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Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup
Preparing your child for a life of learning
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Contents
Welcome to the GEP Annual Report page 3 Supervisor’s Report 2024-25 page 4 Trustee’s Report 2024-25 page 6 Treasurer’s Report 2024-25 page 9 Thank you page 12
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
2
Welcome to Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup’s 2025 Annual Report
About our Annual Report
2024-25 has been another exciting year for us and we look forward to sharing this with you. Our Annual Report provides you with information about GEP’s activities for the 2024-25 academic year through the Supervisor’s, Trustee’s and Treasurer’s reports including our financial statements.
Thanks for reading, thanks for being part of
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
3
As we returned from the Summer break we were greeted by a new kitchen! The Playing Field committee had been planning and designing it for a few months and it had been installed over the holidays, ready in full working order for us. Initially it took a little bit of rearranging and readjusting as it was a different layout. We found new homes for our craft and snack supplies, and all was well.
Autumn is one of my favourite months as there’s lots of opportunities for seasonal craft and baking. This term we used produce from our allotment to make our own jam and garlic bread (not at the same time) The children love the journey from growing in the allotment, picking produce and then using it to bake with. We’re very lucky.
Before Christmas we were contacted by our new EYIO who introduced herself and arranged a visit. We invited her over to meet us and see the setting for the first time. She was a lovely lady who spent time speaking to myself and Pauline and having a good look around to see what we’re about. She bought some fresh eyes and new ideas which was refreshing to hear. She also signposted us to some helpful links and training which we investigated as the year went on.
The run up to Christmas is always busy and exciting in equal measure! We were invited by Grindleford School to watch the dress rehearsal of their Nativity which was really lovely. Our group loved seeing the costumes and dancing along to the songs.
We also held our annual Christmas raffle to win a Chatsworth hamper which was generously donated. This is always a great fundraiser, well worth doing. This year Grindleford Community Shop agreed to sell tickets on our behalf and the winning ticket was purchased there by a local resident!
As fundraising is so important to us, we made the decision in the New Year to purchase a card machine. We’ve noticed that cash is harder to come by so hopefully this gives us more flexibility at events and gives people another, easier way of supporting us.
Cont./
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
4
During the Spring term we were informed of plans within Eyam School to open a nursery for 3 to 4 year olds. As you can imagine a worrying thought given the proximity to us and the potential impact. We attended a consultation meeting to receive the information and seek clarity. We hope to continue communication and monitor how this may affect us going forward.
We held our AGM in March which was really well attended by current parents. Liz bought up the big topic of changing our charity status which we discussed and agreed on. A huge step for Playgroup but one we felt would benefit us. Liz was keen to get the ball rolling with intentions of the change happening in September. Lots of admin to get sorted but Playgroup 2.0 is on its way!
The Summer term brings the build up to holidays, school transitions and lots of sunshine (hopefully)
This year the excitement was raised even higher as we were nominated by a parent to High Peak Comps and won some goodies including bubbles, hot chocolate and paint. They paid us a visit and advertised us on their page which was very exciting and gave a real boost to our social media pages.
We may have then broken up for six weeks but the fun did not stop there. We ran an incredibly successful holiday club during the break. It was really well attended by families, siblings, cousins and friends. We had made the decision earlier in the year to enrol on the Childcare Register. Meaning we were able to take children up to the age of 8 which made a real difference to our numbers. Families found it beneficial to have childcare for both children and it was lovely to see some familiar, grown up faces!
For the second year running we also held some summer settling in sessions for our new starters, giving them chance to see the room and meet staff before officially joining us. These were also well attended and parents complimented the idea to aid September’s transition.
As always, I’m giving the highlights of a year full of adventures, friendship and a lot of mud! None of it possible without our amazing staff. We’re incredibly lucky to have the team we do who provide so much to each child. Thank you also goes to our committee, parents and wider community for everything they give to the group. It’s a team effort.
Sophie and Pauline
5 Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
Report of the trustees for the year ending 31 August 2025
Chair’s report
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup (GEP) is a registered charity, No. 1036608. Our trustees for the year were:
Helen Wakerley Chair Elizabeth Tiplady Treasurer Clare Harley Ruth Nuttall Laura Darwin
At our AGM held on 4[th] March 2025 Clare Harley resigned from her role as trustee, we would like to thank her for her support and wish her well in her new role as school governor.
