Quick takeaway       

At the end of a school year, many PTA groups find they lose active parents as their child moves on. Autumn brings a fresh intake of families across the country, and how you welcome them shapes your PTA's year ahead. By establishing a welcoming presence in school and on social media with clear and transparent messaging, you can make sure your PTA group isn’t intimidating for new arrivals. 

Table of Contents

Why welcoming new parents matters

Start early with awareness

Be present on settling in days

Host social events early in the term

Put together a friendly starter pack

Stay open to fresh ideas

Use social media properly

Don't neglect existing parents

Be gentle

FAQs

Why welcoming new parents matters

At the end of the Summer term, schools wave goodbye to a year group of children. That might be the preschool off to Reception, Year 2s leaving infant school, Year 6s graduating from primary, or Year 11s heading off after their GCSEs. It's a moment full of emotion, nostalgia, and pride (see our recent post on the Class of 2026 leavers for ideas on marking the children's send-off).

But we don't talk much about the parents. With every child who moves on (siblings notwithstanding), a parent goes too. That parent may have been heavily involved in the PTA, attended every event, bought raffle tickets by the strip, or organised the summer fair single handedly. Suddenly they're gone, and your committee is lighter than it was in July.

Then, come September, a whole new group of parents arrives along with the fresh intake of children. They bring new skills, ideas, and energy. You might even make a few friends for life along the way.

The trick is to be welcoming without being overwhelming. To share information without sounding like you're running an initiation. To stay open and approachable without losing your existing momentum. At IQ Cards, we work with PTAs up and down the country, so here are our tips to start the year well.

Start early with awareness

Now is the time to plan for the new academic year. Primary places are offered in mid-April and secondary places at the start of March, which means parents and children have been thinking about their new schools for the whole Spring term. By the time September arrives, anticipation has been building for months.

Use that lead time. A friendly post on local Facebook groups for incoming families, a welcome message added to the school's induction pack, or a simple "Hello from the PTA" letter handed out at the first school drop off can do wonders. People who recognise your PTA's name before they walk through the door in September are far more likely to say hello back.

Be present on settling in days

Induction or settling in sessions are notoriously awkward for parents. They're often scheduled mid-morning, with not enough time to get back to work or back home and out again. 

This is an ideal moment. Run an informal coffee and cake drop-in while the children are spending time in class. Parents will be grateful for somewhere to land, and it gives you the chance to casually promote the PTA without anyone feeling cornered. A few warm welcomes and a decent biscuit go a long way.

Host social events early in the term

Everyone likes a social, and new parents are often keen to make friends. Try a few of these in the first half of the Autumn term:

• A "wine and whine" evening at the local pub, kept casual and no-pressure
• A weekend family picnic in the school grounds or local park
• A pre-half-term coffee morning where new parents can chat properly

Keep things relaxed. The aim isn't to recruit volunteers on the spot but to give new parents a face to put to the name on the WhatsApp group. It’s a bit like building brand awareness!

Put together a friendly starter pack

A short, easy to digest starter pack tells new parents who's who, what the PTA does, and how they can get involved if they fancy it. Include the chair, treasurer, secretary, and any other named roles, along with brief descriptions of the projects you run each year (fundraisers, social events, school improvement projects like setting up a PTA-funded reading nook).

Be honest about vacant roles. If you're short of a treasurer or need someone to take over the social media account, say so. Mystery doesn't help recruitment, and neither does pretending everything is running smoothly when it isn't.

A simple table like this one in your pack can help new parents see what your year looks like at a glance:

This kind of overview makes it easier for new parents to spot something that fits their skills or schedule, rather than feeling they need to sign up for everything.

Stay open to fresh ideas

New parents bring fresh outlooks, and that's a good thing. You might not use every idea (some may not work with how your school operates, or the budget you have), but explore them properly before saying no. The phrase "we tried that once, it didn't work" closes more doors than it opens. Sometimes the timing was off, or the right people weren't available. Now might be the moment.

Equally, share the practical side openly. Why did the last summer fair raffle struggle? What worked brilliantly two years ago? New parents appreciate context and may well find clever ways around old problems.

Use social media properly

Consistent social media is one of the most effective ways to keep your PTA visible across the school year. Make this a dedicated role rather than something passed around. A clear voice, regular posts, and a sense of humour go a long way.

A few principles worth following:

• Be authentic and conversational, not corporate
• Mix updates with appreciation posts (thanking volunteers, celebrating teachers)
• Keep content visual where possible, since photos perform better than long captions
• A structured Whatsapp community will stop chats from getting too noisy

Don't be afraid to share the human side too, like the chaos of setting up a Christmas fair or the relief when a fundraiser hits its target. People warm to a PTA that feels human rather than like a faceless committee.

Don't neglect existing parents

Your next active member might not come from the new intake at all. They may have been watching from the sidelines for two or three years, building the confidence to volunteer. Keep your communications open to every year group, and make it clear that involvement is welcome at any stage.

It's easy to get distracted by the new arrivals and forget the enthusiasm that may be subtly growing among parents you already know. A friendly "we'd love your help with X" message, sent in the second half of the Autumn term, often catches people at exactly the right moment.

Be gentle

Above all, don't strong arm anyone into volunteering. PTAs work best when people join because they want to, not because they were ambushed at the school gates. Be friendly, be clear about what's needed, and let people come to you in their own time.

If you make your group warm, organised, and a bit of fun to be part of, you'll find people gravitating towards you. Easy fundraising projects help too. IQ Cards runs several that are popular with PTAs across the country, including our Christmas card project and our tea towel project, both of which are simple to manage and reliably profitable.

Looking for a friendly first project to run with your new PTA committee? Register your school or get in touch with us to chat through what would work best.

FAQs

When is the best time to start welcoming new parents?

Start before September wherever possible. A friendly note included in the school's induction pack or a welcome post in the local parents' Facebook group makes a noticeable difference. New parents who recognise the PTA's name before term begins are far more likely to engage once it does.

How do we recruit PTA volunteers without putting people off?

Be open about which roles need filling, share what each role actually involves, and avoid asking for big commitments upfront. Most parents are happy to help with a one-off event before considering anything larger, so work on the principle that a little help is better than none.

What's the easiest fundraiser for a new PTA committee to run?

A school Christmas card project is a sensible first fundraiser. It celebrates children's artwork, which parents love, and IQ Cards handle most of the logistics, making it easy for you to operate even if you’re few in number. You can register your school with IQ Cards to get a project set up for next term.

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