2023-03-31-accounts

Minutes of 45th AGM of Barns Green Playgroup – 27[th] June 2023

2022-2023 Academic Year

1) Present AGM/Parents’ Evening:

Charlotte Plowman, Liz King, Alex Mannion, Rachel McAlonon, Amelia Scott-Cowley, David Higginson, Becca Leonard, Kevin Leonard, Eunice Chan, Lean Seow Thor, Rachel Crip, Sammey Berwick, Jack Berwick, Laura Beard, Jordan Sturgis, Luke Portuin, Mark Simpson, Emma Cox.

Apologies:

Katrina Maynard, Amy Crawt, Jo and Mark Robinson, Isobel Cambridge, Ollie Radford, Brit Wilder, Laura Jacques, Frances Humphreys, Tom Ott, Bex Lismer, Amy Hounslow, Aimee Archer, Rainer Thompson, Mark and Ellie Welfare, Charlotte Dalal, Skye Braham.

2) Minutes From 2022 AGM amended for new committee

Accepted and signed by Rachel McAlonon

3) Matters Arising:

None

4) Managers Report (Given by Bev Liley)

Welcome everyone and thank you for coming.

It has been a busy year and has not been without its challenges. It has felt like a year of disruptions.

A change in staff in the Spring term is never ideal, but I feel the children have been unaffected, Debbie has quickly got to know them and has settled well into the role of Key worker, supported by Becca.

Setting up has been a challenge, as most staff arrive after dropping children off at school.

There has been a lot of illnesses such as scarlet fever, hand foot and mouth, endless sickness bugs, impetigo, conjunctivitis etc. Its seems that this could be because of us all isolating during covid and children not building up their immune systems but has not been officially stated. We have also had the extra bank holiday and closure due to no water. Hopefully the next year things will settle down to more normality.

22 children are leaving this summer. This is half of the children currently attending Playgroup. Sessions are filling up gradually for the next academic year, we would be

grateful if you could recommend us to friends and family. It seems that a lot of settings are advertising spaces at the moment. I guess this is down to a fluctuation in birth rates.

This year we have been able to have more visitors.

Victoria Brock came in to do a music session, for a term which was great. The children really enjoyed it and could try lots of different instruments. They listened exceptionally well and followed all her instructions.

One of our topics this year was jobs people do. We have had a couple of lucky visits from a tank and farmers herding cows. The children were very excited by both. We also had a visit from the fire brigade and a window cleaner. I am arranging a couple of people to play instruments and Rev Sandra has also come in each term.

I have a work experience student next week, a local girl who attends The Weald School.

We have been asking in the newsletter and big mag for anyone to come and share their interests or skills. So far there has not been a response. This is a shame as the children love to experience and see new things. It can be as simple as bringing items from a country you have visited, show and talk about a hobby, make something or do some cooking or sewing with the children. Don’t be shy!

Recently I have finally sorted out the Playgroup Garden. It is mainly herbs, so that it is a sensory experience for children. Once the plants are more established, they can pick leaves for activities such as in playdough or making potions etc, or to simply touch and smell.

It’s been great to have the book borrowing back in place again after Covid. I love to see the children enjoying books so much, it’s really important for their learning.

The Early Years Foundation Stage continues to focus on staff spending less time doing written observations on children and more time playing and talking to children, enriching their language and understanding. We have been using our professional judgement and our knowledge about the children to plan and progress their learning. This has not only improved the quality of care and education for the children but has also had a positive impact on behaviour in the setting.

As well as children’s work on display there are also photo boards. These are not exhaustive but will give you a good insight into what children are enjoying at playgroup. There is a big focus on promoting children having a healthy lifestyle. This includes plenty of exercise, which they get in abundance at Playgroup. Healthy eating, which again we encourage. I appreciate you supporting this when providing their lunches and snacks. We have made headway with even the fussiest of eaters. Oral hygiene is another aspect

which we are focussing on. We regularly have conversations about the dentist, effects of foods on their teeth and bodies and are going to increase activities around looking after their teeth. This will be through games such as sorting foods, brushing dolls teeth, stories, and other brushing teeth activities.

