## **Marsh Gibbon Preschool Trustees Annual Report Year End August 2024**
**TRUSTEES** R Blane (Chairperson) B Hampson (Treasurer) A Denny (Secretary) **REGISTERED ADDRESS** Village Hall Clements Lane Marsh Gibbon Bicester OX27 0HG **REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER** 1033338
## **OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIES**
To provide a high quality preschool for children aged 2-4 years that is well established and provides an excellent early years education. The Preschool aims to provide a warm, safe and caring environment that is filled with highly stimulating activities to develop all children.
## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE**
Marsh Gibbon Preschool are proud to confirm that Ofsted awarded them an outstanding status in a report published on 25[th] March 2024.
The Autumn Term 2023 started with 31 children on role (vs. 34 children prior year) which is an encouraging start to the academic year. By Spring Term 2024 the numbers had picked up to 34 (vs. 41 prior year) and by Summer the numbers had climbed to 42 on role (44 prior year). The mix of 2 year olds in the Summer Term was in line with last year at 11 children (vs. 10 in the prior year). Extra session requests remained steady but showed quite an uplift in the second half of the Summer Term.
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
Income for the year showed a significant increase year over year and was up £36K to £187K. Early Years Funding from Buckinghamshire Council was the main contributor to this increase as it was up £55K to £148K. In September 2023 the Department of Education provided local authorities with a supplementary grant to roll out to Early Years providers to prepare for the new funding streams. Bucks therefore uplifted the funding to Preschool in both the Autumn and Spring Term payments. (3-4 Year olds £5.30 and 2 year olds £8.56) A top up payment was also given to Preschool at Easter time as Bucks had not used up all the grant (£280) as well as an extra £940 support payment for taking 2 year olds. In the Summer Term Bucks increased the funding per child across all age ranges as is normal in the Summer Term. 3-4 Year old funding increased to £5.61 (previous base rate was £4.77) and a disadvantaged 2 Year old increased to £8.32 (previously £6.36). The Preschool also received £13K of Higher needs funding (vs. £5K the prior year) which was used to fund staff and resources for those children.
This increased funding was very much needed as many parents now can apply for the 30 hours funding for 3-4 year olds and are limiting their child’s hours to funded hours. Therefore, unsurprisingly fees from parents have dropped £22K year over year despite Preschool increasing the hourly rate by 40p in September 2023.
. In other areas of income, whilst parents donations remained low, Preschool were honoured to receive a donation in memory of a previous Marsh Gibbon Preschool child who had sadly passed away. This donation of £5K has been ring fenced as a designated reserve until how it will be spent is confirmed.
Fundraising was up year over year at £3.5K (up £1.1K YoY). The main fundraisers for the year were the Christmas Activities and a very successful Sponsored Walk in May 2024. Some new events were held this year which included a Pottery Event and a Brush party
Expenses for the year were £164K, up £12K year over year. Payroll expenses, continued to be the largest expense for the preschool at £130K and is up a significant amount year over year (£17K). Another large rise in the minimum wage meant that Preschool staff salaries had to reflect this impact. The 2 bank staff that were previously recruited now have regular hours and headcount is 9 staff.
Cost for premises is down £1K year over year to £22K. The Preschool received a reduction in the hire rate for the Spring and Summer term after previously being charged the winter rate for the full year.
There have been decreases across nearly all areas of costs as the staff team continue to try to find cheaper and more efficient ways of purchasing. In addition, there has been no bad debts in this academic year.
The Preschool year finished with a surplus of £23K (prior year deficit £0.9K), which, after a year of cautious spending due to last years deficit and rising costs was a comfortable position to be in. It must be noted this surplus includes the designated £5K memorial donation noted above. That being said, it still leaves the Preschool in a good position to be able to invest in some new IT, staff uniform and resources for the children.
Cash in the bank remains at a comfortable level of £51K (37K prior year) in the current account to take the Preschool through the first half of the Autumn Term.
Reserves, which are all unrestricted are £89K, vs, £66K. Of which £72K is designated as a close down reserve and memorial fund. All other unrestricted reserves are invested back into the day to day running of the Preschool.
2023-24 has seen quite a shift from fees from parents to Bucks Early Years Funding as the Government strives to provide support to working parents. Fortunately, so far this has not been at any financial detriment to Preschool. The Preschool is therefore well staffed and resourced to begin another successful academic year with the support of the Preschool Committee and Trustees.
