## **ST HELEN’S PLAYGROUP**
## **AGM MINUTES**
## **Tuesday 31[st] January 2023 at 9.00am**
## **In attendance** :
Committee Charlotte Ayers (Chair) Carol Pickering (Co-opted Committee Member and Manager, acting Secretary)
Parents
Becky Fletcher, Emma Griffin, Taylor Garlick, Yarnah Claxton, Agnes Barabas, Kamile Darzinskaite, Mohamad Ali, Amber Maples, Helsie Sherman-Hallums, Stacey Hyam, Stephanie Goodall, Anna Repman, Katie Strowger.
**Apologies** : Jyoti Agwar (Treasurer) Rosie Loveday Dan Sedgwick Tiffany Bellingham
## **1. Welcome**
Charlotte Ayers welcomed everyone to the meeting, introduced herself as Chairperson and gave the apologies of Jyoti, the Treasurer.
## 2. **Chairperson’s Report**
St Helen’s Playgroup has been running now for over 35 years and continues to thrive despite all the challenges that pre-schools are having to face, from a lack of government funding and annual increases to the national minimum wage to increased expectations.
We currently have 7 members of staff on permanent contracts and 3 on zero hour contracts to provide cover when needed. Carmen is the newest member of the team who started with us in September but she has settled in well and is already a valued member of the team. Joanna will be starting maternity leave in March with her shifts being covered by existing members of staff.
St Helen’s Playgroup, St Helen’s Church, St Helen’s Street, Ipswich, IP4 2LS
Ofsted Number: 251649
Charity Number: 1029698
The required adult:child ratios are always exceeded. This has always been the philosophy of the playgroup and although maximising these ratios would bring in more revenue we believe that this would compromise the care and learning opportunities that we would be able to provide for the children.
We have been full since September and have a list of children waiting to join.
Following an application to the Suffolk Community Foundation we were recently awarded £1,875.00 to carry out necessary repairs to our outside space. It is hoped that this work will be completed this term so that the garden can be fully utilised once again.
Over the past two years we have been able to access additional support for families through the Ipswich Opportunity Area. Although the funding for this work has come to an end, Carol is still able to help families who are struggling financially or in need of a little bit of help with parenting, you just need to ask.
The team at St Helen’s Playgroup are always happy to talk with you about your child and how you can support their development at home and can also offer advise and reassurance on things like toilet training and managing challenging behaviour.
## **3. Treasurer’s Report**
Carol Pickering presented the report on behalf of the Treasurer.
A copy of this report is attached to the Minutes of this meeting. The accounts for 2021/22 were subject to an independent examination and no concerns were raised.
Carol explained that the Early Education Funding levels for 2023/24 have been released by Suffolk County Council and although the levels have increased, they are not in line with the increase to the national minimum wage which comes into effect in April. As a result, it is likely that Playgroup will operate at a loss next year and this is not sustainable in the long term.
## **4. Election of a New Committee**
Charlotte invited anyone interested in becoming a Committee member, particularly if they are ineterested in fund raising for Playgroup, to speak with herself or Carol Pickering.New Committee members will be required to undertake
St Helen’s Playgroup, St Helen’s Church, St Helen’s Street, Ipswich, IP4 2LS
Ofsted Number: 251649
Charity Number: 1029698
a DBS check.
## **5.Playgroup Report**
Carol Pickering thanked parents for raising the money for a new trampoline which the children now enjoy using.
Playgroup has received the grant from the Suffolk Community Foundation to replace the retaining sleepers and play bark in the garden and requested help from volunteers to prepare the garden for the necessary works. 7 parents offered to help; a date is to be agreed after the half term break.
Carol encouraged parents to ‘like’ or comment on observations of their child on Tapestry and to upload photos and comments of the things their child does with them at home. This will help staff to plan activities for individual children, which helps to support their learning and development. Tapestry was purchased with a grant from the Covid Restart Programme in September 2021 and has proved to be an asset to the setting.
## **6. Any Other Business**
Questions were invited from those present:
- Will Playgroup be affected by the planned teacher strikes?
Carol confirmed that Playgroup would not be affected by any strike action.
There were no further questions so Charlotte thanked everyone for attending the meeting. The meeting closed at 9.30am.
St Helen’s Playgroup, St Helen’s Church, St Helen’s Street, Ipswich, IP4 2LS Charity Number: 1029698 Ofsted Number: 251649
## **St
Helen’s
Playgroup Treasurers
Report Annual
Accounts
for
Year
End
2022**
The
following
balances
were
held
by
St
Helens
Playgroup
on
29[th] April
2022:
**Llyods
Account £32,472.73 Petty
Cash
in
Hand nil Total £32,472.73**
**The
accounts
for
the
period
May
2021
to
April
2022
are
as
shown
below:**
**Income £50,061.98 Expenditure £46,433.79 Profit/
(Loss) £3,628.19**
||**FY22**|**FY21**|
|---|---|---|
|**Profit/ (Loss)**|**£3,628.19**
|**(£4,818.89)**|
||||
|**Income**|**£50,061.98**
|**£35,548.65**|
|Local Authority Funding|£42,510.85
|£30,583.28|
|Attendance Fees|£6,915.00
|£3,009.00|
|Grants|£570.00
|£1,856.37|
|Other|£66.13|£100.00|
||||
|**Expenditure**|**£46,433.79**
|**£40,367.54**|
|Wages|£39,811.56
|£36,714.13|
|Training|£1,516.17
|£51.60|
|Rent|£1,600.00
|£440.00|
|Equipment|£1,214.34
|£967.02|
|Other|£2,291.72|£2,194.79|
||||
It
should
be
noted
that
of
the
£32,472.73
held
on
29/04/2022,
£9,384.92
related
to
specific funding
and
£14,671
to
allocated
reserves,
leaving
£8,416.81
of
accessible
funds.
## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
## **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** St Helen’s Playgroup
**On accounts for the year** 30 April 2022 **Charity no** 1029698 **ended (if any)**
**Set out on pages**
Financial Summary
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended **30 / 04 / 2022** .
- **Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed 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 (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
* _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._
**Date:** 30/11/2022 **Signed: Name:** Gary L Parker **Relevant professional** FCCA **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 23 Woodrush Road, Purdis Farm, Ipswich, IP3 8RB
**October 2018**
1
**IER**
**Section B Disclosure**
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** .
**October 2018**
2
**IER**