2023-08-31-accounts

Stanton Drew & Pensford Preschool Annual Report: 1[st] September 2022 to 31[st] August 2023 Registered Charity Number: 1055041

The Aims of our Charity

Our charity provides high quality, affordable education and childcare for local families. We offer opportunities for high quality early learning, with lots of outdoor and forest club activities, to children aged between 2 years and 5 years old. We have a strong focus on the needs of the individual and in supporting each child’s development. We are committed to being a fully inclusive setting. We prioritise the wellbeing of staff. We are a voluntary run setting and proud to be a parent/committee led preschool.

Summary of Accounts for Financial Year Ended 31[st] August 2023

The accounts for this financial year show a small loss of around £500. All staff were given a pay rise in April 2023, in line with the percentage increase in the National Minimum Wage. This has led to another steep rise in the wages bill but because preschool was very busy last year we were able to almost break even.

Current Financial Position

Preschool has a Reserve Fund to cover any situation in which the preschool might have to close, with outstanding liabilities covered by the Fund. We have moved some income from the Reserve Fund over time, to cover the costs of the move of premises. Because some long serving staff have left, this has reduced our total redundancy payment liabilities. The total amount required needs to be gradually replenished. Our Reserve Funds are in a deposit account to earn interest for the Charity.

During this financial year, preschool received a visit from Ofsted and secured a ‘good’ rating. The inspection was a positive experience for staff and our next visit is now not due for around six years.

Preschool is currently very busy and is full on several days of the week. We are now maintaining a waiting list into 2025.

Our goals from last year

1. Recalculate and replenish Reserve Fund.

Due to lots of pressure on the committee around recruiting and interviewing new staff, we have not been able to focus on building up our

financial position this year and replenishing the Reserve Fund. At present this is not a problem as long serving staff have left, thus reducing our liabilities, but this needs to be seen as a future priority.

2. Continue to invest in the new premises and in staff training.

All new staff have now received the appropriate child protection training. This has taken a while because the BANES courses are not run as regularly as previously.

The Hall Committee have invested in a new kitchen and preschool has been given some cupboard space. We have had to remove our filing cabinets but can hopefully create a new storage area for these. We have also asked whether we can build some wooden planters along the railings.

There was a meeting during the year, which the Chair and Treasurer attended, to talk with the Hall Committee about how preschool is settling in. Some issues were raised around use of storage areas, general tidiness of the hall and maintenance/clearing of the kitchen spaces. Committee passed this information onto staff who are trying their hardest to maintain the areas as requested.

3. Maintain and build the staff team.

In the last financial year there was a significant turnover of staff, with our setting leader Nicky Sparkes and the deputy leader Kelly Seymour leaving the setting during the year, due to being unable to continue to work in the early years sector. Our one-to-one assistant, Michele Miller, who had been employed on a temporary basis to support children with EHCPs, also left in the summer, as the children she was supporting moved on to school.

Fortunately, we were able to recruit new team members, all of whom have qualified teacher status. Melissa Azorin was recruited as the new setting leader, Gemma Mounty and Nathalie Galve were recruited into a job share role as the new SENDCO/Deputies and Patricia Casado-Ponz joined us as an additional preschool assistant with QTS. Hayley Rees stayed with us as a preschool assistant and is looking to complete her Level 3 qualification.

Sarah Martin is working as bank staff and we warmly welcome any parents who are suitably qualified to apply to join the list.

4. Encourage new parents and carers to join the committee

The committee has remained stable, with Gemma Mounty now acting as the staff representative since she has joined the staff team. We hope to encourage new parents and carers to join at this year’s AGM, by hosting it on zoom.

Our goals for this year

1. Maintain high staff ratios to support children’s needs and staff wellbeing. Prioritise staff wellbeing to support the retention of staff.

2. Create additional storage space for resources, in conjunction with the Hall Committee. We are hoping to create a new cupboard space in the area behind the current chair cupboard.

3. Ensure preschool remains sustainable by careful management of finances, including encouraging parents to hold and support fundraising events to finance additional resources. We will need to be aware of the cost implications of the rise in the NMW next April, along with the increase in funded entitlements for some 2-year-olds.

4. Work with the new setting leader to ensure that her workload is sustainable, moving some additional admin tasks over to our accountant.

5. Purchase and introduce a new online assessment/learning journey system, including potentially to be used for invoicing.

Sue Cowley, Chair of Preschool Committee October 2023

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