2025-08-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1/9/2024 Period start date To 31/8/2025 Period end date

Charity name: Slip End Playgroup

Charity registration number: 1029599

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	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
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	Provide supervised preschool sessions for children aged between 2 and 4 years following the aims and principles of the EYFS framework. Funding is provided by a combination of Local Authority funding and parental contribution.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38
Other

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	The charity has provided a high quality of childcare for both working and non- working parents. Through a varied programme of activities and experiences, the charity has enhanced children’s learning experiences preparing them for entry to full time education. Significant improvements to equipment have been made during the year.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	The charity continues to operate where income exceeds outgoings
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The Charity holds a reserve to cover running costs in the event of a major unforeseen circumstance.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£20,000
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution adopted 9th November 1993 as amended 16th March 2023
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Unincorporated
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Elected by committee of trustees

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Slip End Playgroup
Other name the charity uses
Registered charity number	1029599
Charity’s principal address	Slip End Village Hall, Markyate Road, Slip End, Luton, Bedfordshire
	LU1 4BX

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	HayleyBolton	Treasurer		Committee of Trustees
	Abbie Collin	Chair		Committee of Trustees
	Charlotte Oakley	Secretary		Committee of Trustees
	Helen McCone			Committee of Trustees
	Sandra Pantling			Committee of Trustees

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity

Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects

Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of Name Address adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) H Bolton

Full name(s) Hayley Bolton

Position (eg Secretary, Treasurer Chair, etc)

Date

6/6/25

Profit and Loss Report from 31/08/2024 to 31/08/2025

		£
Sales
Child Fees		24,378.93
Interest Received		155.46
Government Funding		128,387.45
	Total Sales	152,921.84
Direct Costs
Educational Activity		9,806.24
	Total Direct Costs	9,806.24
	Gross Profit	143,115.60
Expenses
Food		2,178.70
Expensed Equipment		5,601.69
Educational Supplies & Toys		6,668.85
Cleaning & Hardware		611.98
Total wages		98,248.06
Employer's Pension Contributions		1,765.38
Travel and Subsistence		677.44
Staff & Trustee Welfare		733.31
Rent		7,236.00
Telephone Costs		313.35
Stationery		523.23
Subscriptions		250.98
Bank Charges and Interest Paid		142.41
Business Insurance		1,275.67
Website & Software Costs		2,912.23
Accountancy Fees		1,344.00
Advertising		460.00
Sundry Expenses		568.06
Work Clothing		1,795.90
Training		69.50
	Total Expenses	133,376.74
	Net Profit	9,738.86

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43 Summer Street Slip End Luton LU1 4BL

17[th] June, 2026

REPORT FOR THE TRUSTEES

- RE: Slip End Preschool aka Slip End Playgroup Charity No 1029599 1 st September 2024 to 31 st August 2025

Thank you for asking me to undertake an Independent Examination of the accounts for the above period.

As you are aware, I have previously examined the accounting periods: 1[st] April 2022 to 31[st] January 2023

1[st] February 2023 to 31[st ] August 2023

1[st] September 2023 to 31[st] August 2024

In reviewing the most recent set of accounts, I am pleased to find that the significant improvements in financial management and control, established in the more recent audits, have been maintained and built upon.

Charity Commission’s Directions:

1. I can confirm that the Charity exceeds the threshhold (£25,000) for requiring an independent examination. Gross income for the period under review exceeds £152,000.

2. Conflict of interests. I confirm that there is no conflict of interest regarding my appointment. I am fully independent of the charity and its trustees.

3 & 4. A timetable for this review was agreed between Paul Cooper and myself and he Hayley Bolton who manages the setting, have provided all the information which I requested, both in advance of the review and by answering any questions I raised during the review.

1. “Check the Accounting Records are kept to the required standard”. I have checked incoming and outgoing transactions on the Accountancy Software spreadsheet against the bank statements. I have also cross-checked receipts and invoices against those transactions. The transactions tally accurately with the Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet summaries.

I had a small number of queries these have all been satisfactorily resolved. Receipts are now scanned instead of being hard-copy and I recommended that the scanned copy is checked for clarity before the original is disposed of.

