OpenCharities

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

2024-03-31-accounts

St Michaels Preschool AGM2024 – Minutes

16[th] October 2024

Well, what can I say about the last year, I will start with we survived!

I thought the 2020 academic year was going to be our toughest year, but I was wrong.

We started in September with a financial deficit, a building that was causing more

problems than it solved and with a low number on role, due to the low birth rate. We

had 19 children returning, and only 10 ready to join us, our lowest start numbers since I

started at St Michael’s. I wish to thank the team, as all staff members reduced their

hours and worked long hours in very trying times, with no overtime pay. They made this

sacrifice to ensure the preschool was still here for the families and that the children

were supported.

We had also been told that our rent would be increasing by over 50%, as the parochial

council for St Mary’s parish had taken over the running of St Michael’s and wanted to

bring all buildings’ rent into alignment. We refuted the increase on the grounds that our

facilities were not comparable to their other buildings. We had a visit from Marina, to

inspect the building and it quickly became apparent that Marina and the St Mary’s team

were not aware of the work needed in our playroom.

After further inspection and investigation, the playroom was deemed financially

unviable and as a result condemned. As you can imagine, on top of our earlier financial

concerns we did not feel very secure. Marina and her team worked through plans to

help support us and it was decided that we would move into the hub hall whilst further

works and plans were made for the possible return to the playroom. However, the week

before our planned move the floor in the hub hall collapsed and we were once again in

limbo.

Marina and her team continued to try and find solutions and we entered discussion

about moving into the church itself. The problem here was that the groups that had

been using the hub hall, were now using the church and we didn’t want to evict these

community groups, but the reality was that the space could not be evenly and safely

split, to allow the church to be used by two groups.

We made the hard decision to cancel our nativity performance, because the uncertainty

of where we would be running from each week, meant that we were not in a position to

dedicate time to preparing the children, especially as the church may have been the

preschool! We also had had a major change in committee at the end of November, with

both our Chair and Treasurer stepping down. The positions were filled by Aaron and

Steve, respectively, but this meant that none of our committee members were now

parents from the setting. However, despite the changes and the precarious situation

that the preschool found itself in, we managed a successful Christmas carol and mince

pie fundraiser, which was enjoyed by the many families that attended.

We saw the year out with our Christmas party and welcomed the amazing Major magic

back in to do a show for the children. It was an emotional time as we were also saying

goodbye to Nikki and Stacey. Both had made the hard decision to move on, due to the

uncertain future of the preschool at the time.

2024 started with some positivity, due to the sacrifices of the team, some thrifty

spending, parental donations and our rent being frozen by the parochial council, we

were able to start the year knowing that we were financially viable and as long as we

had a building, we would be running in 2024-25. We were also able to start paying staff

for the extra work they do, to ensure that your children have the best start and an

amazing preschool adventure.

Our spring term was still filled with uncertainty about where St Michael’s would be

running from, it was obvious that the church was not a solution but all other venues we

enquired with were unable to take us in either. It was the St Michael’s Church wardens

who found St Andrew’s and worked out the logistics for a move for us. So started our

journey to St Andrew’s! I won’t get into politics but let’s just say that OFSTED and

their hoops were not the easiest to navigate, especially as we were already in a very

stressed state. Aaron was a God send and I do not think St Michael’s preschool would

still be running without his calm and methodical approach to organisation, form filling,

emails and general pestering of others to get things done. As well as his ability to help

me keep calm and see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am very grateful for his

support during this time.

We ended the spring term knowing that we would be moving to St Andrew’s, in

preparation for this we held our sponsored scoot there and it was very successful and

well attended. OFSTED had approved our move and reregistered us as a second setting

and we were getting our heads around leaving our playroom for the last time. We also

made the decision to stop trying to recruit a SENCO, Helen and I had been doing the

role between us since Nikki had left and despite several recruitment attempts, we had

not found the right candidate for the role. We made the position permanently Helen’s

and she completed the introduction course in the summer term, and we started advertising for a new Key person.

We moved our preschool during the Eater break. Aaron and his extended family did a

grand job as removals experts and in preparing the building for our use. Again, I cannot

truly express how thankful we are for all the work Aaron put in, to ensure that your

preschool kept running. I also want to thank the team, who once again, stepped up and

gave up their own time, to ensure that we could continue running smoothly and with no

breaks in our service to the families.

Though St Andrew’s would never be our choice of setting, the lack of garden being the

major concern as well as trying to staff two rooms, we are grateful to The Methodist

Church for giving us a home and putting up with us. Our time there was brief, but we

got to trial some ideas and have brought some back to St Michael’s with us. For

example, being shoeless and having our calm area, for those feeling big emotions.

