Start with the work that cannot wait
A PTA handover should leave the incoming committee able to run the next meeting and event without relying on one former volunteer. Bring outgoing and incoming members together, identify urgent commitments, and agree who will deal with each unfinished task.
This checklist is a suggested working structure for UK PTAs and Friends of School groups. Adapt it to your constitution, school arrangements and legal status. It does not replace advice from your bank, insurer or charity regulator.
PTA+'s handover-pack guidance identifies records such as the constitution, accounts, meeting minutes, insurance and event information. Use this guide to organise those records around the people taking responsibility for them.
Agree the committee roles
Write down who is taking over each role, when the change takes effect and what remains with the outgoing member during the transition. Check your constitution for elections, committee appointments and decision-making arrangements rather than assuming last year's process applies.
A practical starting point for PTA roles and responsibilities is to agree who coordinates meetings, who maintains minutes and communications, and who manages the financial records. Other jobs may include event coordination, volunteer contact and website updates. The exact role names and authority should follow your group's rules.
Give each incoming volunteer a short explanation of the job. Include routine tasks, upcoming deadlines, key contacts and decisions that require committee approval. Ask what they need to learn before accepting responsibility; a title alone is not a handover.
Gather the current records
Keep a clear record of where each document lives and who can access it. Mark which version is current. Do not send a large folder with no explanation and assume the new committee will work out what matters.
| Record group | What to include | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Governance | Constitution, minutes and applicable registration information | Current version and upcoming meetings |
| Finance | Accounts, budget, commitments and bank-contact process | Outstanding payments and authorised roles |
| Events | Dates, suppliers, plans and feedback | Bookings already made and next decisions |
| People | Committee contacts and appropriate volunteer information | Who needs access and who owns updates |
| Communications | Website, newsletter and school-contact arrangements | Publishing permissions and approval route |
| Equipment | Inventory, storage and borrowing arrangements | Location, condition and return requirements |
If your PTA is registered as a charity, record the applicable regulator and filing dates. Avoid copying a deadline from another PTA; registration and reporting arrangements can differ.
Transfer access securely
List the services your PTA uses, including email, the website, file storage, social accounts and financial services. Record the administrator or account owner and how authorised access is transferred. Do not put passwords, recovery codes or banking credentials into a general handover document.
Use each service's account or role-transfer process where available. Update recovery contacts and review former committee members' permissions once the new access is confirmed. Follow the bank's process for signatory or authorisation changes separately; sharing a login is not a substitute.
Ask the incoming member to open the relevant service and check they can perform their role. A message saying access was sent is not the same as confirming that it works. Keep unresolved access problems on the action list with a named owner.
Review money and commitments
The outgoing and incoming treasurers should review the current position together. Explain the balance, committed spending, unpaid invoices, money still to collect and any restrictions attached to funds. Identify subscriptions or contracts that will renew before the next meeting.
Record the spending approval process and how volunteers submit receipts. Confirm where the accounts and supporting documents are held, with access limited to the appropriate people. Follow your bank and regulator's requirements for authorisation, reporting and retention rather than adopting a general checklist as a legal rule.
Do not leave the next committee to discover a supplier deposit or cancellation deadline after it has passed. Put near-term financial decisions alongside the events they affect.
Keep event knowledge usable
For each planned activity, record its date, lead, supplier contacts, costs, bookings and outstanding decisions. Include what the school has agreed and what is still awaiting permission. Explain any weather, cancellation or refund arrangements already communicated to families.
For previous events, save the useful lessons. Which volunteer tasks were hard to cover? Which equipment was borrowed? What would you book earlier next time? Separate confirmed facts from personal suggestions so new members can decide what to repeat.
Our PTA fundraising ideas guide can help the new committee choose a manageable first event. Parents Anywhere's events and bookings page explains the connected participation journey.
Protect volunteer and family information
Pass on only the information the incoming committee needs for its responsibilities. Review who can see contact lists, where they are stored and whether older copies should be handled under your retention arrangements. Keep children's information and confidential matters out of general committee packs.
PTA+ explicitly reminds committees to consider data protection when handing over contact details. Agree the appropriate process with the school and the person responsible for your group's data. Do not move personal information into new software until you have checked permissions and requirements.
Run a working handover meeting
Use the meeting to open records, test access and confirm decisions. Ask the incoming committee to explain how it will handle the next event or meeting. This can reveal gaps that a document review alone misses.
Keep an action list with the task, owner and agreed due date. Arrange a follow-up for unresolved items, with a clear end to the outgoing committee's support. Volunteers should know when responsibility has transferred rather than remaining informally accountable indefinitely.
Your handover checklist
- Confirm appointments and responsibilities under the constitution.
- List urgent deadlines and unfinished work.
- Identify current governance and meeting records.
- Review finances, commitments and approval arrangements.
- Transfer authorised access and test it.
- Review personal-information access and retention.
- Pass on event plans, equipment locations and lessons learned.
- Agree owners and due dates for remaining actions.
- Update the school and family-facing contact information.
A PTA website can give families a current place to find the committee and its activities. Parents Anywhere brings that website together with members and volunteers, events and payments. Discuss your handover needs with us and confirm how the platform fits the way your committee works.