## **Orchard Preschool & Playgroup Charity Number: 1036897 Trustees Annual Report**
## **Financial Year Ending 31st August 2021**
We are a parent-involving community based group providing a safe, secure and stimulating environment for children. The pre-school offers a tailored curriculum promoting the importance of play in the development of the child. Session themes centre around the natural environment with regular sessions held in our purpose made nature garden.
## **Structure, Governance & Management**
a) Governing Document – Orchard Preschool and PLaygroup’s governing documents is the Preschool Learning Alliance Model Constitution 2008 edition which was adopted in 2009.
c) Trustee Selection Method – Trustees are appointed in accordance with the policies set out within the Preschool Learning Alliance Model Constitution 2008.
d) Management - Orchard Preschool and Playgroup is managed by the Management Committee. The role of the committee is to support the Manager and the staffing team in the delivery of the aims of the organisation, as well as fundraising and any other general aspects of management.
e) Internal Controls – The Group has in place systems of internal controls to provide reasonable reassurance against material mismanagement or loss. These include two signatories for all payments and appropriate insurance policies.
## **Objectives and Activities**
The aims of the Pre-school, as set out in our constitution, are to enhance the development and education of children primarily under statutory school age by encouraging parents to understand and provide for the needs of their children through community groups and by:
offering appropriate play, education and care facilities, family learning and extended hours groups, together with the right of parents to take responsibility for and to become involved in the activities of such groups, ensuring that such groups offer opportunities for all children whatever their race, culture, religion, means or ability;
encouraging the study of the needs of such children and their families and promoting public interest in and recognition of such needs in the local areas;
Instigating and adhering to and furthering the aims and objects of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.
In planning our activities for the year we kept in mind the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit at our trustee meetings. The focus for our activities remains centred on
delivering the early years foundation stage with a special emphasis on nature inspired learning through play. This benefits the children as they develop their social and emotional skills in an exciting and engaging environment, exploring the natural world through play.
We have no religious affiliation and are open and welcome to all children and their families. We have excellent facilities and can accommodate children with disabilities and special educational needs. We seek to involve parents, carers and the wider community in the pre-school and playgroup, and hold termly activities directly involving the local community.
We are very grateful to our parent volunteers who work very hard and make a big contribution to the overall running of the pre-school and playgroup. The pre-school and playgroup are overseen by a management committee made up entirely of parent volunteers. The management committee are responsible for the recruitment and retention of staff, the pre-school and playgroups finances and equipment, and ensuring the welfare of all children in attendance. The committee forms the 'registered person' for Ofsted and has overall responsibility for ensuring all legal requirements are met. Parent volunteers are involved in the pre-school and playgroup in many other ways, from organising fundraisers, sharing hobbies and interests with the children, clearing out the cupboard to helping in the garden.
## **Trustees**
- Chairman - Elizabeth Ruffles
- Secretary - Rachael Saunders
- Treasurer - Fleur Dodwell
- Safeguarding Officer - Natalie Davies
- General Trustee - Melinda Blakemore
- General Trustee - Georgina Price
- General Trustee - Gordon Harris
- General Trustee - Hannah Law
- General Trustee - Ayesha Shahid
## **Management**
- Gemma Houghton
## **Safeguarding**
The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud, error and safeguarding. All Trustees, staff and regular helpers are required to maintain a DBS certificate and complete any relevant training.
## **Reserves & Investments**
Orchard Preschool and Playgroup adhere to the financial policies detailed in the Preschool Learning Alliance Model Constitution 2008. Our main financial objective is to create a sustainable and safe financial model that protects all staff and volunteers at all times and has a contingency plan in place should the organisation find themselves in the need to close.
## **Plans for the future**
Covid restrictions were in place for large proportions of this financial period and therefore, planning for the future became extremely difficult. Our main objectives were:
- To protect the health and safety of our staffing team during the pandemic by applying all health and safety guidelines set out by the government
- Continue providing emergency care for Key Worker families so that they can continue to provide vital public services
- Carefully manage the financial sustainability of the preschool, investigate all available central support and raise funds through all available channels.
With these objectives in place, we managed to continue operating a skeleton service during the countrywide lockdowns, furloughing vulnerable members of staff and delivering a vital community service to key worker families.
All health and safety guidelines were followed including testing, the use of PPE and clear instructions given to user to ensure that any sick children were kept at home.