Staff continue to keep statutory training up to date. Annmarie has begun her level 3 qualification and I am her mentor. As I said, Debbie joined us in the Spring term. She has a level 2 qualification and is also looking to study for her level 3. There continues to be a shortage of qualified early years staff. As well as staff completing training, I continuously share information through a weekly evaluation. I often use this as a method of training and sharing my experience with staff. Currently I am looking at the importance of communication, interaction and listening. This provides training for bank staff and refreshes qualified staff.

We continue to offer up to 30 hours for funded and nonfunded children. If you qualify for 2 Year free entitlement, or the extended free entitlement for working parents of 3 & 4-year olds from September, then make sure that you apply now, in plenty of time before the end of August. Please let me have your code as soon as possible.

We welcome any feedback about all aspects of Playgroup. This can be verbally, written or emailed to me, or you can email a member of the committee. There is a suggestion box on the parent information table in the hall.

1. I sent out a parent survey and it showed that on the whole everyone is very happy with the service we provide and most importantly, children are happy. It was felt that the newsletter is informative.

There were a couple of points raised.

1. Communication and feedback. Some people felt they didn’t receive enough feedback. I sent out a letter to show how I would rectify this as communication is very important. If you feel this is a concern at any time, please make sure you tell me. Then I can make sure it happens. I also try to put a board out daily to show what the children have been doing.

2. A few people didn’t receive information about the EYFS. I have spoken to Key workers to make sure they share the information to help you be more familiar with what it is. The EYFS continues until the end of reception, so it is helpful to have a good understanding. It is an important time in your child’s life as it is the foundations to their future learning. The focus is on children learning through play, and the role adults play. One of my favourite quotes is “The best teachers are those who show you where to ― look, but don't tell you what to see.” Alexandra K.Trenfor I think it sums up that it is important for adults to allow children to explore and discover for themselves.

I have been given some fundraising ideas which I will pass onto the fundraisers.

I want to thank the Committee and fundraisers for all their hard work. Playgroup wouldn’t be able to exist without you. We are looking to recruit some new fundraisers as people step down due to their children leaving to go to school. A special thanks to Rachel (chair) and Liz (Secretary) who are stepping down this year, and welcome to Kev and Sammey who will be taking on their roles. I look forward to working with you.

Lastly, as always, I want to mention the staff for their hard work and commitment to playgroup, I am aware that it is a very demanding job, with many challenges. Thank you to my deputy Becca for remaining actively involved in Playgroup even though she is on maternity leave and her continuing to be a great support to me. As a staffing team we are always striving to provide the best care for your children, so a big thank you to all the staff.

5) Fundraiser’s Report (Given by Vickie Harvey read by Liz King)

Fundraising Report 2023

It’s been a great year for fundraising, we have seen a steady flow of events which has resulted in raising £3854.55 of vital funds for Playgroup.

Can we firstly start by thanking everyone who volunteered, donated, sponsored and supported any of the fundraising events this year, without your generosity we couldn’t have raised much needed funds for playgroup.

The first fundraising event of the year was the annual refreshments stand at The Barns Green Half Marathon/Run Barns Green races last September, raising £1,229.52 and a further £300 from Run Barns Green for playgroup.

The next Half Marathon/run Barns Green races will be held on Sunday 24th September, so please put the date in your diary to bake something or help out on the day- lots of volunteers are required for this, so the more the merrier!

Other fundraising activities included:

Nearly New Sale- £93 Christmas Hamper Raffle- £345 £242.76 coffee morning/quiz night at the pub

Bag2School collection- amount to be confirmed

Smarties Tubes- £88.40 so far, but Still awaiting completion of tubes from families.

Our main event for the year was the Race Night which raised £1,881.86 from ticket sales, horses, sponsorship and raffle.

Special thanks to Leonard Engineering for sponsoring the event and the Club for donating the venue and drinks to the winning horse owners. Without Kev and Billy’s support, the event would not be possible, so thank you from everyone at Playgroup.

If you would like to help with the fundraising we are in great need of parent/carers to support. This could include helping at events, baking cakes, donating prizes, asking companies for raffle prizes or organising events. Playgroup rely on fundraising to enable them to buy new equipment, so we strongly encourage you to get involved if you are interested. Please talk to a committee member or Bev if you would like more information.

