S
ANNUAL REPORT 2025
Registered Charity Number: 1064759 Registration Ofsted Number: EY337731
SURESTART ‘Where Kids Come First’, Ockendon Family Hub, 2a Afton Drive, South Ockendon, Essex, RM15 5PA Tel : 01708 670011 Mobile : 07587 005472 E-mail : surestart1@aol.com
Our Charitable Aims for our work with Children and Families
Our charitable aim is “to provide children in our care with opportunities to LEARN THROUGH PLAY in a stimulating and exciting setting. We also wish to support families and encourage their involvement in their children’s education outside of the home. In providing quality care we are committed to developing the full potential of all our children and staff” .
Our Groups and Fees from April 2025-March 2026
| GROUPS | AGE | TIME | COST | DAY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast Club | Rising 5 to 12yrs |
7.30am to 8.45 am |
£7.14 | Monday to Friday Term time only |
| Pre-School MorningSessions |
2 to 5yrs | 8.30am to 11.30am |
£21.63 or free entitlement |
Monday to Friday Term time only |
| Pre-School Afternoon Sessions |
2 to 5yrs | 11.30am to 2.30pm |
£21.63 or free entitlement |
Monday to Friday Term time only |
| Full-Day Care MorningSessions |
0 to 5yrs | 8.00am to 1.00pm | £35.80 | Monday to Friday 38/51 weeksperyear |
| Full-Day Care Afternoon Sessions |
0 to 5yrs | 1.00pm to 6.00pm | £35.80 | Monday to Friday 38/51 weeks per year |
| Full-Day Care Full Day |
0 to 5yrs |
8.00am to 6.00pm | £68.02 | Monday to Friday 38/51 weeksperyear |
| After School Kids Club |
Rising 5 to 12yrs |
3.00pm to 6.00pm | £18.87 | Monday to Friday Term time only |
| Holiday Club | Rising 5 to 12yrs |
8.00am to 6.00pm | £35.80 | Monday to Friday using Thurrock Council school calendar |
| Holiday Club | Rising 5 to 12yrs |
8.00am to 1.00pm OR 1.00pm to 6.00pm |
£17.90 £17.90 |
Monday to Friday using Thurrock Council school calendar |
| DETAILS OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS | DETAILS OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS | DETAILS OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAFF MEMBERS | JOB ROLE | START DATE |
EXPERIENCE/TRAINING/ QUALIFICATIONS |
| Lucy Pollock | Manager/Safeguarding officer/Keyworker |
March 1993 |
NNEB III /First Aid/ Safeguarding |
| Tanya Gould | Deputy Manager/Room Leader/Keyworker/Behaviour Officer |
Jan 2000 |
Cache III /First Aid/ Safeguarding |
| Tammy Marsh | Nursery Practitioner/ Keyworker/Speech & Language Officer |
June 2002 |
NOCN in Childcare II (not FAR) /First Aid |
| Jackie Goulden | SENCO/Nursery Practitioner/Keyworker |
June 2007 | NVQ III in Childcare and Education /First Aid |
| Rita Town | Kitchen Assistant | April 2002 | First Aid/Food Hygiene |
| Lorraine Latham | Nursery Practitioner/ Keyworker |
June 2017 | Cache III /Food Hygiene/ First Aid |
| Laura Dove | Cleaner | July 2017 | |
| Angel Jolly | Nursery Practitioner/ Keyworker |
Sept 2018 | Children & Young People Level II(not FAR)/First Aid |
| Tina Bottjer | Joint Room Leader/2 yr old Officer/ Keyworker |
March 2022 |
Cache Level 4/First Aid |
| Katie O’Connell | Joint Room Leader/2 yr old Officer/ Keyworker |
March 2023 |
Level III in Childcare/First Aid |
| Munni Islam | Nursery Practitioner | Sept 2023 |
BA Childhood & Youth Studies(not FAR)/ First Aid |
| Tia Reeves | Nursery Practitioner | July 2024 | Cache III |
| Sarafina Dolcey | Lunch Cover | On Probation |
|
| Gillian Davidoff | Administrator & Finance | Jan 2025 left Oct 25 |
Bookkeeping Level 2, Sage Online |
| Joanne Town | Kitchen Assistant | Jan 2025 | Food Hygiene |
| Megan Brace | Nursery Practitioner | On Probation |
Below is an example of staff deployment
