## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From 01/09/2023 To 31/08/2024**
**Charity name: Merry-go-round under 5’s**
## **Charity registration number: 1010031**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To advance the education of children below
compulsory school age by;
(a) providing a safe and satisfying group play
in which parents have the right to take part.
(b) encouraging other charitable activities
through which parents may help the children
(c) furthering the aim of the pre-school
playgroups association|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|Merry-Go-Round Under Fives provides
exciting preschool education and
opportunities for children under five from
Baldock and the surrounding area.
We are situated in the extensive grounds of
Hartsfield School. As well as two purpose-
built classrooms, we' re lucky enough to
have two enclosed outdoor play areas with a
wide range of outdoor learning facilities and
toys.
~ We are an independent, non-profit making
charity.
~ We are Ofsted registered.
~ We have a high ratio of staff to children-
we can focus on children's individual needs
and development.
~ We believe that care and education are
equally important.
~ We provide children with routines and
activities to ensure they feel safe, valued
and gain experience from socialising with
other children|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance|Para 1.18|The trustees have had regard to the
guidance issued by the Charity Commission
on public benefit.|
issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit
## **Additional information (optional)**
## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference Para 1.38 Policy on grant making Para 1.38 Policy on social investment including program related investment Para 1.38 Contribution made by volunteers Other
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference|||
|---|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20||Merry go round had a slight increase in
numbers on roll despite the low birth rate.
**Numbers on roll between September 2023**
**and July 2024**
September 2023– 30 on register (16 in
Nursery and 14 in pre-school)
January 2024– 32 on register (16 in Nursery
and 16 in pre-school)
April 2024– 33 on register (16 in Nursery
and 17 in pre-school)
**Staffing for Sept 2023 to July 2024**
Staffing remained the same with 8 in total –
Kay, Carol, Sharon, Angie, Archana, Nikki,
Abbe and Debbie
**Staff Training**
Staff attend regular training courses
throughout an academic year as well as in
house training. Courses attended via online
seminar during the past year:
• Food Hygiene
• The Prevent duty
•Child Protection for the Designated|
Safeguarding Lead • Safeguarding Training for 7 staff • Transition Level of Need Toolkit 2024 • Speech Sound Development • Supporting Social Communication • Senco Clusters and • Half Termly Closing the Gap Workshops Training is cascaded to all staff at meetings and the information used to reflect on and enhance our practice. **Early Years Consultant annual visit** Each year the Early Years consultant for North Herts carries out an annual visit, to check how we deliver certain aspects of the EYFS within our setting. Last year, the focus was on how we are effectively promoting maths, within our curriculum and every day activities. She rated us green, which is a GOOD outcome Although this year has been a little difficult financially with our numbers not quite being as high as previous years, it has nonetheless been a good year for Merry Go Round, with actual attendance high and the therefore our final financial statement for the year was not as low as first estimated. We have two new committee members last year, Phil and Hannah who have made a great start and assisted us within the year on various projects With the assistance of one of our former parents we have a new website in place.
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41||**Events**
The children have had the opportunity to join
in with many educational events over the
year:
• Angie from Creative Chefs came in to do a
healthy eating activity with the Nursery
children. The learning focus was to promote
the importance of eating a rainbow diet.
• The nursery children all played a part in our
Nativity Production and sang for their family
members.
• We held our annual Christmas Party
morning which included the opportunity for
all the children to visit Father Christmas and
receive a gift from him.
• Kevin from Russell Studios Photography
came in to take photos of the children in
March, which earned us £27 commission.|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||• All the children took part in our main
fundraising event – the Sponsored Easter
Egg Hunt.
• Our annual nursery trip on the train to
Shepreth Wildlife Park, took place on a
lovely day in May.
• The children all had the opportunity to learn
about the life cycle of a butterfly. They were
able to watch our caterpillars grow into
butterflies and see them fly away.
• Our sports day for the nursery class was
held on a lovely sunny morning in June, on
Hartsfield School’s running track, whilst the
pre-school class practiced their physical
skills with obstacle courses and ball games,
in our garden area.
• We had a visit from the local Police
Service, who let the children all have a turn
at sitting in the police car and try on the
police hats.
• During the Summer term and prior to
transition, the nursery children were given
the opportunity to explore Hartsfield’s Early
Years Play area twice a week, for half an
hour. and
• On our last day of term we held a party with
games and party food for snack. All the
children were presented with leavers
certificates and a book and the nursery class
sang some of their favourite action songs, to
their parents, outside in the back garden.|
|---|---|---|---|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41||**Fundraising for the last Academic Year**
Christmas Hamper raffle – £210
Hartsfield Winter Fair – £132.50
Egg Hunt and Summer Hamper Raffle –
£410.20 – this generous amount enabled us
to purchase a shape obstacle course to
promote maths and gross motor skills, to
purchase 2 new cameras, a set of number
blocks and 2 dolls pushchairs
We would also like to thank two local
businesses, PG Decorating and Jim ‘Tree
Man’ Caddy for their donations of materials
and time during the summer maintenance.|
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41||n/a|
|Other||||
## **Financial Review**
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Financially this was a much better year than
expected. We had forecast a loss for the
year, we actually made a surplus of nearly
£8k (last year was a £41k loss)
The main reason for the surplus is that,
although child numbers were below our
capacity and numbers were only slightly up
on 2023, extra sessions are based on child
attendance, so the funding increased as the
sessions per child increased.
This surplus has meant that our cash
reserves are back up to over £87k.
