Reg. Charity No. 1030393 AGM April 2026.
Welcome and thank-you for joining us tonight
I’d like to start by thanking everyone who has, in some form or another, played a part in making the preschool a success during the last year. We have experienced some bumps on the way, but we have still kept to our overriding aim of providing a positive and memorable learning experience for the children.
Also, to start this report, I need to say a huge THANK-YOU to the staff for their commitment and dedication during the changes that have taken place and, my hope going forward, is that all parents appreciate just how hard the job of an Early Years Practitioner is. Our new Manager and Deputy Manager have established strong routines for the children to follow and this has led to a well-run and organised start and end to each day. As Trustees it is important that we support the staff in the pivotal role they have in nurturing and guiding the children on a daily basis during what has proved to be uncertain times.
We aim to provide a lively, attractive, stimulating, safe and caring environment for children under statutory school age. The pre-school is designed to be a happy alternative to home, providing the start of the learning journey for Early Years children. We aim to ensure that each child can express their individuality and make excellent progress with their early year’s development.
We are urgently seeking more parents to join the Trustees/Committee for the coming year. We need to have 60% of the committee made up of parents and we do not have this at the moment. There are up to 6 meetings a year so if you are interested or would like to learn more please don’t hesitate to reach out and join us. We are a friendly group of people whose main role is to steer the direction of the pre-school. It is not an onerous role and does not require much time.
Next I want to recap on what we have achieved and what we are hoping to achieve. However, I need to set the scene as it has not been an easy year. Staffing issues have again interrupted the smooth running of the pre-school and has resulted in us having to cancel any hope of running holiday clubs.
However, under our Manager’s leadership, the staff continue to implement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework with excellent outputs that have ensured every child is supported in their learning and development and well-prepared for their transition to primary education.
The pre-school Improvement Plan(SIP) has three aims that have been integrated into the children’s learning activities:-
Learning in the Outdoors Communication Healthy Eating
The children have been learning about the importance of recycling and care for their environment. Through the teaching of phonics children having been learning how to recognise the sounds that each letter makes. They are given a letter/sound of the week that is matched with activities and books with the same sound. This has enabled them to learn how to blend sounds to make words and has given them the first vital step in learning to read and write.
Equal importance has been given to the teaching of numeracy skills so laying the foundations for future mathematical understanding and overall cognitive development.
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Reg. Charity No. 1030393
Outdoors the children have weekly welly walks where they are introduced to various wildlife, flora and fauna. They have planted some outdoor bulbs as well as growing broad beans in pots indoors. Kevin has continued with the weekly ‘Little Kicker’ sessions and there have been daily outdoor play opportunities in all weathers.
Healthy eating has been encouraged through communicating with parents about healthy lunch boxes
Staff have also continued to foster social and emotional development, encourage physical coordination and promote cognitive growth. There have been many opportunities for free play throughout each day where children can develop their natural wonder and curiosity.
The children transferring to primary education have been receiving additional time to ensure they have the vital skills needed to make their move successful
With the recent changes to government funding for Early Years children, we are now offering government funded places to children from the age of two years. Parents/Carers can top up these hours. Government Funding though, is still inadequate and this has created another challenge as we need to keep solvent. Fees may have to increase during the next academic year and this is something that the Trustees will be discussing during the summer months. We have a duty to ensure the pre-school remains viable and sustainable.
Finances:
Our overall financial position remains stable due to our reserves. This stability will be required in September as we are losing a majority of our enrolled children who are moving on to compulsory primary education. We hold a deposit account and a separate account for any future redundancies – hopefully this will not be needed. The current account is used to pay staff wages and all invoices. We will need to continue asking for voluntary contributions to make up for a shortfall from government funded hours with regards to consumable items that we have to purchase.
Training:
We remain committed to staff development and have managed to stay on top of all statutory training. Our Manager has commenced a Level 7 Apprenticeship and our Deputy Manager has commenced a Level 5 Apprenticeship – both leading to improved practice in the setting. We are proud to support both as they pursue their higher early years qualifications.