| C Captain f BlusteryBay b Calm Cove KO Kitchen(On Call) k Kitchen(No Kids) NK Escort/Cleaning OC FortnightlySupervision o Office l Lunch |
C Captain f BlusteryBay b Calm Cove KO Kitchen(On Call) k Kitchen(No Kids) NK Escort/Cleaning OC FortnightlySupervision o Office l Lunch |
C Captain f BlusteryBay b Calm Cove KO Kitchen(On Call) k Kitchen(No Kids) NK Escort/Cleaning OC FortnightlySupervision o Office l Lunch |
C Captain f BlusteryBay b Calm Cove KO Kitchen(On Call) k Kitchen(No Kids) NK Escort/Cleaning OC FortnightlySupervision o Office l Lunch |
C Captain f BlusteryBay b Calm Cove KO Kitchen(On Call) k Kitchen(No Kids) NK Escort/Cleaning OC FortnightlySupervision o Office l Lunch |
C Captain f BlusteryBay b Calm Cove KO Kitchen(On Call) k Kitchen(No Kids) NK Escort/Cleaning OC FortnightlySupervision o Office l Lunch |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesdays | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06:30 to | 07:00 to | 07:30 to | 08:00 to | 08:30 | 09:00 to | 09:30 to | 10:00 to | 10:30 to | 11:00 to | 11:30 to | 12:00 to | 12:30 to | 13:00 to | 13:30 to | 14:00 to | 14:30 to | 15:00 to | 15:30 to | 16:00 to | 16:30 to | |||||||||
| Lorraine | f | f | f | f | f | f | L | l | f | f | f | f | f | f | f | f | f | ||||||||||||
| TANYA | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | l | l | o | o | o | C | C | C | KO | ||||||||||
| Angel | F | f | f | b | b | F | C | Captain | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Munni | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | l | l | b | b | b | b | ||||||||||
| Katie | f | BlusteryBay | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jackie | f | F | F | F | F | f | f | F | F | F | F | l | l | b | b | NK | F | ||||||||||||
| Jo(Kitchen) |
K | K | K | K | K | K | b | Calm Cove | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Tammy Tina |
b | b | b | b | b | b | b | b | l | l | b | f b |
f b |
f b |
f b |
nk b |
l b |
f b |
f b |
KO | Kitchen(On Call) | ||||||||
| Tia | k | Kitchen(No Kids) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rita | k | k | k | k | k | k | k | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| LUCY(Manager) GilliAdi |
F | F | F | F |
F |
o |
F |
F |
F |
F |
F |
F l |
f l |
l |
l |
o |
o |
o |
o |
NK | Escort/Cleaning | ||||||||
| an(mn) Laura(Cleaner) |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o |
o nk |
OC | FortnightlySupervision | |||||||||||||
| HAVE NEED |
0 | 0 | 6 | 6 5 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
6 6 |
5 5 |
5 5 |
4 5 |
4 4 |
4 4 |
5 4 |
4 4 |
4 4 |
o | Office | ||||||
| BB x 23(9) | BB x 18(6) | BB x 9(3) | l | Lunch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CC x 6(1) | crossover 23(9) | CC x 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The SURESTART Staff 2025 (and Task Group names)
Lucy (Limpets) Tanya (Terrapins) Tina (Turtles) Katie (Kingfish) Manager & Deputy Manager & Joint Calm Cove Room Leaders Safeguarding Blustery Bay Room Leader
SEND Co-ordinator
Tammy (Tuna’s) Lorraine (Lobsters) Angel (Angelfish) Tia (Tiger Sharks)
Munni (Manta Rays) Gillian Megan (Manatees) Sarafina (Lunchtime Cover)
TRUSTEES ON THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Kirsten Regan – Vice-Chair & Secretary
Community Representative
I have lived in South Ockendon all my life. Upon leaving school I worked in the City, having a short break from work to have my children, before starting here at Surestart in 2003. I have seen lots of changes in Ockendon over the years and have a keen interest in our local community. Although I left SURESTART as employee just over a year ago, I am very lucky and grateful to remain part of the “family” by being a Committee Member.