Structure, governance, and management
The pre-school operates under the Pre-school Learning Alliance Model Constitution 2011 which was approved by the Charity Commission on 29[th] October 2014.
Membership of the Pre-school is divided into two kinds:
(a) Family Membership - Parents or guardians of all children who attend the group.
(b) Affiliate Membership - Affiliate Membership is open to those individuals, organisations or other bodies interested in supporting the aims of the Pre-school.
The overall management and control of the Pre-school rests with the Pre-school’s management committee (“the committee”). As well as being responsible for the management of the Pre-school the Committee members are also the charity trustees of the Preschool. Committee member are elected for one year at the Annual General Meeting.
The Committee consists of:
A Chair, a Treasurer, and a Secretary (“the Officers”); and Not less than 2 nor more than 9 other elected Members; and
If the Committee decides it can co-opt up to 3 further Members onto the Committee at any time after the AGM.
Together, the committee are the ‘registered person’ with Ofsted and have overall responsibility for ensuring the childcare provision meets the terms of Ofsted registration and the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
To comply with safeguarding requirements all new Committee members are required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check online before they can be added to an Ofsted registration.
We have a trustee induction programme and support new committee members during this process.
Cont./
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
6
The day-to-day running of the pre-school is delegated to our Supervisors and the team:
| Sophie Grant | Supervisor (Monday/Tuesday), Deputy Supervisor (Wednesday/Friday) |
|---|---|
| Pauline Bowman | Supervisor (Wednesday/Friday), Deputy Supervisor (Monday/Tuesday) |
| Donna Booth | SENCO |
| Kirsty Fish | Assistant |
| Paula Greenhalgh | Assistant |
| Libby Eaton | FS assistant |
| Julia Pritchard | FS assistant (Supply cover) |
The high number of staff reflects our commitment to offering outdoor opportunities such as forest school and woodland adventure. We meet or exceed the ratio and qualification requirements as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
Our aims
The aims of the pre-school are to enhance the development and education of children primarily under statutory school age by offering appropriate play, education, and care.
We provide an environment where each child can develop and fulfil their potential; build their self-confidence and gain the skills and experience they need to make the most of their early years in school.
Our ethos
GEP is a rural Peak District pre-school which provides a forward thinking, unhurried and playful approach to early learning. We have eight core principles that we apply every day:
We believe that children learn best through play
We prepare children for school, but we don’t mimic school
We promote child-led play as an essential part of children’s learning
We balance free play with focussed, adult led group learning
We believe that children should be engaged, not occupied, at pre-school
We provide experiences which are meaningful to our children
We manage behaviour positively
We value outdoor play as a valuable childhood experience
“Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, relate to others, set their own goals, and solve problems. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play and learning that is guided by adults.”
Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage
Cont./
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
7
Pupil numbers and fees
In 2024-25 we had 28 children from 25 families accessing our pre-school.
Our fees for children aged two to three years (up to the term of their 3[rd] birthday) were £7.00 per hour. In June 2025, the Committee agreed to keep the rate at £7.00 per hour for September 2025.
Fees for children in receipt of the Early Years Funding are determined by Derbyshire County Council. For 3-4 year olds the year started with a rate of £5.00 per hour which increased to £5.22 per hour with effect from the Summer term. The rate charged for hours taken in addition to the free entitlement was set at £7.50 per hour, the Committee agreed to keep the rate at £7.50 per hour for September 2025.
The rate for funded two-year olds started the year at £7.21 which increased to £7.42 per hour with effect from the Summer term. Both rates had a deprivation supplement of 32p. Charges for additional hours would be the same as our fees for two to three year olds.
Staffing
Our focus was statutory training with staff attending 1[st] aid, Safeguarding, Food Saefty and Health and Safety courses.
Volunteers
We had two volunteers this year. A special mention to the parent who repaired our allotment beds; cleaned and maintained our balance bikes; repaired our outdoor equipment storage box and carried out various jobs at the forest school site including building a new den and digging out the fire pit.