## **Marsh Gibbon Pre-School Income and Expenditure Account to 31st August 2024**
## **Marsh Gibbon Preschool Balance Sheet 31st August 2024**
|**Marsh Gibbon Pre-School**
**Income and Expenditure Account**
**to 31st August 2024**|||**Marsh Gibbon Preschool**
**Balance Sheet**
**31st August 2024**||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Income**
Fees from Parents
Early Years Funding
Training Grants
Fund-raising
Donations
Registration and Admin Fees
Uniform Sales
Interest earned
Gift Aid
Other income
**Gross Income**
**Less: Expenses**
Gross Wages
Employers NI contributions
Direct Training Costs
Payroll Admin
Staff Expenses
Premises
Equipment and Consumables
Catering
Health & Safety (inc First Aid)
Admin Expenses
Memberships/subscriptions
IT
Bad Debts
Depreciation
Insurance
Uniform purchase
Misc Expenses
Total Expenses
**Net Surplus/(Deficit)**|**Year Ended**
**31st Aug 2024**
29,896
148,295
-
3,488
5,117
240
59
337
-
-
**187,433**
128,321
1,965
598
650
947
22,412
5,277
1,091
92
460
336
1,210
-
-
1,038
-
(3)
**164,393**
23,040|**Year Ended**
**31st Aug 2023**
52,560
92,780
2,600
2,438
328
160
20
60
-
-|**Year Ended**
**Variance**
**31st Aug 2024**
**Current Assets**
(22,664)
Cash
1,820
55,516
Current Account
51,366
(2,600)
Savings Accounts
45,792
1,051
National Savings Account
1,043
4,789
Fixed Assets
80
Managers Laptop
1,039
39
Deputy's Laptop
613
277
Storage Shed
-
0
Accumulated Depn
-1,652
0
Uniform Stock
-
Debtors
1,797
36,488
Prepayment (insurance)
753
102,571
16,198
**Current Liabilities**
558
Prepaid Income
11,335
(568)
Accruals
2,081
50
Creditors
394
(477)
13,810
(1,017)
(1,012)
**Net Assets**
**88,761**
(27)
(159)
**Unrestricted and Designated Reserves**
(102)
14
Redundancy
26,885
(146)
Hardship Fund
300
(779)
3 months Running costs
41,098
0
Memorial Fund
4,920
(42)
0
**Designated Reserve**
**73,202**
(4)
12,488
Balance B/F
65,722
Surplus/Deficit for year
23,040
24,000
**Unrestricted Reserve C/F**
**88,761**|**Year Ended**
**31st Aug 2023**|
|||||1,350
37,194
45,459
1,043
1,039
613
639
-2,291
51
191
713|
|||**150,944**|||
|||112,123
1,407
1,165
600
1,424
23,429
6,289
1,118
251
562
322
1,356
779
-
1,080
-
1||86,000|
|||||19,319
579
380|
|||||20,278|
||||||
|||||**65,722**|
|||||17,275
300
37,976
-|
|||||**55,551**|
|||||66,683
-961|
|||**151,905**|||
|||(961)|||
|||||**65,722**|
## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
## **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
|**Report to the trustees**|Charity Name
Marsh Gibbon Preschool|||
|---|---|---|---|
|||||
|**On accounts for the year**|31stAugust 2024|**Charity no**|1033338|
|**ended**||**(if any)**||
|||||
|**Set out on pages**||||
||(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)||(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 31 / 08 / 2024.|||
|**Responsibilities and**|As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the|||
|**basis of report**|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|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||have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission|
||under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.|||
**Independent** ~~[The charity~~ ’ ~~s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to~~ **examiner's statement** ~~undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [insert name of applicable listed body]].~~ ~~_Delete_ [ ]~~ ~~_if not applicable._~~ I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination ~~(other than that disclosed below *)~~ which 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 with the accounting records; or • the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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.
- _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._
**Signed: Date:** 24 May 2025 **Name:** MELISSA STRANGE **Relevant professional** FCCA (Reg. No. 0801768) **qualification(s) or body (if any):**
1
**Oct 2018**
**IER**
**Address:**
Geroan, West Edge
Marsh Gibbon, Bicester OX27 0HA
## **Section B Disclosure**
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material 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** .
2
**Oct 2018**
**IER**