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. ' CHARITY COMMISSION; Independent examiner's FOR ENGLAND AND WALES report on the accounts
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Section A independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees/ members of | Muskham Preschool
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On accounts for the year | 31 August 2025 Charity no | 1036670 ended (if any) | report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
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charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended
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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
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under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, | nave followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
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independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have
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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
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e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
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| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection
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with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name: | Melanie Newmarch MAAT Relevant professional |AAT qualification(s) a or body (if any):
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Address: | K J Eaton & Co (Accountants) Ltd Edwinstowe House, Centre for Business Excellefice
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Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire NG21 9PR
October 2018
IER 1
Section B
| Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.
IER
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Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for
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examiners).
October 2018
MUSKHAM PRESCHOOL Charity Number 1036670
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|“eceipts|and|Payments|Account|for the|Year|Ended|31 August|2025|
|2025|2024|
|£|£|£|£|
|income|
|Fees|
|Funding|11405|22102|
|Fundraising|92261|58172|
|Grants|1314|1165|
|Bank|& Donations|10005|1062|
|Interest|
|Other|727|489|
|Income|
|2227|1257|
|117939|84246|
|Expenditure|
|Rent|9617|6960|
|Salanies|72808|69706|
|Staff Costs and Training|411|654|
|Fundraising|Expenses|25|-|
|Renewal|Expenses|609|-|
|insurance PPA Membership/Subscriptions|1524|921|
|Toys and|Equipment|6887|2447|
|Telephone and Treasurer Expenses|120|252|
|Administration|1565|5471|
|Advertising|255|-|
|Accountancy|864|864|
|Breakfast Supplies|1011|784|
|Extra|curriculum expenses|2677|-|
|Uniform|803|:|
|MacBook|1078|>|
|Donations|927|-|
|101181|sk.|dae|88059|
|Surplus/(Deficit)|for the Year|16758|(3813)|
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MUSKHAM PRESCHOOL Charity Number 1036670
Balance Sheet at 31 August 2025
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2025 2024
£ F
Cash at Bank
Deposit Account 46866 36138
Current Account 17518 11435
Cash in Hand 84 137
Net Assets 64468 47710
Represented By:
Accumulated Fund
Balance as at 1 September 47710 51523
Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year 16758 (3813)
Balance at 31 August 64468 47710
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These accounts were approved by the Trustees on Sophie Jenkins Chairperson | | ‘Notas Holly Leonard Treasurer
Trustee Report
Aims and Purpose
Muskham Preschool aims to provide affordable childcare to serve the local community, from Tuesday to Friday during school term time, within the hours of 8am to 4pm. The setting also offers these hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays outside of term time, as part of a holiday club provision. Located at the local community centre renting a room and kitchen facilities, the setting also has access to its own gated outdoor play area. Secure access to North Muskham Community playing field and park is also available. The children attending playgroup age 18 months-4, are a mixture of fee-paying children and those receiving government funding. At the start of September 2024, there were 24 children enrolled in the setting.
Structure, governance and management
Preschool is regulated by Ofsted and following its most recent inspection in July 2023, has maintained its GOOD rating. Preschool is managed daily at ground level by the manager Helen Walters, who holds level 3 childcare NVQ and SENCO qualifications . and is undergoing her level 5 qualification The three other staff members, including Deputy manager Alicia Hewerdine, and all are level 3 trained. We occasionally utilise bank staff who are trained or untrained, with full DBS checks. Staffing ratios and minimum qualifications are always in line with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage guidelines. Staff have regular access to training which is encouraged and supported. The Preschool is governed by a committee comprised of prospective, retrospective or current parents of children, who will or have previously accessed the childcare setting. The committee consists of parents with a passion to continue the local provisions of quality and affordable childcare in their community. Currently, there are 8 trustees who make up the committee. All trustees require DBS checks via Ofsted. Termly meetings are held by committee as well as an annual AGM, to address the general running of the Preschool. We comply with the charity commission guidance in how we run our committee and make decisions. Meetings are held as required for any other issues.
Achievements and performance
Fee- -25) amounted to an income of £103,666, an increase compared to £80,273 in 2023- 24. Preschool have benefitted from the new early years childcare funding legislation which took effect in September 2024 and provides working parents with 15 hours of funding per week for children over the age of nine months, though Preschool is only equipped to enrol children aged from 18 months. The holiday club, in which the setting opens on Tuesdays and Thursdays thro also ughout school holidays and requires two members of staff to operate, continues to be well attended.
There was a slight increase in wage expenditure to £72,808, from £69,706 in 2023-24. All staff members received a pay increase from April 202 5, three of which saw staff salaries rise from £10.42 to £12.21 per hour, in line with the national living wage increase. A rise
in rental fees for the premises, which has been in effect since April 2024, has also resulted in an increase in rental costs for the year to £9,617, compared to £6,960 in 2023-24.
Preschool committee and management took steps to offset the increase in operational costs and try to generate new sources of income. A fee increase was introduced from April which saw the hourly rate increase from £5.25 to £6. Parents were also invited to contribute a non-mandatory ‘consumables’ fee towards snacks, outings and extracurricular activities, such as Caterpillar Music, which continue to be provided by the Preschool. Fundraising efforts continued to happen regularly in the form of cake sales, as well as Easter bonnet parades, sponsored Smartie tubes and sports day which resulted in a total of £1,314 being raised. In addition, Preschool also received a £10,000 technology grant, which enabled the replacement of important equipment which was no longer fit for purpose, such as a replacement laptop, phone and iPads for organisational use in setting. Interactive toys and supplies were also purchased for the children. Some of the items include a child’s digital camera, a digital camera bird feeder, Tonies box and stories, BeeBot STEM robot, illuminated mark-making boards, microphones and an interactive white board . This is reflected in the increase seen in toy and equipment expenditure to £6,887.
Preschool also recognises how vital staff training is and the value it brings not only for individual staff development but for the children who attend the setting. This financial year, Preschool has invested £411 in training courses for employees.
We ended the 2024-25 £17,517.93 in the current account. The financial report shows that on the whole, there was a surplus of £16,758 4-25. for the financial year 202
Reserves policy and going forward
Preschool needs to run with some reserves, year to year child numbers can vary and reserves ensure our ability to provide a service with variable income. At present, we do not anticipate a significant increase in the number of children attending the settin g, although we have had enquiries from prospective parents. Wages will also rise again in April 2026 with the national minimum wage increase, so we need to acknowledge the greater demand this will have on day-to-day income. There remains a nursery in very close proximity to Preschool offering extended hours , as well as the adjacent Muskham Primary School which provides an extended F1 offering which can impact our numbers and as a result, our income. At the end of the financial year 202 5, the savings account has a balance of £46,865.98. This provides some stability for Preschool regarding maintaining staff hours going forward into the next financial year.
Plans are also in place to extend our opening hours to include Mondays from January 2026, following engagement with parents about whether extended opening hours would be valuable. Although this will mean a slight increase in rental and staffing costs, it
could provide further income opportunities with both current and potential parents. We will continue to scrupulously look at finances and react accordingly.