Thanks also to the volunteer who helped run our mud kitchen toddler group during the year; this popular drop-in session is a good fundraiser and enables parents and children to visit the setting helping with settling in the future.
We would also like to thank the trustee who regularly volunteered during the year which enabled us to increase our child numbers.
Planning for the future
At our AGM held on 4[th] March 2025 we agreed to change our charitable status to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Unfortunately, the process has been brought to a halt while we wait on the outcome of discussions between the Early Years Alliance and Ofsted.
We have been very fortunate to have been able to build up our reserves; these protect us from the type of fluctuations in child numbers we are seeing this year. We will continue to look at how we can further grow our reserves through grant applications and our own fundraising efforts.
I would like to thank our local community for their ongoing support; including the GPFA, Grindleford Goat, Grindleford PTA/Gallop and Queen Anne Inn. I would also like to thank our local Co-op for support throughout the year.
Finally, I would like to thank our trustees and staff team for their continued hard work and dedication – your enthusiasm for providing high quality early years education remains our greatest strength.
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
8
Our finances
We ended the year with a surplus of funds thanks to several generous donations received during the year as well as running some successful fundraising events. This has enabled us to start the 2025-26 academic year with a budget shortfall knowing we have sufficient funds to cover our costs.
Our total income for the year was £86,127, a small increase of £67. Our expenditure also increased to £83,068 from £79,731, an increase of £3,337.
Our fee income for the year was £75,311 69% of our fee income came from the Early Year’s Funding, a total of £52,241. Our fees from self-funded children totalled £23,069. Once again we were fortunate to start the year at near capacity and a regular volunteer enabled us to increase our numbers during the year.
Our fundraising total increased this year as well as running a successful holiday club. We also received a number of generous donations. We would like to thank our local community and families for their support. The events held this year included:
£439 was raised by our Christmas Hamper raffle. Our thanks to Chatsworth for the donation of the hamper. £459 was raised by a cream tea held in Eyam. This event was made possible by the donation of jam and cream from The Cream Tea Society. We would also like to thank everyone who donated prizes for the tombola stall and everyone who helped on the day.
£245 was raised by our quiz night and raffle. Many thanks to everyone who supported the event.
£185 was raised by the sale of printed tote bags, thanks to everyone who purchased a bag.
£328 was raised by our regular mud kitchen group.
£123 was raised by a clothes collection scheme, many thanks to everyone who has contributed.
£158 was raised by our collection tins. This year our tins have been placed in The Miners Arms, Eyam Post Office, Eyam Club and Grindleford Community shop.
Our fundraising total for the year was £2,132 (£1,833 net of expenses) a wonderful achievement for the group.
We ran two holiday clubs this year in the Easter and Summer breaks. We raised £1,266 (£328.26 net of wages and sundry expenses) compared with £372 (£31 net of wages and sundry expenses). The decision to join the Childcare register which enabled us to take children aged up to 8 years improved attendance significantly.
Donations and grants received during the year totalled £5,772; of which £1,000 were restricted funds.
We received the following donations and grants this year: £1,000 was received from the Grindleford Goat (restricted) £2,792 was received from Rotary Club of Hope Valley
£600 was received from Grindleford PTA/Gallop
£104 was received in individual donations including £65 via Benevity, a scheme which enables employees to support charities through their employer.
£1,276 in snack donations – a very generous contribution which covered our snack and hygiene costs; thank you so much to our parents for embracing this voluntary donation.
In addition, we received £31 Gift Aid on donations made during 2023-24.
Cont./
9
The following grants were restricted to a specific purpose.
In our application to the Grindleford Goat we specified that the grant would be used to replenish and renew furniture and resources, purchase new materials, pay bills and training costs and provide exciting opportunities for the children. During the year we used £700 to employ an additional staff member which enabled the team to maintain and improve the forest school site with new dens and repairs to the fire circle. We also used £165 money to purchase new books; new woodland resources and lightweight tarp. The final expenditure £160 covered the cost of Outdoor 1[st] aid training.
We were fortunate enough to have been selected as a Co-op charity again with funds raised supporting our aim of helping the children learn how to grow their own produce and to prepare, cook and provide a healthy diet. We spent the outstanding amount this year; £150 covered baking costs; £35 was spent on new equipment for cooking at forest school; £186 was spent on repairs of the raised beds at the allotment and seeds; £85 was spent on a new watering can and replacing buckets and trowels.
