Heysham Youth and Community Playgroup Trustees Annual Report – Year Ending 31[st] January 2021
The Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commissions general guidance on public benefit with particular emphasis on the commission supplementary public benefit guidance on advancing education and fee-charging during the planning process for all activities and while setting the pre-school aims and objectives.
For children aged between three and five years old and qualifying two year olds, fees for 15hrs per week are obtained from the County Council in the form of Early Education Funding at no cost to the parents/guardians. Some working parents also qualify for a further 15hrs extended funding for children over three if they meet criteria. Two year old children who do not qualify and those three year olds who take up additional hours to those funded by the council, are charged at the rate of £4.50 per hour. This fee has been set to cover costs and is the lowest possible amount chargeable in order to maintain the pre-school’s high standards.
By continuing to maintain our fees at a low rate we have again been able to provide affordable education and childcare for children aged between two and five. This can be accessed by underprivileged families in the local area and provides safe and stimulating care for children from all backgrounds including children with special education needs and disabilities, children with English as an additional language and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. These children have been given a chance to flourish and develop in a positive nurturing environment and have been given a good start for when they enter mainstream education.
We follow the 'Early Years Foundation Stage' curriculum.
Meetings are held between children’s key workers and their parents as and when needed to enable discussion of their development at pre-school and we operate an ‘open door’ policy, encouraging parents to talk to us whenever they need to. We continue to use an online Learning Journal, which allows us to share information with parents about their child’s experiences and development and vice versa; this gives both practitioners and parents a more accessible and mutually beneficial communication tool. Parents engage with this technology much more than the traditional paperbased information.
As well the key objectives for the Pre-school outlined above, under the Pre-school Learning Alliance, HYCC Pre-School also holds the following powers and objectives:
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a) To provide accommodation and equipment.
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b) To raise money to pay for the Pre-School activities.
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c) To make such payments as shall be necessary.
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d) To fix and collect the fees payable in respect of children attending groups run by the PreSchool.
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e) Subject to adherence with all applicable legislation, to control the admission of children to the groups run by the Pre-School and if appropriate require parents or guardians to withdraw them.
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f) To borrow money and to charge the whole or any part of the property as security for any money borrowed subject to complying with the provisions of sections 38 and 39 of the Charities Act 1993 if it is proposed to mortgaged land.
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g) To hire or acquire assets of any kind.
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h) To buy, lease or rent any land or buildings and to maintain and equip it for the use of the Pre-School.
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i) To sell, lease or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the Pre-School's property subject to complying with the provisions of sections 36 and 37 of the Charities Act 1993.
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j) To set aside funds for special purposes or as reserves against future expenditure.
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k) To maintain and pay for membership of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.
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l) To ensure the property and assets of the Pre-School against any foreseeable risk and to take out other insurance policies to protect the Pre-School as required.
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m) To employ such paid and unpaid staff, agents and advisors as may be required from time to time.
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n) To do any other lawful things which are necessary or desirable to enable the Pre-School to achieve its aims.
Main Achievements During the Year
Over the past twelve months we have maintained the Pre-School and facilities to a high standard and continue to provide affordable education and childcare for the local community irrespective of background. Parent meetings were all carried out over the telephone or at the foyer door on arrival or departure.
The year began, overshadowed by the threat of a ‘new’ virus originating in China, as parents and staff began to be concerned about the spread of the disease. By March the whole country had gone into lockdown and there was much insecurity about how to continue our support for our families. Being a charity we were not entitled to initial grants offered by the government due to our charity status, but nevertheless we stayed open as normal for children of key workers and vulnerable children, offering free meals and support. We later extended this support to children of families who we knew were struggling (although they were not classed as vulnerable). We are proud to say we stayed open as normal throughout the summer term and had no cases of the virus. We were able to offer support to children by personally delivering home learning bags which included craft activities, communication activities including stories, rhymes and colouring/writing activities. We kept in touch with every family on a weekly basis by telephone calls and also sent emails with links to further online activities and sign posts to support networks. Staff worked on a rota basis and we had two bubbles. Most of our time was spent in our large outdoor areas and we were extremely grateful to have such a wonderful resource.
In the Autumn term our child intake was much reduced as parents kept their children away from settings for various reasons including, concerns about the virus, financial constraints, working from home. We continued to see this trend continue throughout the year.
