OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2025-08-31-accounts

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

Registered Charity No: 1029557

ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

31ST AUGUST 2025

1

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

INDEX

Page

2

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

TRUSTEES

Chair

Mrs Katherine Nash

Treasurer

Mr Thomas Spencer

Secretary

Mrs Rebecca Barnard

Committee

Ms Sonja Graham Mrs Lousia Staples

PRINCIPAL ADDRESS

The Village Hall The Green Horsted Keynes West Sussex RH17 7AP

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mrs Helen Hord Oaksview Lewes Road Horsted Keynes West Sussex

3

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31st August 2025. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Charity’s trust deed and applicable law.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Horsted Keynes Pre-School is governed by the Pre-School Learning Alliance Model Constitution as adopted at the General Meeting on 23rd November 2006. The Pre-School has been registered with the Charity Commission since the 2nd of December 1993 and its registration number is 1029557.

Our Trustee board is made up of volunteers who often have children at the Pre-School. Trustees are appointed annually at either an Extraordinary General Meeting or the Annual General Meeting, which is ordinarily held in November of each year.

PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT

The objectives of the Pre-School are to enhance the development and education of children under statutory school age by encouraging parents to understand and provide for the needs of their children through community groups and by offering appropriate pay, education and care facilities. Pre-School is also committed to instigating, adhering to, and furthering the aims of the Pre-School Learning Alliance. The Pre-School aims to offer a public benefit by offering affordable childcare to families in the local area. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Pre-School operations went well during the 2024-25 academic year in terms of delivering our objectives.

The quality of the teaching team, administration and management of the setting has continued. We are confident that standards are being maintained to uphold our Outstanding OFSTED rating. Our qualified Pre-School Manager is a valuable asset to the Pre-School and a strong leader of the team. She has continued to improve the planning and implementation of the Early Years initiatives, and this has been reflected in our renewed OFSTED rating. We fully support the ongoing training needs of staff, however as the basic training costs of staff are no longer covered by the council, the Pre-School funds the cost of all training courses. The staff can continue to attend workshops to continue their professional development and enhance their skills.

4

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Receipts

Total Income 2024/25 = £83,718

Total Income 2023/24 = £78,612

Difference = £5,105 (6.5% yr. on yr.)

Fees: WSCC (£46,469 vs £47,533) vs Parents (£18,487 vs £14,597)

The decrease in WSCC funding was entirely due to a delay in receiving the expected advanced payment of £14,100.63 for the FY25/26 Autumn term. Had this payment fallen on the expected date in August 2025, comparable to last year, WSCC fees would have totalled £60,570, pushing total receipts up to £97,819 (24.4% up YoY) for the financial year.

The expected increase was in part due to bigger number of children with us and for longer hours, funding rate increase and the increased number of children eligible for funded hours from April 24 (also responsible for the drop off in parent fees). More detail as follows:

Gift Aid

Due to difficulties transferring account access no request for gift aid was submitted to HMRC. The value of gift aid for the financial year 24-25 equates to around £800 and will be recovered in the financial year 25-26. This remains an important way of raising funds for the preschool and will hopefully increase with the implementation of voluntary donations for those utilising funded hours.

– Fundraising Income and Donations Target £6,000

Once again, we have achieved a fantastic level of fundraising and general donations, generating a net position of £8,329 this is an increase of 27% on FY23-24.

This could not be achieved without the immense work of all those involved and the kind support and generosity from the local community. To break this down by our key events:

100 Club: £804 vs £1,000

We raised £1,100 and paid out winnings of £300 as we had some very kind winners who donated all or part of their winnings back to the Preschool. Income was significantly down on the previous year and requires additional focus to increase funds in FY25-26.

5

Advent Raffle: £1,604 vs £1,862

The continuing generosity of local businesses, individuals, and members of our committee has meant we had a successful Advent Raffle.

Cricket: £1,211 vs £1,956

This event performed well with good player turnout and fees, however down against the year prior, our former Chairman and Treasurer’s final year. Increased costs to serve (catering) had an impact on the overall net takings.

HROTG: £1,550 vs £1,530

Fantastic return for the hard work put in on the day by our volunteer grillers, bakers, and front of house.

HKKO: £811.45 vs £0

Horsted Keynes Knock Out is a new event introduced by the committee this year and generated a wonderful turnout from the wider community. Lots of fun had by all in fancy dress with enjoyable games.

Other: £1,146 vs £184

£884 from an trustee’s employer charitable donation, £214 easy fundraising, £47 nativity

Voluntary Parent Donation Scheme: £6,351 vs £3,899 year prior.

The voluntary parent donation scheme for parents using funded hours played a vital role last year, helping to cover the roughly £2 shortfall for each funded hour. Participation averaged about 40%, up from 20% the previous year but still below our 70% target. The scheme will continue this school year as an important source of financial support for the preschool.