A huge debt of gratitude is owed to everyone who contributes by donating or volunteering; our pre-school is very special, and we thank everyone who helps to protect it’s future.
Sundry income totalled £900. A 2023-24 SEN payment of £663 was received in this year; Gift aid £31; refunded items £25 and an Early Years Rollout Payment of £180. This final payment was paid as we participated in the government’s early year expansion programme.
Our costs this year were £83,068.
Our staff costs of £70,073 account for 84% of our total costs.
Our rental costs of £7,651 accounts for 9% of our cost. Our hourly rate increased from £10 to £10.75 with affect from April 2025.
We spent £798 on equipment during the year. This included items purchased with grants, details above. Other purchases included a replacement sand/water tray £204; wooden tools £46; replacement wheels for cloakrooms and dressing up trolley £97; basket for home corner £17; rug for small world corner £15; lightweight balls for outside play £15 and replacement plates for snack £10. The parish council have agreed to contribute to the cost of the sand/water tray.
Our training costs for the year were £240. Our focus was statutory training with our forest school leader attending Outdoor 1[st] aid training; our safeguarding lead refreshed their training; and both food and H&S training was updated.
Fundraising costs increased from £95 to £299. We paid £180 for the hand print tote bags; £40 to rent the room used for the cream tea; renewed our lottery license for £20 and spent £37 on raffle tickets. We also purchased a card reader for use at fundraising events. All expenditure on fundraising has seen a good return on the expenditure with events raising much needed funds.
Cont./
10 Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
Our sundry costs are £2,176; a significant reduction on last year’s expenditure. Our largest outgoings were snacks (£465); hygiene products (£270); payroll package (£221) and baking (£150). Other costs included membership of the Early Years Alliance (£124); Ofsted registration (£50); National Trust site licence (£63); website (£72) and mobile phone top-up (£20). In addition, we purchased a toolkit to support our application to become a CIO (£66) and advertised at both the Grindleford show (£25) and Eyam Carnival (£80). We contributed £70 to end of year staff celebration. Items returned for refund totalled £25.
Our costs on materials have increased to £546. Stationery costs remained high (£198). Playdough materials such as flour, salt and food colouring totalled £58. Craft materials such as paint, clay and glue sticks totalled £56. Using money from our Co-op grant we were able to purchase seeds and other materials to support the children’s understanding of growth and preparing food as well as the timber needed to repair the allotment beds (£186).
We end the year with a closing cash balance of £44,066, an increase of £3,060.
Analysis of the figures shows that without the income brought in by donations and fundraising our closing balance would have shown a deficit of £4,629.
Planning for the future
This year has been a good year for our finances as we started with high numbers and the help of our volunteer enabled us to take extra children on our popular days. Next year does not look as positive with places still available on most days as the year starts. However, the funds we added to our reserves brings us some assurance that we can manage our budget for another year.
At the end of each year we look back and recognise how fortunate we are to have the support of our families and the local community. We see the good work we are doing and are motivated to continue.
We would like to thank the staff for their outstanding contribution to our success; they are a great team who provide such wonderful opportunities and loving care to the children.
The trustees will continue to search out ways to support the group and to bring in grants. We also hope that fundraising continues to provide much needed additional income.
It is important we continue these efforts to maintain our reserve fund and protect the playgroup’s future.
11 Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
12 Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup is registered with Ofsted (URN206778), is a registered charity in England and Wales (1036608) and a member of the Early Years Alliance (33927).