It is evident that staff wages are being properly managed. Expenditure is correctly allocated and is in line with expectations for a pre-school playgroup of this size.

1. “Check that the accounts are consistent with the accounting records”. I am fully satisfied that the records are consistent with the accounts.

7. Not applicable

1. “Check the reasonableness of the significant estimates and judgments and accounting policies used in accounting for the types of fund held and in the preparation of the accounts”

The Playgroup is managing expenditure well. Staff remuneration, hall hire, staff training, insurance etc are all covered by incoming fees and government payments. The remaining income is thoughtfully spent to provide a wide range of educational toys and visiting specialist educators to provide a stimulating learning environment both within the hall and in the exterior garden area. There is an impressive selection of resources and a commitment to offering a wide range of learning opportunities for the children.

It is good to see a growing, but not excessive amount of savings for contingency. This was one of my recommendations from the year before last, and it is good to know that funds are now available should the group need to rent alternative premises or invest in additional space. It is evident that any “profit” is being sensibly split between providing good educational resources for the current cohort of children and a sensible contingency fund. There is a clear focus on purchasing good quality resources that will have a longer lifespan.

1. “The examiner must check whether the trustees have considered the financial circumstances of the charity at the end of the reporting period and, if the accounts are prepared on an accruals basis, check whether the trustees have made an assessment of the charity’s position as a going concern when approving the accounts”

I believe this is evident from the minutes of the meetings I have read. There is an ongoing focus on headcount & expected intake of new pupils. Numbers can fluctuate significantly from term to term and are hard to predict. Pupil numbers and the government funding of places wholly influence the charity’s income and the management team have a nimble and flexible approach to staffing and resources that reflects this unpredictability.

1. “Check the form and content of the accounts” I am satisfied that all is in order. I have flagged up a suggested improvement in managing the receipts for payments, for the benefit of any future inspection.

2. “Identify items from the analytical review of the accounts that need to be followed up for further explanation or evidence” I am happy to confirm that I have no unanswered queries for the period under review.

3. “Compare the trustees’ annual report with the accounts” The annual trustees’ report is a clear and accurate summary of the period under review. I am pleased to see that more details has been included in this year’s report.

4. Signed by …………………………………………………Date…………………………….. Nicola E West – Independent Officer.

Suggestions for improvements going forward:

1. There has been a huge improvement in the quality of the minutes from the meetings.

I have just two suggestions for changes for the minutes. Firstly, before listing any apologies, please could you list the names of who is present at the meeting, and ideally their role – eg Chair, Staff Member, Trustee, Accountant, Apprentice. This can be really useful for when you are looking back at old minutes to find who made a decision etc

And secondly, it’s really helpful if you can start the meeting with everyone reviewing the minutes of the previous meeting – just in case of any errors – and then just put something like “All present reviewed the minutes. They were proposed as a true record by Jane and seconded by Ann and signed by the Chair” and then just have a file of signed-off hard copies. You never know what decisions may be queried further down the line and it’s just useful to have this record.

Receipts

It would be great if the file name for each scanned receipt reflected the contents in some way – eg the total amount & provider “£52.34 Tesco”. If you are working back from the accounts and looking for a particular receipt you have to open each pdf in turn in that month’s section to find it.

Also some of the photos of the receipts were just the corner of the receipt and someone’s fingers holding it!! See June 2025 14.pdf and 24.pdf

Whilst significant improvements have been made, if everyone could continue to work towards reducing the amount of transactions without a receipt, that would be great. From an audit perspective, you need to be able to select a number of receipts at random and then follow them through the accounts and then do the same thing in reverse from the bank statement back to the receipt.

There were a small number of discrepancies in the allocation of some expenses to different cost centres – for example Spotify sometimes appeared in subscriptions (which in my view is the right place for it) and sometimes appeared in Website & Software.

This has been a really positive year and the improvements over the last few years have been remarkable. Well done to everyone involved. It’s been a pleasure to carry out this inspection and see such positive change.

Nikki West 17/6/2025