The complete school fete kit list
A school fete runs under rules no village green needs: safeguarding, under-16 raffle law and a PTA committee's own insurance. Here is the hire list and the paperwork that sits around it, worked at a 350-visitor primary school scale.
A 350-visitor primary school fete typically needs: stall gazebos for 12 to 15 stallholders plus a PTA welcome tent, around 30 trestle tables, 115 chairs clustered at the tea stall, a small PA for announcements and the raffle draw, 5 toilets plus 1 accessible if the school's own are not available, 7 bin pairs, fencing around any road-adjacent gate and the bouncy castle pen, a small silenced generator, and a PIPA-tested, attended bouncy castle. Typical hire budget: £1,200 to £2,800, often much less where the school already owns gazebos, tables and chairs.
The kit list, line by line
Worked at 350 visitors. Every line links to the full category guide with prices.
| Item | Quantity logic | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stall gazebos / PTA tent | 1 per stallholder + a PTA welcome tent and first aid point | Self-erect pop-ups keep the bill down; most PTAs already own a few |
| Trestle tables | 2 per stall + tea stall, cake stall and tombola: ~30 for 12–15 stalls | Borrow the hall's own tables first and hire only the shortfall |
| Chairs | Seats for about a third of visitors → ~115 at 350 | Cluster at the tea stall for parents with buggies and grandparents |
| PA system | Announcements, the raffle draw and any stage slot: small powered system + radio mic | The headteacher's welcome and a lost-child announcement both need it working first time |
| Toilets | 1 per 75 (no bar) → 5 + 1 accessible at 350 | Many primary fetes run entirely off the school's own toilets; hire only if access is restricted or numbers are higher |
| Bins | 1 pair per 50 visitors → 7 pairs at 350 | Cluster at the cake stall, the BBQ and the gate |
| Fencing | Boundary wherever the playground opens onto a road or car park, plus a pen around the bouncy castle | Keeping a road-adjacent gate closed matters more here than at any other event on this list |
| Generator | From the load list: PA, a cake stall fridge and the bouncy castle blower rarely need more than a small silenced set | Ask what the school building can supply from its own sockets before hiring anything |
| Bouncy castle | PIPA-tested, attended, with a wind plan | The one hire line every safeguarding policy will ask about by name |
| Catering equipment | BBQ, hot cupboard or a cold fridge for the cake stall, specified by whoever is running the food | A domestic gazebo and a borrowed urn covers most primary fetes; hire only the shortfall |
The safeguarding layer no village fete needs
A village fete answers to a parish committee; a school fete answers to the school's own safeguarding policy, and that shapes the list before a single gazebo is booked. Anyone running a stall unsupervised with children needs to be DBS-checked or paired with a member of staff or a governor, there needs to be a named lost-child point with a radio or whistle, and photography follows whatever consent list the school already holds from enrolment, not a fresh ask on the day.
Alcohol is the clearest example of the difference: a Temporary Event Notice could legally permit a licensed bar at an outdoor event this size, but most primary school fetes run entirely dry during school hours as standard safeguarding practice. Committees that do want a drinks stall typically ring it off as an adults-only area, time it for after pickup, and tell parents in the newsletter well before the day.
The raffle and tombola, done within the rules
Most school fete raffles qualify as an "incidental non-commercial lottery" and need no registration at all, provided the tickets are sold and the draw happens on the same day as part of the fete, and every penny raised, including the ticket price, goes to a cause that is not for private gain. That covers the overwhelming majority of PTA raffles and tombolas as they are actually run.
The moment tickets go on sale before the day itself, or the draw happens separately from the event, the raffle falls under the Gambling Act's small society lottery rules instead: it needs registering with the local council (a modest registration fee applies), at least 20 percent of proceeds has to go to the cause, and the total value of tickets sold is capped. Whichever route applies, the rule that holds regardless is that lottery tickets must never be sold to, or by, anyone under 16. Check the exact position with your local licensing authority if there is any doubt; this is a summary of council guidance, not the statute itself.
What it costs, honestly
For 350 visitors, the hire list, stalls, tables, chairs, PA, toilets where needed, bins, fencing, a small generator and the bouncy castle, typically runs £1,200 to £2,800 before any food, drink or raffle prizes, which most PTAs source as donations rather than buying. Schools that already own gazebos, tables and chairs, which is common, often get this down to under £600 by hiring only the bouncy castle and whatever power or welfare the site genuinely lacks.
The same consolidation logic applies as any other outdoor event: one local supplier covering the bouncy castle, a small generator and any toilets needed is one delivery and one invoice for the PTA treasurer to reconcile, rather than three.
School fete: the questions that follow
How many toilets does a school fete need?
Without a bar, the ratio is 1 per 75 visitors, so 5 standard units plus 1 accessible for 350 people. In practice, many primary school fetes run entirely off the school's own toilets and skip hire altogether, hiring extra units only if access to the building is restricted or numbers are higher than usual.
Can a school fete run a raffle without registering it?
Yes, as an "incidental non-commercial lottery", provided tickets are sold and the draw takes place on the same day as the fete, and all proceeds go to a cause that is not for private gain. Pre-selling tickets ahead of the day, or drawing it separately, moves it into small society lottery rules instead, which need registering with the local council. Either way, tickets must never be sold to, or by, anyone under 16. Check with your local licensing authority if in doubt.
What safety checks does a bouncy castle need at a school fete?
Ask for the PIPA tag number and check it against the national PIPA database, confirm the operator carries at least £2,000,000 of public liability insurance, and agree a wind limit of 24mph or the manufacturer's stated limit, whichever is lower. It should be attended at all times, with a dedicated supervisor and a first aider nearby.
What does it cost to equip a school fete?
A typical 350-visitor primary school fete hires £1,200 to £2,800 of kit: stalls, tables, chairs, PA, toilets where needed, bins, fencing, a small generator and the bouncy castle. Schools that already own gazebos, tables and chairs often spend under £600, hiring only the bouncy castle and any genuine power or welfare shortfall.
Planning a different kind of event?
These kit lists share most of the same line items as school fete.
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