The summer term is always an emotional time, we were busy preparing transitions and

supporting 20 children and families with their move to school. We also said goodbye to

Jenni, who stepped down from Key person, she saw the term out as a bank staff member but stepped away from other duties. We knew by July that we would be returning to St Michael’s and into the Hub Hall, so when we ran our Summer Family fun

day, we took the opportunity to do so from St Michael’s, giving our 20 leaver’s a chance

to say goodbye and to introduce our returning and new families to the new hall and our

vision for September. Aaron and I were also very busy ensuring that our return to St

Michael’s was all in place with OFSTED, a slightly easier job than the move out.

We took 16 children to St Harold Hillier’s Gardens, near Romsey, for our leaver’s trip

at the end of the summer term. We had a fantastic day pond dipping, picnicking, playing

in the park and exploring the different plants and flowers. The children were amazing,

and the weather was very kind, it was a lovely end to the year and saying goodbye to

the families was, as always, hard, but it also fills us with such pride, to see the children

go of, so much more resilient, independent and ready for the world.

After the weekend, to recover from the leaver’s trip, staff came in to move back to St

Michael’s. Thank you to Debbie, who gave up a whole day to help pack, sort and

transport, also for all the washing she did. We didn’t think we would get it done in two

days, but we did!

So, as I said at the beginning, we survived the last academic year. I want to thank the

staff who stood by the preschool, sacrificed their own financial well being for the sake

of the preschool, gave their time and expertise to ensure we were still here and never

lost hope that St Michael’s would still be serving families in 2024-25.

We have had a slow start this year, with only 25 children on our books, but to be

honest, this has helped staff settle into our new routine and home. We have had

several other professionals visit us, and all have said how lovely the setting is, how

welcoming and calm the environment is and how happy and engaged the children are. I

agree and I believe that this is because no matter what the St Michael’s team always

have your children fore front in their minds and what they can do to support them. I

am so very proud of each and every one of them.

Helen has taken on the role of SENCO and brought a passion and commitment to her

responsibilities that I have rarely seen.

Jo continues to bring a calm that even in our most challenging times has helped us all

see a way through.

Ann-Marie has returned after a long sabbatical and has come back with determination

and resilience.

Michele will always be our fountain of experience and knowledge, that not only benefits

our team but the parents and families too.

Abi has grown from strength to strength, we are all so proud of her for passing her

Maths earlier this year, and completing her apprenticeship is so close, she must be able

to taste it!

Hannah has joined the team this September and is not only finding her feet but flourishing in her new role.

I also want to thank Amina and Danielle, our volunteers, without whom we would not

have got through the last academic year. They are as much a part of our team as those

of us paid to be here.

We are hoping that 2024-25 will be a year to imbed and settle into our new/old home

and that we will be here for many years to come, serving and supporting our community.

Treasurer’s Report

This is my first year as Treasurer I joined the committee as a normal member but took the treasurers role on when the previous Treasurer stepped down in December 2023, have tried to do my best with no experience, I would like to thank Aaron for all his support.

Report

We have not dipped into the ISA which stands at £13,174,17 to date,

Early years funding is still our main source of income, and we need to recruit more children and more hours from existing children.

At the moment we are surviving from month to month.

Total gross income

April 2023-March 2024 - £128,511.41 (up 0.81% from last year)

Payments going out

April 2023-March 2024 – £131,902.63 (down 12.91% from last year)

Overall loss for financial year was £3,391.22 down from last year which was £23,958,37 so, a great improvement.

Thanks, Steve

Chair’s report

Thankyou’s

Firstly, I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to all the staff who are at the heart of St Michaels Preschool. Coming in every day to make an impact on children's lives is a truly honourable career,so thank you.

The past 12 months for me has been a VERY steep learning curve for me. Going from not having even been on a committee before to becoming Chair in the space of a couple of months. Naomi and the existing committee members have been a great help with assisting along the way, so again, thank you.

Thank you to everyone during our multiple moves. Whether you helped, pack, unpack, clean, helped with the move from A to B or from B back to A. We appreciate your time and efforts to help us. I would also like to say thank you to the parents and children who had to deal with the new location, it’s not always easy to adapt to such a big change. Credit to the staff again for helping settle the children during these times.

Fundraising

We are a Charity run preschool, meaning we are a non-profit organisation. We rely on the government funding to cover general costs of the preschool with any fundraising and donations being used for improvements to the setting. This year, we will be continuing to fundraise and seek for donations with a focus on using these funds to develop our storage area and we would love to upgrade the wonderful garden area we have. The more fundraising we achieve the more we can improve the preschool for the children.

Upcoming year

Our current landlords, Parish of Andover, are working with St Michaels Preschool over the next academic year. This opportunity has been presented to us to understand if the preschool is something the church are able to take on. We are going through the motions of a viability study to assess things like finances and processes. The long-term goal for us as a preschool is the security of the future of the preschool, job security for staff to name a few. The Parish have successfully carried out a similar study on Moorehall Preschool in Andover to allow them to continue to operate.