Fundraising:
Fundraising has continued during the year and our thanks go to the staff team for all they do to raise funds. Thanks also go to the all who supported the various craft fairs, giving up valuable weekend time to serve food and drinks.
Holiday Club:
The holiday club has been suspended due to staffing issues. We are hoping to re-start this club for thre weeks in the summer holiday.
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Future Plans:
We are still wanting to improve the facilities in our outside area so that more outdoor activities can be enjoyed by the children. A new sandpit and water table have recently been purchased and we are planning to replace the old shed with a smaller version so giving more outdoor space for play and learning. Hopefully the raised beds will be built. Having an office for the new manager is another issue that still needs to be resolved. As in previous years, we will continue to support staff, families and our children in what potentially will be another challenging year financially, whilst still maintaining the high quality of provision we know we provide.
Currently we are introducing Stay and Play sessions and are discussing the possibility of re-opening the Toddler group so that children from the age of 12 months are able to attend.
Finally, the Trustees and staff hope that you and your children will look back upon their time at the preschool with happy memories of the great care and support given. We want to provide the children with the best possible start on their educational journey and prepare them well for their move to primary provision.
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Profit and Loss Winterslow Preschool & Toddler Group For the year ended 30 September 2025 Turnover Donations 1036.45 Fundraisin8 Grants 757.01 ij50. Interest Income 72.27 TÉmily Fees 29.063.75 WCC Fwnding 80,084.29 T¢)tal TurtM)¥er 113.1)63.80 Gross Profit 113.1)63.80 Administrative Costs Audil &A<¢ovniancy lees Cleaning DBSAdmin Charge General Expenses 200.rx) 250.96 73.C 421.23 Insurance 617.71 IT Software and Consumable5 l.J23.21 Kids5upplies-ciaftlloDd Nat*Dnal In5u¢an¢e INICI PAYEllncometax YO.17 2,856.20 6.329.33 Pen510n5C05ts 3.581.69 Pdnting&sratior RecnJitmeDI 53.86 1.704.70 Rent 6.070.51 stafFChristmas Bonus 361.49 StatrTraining Subscriptions Telephone& Internet Uniforrn 479. 310.2 395.91 35. Ees 72.715.42 Tot•lAdmlnlstratl¥eCosts 98.119.59 Operating Profit Profit on Ordinary Activities Before Taxation 14,944.21 14,9H.21 Profit afterTaxation 14.914.21 Pandlo55 winte(1pm&yLdrrn1 20Acl05 P48elofl
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the truslees PrLE - Sc¥trOL •¥Trl J T() Q L*LS On accounts for the year ended So _cEPrtrM C c-rL 20 Q 5- Charity no lif any) its'Jo 8.1 Set out on pages I report to the iruslees on my examinab'on of the accounts of ihe above charityllhe Trust-l for the year ended Responslbilitles and basis of report As the charitys trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 Ilhe Acr). I rep)rt in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out uler section 145 of the 2011 Acl and in caryng out my examination. I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5Xbl ofthe Act. Independent he charsty's gross income exceeded £250,000 and l am qualrfied to examiner's statement undertake the examinatK)n by being a qualified member of linsert name of applicable listed bodyll. Delete l ] rf not applicable. I have completed my examination. I confim) that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below ') thIch gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act: or the accounts did not accord wth the accounting records: or the accounts did not comply wlh the applicable requirements concemiro the fomi and content of accounts set oul in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement Ihal the accounts gNe a Irue and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems and have come across no other matter5 in connection th the examination to vthich attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of Ihe accounts lo be reached. . Please delete the words in the brackets rfthey do not apply. Signed: Date: Name: TT¥t) Relevant professional qualificationls) or body IER Oct 2018
Ilf any): Address: SQdiL Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs lo hhlIght material matters of COnM (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: direth'ons and guidance for examiners). Give here brlef delalls of any items that the examinerwishos to disclose. IER Oct 2018