## **Annual Accounts and Annual Report 2022/ 23** **Charity Registration Number: 1037668** CHARITY COMM155IQN FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Stepping Slones Pr6-S¢hool Canterbury On accounts for the yoar ended 3110812023 Charity no Ilf any) 1037668 Sot out on pages 14 IRe¢eipts and Payments Summary) I report lo the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'the Tru5fl for the year ended 31108 12023. Responsibilities and basis of report As the ¢harity's trusle8s, you are responsible for Ihe preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Chartiies 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 carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Ctsmmis$ion und8r section 145{5)(bl of the Art. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have ¢ome to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me ¢au5e to believe that in. any material respect.. the accounting record8 were not kept in accordance wth $èction 130 of the Ch?rfttes A¢t' or the aGGounts did not accord with the acGounling records", or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements con￿mIng the fom and content of accounts set out in the Charities IAcGount5 and Reports) RegL61ation$ 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, vi8w which is not a matter Gonsider8d a5 part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come a¢ro$s no other matters in connedion wlth the examlnatlon lo whlch attenllon should be drawn in thls report In order to enable a proper understandirvJ of the accounts to be reached. Slgned: Date: 0710112024 Name: stephen Lazell Relevant professlonal qualification(sl or body (If any): ACCA (Reg # 09914361 Address: 2 Juniper Close, Canlerbury, KenL CT13LL IER Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner rFeeds to highlight material m8tters of concern (see CC32, Independent examinaliors of charity a¢counts.' directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examlner wishes to di$clo8e. None. IER CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES h￿rIty Mame Stèpplrtg St+Me8 Pre School (i! anJl.-.- 1037668 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the perlod from ei'.o,d piB-J d<.' To iW2022 Section A Receipts and payments Unrtr$trlcted fund tothe npareit Restricted funds Endowmont funds Totsl funds L19t year toth8 n8aroat£ tothv n&avvslf lotho ngrnte . toth• n￿r•￿te , '.A1 Recel t6 Extemai (KGC Tukn Fee5 FtsNJraisiry Bank inlwesl Snaeksnrfps Gran Dorwtlons ' 53,852 11368 53.852 12,368 53.099 8,603 741 io 293 7.254 7E4 4,322 0,673 764 Sub total (Gross income for AR) . 74136 83,409 Y2,34& A2 A$sgt and inv•$tment sale5, soè lable Sub total 156 BJ,409 71348 monts, siaff wageB rent c(￿Sumab Casual Siaff 65.133 809 1.17S 1.144 Try51Ev2nts 1.144 2.2f2 to 549 767 767 724 Train#vJ ,Wdmini?trabon Sub total 74049 A4 Assgt and Investment urchases see tsble Sub total 7&049 7.264 85,3&1 Net of recelpts/(paymentsJ .AS Transfers betiiieèn funiis A6 cash funds last y¢ar 8nd C8s1i funds this year end _ 7,950 IER Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted fund5 to Mar•8t£ Rèstrieted Endowment funds to nowest£ Categoriès Detsils to noarost£ B1 Cash funds e2sh h hand Cash81 bÈrTrk{￿￿en1acC0UnlsI Ca5ho1 b&nkldepDsiI acCoL￿tS) 4682 2&2JO Total cash funds, 31248 Unrèstrlctsd fvnds to n•arotst£ Restrlcted funds nearèst£ Eftdowmènt funds to n•8io8t£ . Dètalls B2 Other monetary a¥sets Fundtowhl Costloptlonall Cury9n¢v•lup .83 Investment assets Fund towhlth A8¥et b•1 Detsils Co*tloptlonall Curtontvaluo onal B4 Assets retalned for the harlty's ovm use Ful￿ .Det8ils lona B5 Llabllftle$ Signed by one or t¢n trustees on behatF of all the trustees Slgnature Print Nan roval Mcok B cokq Ba 0511012￿23 IER ## **Trustees’ Annual Report 2022/ 23** ## **From 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023** ## **Charity name: Stepping Stones Pre-School Canterbury** ## **Charity registration number: 1037668** ## **Objectives and Activities** |**Objectives and Activities**||| |---|---|---| ||SORP reference|| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|The aims of the Pre-School 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:
(a) 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
(b) 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
(c) instigating and adhering to and furthering
the aims and objects of the Early Years
Alliance| |Summary of the main activities
in relation to those purposes
for the public benefit, in
particular, the activities,
projects or services identified
in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and 1.19|We provided a charity pre-school, totally
focussed on our children, families and
community, where children built on their
learning through creative play.
