THE ROLE OF FORM REPRESENTATIVES

There are two Form Representatives (Form Reps) for each year group.  Your term of office as a Form Rep starts in the second half of the summer term, enabling you to work alongside the current Form Rep before taking over in September until the end of the following summer term.

The key aspects of your role as a Form Rep are:-

·          to contact new parents before their children arrive at Winchester House to offer them any information or support that they might require;

·          to organise some social activities for your year group during the year; and

·          to participate in and help with the organising of whole school events such as the Advent Fayre, Pre-Prep Easter Egg Hunt, the Summer Extravaganza and various evening social events.

Support for new children and their families at WHS

This is the primary function of the Friends and your input is vital to make it happen across the year groups.  You will be given details before the start of each term of any new children coming into your year and one Form Rep should contact that new family to offer help, support and practical advice (such as where to buy uniform and when the second hand shop is open).  Occasionally a prospective parent may contact you for a general chat about the school/year group.

There are events organised at school for new children, which you should try to attend if at all possible.  Shortly before the start of the Michaelmas Term the New Children’s Picnic is held in order to “break the ice” for new families ahead of the first day of term.   Early in the term, Coffee and Croissant mornings are held for each year group, giving new parents a chance to start meeting more of the parents in their year(s).  Your attendance at these events is really appreciated so that new families can start to become familiar with a few friendly faces.

Organising Social Activities for your year group

Ideally, you should organise one social event per term for your year group. This may sound a lot but new parents really rely on the Form Reps and the activities they arrange for their social contact with the school.  In particular it is very important that you make sure that you organise an event in the first term to give new families a chance to integrate with other parents.  Examples of successful social events that have been tried and tested are coffee mornings after school drop-off, pub suppers and picnics after school (for year 3 and pre-prep) but do feel free to try anything else you think your year group would enjoy!  The important thing to remember is that no-one is expected to host events themselves (unless they wish to) and you are not expected to cover the costs of any such event!  You just need to make sure that they happen!

Whole School Events

The Committee will normally arrange a programme of social events open to the whole school, and your help and support will be required for these occasions in addition to organising the informal year group get-togethers mentioned above.  These events typically include the Advent Fayre, the Summer Extravaganza and an evening social event.  In practice, this will mean organising a couple of games/activities on behalf of your year (this is often done in collaboration with the form teachers and tutors); perhaps arranging a rota of parents to help run a stall; or mobilising support for ticket sales to a social evening.

In order to keep you informed about the Friends’ calendar of events, and to allow you to share ideas and talk to all the other Form Reps, you will be invited to a joint meeting with the Committee at the beginning of each term.  You will also receive an update following each such meeting.

Finally, you are NOT expected to voice opinions on behalf of your year group.  The Friends are not a political group and we do not get involved in the running of the school.  If anyone comes to you with a complaint, or asks you to speak on behalf of the year, please refer them directly on to school staff.

June 2009