FIPSThe Families of Ibstock Place School, known as FIPS, is a vibrant organisation of members, helpers, year-group representatives and a committee that serves to enhance the school experience for families affiliated with Ibstock Place School, while they are at the school and beyond. Our operations are centred around three pillars of activity encapsulated by our motto: We Connect. We Entertain. We Give Back.
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FIPS Reps are a lifeline to most parents, they are the heart and soul of each year group.
If you feel you would like to keep your year group in the loop, to improve their feeling of togetherness, this is the best role for you
As a FIPS Organiser, you will take leadership on running an event or activity with guidance from one or more Committee Members.
Although we always invite sign-ups specific to events, by becoming a volunteer, you indicate your willingness to support our events in general.
Some FIPS Organisers will take on a permanent role and are invited to join the FIPS Committee that sets the strategic targets for FIPS as well as the schedule of events on a rolling three-term basis.
Your current FIPS Officers signed up for a fixed term and will need replacing, that is the nature of any organisation and is especially true for a volunteer organisation. Please feel encouraged to make your ambitions known to FIPS.
Register your interest here to get involved in future FIPS activities.
| What is the Families of Ibstock Place School ('FIPS')? |
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FIPS is a volunteer organisation which serves to enhance the school experience for families affiliated with Ibstock Place School while they are at the School and beyond. FIPS sets out to deliver a diverse programme of activities to assist the creation of an engaged school community. FIPS operates on a self-funding, non-profit basis. |
| What is the role of the organisation? |
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To support the more vulnerable individuals and families in our local area, the FIPS cooperates with the School in its charitable initiatives. At its June 2022 meeting, the FIPS Committee approved a number of charitable actions. We are currently funding the first year of education of the winner of the Hurlingham Academy Award to study in our Sixth Form. We have committed a significant amount to a multi-school, multi-purpose fund that will help transport children from neighbourhood schools to Ibsctock, arrange supervision, meals and activities. A further appreciable amount has been committed to assist the Corum Beanstalk Charity with its management costs. Most importantly perhaps, we have set up a line to provide matched-funding to pupil-led charitable initiatives. We will talk a lot about this in the coming months and very much hope that the children will take up on the wonderful opportunities this brings in widening their horizons. FIPS specifically does not engage in academic and internal school matters (e.g., the curriculum, method of teaching, equipment provision, complaints procedures, disciplinary actions, school lunch provision, etc). |
| Who is the best point of contact for members? |
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FIPS Year Representatives are at the core of the organisation and the most important points of contact for anyone new to the School, wishing to be put in contact with other members of their year group(s), or become involved in our activities. Each year group, from Kindergarten to Senior 10, have between two and four representatives, Senior 11 and Sixth Form year groups have at least one representative, all of whom are volunteers. The Representatives provide for day to day contact between FIPS and our wider parental community. Most year groups set up a WhatsApp group, which can be a superbly valuable tool for day-to-day communication, but also a source of great frustration. We ask everyone to be mindful of the volume of traffic on these channels. |
| How is the Families of IPS structured? |
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The work of the FIPS is led by two elected Coordinators, plus a Secretary and a Treasurer who serve for a maximum of three years from January 2021 (may be re-appointed). Any future appointments will be made at the FIPS Annual General Meeting. Behind the office-holders is a FIPS Committee which includes the Head and several other members of IPS’s teaching staff, plus the office-holders and several other elected parents. All parents were able to volunteer themselves for all such roles. The Committee meets once or twice every term to plan the operation and activities of FIPS. |
| How can I contact FIPS? |
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The FIPS Secretary can be contacted via fips@ibstockplaceschool.co.uk For all uniform related enquiries, please use fipsuniform@ibstockplaceschool.co.uk |
| How can I find out about FIPS activities? |
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The FIPS maintains an active presence on Firefly (accessible for Prep School parents directly with Firefly login, and for Senior School parents via the My School Portal using that login). From time to time, FIPS sends parents emails about its activities and, every term, a section of the school magazine, School Matters, devotes itself to the work of FIPS. We contribute to the Head’s weekly messages and send notifications from time to time through the year group Representatives. |
| Are all parents automatically members of FIPS? |
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All families which had paid a membership fee in Autumn 2020 to the preceding organisation (PTA) assumed permanent membership as of Autumn 2021 until the final child of that family leaves Ibstock. FIPS no longer collects an annual membership fee from its existing members. Families which were new to Ibstock in 2021-22 and thereafter will be invited to pay a one-off joining fee of £35. All families which declined to pay the membership fee of 2020, or the joining fee of 2021 and thereafter, will not be considered members of FIPS. |
| What kind of programmes does FIPS run? |
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Many of the favourite events of previous years return each year, including the Coffee Mornings in early September, the Festive Fair, Quiz Night and the second-hand uniform sale. In addition, however, FIPS seeks out new events and activities which might better service its desire to improve the experience of all of our parents, including sporting opportunities, activities with a creative edge and a good deal more. FIPS is always open to suggestions from its members as to how it might better serve our community and its needs! An example, we started a FIPS Parents & Friends Choir on an ad hoc idea in November 2021, and had our first stage appearance to much delight at the Music on the Lawn event in June 2022. The choir welcomes new joiners, please check in with us FIPS Parents & Friends Choir. Please contact us if you would like to propose an idea, we are interested! |