Pricila Zanini
Parent Representative
I have a toddler that has been attending Surestart since November 2024. I also have two daughters that have attended Surestart for over 3 years, until they started primary school, in 2021 and 2023. As our first language at home is Portuguese, my girls became fluent in English when attending Surestart. My youngest daughter has also developed so much confidence here, as she was very shy. My daughters still attend Holiday Club and love them! I have complete confidence that Surestart staff are dedicated and passionate for what they do and I can see how much my children have learned. I joined the Committee in 2020 as a parent representative and hope to support with continued communication between parents and staff. My role is to bring a parental perspective to support the nursery to achieve its highest aims and standards
Mackenzie Klessa-Smith – Chairperson
Community Representative
Hi, my name is Mack and I’m currently chair of the committee. I decided to join many years ago because I wanted to make a difference and help keep this wonderful charity running for another 30 years. I did attend this nursery when I was a child, so it feels great to see that the nursery is still running and providing a service to the local community.
Rebecca Willers - Treasurer Parent Representative I have a 3-year-old that has been attending Surestart since she was a year and I also have siblings that attended Surestart ~ many years ago, providing our family with meaningful respite for my disabled sister. I am incredibly grateful for the wonderful opportunities and loving environment that is offered to my daughter at Surestart and I wished to volunteer and offer my professional experience to the committee, therefore joining in June 2024. I am also a qualified special needs teacher and a designated safeguarding lead within my role at a maintained SEND school in Harlow. ~~_~~ << AN Leanne Starr Parent Representative sy > I’ve been a proud parent of a child who has attended Surestart . | ayY since 2021, starting when he was just 9 months old. From that aoe first visit, I knew Surestart was the place for him. The atmosphere, the staff, and the setting immediately felt like the perfect fit, unlike anything I had encountered in other nurseries or with childminders in the area. Now, my son continues to enjoy Surestart’s Holiday Club throughout the year, and I’ve witnessed first-hand the nurturing, supportive environment they provide. The staff at Surestart are truly exceptional, and it’s this level of care that inspired me to join the committee. I wanted to ensure that the staff continue to be supported and that other parents can feel the same warmth and reassurance I feel every time I drop my son off. Being a part of the committee allows me to contribute to maintaining the positive, welcoming environment that made Surestart the right choice for us. I’m passionate about ensuring it remains a place where all children and families feel valued and cared for.
Chairpersons Report SURESTART ‘Where Kids Come First’ – 2025
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome and thank you for attending the SURESTART ‘Where Kids Come First’ Annual General Meeting. This meeting will last around 60 minutes.
The AGM is a legal requirement under our charitable status and Constitution and is held around this time each year. We have to make sure we report on the business side of the charity and its operations, and this year covers the financial matters from 2024/25, as accounts are always a year behind. The rest of the report and information will pertain to the operational year 2025.
I’ll start with introductions to the current Committee members.
Chair – Mack Klessa-Smith
Vice Chair – Kirsten Regan
Secretary –Kirsten Regan
Staff representative –
Treasurer/Safeguarding – Rebecca Willers
Parent representatives – Pricila Zanini, Leanne Starr
Property Trustees - Phil Brown, Peter Whiffen
I have been on the Committee for 3 years now. I took over as Chair after Samara Tor left at the start of 2025. To run as a successful Committee, we need a minimum of five members, so we are always looking for others to join us on the Committee team to keep this wonderful community charity going. This is important to keep in line with our Constitution and charitable status. If you feel that yourself or a relative would like to join the Committee, please let us know after this meeting.
A role on the Committee is very rewarding and there are plenty of opportunities in getting involved and developing the charity for the future. You would need to be able to attend around 4-5 meetings per year. There may be occasions where something may crop up through the year that may need to be discussed as a Committee sooner than when a meeting has been scheduled.
At least 50% of all meetings are held virtually to make attending easier. You may be occasionally asked to take on a specific task such as helping with quality audits, recruitment, marketing or fundraising and events.
This year has improved financially for all involved with the minimum living wage being increased as well. The Trustees are still committed to overseeing the financial processes of the charity. Running a successful and sustainable nursery continues to be a huge challenge and the team at SURESTART continue to deliver an excellent service for the children and families in South Ockendon and beyond.
We continue to work in partnership with the Family Hub and other local community organisations to ensure that we support the local community as best we can. We have been lucky to receive help and donations from local businesses, including TK Maxx who have kindly donated towards the charity which will certainly help SURESTART.
