2024-08-31-accounts - All Cannings Preschool

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Attachment 2 ALL CANNINGS PRE SCHOOL TRUSTEES’ REPORT 1 September 2023 – 31 August 2024

1.0 Reference and Administration Details:

Charity Name: All Cannings Pre School Charity No.: 1022946 Address: The Village Hall, The Street, All Cannings, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 3PA

2.0 Names of Trustees who manage the charity and how they are recruited:

2.1 Period 01.09.23 – 14.11.23 (AGM)

COMMITTEE ROLE	NAME
Chair	Robbie Daw^
Vice Chair	Vacant
Secretary	Alison Bull
Treasurer/Administrator	David Conroy
Preschool Manager**	Nicola Cowdry
Registrations Officer	Alison Bull
Fundraising/Friends Coordinator	Effie Oram** ^(staff from Sept 2021)
Staff Members(Co-opted)	Lucy Jenkins, Peach Shakesby**^(staff from June 2020)
Committee Safeguarding Member	Harriet Webb*

*Current parents during this period 10%). ^ex parent to July 2022 (30%)

2.1 Period 14.11.23 – 31.08.24 (END OF ACADEMIC AND FINANCIAL YEAR)

COMMITTEE ROLE	NAME
Chair	Robbie Daw^
Vice Chair	John Le Feuvre*
Secretary	Alison Bull
Meetings Secretary	Alison Bull
Treasurer/Administrator	David Conroy
Registrations Officer	Vacant, role subsumed into Secretary role
Pre School Manager**	Nicola Cowdry^
Staff Members(Co-opted)**	LucyJenkins,^ Peach Shakesby^ Effie Oram^
Committee Safeguarding Member	Harriet Webb*
Committee Member	Callie Webb*
Committee Member	James Thompson*
Committee Member	John Le Feuvre*

*Current parents/grandparents during this period (40%) ^ex parent (50%)

(**The Pre School Learning Alliance Constitution 2011 enables staff to be members of the Committee provided they are not paid for Committee activities, and are excluded from votes on subjects where they have conflicts of interest). Trustees are recruited by advertising locally by word of mouth, in the local social media groups and communications in person, on paper/posters, and Pre School parent social media groups specifically. The aim is to achieve 60% Committee membership of existing Pre School parents, but with mothers pursuing careers and often seeking wrap around childcare, numbers available to help with Committee work appear to be dwindling. This is a phenomenon post pandemic that seems to be affecting other local charities (ons.gov.uk)). Nominations are received at the Preschool AGM and voted in by majority vote.)

Skills and experience in Committee members: The Committee membership has remained stable over the past two years an, despite the challenging context with more parents returning to the paid workplace. The other key Committee role holders remain unchanged but have embraced the benefits of ex parents as staff being co-opted to the Committee. Key officers possess professional business, admin, and HR backgrounds. The most recent appointees all work and include three parents and one grandparent. This means that they may not have much time to devote to Preschool matters as the archetypal volunteer parent.

3.0 Structure, Governance and Management 2023 - 2024

The Committee operates following the Pre-School (now Early Years) Alliance Constitution 2011. Other advice and guidance is obtained from the Early Years Alliance and Wiltshire County Council Early Years Department.

All Cannings Pre School opened in 1974 and is run in the Village Hall, All Cannings, which includes a large playground and a secure grassy garden. It is registered to provide early years education to a maximum of 17 children per session aged 2 – 5 years. Operating hours were Monday to Thursday 0845 – 1500 and Friday 0845 – 1245, term time only. During this period, it has continued to employ three, rising to five, part-time qualified or apprentice staff members, due to the fact that staff:child ratios required sufficient qualified staff at a minimum Level 2. Staff continue to be paid rates based on the National Living Wage, reviewed annually in April, in line with NLW changes. In April 2024, this put further pressure on finances as the Government raised NLW by 9.8%. This means salary costs have increased by 19.3% over the past two years.

The Preschool is valued by parents and children as a small village rural setting, with excellent staffing ratios, and a pipeline to All Cannings CE Junior School in the village. During the period of this report, we prepared for and attained an Outstanding OFSTED inspection rating, a significant achievement for a pop up very small setting.