Thanks again for everyone who has supported and we look forward to another productive year of fundraising!

Vickie is stepping down from her Fundraising Lead role, but we are pleased to let you know Lucy will carry it out for another year.

6) Treasurer’s Statement of Account (Given by Alex Mannion)

I can confirm that the accounts are currently in the process of being audited but we made a profit of £8923.96.

As of the year end for Playgroup, the 31st March 2023, I can confirm Barns Green Playgroup had the following bank balances: Current Account - £13,028.46

Savings Account - £35,313.18 this money is used for any big purchases and to put into the current account should we ever need too.

Deposit Account - £40,411.72 this account would have to be used if we had to close playgroup and would be used to pay redundancies, creditors etc.

The fundraising team have had a really successful year raising over £2000 more than last year for Playgroup – thank you for Vickie & Lucy’s hard work and to anyone else that has helped out.

I can confirm it has been agreed that we will keep the hourly rate as it is and will review at every committee meeting.

Lastly thank you to all the staff and committee for all their hard work.

7) Chair Report (Given by Rachel McAlonan)

Good evening, I hope everyone has had a chance to look at their children’s work on display and have a drink. I will try to keep this brief so that you can all continue with your evening.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the efforts of the fundraising team. Fundraising is key to helping with running costs and helps provide new toys and equipment for the children. Vickie and Lucy have done a fantastic job heading up the fundraising team this year. A massive thank you to everyone involved in helping with fundraising and to those that have supported all our events. Vickie is stepping down at the end of the year so I hope everyone will continue to support Lucy as she continues to lead the fundraising effort.

I have carried on representing Playgroup at the Village Trust meetings. We continue to raise the issue of having a path going up to the Village Hall to improve safety along Muntham Drive, which I feel will really benefit the children particularly at drop off and pick up times.

I would like to thank all the staff for their hard work this year and in particular Bev as the manager of Playgroup. Bev does a lot for Playgroup and often must overcome challenges which she does with aplomb. All the staff do a fantastic job to enrich the time that all the children have at Playgroup. We have had a few staff members leave this year and we have welcomed Nicola, Debbie and Bex to the team, who have all fitted in well. Kasia has been fantastic, stepping into a key role while Becca has been on maternity leave.

I would like to thank all our volunteers who have given up their time this year. A special thank you to Liz King and Alex Mannion who have both provided invaluable help with the committee and fundraising. Charlotte has joined the committee this year so I would like to thank her for that. Due to work commitments and our children leaving Playgroup, Liz and I shall both be stepping down this year.

I would like to welcome Kevin Leonard who will be stepping into the role as Chair and Sammey who will be taking on the Secretary role. I wish them both the best.

Lastly, I hope everyone enjoys the break over the summer holidays!

8) Committee

We voted in new committee members – details are as follows:

Present Committee:

Chairperson: Rachel McAlonan (STEPPING DOWN)

Treasurer: Alex Mannion

Secretary: Liz King (STEPPING DOWN) Members: Charlotte Plowman

New Committee:

Chairperson: Kev Leonard (NEW) Proposed by Liz King, seconded by Charlotte Plowman Treasurer: Alex Mannion

Secretary: Sammey Berwick (NEW) Proposed by Alex Mannion, seconded by Becca Leonard

Members: Charlotte Plowman

9) Any Other Business

None

10) Date of Next Meeting

46th AGM – 2nd July 2024.