We will be seeing our nursery staff Munni going on maternity leave next month and wish her all the best for the new arrival to her family.
Some of the Committee aims for the future include:
-
Setting up three parent forums per year so that we can share and keep parents/guardians up to date with all relative information.
-
Setting up regular Committee audits throughout the year to ensure the nursery operations are running smoothly. This then gets fed back to the Committee and management team to make tweaks and alterations where necessary in a timelier manner.
-
Having a Fundraising plan in place that will provide funding that can support projects that will benefit all the children that attend SURESTART (for example sensory equipment, general updating and maintenance of the nursery practice).
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Continuing to encourage new members to join to increase the membership of this wonderful charity for the future to come.
-
Setting a Committee Management action plan so the Committee members know what duties are required, by when and by whom.
If anyone has any suggestions, please do let us know.
Thank you again to everyone who continues to support us as a charity.
Regards
Mack Klessa-Smith
Chairperson
TREASURER’S REPORT 2024/2025
My name is Rebecca Willers, and I am the Treasurer for the setting. I joined the Committee in Summer 2023.
Please note that the accounts included in this report cover the period April 2024 – March 2025.
Demand for Wrap Around Care has continued to reduce slightly. We believe this is due to local schools offering more competitively priced provision, alongside many families now benefiting from flexible working arrangements. Our Holiday Club, however, has remained popular, and we hope to continue building on this moving forward.
With more working families now able to claim the 30-hour funded entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds (for 38 weeks of the year), we have seen a decrease in full-day care and an increase in sessional preschool places. We have also seen growing demand for places for 2-year-olds and 9-month-olds as the new 15-hour funding scheme has been introduced for working families.
We would like to remind parents to please complete all relevant sections of the funding forms when submitting initial paperwork, including ticking the box that allows us to check eligibility for Early Years Pupil Premium. This additional funding helps us to purchase resources and provide further support for children. More information can be found on the government “Best Start in Life” website.
We have continued to reduce postage and stationery costs by making greater use of our Babysdays system to communicate events, updates and information electronically.
Throughout the year, we have worked to strengthen our forecasting of income and expenditure. This supports informed decision-making, particularly around fee setting and managing the ongoing impact of National Living Wage increases, which continue to raise staffing costs year on year. Upcoming National Insurance increases are also expected to add further pressure to staffing expenses, and we anticipate this will influence overall costs in the coming financial year. As expected, staffing remains our largest area of expenditure, reflecting our commitment to maintaining safe ratios and high-quality care.
The introduction of extended funding for working families has, overall, been very positive and a great support to many families in our community. While we previously had concerns that funding rates might not fully cover delivery costs, the rates agreed for 2-year-olds and 9-month-olds are currently meeting our costs. This helps us to continue working towards maintaining a small surplus rather than operating at a deficit.
Overall, the year has closed with a positive balance of £5,470, leaving the nursery in a stable financial position as we move into the next financial year and allowing us to continue investing in resources and improvements for the children.
We will continue to remain transparent with our finances and ensure that all funding is used to directly benefit the children and families we support.