If we are successful, we will have the ability to tap into the board of members the Parish is able to offer assistance with refining our processes, assisting with grant applications, providing support with general background operations of the preschool and offer a further reach when it comes to marketing and advertising.

If we are not successful, the preschool may have to relocate and we begin the search for a new location to operate. If we are unable to find an alternative space, we would sadly be forced to close our doors.

Trying not to focus on the negatives too much but very much keeping them in mind, we are looking into both ultimatums with the best interests of the preschool being priority number 1.

Final thoughts

As we conclude our AGM, I want to reflect on the journey we've shared as a preschool community. We've undoubtedly faced our fair share of challenges, but our dedication and resilience have seen us through.

I've had the privilege of being part of this preschool when I was younger, and it's been incredibly rewarding to contribute to its continued success. While the role of chairperson has presented its own unique set of hurdles, learning the ropes and navigating the complexities of preschool operations has been a valuable experience.

I'm confident that with the continued support of our dedicated staff,

parents, and committee members, we'll continue to provide a nurturing and enriching environment for our children. Thank you.

Jo Pearce volunteered to be a committee member

Questions and Answers AOB

Closing Remarks

Attendance Record St hA￿hael'S AGM 2024 16" (ktober 2024 N41M IL}¥ r. eak(y) A& PUSO Lkn. okn shijts IlfenE SO rf Q bjeg J PLyrcn Is . £-sC-- H_SS

ST Michaels Preschool
No (if any)
CC16a
Receipts andpayments accounts
4/1/2023
To
3/31/2024
For the period
from
—~~——~~
~~ee~~
Section A Receipts and payments
Total funds
Last year
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Session Fees
125,221
-
-
125,221
125,160
Fundraising
2,890
-
-
2,890
1,025
SundryIncome
176
-
-
176
1,220
Milk Claim
-
-
-
-
Bank Interest
224
-
-
73
PettyCash
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
128,511
-
-
128,287
127,478
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Sub total -
-
-
-
-
Total receipts 128,511
-
-
128,287
127,478
Sub total(Gross income for AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
~~22~~
~~—e~~
~~——————~~
A3 Payments
Salaries and Wages
110,466
-
-
110,466
114,701
Rent and Premises Costs
12,516
-
-
12,516
11,370
Fundraising
523
-
-
523
969
Food,Drink and Consumables
1,753
-
-
1,753
3,015
Insurance and Registraion Fees
784
-
-
784
902
Equipment
28
-
-
28
1,944
Administration
1,256
-
-
1,256
3,538
Other Costs
2,725
-
-
2,725
1,531
-
-
-
-
-
Sub total 130,049
-
-
130,049
137,971
~~————=~~
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Sub total -
-
-
-
-
Total payments 130,049
-
-
130,049
137,971
A4 Asset and investment
purchases,(see table)
~~——————~~
Net of receipts/(payments) - 1,538
-
-
- 1,538
- 10,493
A5 Transfers between funds
-
-
-
-
-
A6 Cash funds last year end
-
-
-
49,849
Cash funds this year end - 1,538
-
-
- 1,538
39,356

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories
B1 Cash funds
B2 Other monetary assets
B3 Investment assets
B5 Liabilities
B4 Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees		 Details
Cash
Main Bank Account
Deposit Account
Details
Details
Details
Details
Signature
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))		 to nearest £
to nearest £
- 50
-
18,185
-
13,076
-
31,211
-
Agreement Error
OK
to nearest £
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Cost (optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Cost (optional)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Print Name
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Fund to which
asset belongs
Fund to which
asset belongs
Fund to which
liability relates
Amount due
(optional)		 to nearest £
Endowment
funds
-
-
-
-
OK
to nearest £
Endowment
funds
-
-
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
When due
(optional)
Date of
approval

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report ~~ee~~ Report to the trustees/ members of Charity Name St Michael’s Preschool On accounts for the year ended 31/03/2024

On accounts for the year ended Charity no (if any)

1032123

Set out on pages

(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act),as amended by s.28 of the Charities Act 2006) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

Independent examiner's statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention ( ~~other than that disclosed below *)~~

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that:

  2. proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with section 41 of the Act); and

  3. accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act; or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

  5. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Signed:

Gemma Coombes

Date:

28/10/2024

Name:

Gemma Coombes IER

April 2007

1

Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):

Address:

Member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers MICB

Cedar Gables, Penton Mewsey

Andover

Hampshire SP11 0RQ

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

The Petty Cash is a minus balance but this is s timing issue and resolved soon after with funds being put back into the petty cash.

The bank balance on their accounting system is out by £150.12, this will be reconciled shortly.

They have a another year of a loss but a lot smaller so showing they are heading back in the right direction.

They have some outstanding invoices which they either have payment plans for or are now actively chasing.

April 2007

2

IER