Trustee Annual Report (September 2019 – August 2020)
Charity Name: Modbury Preschool Registered Charity Number: 1039616 Address: Barracks Road, Modbury, Devon PL21 0RF
Chairman’s Report, September 2019-August 2020
Trustee Names
| Trustee Names | ||
|---|---|---|
| Role | Name | Action |
| Chairman | BeckyPhelan | |
| Treasurer | Kate Miller | Took over treasurer from Sarah Walker |
| Secretary | Zoe Goss | Took over Secretary from Clare Poulter |
| Manager | Kate Porter | |
| Committee Member | Georgie Ruhl | Joined as committee member |
| Committee Member | Emma Hancock | |
| Committee Member | Sylvie Knight | |
| Committee Member | Anna Coates |
Hello, my name is Becky Phelan and I have now been Chairman of the Modbury Preschool Committee for 2 years. This time last year, Kate Miller joined us as Treasurer, a role she took over from Sarah Walker. Clare Poulter stepped down as Secretary, with Zoe Goss taking her place and Sylvie Knight, Anna Coates and Emma Hancock remained as Committee members. In addition, we welcomed Georgie Ruhl as a Committee member.
In October 2019, the Preschool was transformed when we took the plunge and invested heavily in the beautiful furniture and accessories that you see there today. It was a big decision to spend the £25,000, but I think you’ll all agree it was money well spent. Also, it was a very fun day spent, on a wet, windy Saturday, opening all the many, many boxes and ooooing and ahhhhing over the treasures within!
In late November, we ran the usual Santa’s Grotto on the Modbury Christmas lights night. We even bought Santa a new costume – the one from the previous few years was looking rather tired! In total, we made just over £200, and the event seemed to be enjoyed by all involved.
We were also lucky enough to be the recipients, once again, of a couple more rounds of Coop funding, where Co-op members can donate 1% of their total shop towards the preschool. The first payment of the academic year was nearly £1700 and was primarily spent on yoga and other extra-curricular activities for the children over the previous summer. The second payment of the same amount was earmarked for School’s Out, of which £250 has now been spent on Holiday Club activities and age appropriate toys. Perhaps Kim could expand on this for us? The current round of funding is ongoing, and we are hoping to spend it on shelters for outdoor play.
And then, it was 2020. A year I’m sure we will all be glad to see the back of. Fundraising events stopped. Preschool stopped. In fact, nearly everything stopped. Most of the staff were furloughed for a period of time, apart from Kate and Nell who continued working in order to keep up with the ever-increasing administration. I checked in with them regularly, and it seemed to me they spent much of their time wading through lengthy government documents, which although were published in order to support and guide us on the necessary actions and latest rules, were complex and hard to understand. I think they had a most unenviable task, and I have huge respect for the fact they persevered and kept going (mostly with smiles on their faces). I also think their regular communications and messages to parents were hugely appreciated. They were reassuring and detailed during a most unsettling time. Well done girls!
I would also like to thank the rest of the staff. As a Preschool parent myself, it was lovely to receive messages on Tapestry from keyworkers, with suggestions of activities and ways to entertain the little ones. Bridget’s garden visits, Kim’s songs and stories were such fun and very well received. Felix loved to see the familiar faces, even if they were on a screen. At times, it nearly brought a tear to my eye to see him so engaged and happy to see his friends.
It was so lovely when Preschool was able to open its doors once more, to more than the just key worker children. The days and hours were understandably restricted, but it was great for staff and children to start to get back to some semblance of normality. I felt this was particularly important for those children going up into Foundation Stage in September – they were able to get used to being around their friends again for a few weeks before their lives changed again.
The Preschool held its own through lockdown. Amazingly, in the 2019-20 academic year, we still made a small profit despite spending out on the furniture and despite reduced incoming fees. It’s worth noting, the committee made a decision back in March not to charge parents for sessions that their children were unable to attend – some nurseries continued to charge for booked sessions in order to hold a place for the child, but we felt this was not the path we wanted to follow. We also managed to offer a place to every child that requested one on the re-opening date. A logistical nightmare, but Kate and Nell smashed it! We have to remember, however, that many of our preschool colleagues around the UK do not have such a happy tale to tell. Many were forced to close, despite government support.
In other news, we have now invested in a BrightHR Human Resources support package for staff and HR expertise. There are many benefits for staff and employers alike – from expert advice at any time, to free counselling services for staff and their families, to an online health portal with advice on nutrition, wellbeing and fitness, amongst other things.
This year has definitely shown us that Nell’s role in the Preschool office (or should I say cupboard?) is a vital part of the smooth running of the business. It also became clear that she was doing a huge amount more than her ‘Administrator’ title gave her credit for. For this reason, we have decided to give her a new title that reflects what she actually does, and she will be renumerated accordingly. Please meet our new ‘Business and Office Manager’. Thank you, Nell.
