Barcombe Playgroup Trustees Annual Report
Report of the Trustee for the year ending 31[st] August 2022
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 fortunate 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 the term with 32 children registered to attend Playgroup, which increased to 38 children by Christmas and we continue to operate 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. Parents are then free to discuss any concerns and achievements with the key worker, 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 Trustee
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 be able to attend 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 2021 – August 2022)
It has been wonderful to be able to welcome children to Playgroup without any restrictions in place. The children have had an excellent year. This year regular visits were made by Miss Eaglen, the Reception year teacher from Barcombe Church of England Primary School, one of the local feeder schools. Not only did she attend Playgroup, but the children have been using the Sports Hall at Barcombe Primary School nearly every Wednesday morning, over the past year.
This really helps with transitioning children from Playgroup to School, as they have already made some connections with their next move.
Our excellent staff help make this possible by walking all the 2-5 year olds ,20 minutes through the village to school, even in the rain. We have continued to be invited to the School’s Key Stage 1 nativity production in December, which enables further experiences within the school environment.
Often our Playgroup children have siblings at school, so it can be very exciting for all involved to see the Playgroup children entering the school playground!
We have had visits from Universal Dance throughout the year with Mrs Lloyd. The children have a fantastic experience moving, dancing and singing along to music. This helps their balance and co-ordination and they are always very excited when they know it is a ‘dance day’. We have also been lucky enough to welcome some new visitors into Playgroup (including a Music Teacher and local Farmer) and have also enjoyed visits to ‘Wild About Barcombe’ and local areas where the children have been able to experience Foraging. We even had a visit to the local Fire Station - excitement levels were high!
Regular baking sessions, art and craft sessions have been undertaken throughout the year, with fantastic homemade gifts and crafts for Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day brought home by the children.
Towards the end of the summer term, we had a Playgroup family outing to a local farm, Blackberry Farm, where the children were able to hold small animals, have
tractor rides and feed the larger animals at the farm. The weather was beautiful and they all had a fantastic day.
To end our year, we held our annual Playgroup BBQ on the grounds of the Barcombe Village Hall. It is a lovely way to end our year at Playgroup and to say our farewells to those children moving on to school.
At the end of the summer term, we said goodbye to staff member Jon Richards, who had worked at Barcombe Playgroup for 10 years. Jon is now a Teaching Assistant at Barcombe Primary School. We quickly filled his position and are very pleased to have Jess Austin on board. She is already a huge asset to the team whom the children are already incredibly fond of.
Our accounts have once again remained healthy this year, enabling us to keep fundraising activity to a minimum. We do, however, always ensure our presence at local events (such as school fairs and village fun days) to raise awareness and join in with village life. It has been agreed that some expenditure will take place to update Playgroup resources and equipment.
Our Finances
Our accounts as prepared are for the year ending 31[st] July 2022 .
This year Barcombe Playgroup made a profit of £14,000.00. The accounts have been audited and submitted with this report to the Charities Commission.
We also have a reserve account, which contains £53,202.00. This allows for two terms wages, one full year of rent and a 5% contingency, in the event of unprecedented circumstances.
Overview
It has been a brilliant year. We are grateful to have been able to run Playgroup without any restrictions and it is clear that the children have once again benefited from the wonderful rural location of our Playgroup and the hard work and dedication provided by Mim and her Team.
The Committee would like to thank the Playgroup Supervisor and her staff, who continue to work tirelessly throughout the year ensuring a safe, fun and nurturing environment.
Emma Stroude Chairperson
Barcombe Playgroup Charity Number: 1027947
Receipts and Payments for the year to 31 July 2022
| 31-Jul-22 | 31-Jul-21 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RECEIPTS | ||||
| Early Years Education Grants | £45,027 | £42,024 | ||
| Parental Fees | £31,775 | £26,953 | ||
| Fundraising Income | £920 | £151 | ||
| Outings and Entertainment | £594 | £0 | ||
| T-shirts/sweatshirts/bags | £14 | £61 | ||
| Photographs/xmas cards | £10 | £377 | ||
| Interest | £29 | £4 | ||
| Donation | £0 | £5 | ||
| Total Receipts | £78,368 | £69,576 | ||
| PAYMENTS | ||||
| Staff Costs | £49,433 | £50,029 | ||
| Rent on Village Hall | £8,933 | £8,517 | ||
| PAYE / NIC | £1,529 | £476 | ||
| Outings and Entertainment | £1,280 | £0 | ||
| Payroll | £576 | £360 | ||
| Toys and Equipment | £550 | £342 | ||
| Advertising | £321 | £208 | ||
| Gifts | £251 | £123 | ||
| Photos/xmas cards | £248 | £0 | ||
| Internet/Website/Phone | £227 | £178 | ||
| Staff Entertainment | £144 | £0 | ||
| Food and Supplies | £118 | £504 | ||
| AGM / Accountant's /Website gift | £112 | £40 | ||
| Bank Charges | £96 | £82 | ||
| Fundraising Costs | £92 | £0 | ||
| Amazon Prime | £81 | £80 | ||
| T-shirts/Sweatshirts/Bookbags | £77 | £73 | ||
| Ofsted Registration | £35 | £36 | ||
| Other | £26 | £0 | ||
| Sum up fees | £12 | £0 | ||
| Staff Training | £10 | £348 | ||
| Insurance and Membership of PSLA | £0 | £637 | ||
| Total Payments | £64,150 | £62,031 | ||
| Surplus for the year | £14,218 | £7,545 |
Barcombe Playgroup Charity Number: 1027947
Balance Sheet as at 31 July 2022
| Balance B/f Surplus for the year |
£65,409 £14,218 |
£57,864 £7,545 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance C/f Represented By:- Current Account CAF (inc. pending transactions) Savings Account Cash in Hand |
£79,627 £39,235 £40,067 £326 |
£65,409 £25,343 £40,041 £25 |
|
| £79,628 | £65,410 | ||
| Signed…............................................................................ | Date:…................................................ | ||
| Chair Person |
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Barcombe Playgroup charity number 1027947
I report on the accounts of Barcombe Playgroup for the year ended 31 July 2022, which comprise the Receipts and Payments accounts, the Balance Sheet and related notes.
This report is made solely to the trustees in accordance with Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the charity’s trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an Independent Examiner’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees for my examination work.
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The Charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. They consider that an audit is not required for this year (under Section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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Examine the accounts (under Section 145 of the Charities Act);
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To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under Section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act); and
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To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent Examiner's statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements
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to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the Charities Act ;and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name: ..........................Robert Peck Qualification: .............…FCCA Address: ......................21 Grantham Bank, Barcombe, Lewes, BN8 5DJ Date: ............................30 October 2022
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