Barcombe Playgroup Trustees Annual Report
Report of the Trustee for the year ending 31[st] August 2021
Our Playgroup
We are a small village playgroup set in the heart of rural Sussex, who provides both education and childcare for children aged 2-5 years.
We are based in Barcombe Village Hall, East Sussex, with a dedicated, enclosed outdoor space surrounded by fields.
Our aim is to nurture our pre-school children’s development through play and we are very lucky to be based in an area where we can regularly engage the children with the nature around them.
Our Team
We currently have 5 members of staff working with our children at Barcombe Playgroup. Last year we began with 25 children registered to attend Playgroup and we are now at full capacity.
Our Playgroup follows the Early Year’s Foundation curriculum framework and has the ethos of children learning through play. We are also members of the Early Years Alliance.
Each child is assigned a Keyworker at enrolment and they are then free to discuss any concerns with the Keyworker, or another member of our team as required.
Learning journals are made for every child each year and these are readily available for parents, guardians or carers to take home throughout the year.
Our aim is to provide a safe learning environment for the children with as much outdoor play as possible and a warm, friendly and open environment for the parents and carers of each child.
Our Trustees
Our Trustees consist of the Playgroup Supervisor and parents/carers of the Playgroup, who have had or currently have children at Barcombe Playgroup. Our Trustees give up their time and are keen to ensure the future success and longevity of our Playgroup.
All parents/carers are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting held in October to become part of the Committee.
It is a voluntary commitment and anyone is eligible to become a member. We only ask that Trustees are able to make at least 2 out of the 3 meetings held each year.
Trustees are elected at our Annual General Meeting in October and are then able to help run Playgroup over the coming year.
All our Trustees are DBS and Ofsted registered and comply with the Charities Commission Trustee Act.
Our Year (August 2020 – August 2021)
We started the year in line with government restrictions meaning staff were required to regularly lateral flow test. We ensured thorough cleaning/sanitising and removed some of our higher risk activities such as Playdoh & baking. We changed our drop off and pick up procedures to ensure parents/carers were able to socially distance outside on the grass area and asked that packed lunches were provided in wipeable lunchboxes. Unfortunately we were unable to make any of our usual visits to the village Sports Hall, nor were we able to welcome any outside visitors including the reception teacher – Mrs Whittle. We are very proud to say that we did not have any cases of Covid-19 and were able to keep Playgroup open for the full year. This is absolutely down to the commitment and dedication of the Playgroup staff members, which we are all hugely thankful for.
We welcomed back 25 children and have since been operating at full capacity. With this in mind, and alongside the challenges of Covid-19, we took the decision to suspend any fundraising activities.
Our accounts are looking healthy and our intention is to resume some fundraising activities to provide a small amount of additional income, which will be used to pay for specific items as requested and verified by Playgroup staff and committee members.
At the end of the Summer term, we said goodbye to Liz Rumary – Deputy Supervisor, who made the tough decision to retire after 25+ years. Liz was a huge asset to the Playgroup team, who will be sorely missed. Jess Shoesmith (an existing member of the team) has been appointed to the role of Deputy Supervisor.
As Coronavirus restrictions were lifted, we took the decision to host an end of term picnic, which was a fantastic way to celebrate those children moving on to school, Liz’s retirement and of course the overall success of Playgroup in what was another uncertain and challenging year.
As the children return to Playgroup in September, we will reintroduce the activities and events that have been on hold for so long now, including Barcombe
C of E School and Sports Hall visits and the higher risk activities associated with Coronavirus restrictions. Indoor pick up and drop offs will also be reintroduced.
We will also be welcoming a change to Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS).
The key messages about the reforms include:
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Reducing practitioner/teacher workload and needless paperwork to allow for more quality time and interactions with the children.
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Improving the outcomes of all children and addressing/reducing the disadvantage gaps.
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The importance of workforce knowledge and professional development to inform assessments. Reflect upon the need to assess every child’s development against ‘check lists’, saving formal steps of assessment for when they are necessary.
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Making early learning goals clearer and more aligned to Y1 curriculum.
Our parents/carers have been informed and advised that whilst the quality of the education provided will not change, there will be fewer physical observations and assessments recorded. Instead, professional judgement will be used to assess the children’s development during the daily interactions.
This year has been another incredible journey for all the staff and parents of Playgroup and yet again, the children have been resilient and adaptable, taking every change in their stride.
Our Finances
Our accounts as prepared are for the year ending 31[st] July 2021 .
This year Barcombe Playgroup made a profit of £7,545.00. The accounts have been audited and submitted with this report to the Charities Commission.
We also have a reserve account, which contains £40,000. This allows for two terms wages, one full year of rent and a 5% contingency, in the event of unprecedented circumstances.
Overview
After another unusual year, we are grateful to have been able to remain open, despite the ongoing presence of Covid-19. We have been brought closer as a team and a community and are ready to see what next year has in store for us.
As always, the children showed true resilience and shone brightly.
The Committee would like to thank the Playgroup Supervisor and her staff, who worked tirelessly throughout the year and ensured we were ready to re-open Playgroup in a safe and friendly environment for all.
Emma Stroude Chairperson
Barcombe Playgroup Charity Number: 1027947
Receipts and Payments for the year to 31 July 2021
| 31-Jul-21 | 31-Jul-20 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RECEIPTS | ||||
| Early Years Education Grants | £42,024 | £55,655 | ||
| Parental Fees | £26,953 | £13,898 | ||
| Fundraising Income | £151 | £1,139 | ||
| Photographs/xmas cards | £377 | £33 | ||
| Other | £0 | £0 | ||
| Donation | £5 | £15 | ||
| T-shirts/sweatshirts/bags | £61 | £130 | ||
| Deposit A/c Interest | £4 | £37 | ||
| Total Receipts | £69,576 | £70,907 | ||
| PAYMENTS | ||||
| Staff Costs | £50,029 | £49,502 | ||
| Rent on Village Hall | £8,517 | £5,834 | ||
| PAYE / NIC | £476 | £835 | ||
| Toys and Equipment | £342 | £5 | ||
| Outings and Entertainment | £0 | £203 | ||
| Fundraising Costs | £0 | £35 | ||
| Other | £80 | £92 | ||
| Insurance and Membership of PSLA | £637 | £630 | ||
| Photos/xmas cards | £0 | £0 | ||
| Payroll | £360 | £330 | ||
| Advertising | £208 | £273 | ||
| AGM / Accountant's /Website gift | £40 | £73 | ||
| Gifts | £123 | £53 | ||
| Internet/Website/Phone | £178 | £251 | ||
| T-shirts/Sweatshirts/Bookbags | £73 | £130 | ||
| Bank Charges | £82 | £60 | ||
| Ofsted Registration | £35 | £35 | ||
| Food and Supplies | £504 | £207 | ||
| Stationery and Postage | £0 | £6 | ||
| Staff Training | £348 | £230 | ||
| Total Payments | £62,031 | £58,783 | ||
| Surplus for the year | £7,545 | £12,124 |
Barcombe Playgroup Charity Number: 1027947
Balance Sheet as at 31 July 2021
| Balance B/f | £57,864 | £45,740 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surplus for the year | £7,545 | £12,124 | |
| Balance C/f | £65,409 | £57,864 | |
| Represented By:- | |||
| Current Account CAF (inc. pending transactions) | £25,343 | £17,774 | |
| Savings Account | £40,041 | £40,037 | |
| Cash in Hand | £25 | £53 | |
| £65,410 | £57,864 | ||
| Signed…............................................................................ | Date:…................................................ | ||
| Chair Person |
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