With the correct policies and procedures in place we were able to protect the health of our staff.
We were able to claim a grant through the government’s Job Retention Scheme to help us retain our workforce. Government funding for 3 and 4 year olds was still allocated for all children registered with the setting and Key Worker families seeking unfunded care for their children paid privately for their places. This covered our operational costs allowing us to close the year in a stable financial position.
Future planning beyond 2021 includes:
- Developing adequate provision for our youngest children
- Ensuring all statutory requirement of the early years framework are met
- ● Ensuring adequate supervisions and appraisals of staff were carried out ● Ensuring all staff had completed safeguarding training
- Development of our outside space for our youngest children
- Review all policies, procedures and risk assessments
- Ensuring sustainability of the preschool going forward
- Ensuring the website was up to date and fit for purpose
- Better communication to parents about children’s progress - Tapestry
- Ensure the indoor provision reflects the quality of our outdoor provision
## **ORCHARD PRE-SCHOOL & PLAYGROUP Charity number 1036897 Receipts & payments account For the year ended 31st August 2021**
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Fund**
**Fund**
**Receipts**
Fees - parents & outings
15735.83
0
15975.83
Fees - DCC
38634.15
0
38634.15
Playgroup
0.00
0
0.00
Milk refund
109.90
0
109.90
Fundraising
941.50
0
941.50
Grants inc Senco
16719.47
0
16719.47
Donations
994.30
0
994.30
Other inc gift aid
752.58
0
832.58
Holiday club
6398.00
0
6873.00
Bank interest
3.76
0
3.76
80289.49
0.00
81084.49
**Payments**
Catering
530.00
0
530.00
Premises
2517.00
0
2517.00
Wages
56730.68
0
63811.16
Insurance & subscriptions
622.86
0
622.86
Equipment
1350.10
0
1440.98
Administration
0.00
0
0.00
Advertising
0.00
0
0.00
Event expenses etc
0.00
0
0.00
Pyjama Drama
0.00
0
0.00
Musikgarten
720.00
0
900.00
Training
344.67
0
344.67
Web hosting
50.00
0
50.00
Grant programme exp
1426.88
0
1426.88
Miscellaneous
876.52
0
876.52
65168.71
0.00
72520.07
**Surplus/Defcit for year**
15120.78
0.00
8564.42
Add opening balances
Current account
14314.22
0
14314.22
Deposit account
402.66
0
402.66
Reserve account (Fundraising)
2071.31
0.00
2071.31
**31908.97**
**0.00**
**25352.61**
Represented by:
Current account
22874.88
0.00
22874.88
Deposit account
403.27
0.00
403.27
Reserve account (Fundraising)
2074.46
0.00
2074.46
**25352.61**
**0.00**
**25352.61**|**2020**
15975.83
38634.15
0.00
109.90
941.50
16719.47
994.30
832.58
6873.00
3.76|
|---|---|
||81084.49|
||530.00
2517.00
63811.16
622.86
1440.98
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
900.00
344.67
50.00
1426.88
876.52|
||72520.07|
||8564.42
14314.22
402.66
2071.31|
||**25352.61**|
||22874.88
403.27
2074.46|
||**25352.61**|
Signed
## **ORCHARD PRE-SCHOOL & PLAYGROUP Charity number 1036897**
## **Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st August 2021**
Basis of preparation of Accounts
The accounts have been prepared on the receipts and payments basis.
## 1. Income
All income is accounted for as received by the charity. The income shown is gross with associated costs in expenses.
## 2. Trustees payments
No remuneration or expenses been paid to the trustees in the year.
## 3. Equipment
Toys and equipment purchased are considered general expenses and not shown as assets.
## 4. Prior year note
The payments include £3,675 (wages) relating to 2020 accounts.
## 5. Income
Income due at 31/08/2021 was for DCC Funding, Parent and holiday club fees.
## 6. Expenditure
At the year end there was holiday club rent due.
**Independent Examiner’s Report to the Committee of Orchard Pre-School & Playgroup**
## **Registered Charity Number: 1036897**
I report on the accounts of the Committee for the year ended 31[st] August 2021 are set out on the attached pages.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the 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 have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.Basis of independent examiner’s report.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have 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:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no 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.
**CLARE LILLINGTON Fellow Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians, Raddon Station Hill Chudleigh Newton Abbot Devon, TQ13 0EE**
**Date: 27[th] June 2022**