As shown with the reduction in our fee-based revenue, fundraising and donations (net basis) forms a material 7% of our revenue stream therefore it is important as both a committee and a setting, that collectively we continue to focus on our core fundraising efforts.

Payments

Total Payments 2024/25 = £87,387

Total Payments 2023/24 = £72,406

Difference = £14,981 (20.7%) increase year on year

Wages, Taxes & Pension: £63,969 vs £52,796

Up £11,173 (21.2%) year on year, principally driven by an increase in minimum wage in April 2024.

Rent: £11,673 vs £10,509

Rent increased by £1,164 this year following a slight increase in opening hours.

Other Costs: £11,745 vs £9,101

This year, we experienced increased costs in our fundraising activities including rising event fees, adding approximately £1,139 in expenses. Additionally, larger child cohort sizes, offering snacks, and higher costs for arts and crafts led to an extra expenditure of around £1,300 on consumables and catering. Essential training led to a cost of £1,787.

6

Reserves Policy

At year end we had £8,736 in our current account.

At year end we had £25,577 in our savings account of which £25,000 is ringfenced as per our reserves policy to cover redundancy and close-down costs.

Total of £34,313 versus £37,982 the year prior. This represents a decrease of £3,669

The funds carried forward of £34,313 on 31st August 2025 represent the unrestricted and reserves of the Pre-School arising from past operating results. The unrestricted funds represent the free reserves of the Pre-School

Reserve Fund Adjustment

Rising operating costs have increased financial pressure. To ensure adequate protection, the committee has raised the Policy Reserve Fund by £5,000 from £25,000 to £30,000. At the year end, the reserves held remain at £25,000, this will be rectified after the year end following receipt of the funds from WSCC as set out in note 5. This will be managed carefully to safeguard core operating capital and prepare for future challenges.

Trustee Sustainability Fund

To support the preschool’s financial resilience and reduce reliance on variable voluntary income, the Trustees have designated an additional £10,000 as a Trustee Sustainability Fund for the next school year.

The purpose of this fund is to provide short-term contingency support during periods of financial pressure, including where fundraising income is lower than expected, voluntary income reduces, or unavoidable operating costs increase. The fund is intended to help maintain continuity of the preschool’s core activities and essential services without placing undue pressure on day-to-day operating reserves.

Use of the fund will be subject to Trustee approval and will be monitored as part of the preschool’s regular financial review process. The level and continued need for the fund will be reviewed each term and adjusted where appropriate.

The Committee has put the ambition of finding our own premises on hold.

At year end we had £9,313 in our designated reserves which marks a £3.7k decreases year on year. We must remain prudent with these funds as a reserve towards operating capital and any future cost headwinds, for example a new minimum wage increase announced in the October 2025 budget, effective in April 2026.

Following the £13k loss in 2022/23 school year, and ongoing uncertainty around fundraising and the voluntary parent donation scheme, the committee maintained a cautious budget focused on minimising non-essential spending. Despite continued financial hurdles this year, we are pleased with the positive outcomes following tough decisions made by the committee and supported by parents and staff, which would have resulted in a comparable surplus this year had it not been for a delay in receipt of the autumn term FY 26/27 WSCC payment of £14.1k.

It’s crucial to note that if we had staffed at levels we consider sustainable[1] - estimated to cost an additional £10k , and without contributions to the voluntary parent donation scheme - we would be facing a comparable £13k deficit instead. We would like to thank the Manager and her staff team for their efforts in providing excellent early years care against these pressures – testament to their dedication to the children and the setting.

Our analysis continues to highlight that government funded hours fall £1-2 short (dependent of age of child) of the equivalent operational costs for every funded hour used[2] . The expansion of government funded hours to 9 month olds in September 24 added to the difficulties faced by ours and other settings across the country this year.

1 always having 3 team members at minimum and increasing pay inline with cost of living increases

2 As calculated against what we believe to be a sustainable rather than bare-minimum cost model that provides competitive staff wages, more comfortable staffing ratios, the renewal and repair of equipment, a desirable level of additional staff training.

7

Next Financial Year

We start the 2025-26 year with a cohort of 13 children in the setting.

The committee has made several decisions effective from the Autumn term to make Pre-school as accessible as possible to all, and to further stabilise its financial position.

Following the improved financial performance of the preschool the committee are in a position to consider investments in upgrades to equipment, facilities and staffing levels. A training budget has been agreed of 4 hours per staff member for additional training this year at approx. £300 cost.

It is important that the setting is prudent and sensible with the management of its assets whilst looking towards opportunities to increase its income stream, notably in the continued adoption of voluntary parent donations and fundraising.

Our efforts this year have primarily focused on rebuilding reserves to a sufficient level, and we must remain focused looking ahead on establishing a model that delivers long-term sustainability for our setting, enabling us to invest in upgrades to equipment, facilities and implement sustainable staffing levels.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The trustees note that the annual documented review of the Pre-School’s risk assessment framework was not completed during the financial period. This has been identified as a governance improvement point.

