check the current guidance for your year end. PTAs registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland should check their own charity regulator's guidance.
Run the elections fairly
PTA+ says it is usual for all committee members to stand down at the AGM, and they can seek re-election. Your constitution sets how officers are elected. The PTA+ AGM FAQs describe a common approach: a vote of those present, with each candidate needing a majority of votes cast. Candidates in a contested vote can leave the room while it happens. A show of hands is usually enough, but a written ballot may suit a close or sensitive vote, with the result carefully recorded. If nobody has been nominated for a role, ask at the meeting whether anyone will stand.
People are more likely to stand when they know what a role involves. Share role outlines from our PTA roles and responsibilities guide with the notice.
Take clear minutes
PTA+ advises that the secretary takes minutes. They do not need to be word for word, but they must reflect what happened accurately. Record:
- a short summary of each agenda item
- actions agreed and who will carry them out
- proposers and seconders of resolutions
- details of each vote, especially the elections
The minutes are approved at the next AGM, but share a draft with members as soon as you can. If you record an online AGM to help with minutes, make sure everyone knows and consents.
After the AGM: update and hand over
The weeks after the AGM are when records most often fall behind. Agree who owns each task before everyone leaves.
- Share the draft minutes with members.
- Tell the school and families who is on the new committee.
- Ask your bank what it needs to add new signatories and remove leavers, then update the mandate.
- If you are a registered charity, ask new trustees to complete a trustee declaration and update your details on the register of charities.
- Pass on logins, files, keys and supplier contacts using the PTA handover checklist.
- Update contact details on your website and social media.
- Book the first committee meeting of the new year.
The PTA+ quick guide recommends the trustee declaration and the Charity Commission update for registered charities. Gov.uk guidance also says trustees are responsible for keeping the charity's details on the register up to date. Banks set their own mandate rules, so allow time for forms and identity checks.
How Parents Anywhere can help
Parents Anywhere brings your PTA website, members and volunteers, events and bookings, and payments together, which helps keep member and committee details in one place when roles change. See how members and volunteers works, or talk to us about your PTA.