SURESTART Registered Charity - 10647590 Income & Expenditure Summary for The Years Ended 31s March Income Grant Funding Full Day Less refunds Kid's/ holiday club Pre-school & grants Fundraising Breakfast club Lunch / Dinner club Other income/donations 2025 357 102,973 28,636 183,213 246 14 5,200 15,435 335,074 2024 750 111,992 31,652 148,150 204
4,434 1,979 299,161 full day income adjusted by unpaid cheques & refunds. (reimbursement of fees) Expenditure Equipment& fittings Fundraising/ photographs Sundry/ food & supplies Wage, Nat. Ins., pensions & Vouchers Rent, rates & cleaning Postage/stationary & office Telephone, mobile & Internet Bank charges Insurances Subscriptions, training, travel Legal & prof. Fees Surplus (Deficit) Bal b fwd. Bal c/fwd. 3,639 308 16,496 271,501 25,179 2,112 1,574 2,907 816 5,072 329,604 5,470 134,912 140,382 2,180 608 19,873 238,160 15,525 1,205 1,184 - 1,507 901 3,612 284,755 14,406 120,506 134,912 Represented by banks as at 31.3.2025, petty cash floats, accruals and creditors checked and verified 31.07.2025 Bodell & Co Accountants BA HOns Tmail:bodelfinance@gmail.com
MANAGER’S REPORT 2025
Dear Parents – We have waited 6 years for our Ofsted inspection so I thought I would use their report of us in place of my manager’s waffle! The other two major events in 2025 were the change of staff and the increase of 30 hrs funding to all our eligible under 5’s which has seen our Calm Cove (0-2 room) bursting at the seams some days, this will be reflected in the accounts 25/26. Thank you for all your continuous support. Lucy
What is it like to attend this early years setting? The provision is good Children come into the nursery excited to learn and to share their news with staff about what they have done since they last met. They are aware of the routines, and they independently hang their belongings up and make their way to a chosen activity. Children have developed very strong attachments with staff, who have created a safe environment where children are confident, happy and secure. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour, and they have created a culture of mutual respect. Positive behaviour is promoted through encouraging responsibility, for example involving children in tidy-up routines. Children are given scripts to help them navigate difficult situations. For example, when they face difficulties with friends, staff remind them to say, 'Please don't do that, I don't like it.' This empowers children to recognise and respond to uncomfortable and unwanted situations. Children are provided with a stimulating learning environment full of activities to explore. Staff plan an exciting curriculum using books as their theme. This promotes a love for books and reading. Children are engaged and enthusiastic when they listen to stories that are brought to life through staff's animated and expressive reading. Children are encouraged to create their own stories, which staff scribe for them, and they add illustrations to create their own personalised storybook. What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better? • Effective monitoring systems are in place to ensure all children make good progress. When additional support is needed, referrals are made promptly, enabling children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to access appropriate help and continue to achieve well. • Older children develop resilience, learn how to think ahead, trust themselves and figure out how risky something is when they take part in risky play activities. They hang upside down on a large climbing frame, using just their legs to secure themselves, and they use hammers and nails to create a small wooden scarecrow. Children confidently explain how they made and dressed their scarecrow to go in the garden to scare the birds away. • Overall, staff provide effective support for children's communication and language development. They incorporate singing and action rhymes into daily routines and engage children in meaningful conversations, often encouraging them to reflect on shared experiences. However, strategies to enhance the speech and comprehension of children who speak English as an additional language are not yet fully embedded in practice.
Babies learn to become independent through spending time with and observing older children. They are encouraged to get their shoes, put their sun hats on and feed themselves at lunchtime. Older children get themselves dressed for physical education (PE), wipe the table after lunch and help staff to serve fruits at snack time. • Children have attention skills beyond those expected for their age. Babies concentrate with intent as they observe minibeasts in a bucket, and older children wait their turn patiently during PE. However, on occasion, some activities take too long, and children become fidgety and restless. Older children confidently speak to visitors, telling them about their recent minibeast visit, and talk about what they are doing in the nursery today. Babies maintain good eye contact during their back-and-forth interactions with staff. • Parents speak highly of the care and education that their children receive at the nursery. They say that their children settle quickly, and where children struggle to settle, clear plans are put in place to support them. Parents are happy with the progress that their children have made. They feel supported by staff, and they appreciate the open communication. • Consistent supervision and a thorough induction process help staff understand their roles and responsibilities clearly, while also enabling leaders to identify areas for further development. • Staff work well as a team, and they are well positioned around the nursery and garden throughout the day to best support learning and maintain children's safety. • Settling in is arranged around the needs of children, so that they feel safe and happy to learn. Families are invited to visit the nursery before their children start. This helps them get used to the new environment and staff. Staff settle children well during this time. They spend one-to-one time with them, plan activities around their interests and encourage families to bring in a comforter from home to help the settling-in process. Safeguarding The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first. What does the setting need to do to improve? To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: • support staff in reviewing how group-time activities are organised to best support children's engagement in their learning • embed consistent supportive strategies to help children who speak English as an additional language to further develop their communication and understanding.
OUR THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT AND ALSO TO:
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Thurrock Council Early Years Team, especially Terri, Colette, Katie and Dawn
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Treetops Outreach team for their support
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Jonathan, Julieta and the team at the Nursery Kitchen in Basildon
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James from Bodell & Co, our Accountants
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Zoe from Smile Studios, our photographer
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Peter from H W Wilsons, our go-to-guy
And to YOU for the donations of toys and equipment your children no longer use, for your support during this year, and for choosing us as your childcare provider!