As ever we continue to watch our spending,
capital items will only be acquired when
budgeted or obtained via grants or specific
fundraising.|
|---|---|---|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|Reserves are set aside to
1. Operating shortfalls, and
2. investing in the setting|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£87k provision for any operating shortfall
and investing in the setting. A substantial
lease provision no longer required in the
short term.|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|n/a|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|n/a|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23||
|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements||where relevant about:|
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|The principal source of funding is from Herts
DC. This year it amounted to 86% of our
income, up on previous years.|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|n/a|
|A description of the principal|Para 1.46|Falling child numbers. These have fluctuated
widely in the past, and fell considerably this
year. We remain protected in the short term|
|risks facing the charity||by our large reserves.|
|---|---|---|
|Other|||
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|Constitution|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|Association|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|Election|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||||
|---|---|---|
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|Para 1.51||
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51||
|Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51||
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Merry-Go-Round Under 5’s|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses||
|Registered charity number|1010031|
|Charity’s principal address|The Mobile, Hartsfield School Ground, Clothall Road,
Baldock, SG7 6PN|
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**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
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|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee(if any)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Mr Ian Haydon||||||
|||Mr GaryCarey|Treasurer|||||
|||Mrs Sheila Ely||||||
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|||Corporate trustees–names of the directors at the date the report was approved
**Director name**||||||
|||**Director name**||||||
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Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
**Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year**
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets held in this capacity
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of Name Address adviser**
**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
|**Signature(s)**|**Signature(s)**
SY|WWweo”*"/|
|---|---|---|
|||\|
|**Full name(s)**|**Full name(s)**Gary Carey|Gary Carey|
|**Position (eg Secretary,**|Treasurer||
|**Chair, etc)**|||
||||
|**Date**7|7thNovember 2025||
|**Merry-Go-Round Under 5's**
**1010031**
**CC16a**
**Receipts andpayments accounts**
**For the period**
**from**
01/09/2023
**To**
31/08/2024
— ~~——~~||
|---|---|
|**Section A Receipts and payments**||
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Endowment**
**funds**
**Total funds**
**Last year**||
|**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £**
**to the nearest £**||
|**A1 Receipts**||
|Funding
**100,649**
**-**
**-**
**100,649**
**80,058**
Fees
**20,954**
**-**
**-**
**20,954**
**12,410**
Other Income
**1,879**
**-**
**-**
**1,879**
**4,972**
**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_**123,481**
**-**
**-**
**123,481**
**97,440**
~~ee~~||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table B1).**
Bank Interest
**799**
**-**
**-**
**799**
**389**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
~~**_Sub total_**~~**799**
**-**
**-**
**799.18**
**389.00**
**_Total receipts_**
**124,280**
**-**
**-**
**124,280**
**97,829**
~~S555~~|**389.00**|
|**A3 Payments**
Wages
**96,158**
**-**
**-**
**96,158**
**93,356**
Buildingandpremises
**6,408**
**-**
**-**
**6,408**
**7,008**
Utilities
**8,127**
**-**
**-**
**8,127**
**7,005**
Supplies
**1,753**
**-**
**-**
**1,753**
**2,072**
Food & Activities
**2,684**
**-**
**-**
**2,684**
**2,105**
Training& Advertising
**160**
**-**
**-**
**160**
**627**
Insurance
**883**
**-**
**-**
**883**
**441**
Miscellaneous
**244**
**-**
**-**
**244**
**1,763**
Capital
**23,983**
**_Sub total_ 116,416**
**-**
**-**
**116,416**
**138,361**
**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**-**
**-**
**- -**
**_Total payments_**
**116,416**
**-**
**-**
**116,416**
**138,361**
~~=——_ ===~~
~~————————~~||
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**7,864**
**-**
**-**
**7,864**
**- 40,532**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**-**
**- -**
**-**
**-**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**79,367**
**- -**
**79,367**
**119,899**
**_Cash funds this year end_**
**87,231**
**-**
**- 87,231**
**79,367**
~~===~~||
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
||||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**||**Endowment**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**|**Details**||**funds**|**funds**||**funds**|
||||**to nearest £**|**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|
|**B1 Cash funds**|**23,851**
**63,237**
**143**
**87,231**
Treasurers Account
Business Instant Account
30 day Account
**_Total cash funds_**
~~<= ~~|||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
~~==~~|||
||(agree balances with receipts and payments|(agree balances with receipts and payments|||||
||account(s))||OK|OK||OK|
||||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**||**Endowment**|
||||**funds**|**funds**||**funds**|
||**Details**||**to nearest £**|**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|
|**B2 Other monetary assets**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
~~———=~~||||||
||**Details**||**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**|**Cost (optional)**||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
|**B3 Investment assets**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
~~===~~||||||
|**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**|**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Details**
~~a~~||||||
||||**Fund to which**|**Amount due**||**When due**|
|Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B5 Liabilities**|**liability relates**
**(optional)**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Date of
approval
07-Nov-25
**Details**
Signature
Print Name
GaryCarey
~~oun~~||||||
## ns , CHARITY COMMISSION Independent examiner's FOR ENGLAND AND WALES report on the accounts
## Section A
## Independent Examiner’s Report
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Report to the trustees/ | Charity Name
members of | Merry-Go-Round Under 5's
On accounts for the year | 31% August 2024
ended
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Charity no | 1010031
(if any)
**----- End of picture text -----**
- (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
- | report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2022.
- Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act’).
| report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, | have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
- Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- e accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
* Plea i ese the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: Date: | 7" | 7" 7"
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Date: | 7" | 7" 7" November 2025
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Name: | PETER ILIAN
**----- End of picture text -----**
- Relevant professional | ACIB
- qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: | 6 Rutland Green, Hilton
Huntingdon
Cambs, PE28 9NT
## Section B
## Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
## IER
1
October 2018
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.
IER
2
October 2018