We ran pre-school sessions for 2-5 year olds
every week day during term time. Children's
wellbeing was absolutely paramount and was
nurtured by a skilled and experienced team
and a welcoming and inclusive learning
environment. This was especially important as
the long tail of Covid still significantly affected
the well-being and development of children.
We provided excellent opportunities for
learningand development, givingchildren the| |||freedom to develop at their own pace and
reach their full potential within the Early Years
Foundation Stage. Children became resilient
and independent learners who are willing to
take risks and to challenge themselves as they
learn through play. Our children's wellbeing
was high and those that left us at the end of
the summer term were well prepared for their
transition to primary school. The charity
continued to embed excellence and best
practice in its work.
Our knowledgeable, professional, caring and
experienced staff team continued to be really
valued by children and families. Very strong
partnerships with parents and carers
supported children’s learning and
development.
We welcomed children from a wide range of
backgrounds, including those living in areas of
deprivation, children with English as an
additional language, those with special
educational and health needs and families
working with Children's Services.
Children enjoyed events and fundraising
activities at Christmas, Easter and summer and
a transition celebration for those children that
left pre-school in July to start school in
September.
Staff and volunteers took the children on
outings around the local community, including
to: Dane John Gardens to do litter picking,
Kearsney Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and the
library as well as carol singing at Waitrose with
families.| |---|---|---| |Statement confirming whether
the trustees have had regard
to the guidance issued by the
Charity Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|Trustees have considered the Charity
Commission’s guidance on public benefit when
planning the charity’s activities| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|The charity is governed by a volunteer Board of
Trustees, with a wide range of skills and
experience across charity, business, education
and family support. All trustees either currently
have children at the pre-school, or previously
had children with us and they have a real
commitment to the charity and the wellbeing
and learning of the children in our care. Our
constitution involves all parents and carers as
family members of the charity and they take on
active roles as volunteers within the setting| and at community events. ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to the
circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a whole.|Para 1.20|The charity supported 36 children to develop
within the Early Years Foundation Stage during
the year.
5 children had English as an additional language,
alongside Ukrainian, Arabic, Malaylam,
Cantonese and Bulgarian
5 children received Free for Two funding for all
or part of the year; 7 children received Early
Years Pupil Premium funding; 3 children
received Special Educational Needs Inclusion
Funding and 6 Disability Access Funding
The charity continued to support children and
families to work with partner agencies,
including: 6 children accessing the Specialist
Teaching Service or Speech and Language
Therapy; 4 children accessing Kent Children’s
Services and 1 Early Help.
At the end of the year, children left the pre-
school to start school in 6 different primary
schools across Canterbury and surrounding
areas. The charity received positive feedback
from the schools on the learning and
development of the children.
The charity received very positive feedback
throughout the year from the parents and carers
of children including the following comments:
•
The team are “_absolutely lovely!”_
•
_“Overall, it was a very pleasant experience_
_for us. Thank you for making my child very_
_happy.”_
•
_“I think you lot are outstanding and we are_
_so thankful for you!”_
•
The charity continued to recognise the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the
wellbeing of children and families and on
children’s communication and social skills.
The charity continued to receive a Covid
Recovery grant and ran additional activities
within the setting including “Sign n Rhyme”
– singing and signing sessions, and Football
from “Little Kickers”.| The charity’s staff continued to develop their professional practice during the year, attending training and learning events in a range of areas, including: Statutory Safeguarding and Prevent Training, FGM, Early Years Child Development, Development Matters, Makaton, Planning in the Moment, Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Autism, Attention, Curiosity, Communication and Language, Social and Emotional Development, Food Hygiene All trustees completed training in governance and safeguarding. The charity’s Manager continued her role as a mentor for the DfE Early Years covid recovery programme; delivering mentoring sessions for early years settings in Telford, Hackney, Edmonton. All staff accessed early years professional development training to embed knowledge around communication and language. Across the year, the charity appointed a new Early Years Educator following the retirement of a member of staff at the end of the previous year. The Business Administration Apprentice moved on at the end of the Year. ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|Across the year, the trustees implemented an
annual plan with actions in five key priority
areas: Children, Families and Safeguarding;
Staff, Volunteers and Health and Safety;
Fundraising; Communications; and Governance
and Finance. Trustees regularly monitored
progress against the plan and ensured that
objectives were met. Trustees completed an
annual review of the charity’s work.| |---|---|---| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives set|Para 1.41|The trustees set the following fundraising
objectives for the year:
•
To raise income from individual giving and
community events to meet the shortfall in
statutory funding for childcare places
•
To raise income from grants, statutory
funding and corporate funding to provide
additional services for children and families
•
To further diversify the charity’s income
streams
The trustees set realisticgoals. The charity’s| fundraising group performed well in identifying and securing funding and monitored the charity’s fundraising plan across the year. The charity secured some additional funding as detailed in the accounts but trustees were mindful of the ever-present gap between funding and costs and the attendant threat to its reserves and are aware that they will need to monitor this extremely closely going forward Details of the funding secured are shown in the charity’s Annual Accounts and within this Annual Report. ## **Financial Review** |Review of the charity’s financial
position at the end of the
period|Para 1.21|The charity is ending this financial year with our
payments exceeding our receipts by
approximately £2000 but covered by a carry
forward and a transfer between funds.| |---|---|---| |Statement explaining the policy
for holding reserves stating why
they are held|Para 1.22|Following a review we now hold reserves of
£25,280 to cover the costs of charity wind up
and dissolution. This covers 3 months
approximate running costs and all staff
redundancies. The reserve fund is restricted to
emergency use only and can only be accessed in
the event of the charity’s dissolution.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£25,280| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|n/a| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|n/a| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the charity
continuingas agoingconcern|Para 1.23|n/a| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||The charity’s principal sources
of funds (including any
fundraising)|Para 1.47|The charity’s main source of income continues
to be government funding for childcare
provision, through Kent County Council.