Members of the committee and volunteers continued with the ongoing renovations of the outdoor areas, including the woodwork and the canopies on the large pergolas. We bought a new polycarbonate greenhouse, specifically designed for children’s safety and bought plants, seeds, pots, compost etc for our allotment area, which the children loved to plant up and care for – they learned much about where food comes from and healthy eating. The bark digging areas were renovated and replenished and a number of large outdoor playhouses/resources were acquired.
We were not able to have parents in the building throughout the year, or have a trip out in the summer. We did not hold any fundraising days during this year, however we did do a small raffle for Easter and provided all the children with an Easter egg with the proceeds. We were not able to hold our annual Christmas activities but we provided all the children with a hot celebration meal and we
had a party day, where they could dress up and have fun. They all received a gift from the setting for Christmas/winter holidays.
We entered into a five-year lease from 1[st] April 2018, taking sole responsibility for the building including all utilities, services and maintenance. Our last Ofsted Inspection was September 2018 and we were rated as ‘Good’. We received positive feedback and continue to strive to meet requirements which will see us continue to achieve a good rating although our ambition would see us achieve outstanding.
The Pre-School has continued to purchase new resources to help the children's progress and development. The rejuvenation of our outdoor spaces which are a huge benefit for our children with regard to experiences and physical activity, is an ongoing action as these had been allowed to fall into disrepair over the years and require a great deal expense and time.
We suspended the provision of hot lunches due to staffing and the difficulty with availability of goods and children staying for lunch brought a pack from home.
Financial Review
Monies remaining in the Pre-School accounts at the end of the year will be held in reserve to allow for fluctuations in Pre-School numbers and in accordance with our additional objectives (item J) to allow for special purposes such as events, training and the purchase of new resources when needed in order to enhance the environment and maximise the learning opportunities for the children. We are also now mindful of the commitment to maintain the building and environment to a safe and functional standard, including the outdoors.
Preschool expenses, in accordance with item A of the Pre-Schools main objectives, have increased substantially with the signing of the lease. Daily running costs including wages, rent and purchasing new resources for the children continue to be budgeted for.
Heysham Pre-School
Balance Sheet as at 31st January 2021
| Current Assets Natwest - Wages Account Natwest - Fund Account Cash in Hand Current Liabilities Creditors Net Current Assets Represented By: Capital Account Opening Capital Net (deficit)/surplus for the year |
£ £ 182,954.15 13,186.54 20.18 196,160.87 1,403.05 1,403.05 194,757.82 £ 194,757.82 140,664.12 54,093.70 £ 194,757.82 2021 |
£ £ 136,548.91 5,472.54 23.51 142,044.96 1,380.84 1,380.84 140,664.12 £ 140,664.12 114,573.18 26,090.94 £ 140,664.12 2020 |
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HYCC Pre-school - Profit & Loss Year ending 31 January 2021
| Income Parents LCC Funding Lunch Money CJRS Grant HYCC Staff contributions Training Fundraising Expenditure Wages Employers NI Pensions Supply staff Rent Water rates Heat & Light Milk & Food Toys & Materials Insurance Phone Postage Stationery Website Printing Equipment Registration Fees Training Trip & Special events Repairs Uniforms & Clothing Cleaning Waste Disposal CRB Checks Sundry Entertaining Fundraising costs Accountancy Profit/ (Loss) for year |
2021 2020 13,890.08 29,132.40 176,681.08 144,331.34 203.50 1,096.50 7,755.31 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4,898.89 198,529.97 179,459.13 101,030.24 106,317.33 943.92 2,747.62 1,512.15 1,538.55 2,790.72 2,021.76 13,500.00 13,500.00 1,768.30 3,715.15 4,940.21 7,367.60 1,120.68 2,822.84 1,886.47 1,519.06 510.86 501.65 1,223.99 1,278.60 11.20 17.18 692.03 251.16 79.54 65.70 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,197.15 866.10 785.00 843.65 0.00 1,279.99 7,482.11 3,789.18 165.60 194.40 1,081.39 804.03 464.23 446.74 35.00 226.10 207.48 245.80 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,008.00 1,008.00 144,436.27 153,368.19 54,093.70 26,090.94 |
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