4.0 Objectives and Activities – Academic Year 01.09.23 – 31.08.24

AIMS FOR 2023/24 (red still outstanding, amber partly achieved, green achieved

To complete the Outdoor Project
To be prepared for an OFSTED inspection during this year by strong focus on requirements including training
To maintain good relations with the Hall during a period of potential financial threats
To develop use of technology to simplify administration (reduce workload)
To strengthen marketing to attract potential parents.
To enhance relationships with All Cannings Primary School and PTFA
To continue effective fundraising to mitigate the financial and economic threats arising from the 2022 Financial Statement
To celebrate 50[th] anniversary of this preschool in 2024
Continue effective client recruitment to maximize number, although anticipating the ‘Covid blip’ of reduced childbirths in 2020/2021 might have an impact from September 2023
Ensure fundraising is sustainable and contributes well as a marketing and financial mechanism (but is not the primary focus of the committee)
Maintain up to 30 hours opening, in consultation with the village hall committee and users.
Update HR policies and practices and enhance staff and Committee appraisal and CPD in particular mandatory training (especially safeguarding).
Complete continuing policy and practice uprating to conform to legal and funding provider standards.
Ensure we aim to retain ‘good’ OFSTED status but work on areas to support a future ‘outstanding’ outcome by working to OFSTED outstanding assessment criteria, in particular training of staff and Committee members.
To continue to work with the hall and village community to maximum mutual benefit, including improving hall/preschool shared outdoor space.

The key priority is to ensure OFSTED compliance in the event of an inspection, on the back of which we are promoting and supporting relevant mandatory and voluntary CPD. We are also seeking to embed good SEND practice in respect of at least one SEND child this year, and one potential SEND child in 23/24. Although this increases workload it is also a useful income stream and good for all children in the group. We are also exploring developing a closer relationship with the primary school, as currently we are a very good pipeline for children whose parents wish them to attend our village primary school, and this approach is becoming increasingly adopted by small settings due to the pressures of governance and operating costs. Pack away volunteer led settings are particularly vulnerable, although the professionalism of our staff means we punch above our weight in preparing children for school.

5.0 Key Achievements, Performance and Public Benefit – Academic Year 01.09.23 – 31.08.24

We continued to recruit still attracting local parents, but numbers were reduced in this period.
We are one of the largest employers in our village, through offering flexible part time working to our female staff. We also develop staff, with the recruitment of a Level 3 apprentice and support to a staff member undertaking her own Forest School training. Staffing will be critical in the period 24/25 with increases in Government support to increasingly younger children.
Fundraising reverted to rather too much activity for our small team, aimimg to maximise income in the period, including a Barn Dance. This was because other village charities were in hiatus but this will change in 2025.
Opening hours : these were reduced from November 2022 as new post pandemic ‘working week’ of Mon – Thursday affected demand on a Friday, and returning parents sought wrap around care at local nurseries as

they returned to work. Hours – Mon – Thurs 0900 – 1500 only. This despite other Friday Hall users agreeing to adjust their afternoon start to accommodate a whole preschool day if required. This should be kept under constant review as prospective parents would seek five day provision ideally.

Emphasis on CPD continued, with all staff, including zero hours, making good use of continuing online training provided by our funders (Wiltshire Council) and others.
WE ACHIEVED AN OUTSTANDING OFSTED OUTCOME IN APRIL 2024 (report may be accessed at https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50247892). This success was largely due to the efforts of the staff and committee members ensuring that the right practices and policies were in place, plus favourable feedback from parents.

6.0 Financial Review

All Cannings Pre School is a small rural charity, operating only in the UK. Its funds derive from parent fees, early years funding from Wiltshire County Council, and local fundraising (not involving professional fundraisers or contracts). Its trustees are still only volunteers who receive no remuneration, although valid expenses may be reimbursed.

6.1 Financial Statement

Appendix 1 provides the financial statement, which has been reviewed by our accountants Charlton Baker. These show that, despite reduced numbers and increased salary costs, there are still no significant issues with operating funds. This has to be monitored closely and is supported by relentless fundraising and the support of the wider village community.

6.2 Debts, Reserves Policy

During this period, the contingency reserves have been maintained at above the policy minimum of £3,000 thanks to prudent cost management and support (discussed in 6.1 above). (Reserves are important to even out costs when funding income fluctuates and to meet legal obligations in the event of e.g., reduced activity.). We have resisted the threat of increases to the rent with the village hall.