Secondary to this is the income from fees for
children who are not in receipt of government-
funded childcare.
As in previous years, the income from these
sources does not cover the charity’s costs and
thisyear the charityhas continued to focus on| |---|---|---|---| |||finding other sources of income, including:
charitable grants, statutory grants, voluntary
contributions from parents and carers and
community fundraising. The majority of grants
received this year were used for specific
projects such as “Little Kickers”, “Sign n
Rhyme” and funding our additional member of
staff who works 2 days a week as standard as
well as extra days as needed to enable staff to
work intensively with children with additional
needs.| |---|---|---| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|n/a| |Investment policy and
objectives including any social
investment policy adopted|Para 1.46|n/a| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|The main risk facing the charity is the disparity
between its main funding avenues and its
outgoings. The fundraising team will continue
to focus on obtaining additional funding to
cover the difference.| |Other||| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed,royal charter)|Para 1.25|Constitution| |How is the charity constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association,CIO)|Para 1.25|Unincorporated association| |Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of any
person or body entitled to
appoint one or more trustees|Para 1.25|Elected by members or co-opted by trustees| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|Para 1.51|The charity has a clear process for the
recruitment and induction of trustees, which is
overseen by the Governance and Finance
Group. The Chair of Trustees and Manager
support new trustees with their induction to
the charity. During their induction, trustees
meet staff, volunteers, children and families
and complete training and reading in
governance,safeguardingand areas relevant to| |---|---|---|---| |||their specific role.| |---|---|---| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the charity
works|Para 1.51|The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees,
who meet on a termly basis to review the
charity’s progress against its annual plan and
budget. Sub-committees of the Board report
into trustee meetings on work in the following
priority areas: Children, Families and
Safeguarding; Staff, Volunteers and Health and
Safety; Fundraising; Communications; and
Governance and Finance. Each sub-committee
has a Lead Trustee who oversees the charity’s
work in that area.
The pre-school is run day-to-day by a small
staff team. All staff are highly qualified and are
led by a Manager with an MA in Early
Childhood Education (with Distinction). Staff
performance is monitored through a
supervision and appraisal system. The Manager
and the Chair of Trustees work together well
and fortnightly staff meetings, which the Chair
of Trustees attends on a termly basis, ensure
good communication across the charity.
The pre-school is regulated by Ofsted and the
charity is a member of the Early Years Alliance,
the National Council for Voluntary
Organisations and a collaboration of local pre-
schools.| |Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|n/a| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charityname|SteppingStones Pre-School Canterbury| |---|---| |Other name the charityuses|n/a| |Registered charitynumber|1037668| |Charity’sprincipal address|Kendall Hall,NunneryFields,Canterbury,Kent,CT1 3JN| **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee(if any)**| |---|---|---|---| |Kathryn Rogers|Chair and acting
Treasurer||n/a| |Tiffany Carter|Secretary||| |Anna Campion|||| |Nicola Bayly|Acting Treasurer||| |Sally Heath|||| |Coral Murray||08/06/23|| **----- Start of picture text -----**
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**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** Sally Heath, Manager ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** |**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary, Chair,**
**etc)**
**Date**|Kathryn Rogers|Nicola Bayly| |---|---|---| ||Kathryn Rogers|Nicola Bayly| ||
Chair and Acting Treasurer|Acting Treasurer| |||| ||18/01/2024|18/01/2024|