I would also like to thank departing members of the committee. Sylvie, Georgie, Clare and Zoe. I must mention that Clare Poulter did a fantastic job as secretary, but we also benefitted hugely from her HR experience and her energy in helping to plan fundraising events. Zoe, also will be missed. Amongst many other things, she applied for all our Coop funding – she has been behind thousands of pounds of grants for which we are so grateful. Clare and Zoe are major contributors to our success in recent years. Thank you both so much.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about joining of helping the committee, we are always looking for new members. This year we are particularly looking for a new secretary and we would also like to create a new role of ‘fundraising lead’. There is a bit of official paperwork to complete, but we can guide you through that. Please ask any one of us if you would like to find out more.
Thank you for coming this evening and do let me know if you have any questions.
Becky Phelan, Chairman Modbury Preschool – November 2020
Managers report Modbury Preschool - 2019-2020
Autumn Term 2019
In this term we averaged 18 children per session. We had use of both rooms but the 2nd room wasn’t as resourced or organised as our original room. We made the decision to invest in new furniture for both rooms to update and reorganise. I think Becky will talk more about that in her report. In October half term the new furniture arrived and thank you to all who helped build and set up the rooms. With everything in and both rooms fully equipped the Butterflies and Caterpillars rooms were formed. The caterpillars room is a dedicated room for 2 and just 3 year olds and Butterflies room is for the 3 and 4 year olds. This was just in time as we had alot of 2 year old new starters. The ratio for adults to children for 2 year olds is 1:4 and on some days we had 11 2 year olds which meant that we needed 3 members of staff in the room. This is when we employed Molly 2 days a week to cover. Molly was at college 3 days a week completing a level 2 qualification in childcare so was perfect for the position.
Breakfast and afterschool club were thriving and averaged 14 children per session. October half term holiday club was a success and averaged 12 children per day.
Our Christmas nativity was a real success, the children loved learning the songs and we found we had some budding actors. The children all loved performing on the stage and showed real confidence and pride in their performances- for the 1st time ever we also had 1 girl who performed a solo of “away in a manger”...there were not many dry eyes in the house. We all enjoyed a lovely Christmas lunch cooked by the school chef and loved joining in with the Tiddlers christmas party, where the children met father christmas.
Spring Term 2020
We averaged 20 children per session, with the caterpillar room being full and up to capacity every morning.
Schools out averaged 15 per session and Feb half term holiday club 14 per day.
Then came March!!
The preschool shut when lockdown was announced. Nell and i continued to work full time from home and learnt a whole load of new skills. Over night we had to become professionals in many finance, H.R and communications. We were only able to furlough some staff due to government rules re what money we received through funding and through private income. Some staff worked from home doing training courses, planning activities, communicating with parents and doing Zoom calls with children. The preschool reopened on June 2nd for 3 days a week giving preference to keyworker and vulnerable children. This worked well and the children all adapted the new routines really quickly, it was lovely seeing them again and they all seemed really happy to be back. We opened with 3 members of staff, myself, Kim and Molly. We were open 10am-2.30pm to start with. We opened with 2 bubbles of 15 children in total. I was concerned that the children would not cope so well with saying goodbye to parents at the gate but was really happy that during this period we did not have 1 child cry or get upset - in fact it seemed to work better or the children.
On June 22nd we moved to opening 5 days a week and for longer hours. We welcomed back Ruth, Wendy and Jacqui as the second staff team. Our numbers were consistent at 15 children per day split into 2 bubbles. The rest of the staff remained furloughed during this period.
A big thank you to Kim who sorted and arranged all of the graduation photos for the children going to school and also for helping Emma to sort everything out for the teatowels.
Summer holiday club opened just for children of Modbury preschool and primary school for 3 days a week for 5 weeks. We averaged 15 children per day with 3 members of staff working each day. During the summer i received the sad news that Bridget
had decided to retire. I completely understood why but felt sad as this was a big loss for the preschool. Bridget had been at the preschool for over 40 years and has a wealth of experience and knowledge. She is now enjoying her well deserved retirement and can’t wait until the time she can come in and see the children again.
At this point we decided to employ Molly as a full time level 3 apprentice in September. This has all worked really well and Molly has fitted into the team amazingly and is a real hit with all the children. It is lovely to have someone young and all the energy and enthusiasm she brings everyday.
Even though this report should finish as of September i would like to say a big thank you to Jenny who started working with us in October for 2 days per week covering staff sickness. Jenny has a degree in early years. She has fitted in really well and is a great asset to the team. Thank you Jenny for stepping in with such little notice.
I would like to finish by thanking the staff team who have all pulled together amazingly and supported each other a great deal. The happiness i see everyday from the children is greatly due to the staff who have dealt with everything that this year has thrown at them and are so positive with the children.