6.3 Technical and Legal Developments

The involvement of parents with good social media skills has enabled communication with a wider catchment through Facebook, Instagram, and the updating of our website. Legally, we have kept up to date with aspects of employment law such zero hours holiday pay entitlement, with the support of local HR professionals, a committee member with an HR background, and Early Years Alliance resources. Although staff earnings have not required autoenrollment for pensions, we keep this under review as NLW increases and tax allowance and pension enrolment access level freezes make autoenrollment more likely for even part time basic pay job roles.

6.4 Fundraising Activities

See the financial statement above for the outcome of such activities. The small committee with the help of local friends and past parents carry out substantial fundraising such as Bonfire Night, plus an additional Barn Dance, to augment fee and funding levels which have not kept pace with inflation during this critical year.

7.0 Priorities for 2024/25

1 – 3. Outstanding aims from last year. 4. To actively recruit more Committee Members and identified Friends.

To carry out a strategic review to ensure robust future for a preschool in All Cannings, taking account of demographic changes (child numbers and the availability of volunteers), Government/OFSTED early years policy and practice, Wiltshire Council early years policy and practice, the viability of the stand-alone pop up preschool /PSLA 2011 model, comparisons with other similar local preschools including fee levels and relationships with their primary schools.
To carry out active marketing of our preschool offering.
To continue/participate in relevant and sustainable fundraising/PR events led by a dedicated Fundraising and Friends lead.

DECLARATION I DECLARE THAT THIS INFORMATION IS TRUE, COMPLETE AND CORRECT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CHARITY COMMISSION AS SET OUT IN THE TRUSTEE ELIGIBILITY DECLARATION FORM.

A J Bull Secretary (from 18.11.19)

All Cannings Pre School allcanningspssecretary@gmail.com

ON BEHALF OF THE CURRENT ALL CANNINGS PRESCHOOL COMMITTEE

ALL CANNINGS PRE-SCHOOL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

All Cannings Pre-school Contents

	Page
Accountants' Report	1
Income Statement	2
Statement of Financial Position	3
The following pages do not form part of the statutory accounts:
Detailed Income Statement	4

All Cannings Pre-school Accountants' Report For The Year Ended 31 August 2024

As described on page you have approved the accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024 set out on pages 2 to 5. In accordance with your instructions we have compiled these unaudited accounts from the accounting records and information and explanations supplied to us.

Signed

Date

Charlton Baker 7-7c Snuff Street Devizes Wiltshire SN10 1DU

Page 1

All Cannings Pre-school Income Statement For The Year Ended 31 August 2024

TURNOVER Other income Staff costs Depreciation and other amounts written off assets Other charges NET SURPLUS	2024 £ 52,228 179 (34,107) (456) (15,649) 2,195	2023 £ 57,644 133 (37,233) (382) (15,742)
		4,420

Page 2

All Cannings Pre-school Statement of Financial Position As At 31 August 2024

Fixed assets Current assets Creditors: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year NET CURRENT ASSETS TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES NET ASSETS RESERVES Notes	2024 £ 2,576 27,992 (143)	2023 £ 2,160 26,326 (256)
	27,849	26,070
	30,425	28,230
	30,425	28,230
	30,425	28,230

Page 3

All Cannings Pre-school Detailed Income Statement For The Year Ended 31 August 2024

2024 £ £ 11,199 27,296 13,733 52,228 52,228 33,794 313 4,671 192 - - 934 500 39 7,769 465 - 456 923 (50,056) 2,172 179 179 156 (156) 2,195	2024 £ £ 11,199 27,296 13,733 52,228 52,228 33,794 313 4,671 192 - - 934 500 39 7,769 465 - 456 923 (50,056) 2,172 179 179 156 (156) 2,195	2023 £ £ 8,820 38,768 10,056 57,644 57,644 36,923 310 7,280 415 543 882 838 1,967 25 2,537 591 80 382 518 (53,291) 4,353 133 133 66 (66) 4,420	2023 £ £ 8,820 38,768 10,056 57,644 57,644 36,923 310 7,280 415 543 882 838 1,967 25 2,537 591 80 382 518 (53,291) 4,353 133 133 66 (66) 4,420
	52,228 52,228 (50,056)		57,644 57,644 (53,291)
179		133
	2,172 179 (156)		4,353 133 (66)
156		66

	2,195		4,420

Page 4