Operational risk management procedures continued to be applied during the year, including safeguarding, health and safety and day-to-day setting controls. However, the trustees recognise that these arrangements should be supported by a formal documented review of the principal risks facing the charity.

The trustees have therefore agreed to complete and minute a full risk assessment review, covering safeguarding, operational, financial, regulatory and governance risks in the next financial period.

TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the new incoming or outgoing resources of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

8

TRUSTEES 2024-2025

Trustees who served during the financial period and up to the date of approval

The following individuals served as trustees during the financial period and/or were trustees in office at the date the trustees’ annual report and accounts were approved. Officer roles and dates of appointment are shown where applicable.

Ms Sonja Graham Chair (Appointed Secretary 4[th] Nov 20, Chair 9th Nov 23, Committee 14[th] Jan 26) Mr Samuel Hill Treasurer (Appointed as Trustee on 9[th] Nov 23 and Treasurer on 9th Nov 23) Mrs Rebecca Barnard Secretary (Appointed as Trustee on 19[th] Feb 19 and Secretary on 9th Nov 23) Mrs Emma Newton Committee (Appointed as Trustee on 9[th] Nov 23) Mrs Hattie Le Bus Committee (Appointed as Trustee on 9[th] Nov 23) Mr Mark Simmons Committee (Appointed as Trustee on 9[th] Nov 23) Mr Mark Wallwork Committee (Appointed as Trustee on 9[th] Nov 23)

The Trustees are also the officers and Committee members of the charity.

The following trustees served during the financial period but ceased to hold office before the date of approval of the accounts:

Mrs Emma Newton Committee (Ceased as Trustee in December 2024) Mr Mark Simmons Committee (Ceased as Trustee in February 2025) Mrs Hattie Le Bus Committee (Ceased as Trustee in November 2025) Mr Mark Wallwork Committee (Ceased as Trustee in November 2025) Mr Samuel Hill Treasurer (Ceased as Trustee in November 2025

The trustees in office at the date of approval of the accounts were: Mrs Katherine Nash, Mr Thomas Spencer, Mrs Rebecca Barnard, Ms Sonja Graham and Mrs Louisa Staples.

Mrs Katherine Nash Chair (Appointed Trustee on 13[th] Nov 25 and Chair on 14[th] Jan 26) Ms Sonja Graham Committee (Appointed Chair on 13[th] Nov 25 and Committee on 14[th] Jan 26) Mr Thomas Spencer Treasurer (Appointed Trustee on 13[th] Nov 25 and Treasurer on 13[th] Nov 25) Mrs Rebecca Barnard Secretary (Appointed Secretary on 13[th] Nov 25) Mrs Lousia Staples Committee (Appointed Trustee on 13[th] Nov 25 and Committee on 13[th] Nov 25)

Signed on behalf of the Trustees.

Mr Tom Spencer

9

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF HORSTED KEYNES PRESCHOOL

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity Horsted Keynes Pre-School for the year ended 31st August 2025 with are set out on pages 11 - 13.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Horsted Keynes Pre-school, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’)

I report in respect of my examination of Horsted Keynes Pre-school’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent Examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Date:

Mrs Helen Hord Oaksview, Lewes Road Horsted Keynes West Sussex

10

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR YEAR ENDING 31ST AUG 2025

11

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31ST AUGUST 2025

The Sustainability Fund was introduced into policy this year. The fund was set at £10,000 to be populated on receipt of the delayed £14,100.63 WSCC fees for funded hours in September 2025.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees.

Mr Tom Spencer Trustee, Committee Date:

12

HORSTED KEYNES PRE-SCHOOL

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES BASIS OF PREPARATION

The accounts have been prepared on the receipts and payment basis.

2. TRUSTEES RENUMERATION

One trustee, Mrs Rebecca Barnard, received remuneration during the year in respect of her role as administrator. For the year ended 2025, this amounted to £4,592.96 (2024: £3,461.01).

No other trustees, nor any persons connected with them, received remuneration during the year.

3. EMPLOYEES

The number of employees at the year-end was:

AUG-25 AUG-24
Number Number
Pre-school staff 7 7

There were no employees whose annual emoluments were £60,000 or more.

4. VILLAGE HALL FEES

Fees are paid in arrears, however there are no outstanding amounts carried forward into the next financial year.

5. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Trustees note that the expected WSCC funded-hours payment of £14,100.63 relating to the FY25/26 Autumn term was not received before the end of the 2024/25 financial year. The payment was subsequently received in September 2025.

At the time of submitting the accounts, the Trustees have received these funds and designated £10,000 within reserves to the Trustee Sustainability Fund, in line with the reserves policy introduced during the year. The purpose of this fund is to provide additional financial resilience during periods of income uncertainty, including lower-than-expected fundraising income, delays in funding receipts, or other short-term financial pressures.

The remaining balance of the WSCC receipt has been allocated to the reserve fund post year end in accordance with the trustee policy which now sits at £30,000.

13