Also thank you to the committee especially Becky and Kate who have supported me and Nell during this period amazingly. Lastly to the children, i am amazed and awed by how well the children have adjusted and dealt with everything this year. I feel honoured and privileged to be able to spend my days with them sharing their joy and wonder.
Modbury Preschool Treasurer’s Report - September 2019 August 2020
I am happy and very relieved to be able to report that the Preschool is financially secure and fulfils all the Charity Commissions requirements. My first year as Treasurer has been interesting, there has been many times that I have been so grateful that the Preschool went into this pandemic in a strong financial position. We haven’t had to make any staff redundant or reduce wages.
During lockdown Nell and Kate had the arduous task of trying to make sense of furloughing. We applied for furlough but were only eligible for 39% of the staff’s salary, the decision was taken by the committee to make up the wages to 80%. Due to the closure of the preschool in the first part of the year the money we received from government grants was less than the previous year at £49, 734.72. Parents contributed £52,399.87 of billed hours. The committee made the decision not to charge parents for booked sessions going into lockdown (other pre-schools did). £380 was donated by very generous parents during lockdown.
There was a brief time before lockdown and due to brilliant work by committee members we have received four rounds of Co-Op funding. In January Kingsbridge Tesco collected £1166 for Forest School, this money has not been spent yet. Santa’s grotto raised £204.90.
Obviously fundraising has been almost impossible but going forward it is going to be essential, not just to raise money but to engage the community once again. Breakfast, Afterschool and Holiday Clubs have had to change this year to accommodate the ever changing government guild lines, numbers are significantly down due to the bubble limit and more parents working from home. We know the holiday clubs are greatly enjoyed by children so fingers crossed 2021 will be back to full capacity.
We have four bank accounts. The Reserve and Contingency accounts are legally restricted funds to cover all redundancies and a sudden drop in numbers. The Fundraising account is for income and expenditure relating to fundraising and the Treasurers account is for all fees and expenses.
In spite of 2020 being incredibly challenging we have come out of it with a profit of £2,583.73. This is reflection of how well the preschool is managed, how hard staff work and how vital we are to the community.
Profit and loss and balance sheet for Modbury Preschool
Profit and loss report
| INCOME | EXPENDITURE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants | £ | 49,734.72 |
Rents, Rates, Utilities | £ | 3,926.96 |
| Session Fees | £ | 102,134.59 |
Wages | £ | 93,678.77 |
| Vouchers | £ | - |
HMRC | £ | 10,032.18 |
| Donations | £ | 2,167.46 |
BT | £ | 433.44 |
| Insurance, PLA | |||||
| Sundries | £ | 165.20 |
Ofsted, NEST | £ | 6,850.26 |
| Books, Computer | |||||
| Fundraising | £ | 1,383.37 |
Supplies, Shopping | £ | 6,083.80 |
| Repair | |||||
| Interest | £ | 14.87 |
Maintenance | £ | 28,010.46 |
| Training | £ | 1,850.73 |
|||
| Travel outings | £ | 100.00 |
|||
| Marketing | £ | 344.60 |
|||
| Petty Cash | £ | 800.00 |
|||
| Sundries | £ | 725.61 |
|||
| Other | £ | 179.67 |
|||
| Total | £155,600.21 | Total | £ | 153,016.48 |
|
| Profit/Loss | £ | 2,583.73 |
- 1st September 2019 31st August 2020
| TREASURER'S ACCOUNT Opening cash position Profit/loss Closing cash position BALANCE SHEET 2020 Contigency 16,006.11 £ Treasurer 61,075.43 £ Fundraising 5,205.67 £ Reserve 14,055.76 £ 96,342.97 £ Balance sheet |
93,759.24 2,583.73 £ 96,342.97 £ - £ 2019 14,048.79 £ 61,616.18 £ 2,134.84 £ 15,990.31 £ 93,790.12 £ |
|---|---|
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ members of
Modbury Pre-school
On accounts for the year 31[st] August 2020 Charity no 1039616 ended (if any) Set out on pages 2 2 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed. [The charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [named body]]. Delete [ ] if not applicable.
It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given examiner’s statement by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention examiner's statement (other than that disclosed below *)
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act
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have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
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Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: Nicola Hooper
Date: 19[th] November 2020
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IER
Name: NICOLA HOOPER
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):
MAAT
Address: 21 CHERRY TREE CLOSE EXETER DEVON EX4 5AT
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.(E.g. accounting records have not been kept in accordance with s132 of the Charities’ Act 2011 and those accounts do not comply with the requirements of the 2008 Regulations setting out the form and content of charity accounts; any material expenditure or action which appears not to be in accordance with the trusts of the charity; any failure to be provided with information and explanations by any past or present trustee, officer or employee; and any material consistency between the accounts and the trustees’ annual report.)
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IER
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
3
IER