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup Financial Statements 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025
Analysis of receipts and payments for the year ending 31 August 2025
| Notes Receipts Fees Fundraising Milk Grant Grants / Donations - Restricted Grants / Donations - Unrestricted Holiday club Sundries A Bank Interest Total Receipts Payments Wages Forest School Leaders Rent Milk Equipment Materials Fundraising Training Sundries B Insurance Holiday club C Total Payments Increase in cash Cash balance Opening cash balance Closing cash balance Increase in cash |
2025 2024 75,311 73,811 2,132 1,814 268 259 1,000 1,324 4,772 5,726 1,266 372 900 2,381 478 393 86,127 86,080 70,073 64,694 0 720 7,651 7,405 268 259 798 1,409 546 478 299 95 240 326 2,176 3,482 834 778 182 85 83,068 79,731 3,060 6,348 41,006 34,658 44,066 41,006 3,060 6,348 |
|---|---|
Notes
A - this figure includes SEN funding owed from 2023-24, EY rollout payment, gift aid on donations received 2023-24 and refunded items
B - this figure includes gifts, payroll, website, EYA membership, NT site license, Ofsted fee and advertising through local events
C -this figure does not include staff wages estimated at £752
Page 1 of 4
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup Financial Statements 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025
Analysis of receipts and payments for the year ending 31 August 2025
| Notes | 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | |||
| Cash | |||
| Petty cash | 619 | 385 | |
| Reserve account | 32,478 | 32,000 | |
| Current account | 10,969 | 8,621 | |
| Total cash | 44,066 | 41,006 | |
| Notes | |||
| Receivables | |||
| We are also due the following receipts / incurred expenses: | |||
| HMRC - Gift Aid (estimated) | 320 | 30 | |
| SEN final payment | 663 | ||
| Unpaid fees | 250 | ||
| Total receivables | 570 | 693 | |
| We also hold assets in the form of play equipment that is insured | for £15,000. | ||
| Liabilities | |||
| 2 x bouquet gifts (not invoiced) | 0 | 0 | |
| Payables | |||
| The following payments are outstanding: | |||
| Sundry creditors | A | 507 | 371 |
| Total payables | 507 | 371 | |
| Notes |
A - HMRC £507
Page 2 of 4
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup Financial Statements 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025
Analysis of receipts and payments for the year ending 31 August 2025
| Notes Receipts - Fundraising Easy Fundraising/Amazon Smile Carnival Stall / Grindleford Show Mud Kitchen Collection tins Clothes collection Xmas raffle Quiz night Cream tea Tote bag sales Total Payments - Sundries Snacks Gifts A Hygiene Baking DBS Payroll Fire Annual ofsted fee Pre-school learning alliance membership Recruitment Other sundries B Staff uniforms Total |
2025 2024 25 0 170 0 328 295 158 177 123 230 439 654 245 0 459 458 185 0 2,132 1,814 465 690 278 278 270 465 150 228 0 101 221 190 57 77 50 50 124 122 0 0 560 1,121 0 161 2,176 3,482 |
|---|---|
Notes
A - Gifts includes children's gifts £26; thank you gift £7; staff gifts £226; volunteers gift £9
B - NT site licence £63; mobile phone top-up £20; website £72; Grindleford show advert £25; Eyam carnival advert £80; CIO toolkit £66; staff celebration £70
Page 3 of 4
Grindleford and Eyam Playgroup Financial Statements 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025
Analysis of receipts and payments for the year ending 31 August 2025
| Notes Grants / Donations - Restricted Eyam Book Barn Co-op Community Fund Grindleford Goat Total Restricted Grants / Donations Grants / Donations - Unrestricted Queen Anne/Pigeon club Grindleford school PTA/Gallop Donations to GEP Snack Donations Eyam Half marathon Eyam Youth Club Rotary club A Total Unrestricted Grants / Donations |
2025 2024 0 159 0 1,165 1000 0 1,000 1,324 0 1000 600 1,800 104 1,054 1276 972 0 500 0 400 2792 0 4,772 5,726 |
|---|---|
Notes
A - Donation from Hope Valley Rotary club which was closing down
Page 4 of 4
7 CHARITY COMMISSION Independent examiner's FOR ENGLAND AND WALES report on the accounts
SectionA
Independent Examiner’s Report
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Report to thememberstrustees/ of Qieuspierery £9 Eva an | er Bout
On accounts for theendedyear 4 st Reseeugit 225° Charity(if any)no l oO% £62 os
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| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust’) for the year ended .
- 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’).
| 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, | have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement 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:
e accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
- e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
| 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.
Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body Fc.uh (if any): Address:
IER
1
October 2018
Section B
Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC 32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.
IER
2
October 2018