BARNS GREEPI PLAYGROUP Statemtnt of ArCour￿l￿rth￿ 1 2022 10 31st Marth 2023 1 W 2021 to 31st March 2022 Balanc• brought foMwd COME 79.864.40 J1,598. SeSs￿)n Fee$ FuThJed Fees Milk FU￿1raISIrrfj CMath?ns 43.647.IX) 88.387.07 115.07 4.570.01 47S.31 18.C 681.23 967. 41,720.15 63.801.56 1,861.48 545.9) Tcthle Unrf¢)rns Tochnotots Interest on acfAknts 457.08 434.74 737.0) 15.26 391.57 FUndraisi￿j Hall Fees R8fr8shmènts RunniThJ Cosls Prof855hrynal Sgwvb AGM Slaff P•nslon & TrninirJ Eqviprnenl SUbS￿ptA Ou￿.n9¥ HMRC ¢￿'kIren'¥ sloff w*￿nI Urlforms Wages 715.46 14.086.50 3.49 2,64027 1.145.11 12.554.9) 2.023.32 1,869.12 3.186.Cil 310.20 2.721.92 1,775.30 169.￿) 225.C 18,263.45 1S.163.$8 796.05 941.25 70.601.32 1.C68.17 1,107.50 88,804.79 T•thrK)tols 1.024.th1 130.442.16 111.306.86 S•¥lngB1É40.411.72 & £35.313.181 Bank 75.724. 13.028.46 35.W B•lanc• tn 75,333.33 4.496.07 35.(￿ B#lanc• cff T￿￿Ul￿

4 January 2024

Dear Trustees,

This letter should be read in conjunction with the signed Statement of Accounts for the period ended 31 March 2022. As you are aware, part of the work that is carried out when we look at the financials is the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. In assessing whether the charity is a going concern the Trustees and management should consider all available information about the future of the charity in the period of at least twelve months from the date when the receipts and payments are approved and authorised for issue.

Whilst we are out of the pandemic, the lasting impact of the Covid-19 outbreak should mean all entities, including charities, reassess their financial position and their ability to continue to operate as a going concern. This may require considering a number of factors including updating the charity’s budgets and forecasts. Trustees may consider and take account of realistic mitigating responses open to them, considering the likely success of any response.

Part of the work that Trustees and management can do for assessing the ability of the charity to continue to be a going concern is:

• Prepare the following covering the period of the going concern assessment (at least 12 months),

•  budgets,

•  cash flow forecasts

• review the accuracy of past budgets and forecasts by comparing the budget for the current year against actual results for the year, and

Trustees should consider not only the budgets and forecasts but also the sensitivity analysis on these: key considerations will be around reserves, liquidity and resilience.

a) Reserves

The Charity Commission guidance “Managing financial difficulties & insolvency in charities” (CC12) stresses the importance for “ a trustee body to have a good knowledge and understanding of the charity and its finances so that, as far as possible, the continued viability of the charity and its charitable activities can be assured .”.

This is a theme that runs through the Charity Commission’s updates and alerts including its guidance on whether charities can use reserves and restricted funds to help the charity through the crisis.

As at 31 March 2023, BGPG is reporting unrestricted funds totalling £88.8k (2022: £79.9k).

The Charity Commission guidance highlights a number of factors the trustees need to consider.

• Trustees should review what are their short, medium, and longer-term priorities, including whether certain projects, spends or activities can be stopped or delayed.

• The guidance recognises that reserves can be used to help cope with unexpected events like those unfolding at present.

• If the trustees have previously decided to earmark certain funds for a particular purpose they may be able to re-prioritise these.

• Restricted funds which cannot be spent at the trustees’ discretion may only be used for a particular and defined purpose.

• All decisions on such financial matters should normally be taken collectively, and significant decisions and action points noted in writing.

b) Liquidity and resilience

The Charity Commission guidance goes on to explain that “ The overall responsibility for effective governance and the implementation of proper financial management rests with the trustees, but may well involve all staff members whether paid or volunteers .”

As well as the level of available reserves the trustees will also need to understand and consider the charity’s liquidity.

• Proper consideration needs to be given to cash flow forecasts and debt and project management based on realistic assumptions set. There should be a budget including cash projections and business plans produced at least annually and monthly monitoring against the plans.

• There is a need to extend cash flow forecasts to evaluate issues that may arise after the end of the period covered by existing cash flow forecasts.

• There should be processes in place to ensure that appropriate procedures and controls have been applied to models used to generate cash flow and valuation information, including the choice and consistent use of key assumptions.

• Appropriate sensitivity analysis needs to be applied to address the potential impact of reasonably possible events. Sources of income and expenditure should be analysed with consideration of uncertainties around grant funding, voluntary or earned income.

• The sensitivity analysis should properly flex assumptions to identify how robust the model outputs are in practice and that the assumptions are free from bias.

Should you have any questions, please let me know.

Yours sincerely,

Alex Nicholson

Alex Nicholson