2024-08-31-accounts

Oakwood Community Playgroup

Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 August 2024

Charity Number: 1067670

Oakwood Community Playgroup

Annual Report and Accounts

For the year ended 31 August 2024

Contents

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name

Oakwood Community Playgroup

(The childcare services provided by the charity are best reflected by the description of ‘Pre-school’ rather than ‘playgroup.’ In the descriptive text of the report the two terms are used inter-changeably.)

Charity Number

1067670

Trustees

Jennifer Astovasadourian (Joint Chair) Lynsey Gilks (Joint Chair) (resigned) Natalie Glass (Treasurer) Gabby Harwood (Secretary) Kristina McMichael Clare Munro Abby Smith (resigned)

Senior Pre-School Team

Caroline Symes (Manager) Debbie Humphries (Deputy Manager) Tina McLennan (Finance and Admin Officer)

Principal Office

St Johns Road Hartley Wintney Hook Hampshire RG27 8DW

Independent Examiner Kay Linnell Kay Linnell & Co Limited Brick Kiln Cottage The Avenue Herriard Hampshire RG25 2PR

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Trustees’ Report

The Trustees present their annual report on the affairs of the charity together with the financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note | to the financial statements and comply with the Charity’s constitution, applicable law and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK (FRS 102).

Objectives and Activities

Oakwood Community Pre-school provides all children and families within our community access to high quality care and education at an affordable cost. The Charity works for the public benefit having as its objective the development and education of children and young people in particular by: (1) Promoting their care and safety;

(2) Promoting their education and promoting parental involvement;

(3) Promoting their health and well-being;

(4) Providing services to support them and their families and carers; and

(5) Furthering the aims of the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

We aim to enhance the development and education of children aged 2 years to statutory school age, in a parent involving, community-based group. We believe that children thrive when they are in a welcoming, stimulating environment where they have the freedom to make positive choices and learn through active play, both indoors and outside.

Children are helped to develop habits that are important for a happy and healthy lifestyle, playing outdoors in all weathers. We enjoy healthy snacks, fruit and milk daily. Social and emotional development is key to a child's confidence and happiness and we help children to understand their own feelings and those of others.

We help them begin to understand the rules of sharing and taking turns and encourage them to “have a go”, building resilience and promoting a “growth mindset” of “not yet” as opposed to “can’t” when it comes to trying something new or getting stuck with something. We want them to experience new things whilst developing their own ideas.

Structure, Governance and Management

Oakwood Community Playgroup was first established as a registered charity in 1998. It has formulated strong and long-standing links within the community. The structure of the charity is a Charitable Unincorporated Organisation.

The committee structure is made up of two Joint-Chairs, a Treasurer and a Secretary, together with other members who have all been appointed by the Trustees. We are currently in the process of appointing a replacement Joint Chair, following the recent resignation of Lyndsey Gilks. The committee consists of parents and community members. The management structure of the actual Pre-school consists of a Manager, a Deputy, and an Early-Years Teacher, together with other staff members, incorporating the role of a SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-Ordinator).

We are a member of the Pre-School Learning Alliance and our constitution is approved by this organisation.

Achievements and Performance

Throughout the year, the committee and Pre-school team have continued to work collaboratively to maintain a thriving organisation. Interest in the Pre-school from local families remains high for those with children eligible for funded places, especially giving consideration for the new two-year funding. Show arounds and visits to the Pre-school continue, which all helps to promote the setting and keep it central in the community of Hartley Wintney.

The Pre-school team and the committee have worked together over the year to continue to ensure the profile of the Pre-school remains high within the community, such as by holdinga stall at the village festival this summer, having a teddy tombola. There was steady foot traffic and a good amount of funds raised to benefit the Pre-school children in both Acorn and Oak rooms for this school year to come. Numbers are secure for both Oak and Acorn room with good adult-to-child ratios in place to ensure that the needs of all children are met.

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

There have been regular in-person and online (hybrid) committee meetings over the last academic year, which have underpinned the improvements of the past year, including planning and preparing for fundraising events and well as planning for the ‘big spends’. Having reflected on the positive financial position of the Pre-school, the committee in consultation with the Manager and Deputy agreed on a new outdoor classroom to replace the existing wooden hut that needed replacing and this was erected end of August 2024. The committee and Pre-school hope for a full opening of this new facility from January 2025. This building will serve as both a classroom for small adult directed activities to be facilitated as well as provide a break-out sensory space for children with additional needs. It will also help to facilitate meetings with parents and outside agencies, providing a necessary private and quiet meeting space away from the noise of a busy Pre-school setting.

The Chairs have held regular planned and ad-hoc manager meetings with the Manager to ensure she is supported in her role. A robust appraisal system was put into place in February 2024 with a quarterly appraisal undertaken in May 2024. A final quarterly appraisal will take place in December 2024 to ensure objectives are being worked on ahead of the next performance management cycle in February 2025. The quarterly appraisals were recommended by Law Call in this first appraisal cycle to ensure that the objectives of the Preschool Development Plan are being addressed by the Manager and disseminated to staff working in the setting so all practitioners have an awareness of the vision and rationale of the Pre-school and are working upon agreed objectives, as laid out in the Pre-school Development Plan.

The Pre-school grade of ‘Good’ in all areas, remains unchanged. Areas of improvement identified within the 2020 inspection, provide the foundations of the Pre-school’s Development Plan, which was worked upon by the Pre-school Manager and the Core Committee last year (2022-23). The Pre-school team have been fundamental in identifying other areas for development and driving this forward as a team. This year’s focus will be on ‘In the Moment’ planning to ensure the characteristics of effective learning are a key priority and that all learning opportunities/ experiences are tailored to the interests of the child.

The fundraising committee was established once again in the Autumn term of 2023 and proved successful with fundraising efforts remaining focused on raising money for specific equipment/stationery that continues to directly benefit the children in the setting at this time, for example with the ‘Helping Hands Tree’. Experiential learning is provided by having other adults into the setting such as ‘Music with John’ each week for both the Oak and Acorn room children to enjoy and by inviting a reptile man in for the children at the end , of the last term of the academic year. The total fundraising from last year is £1,546.50 The two cake sales raised £130 and £116. The Christmas raffle in December 2023 raised £300. The bunny-hop and guess the number of eggs in April 2024 raised £701.50 and finally, the tombola at the village festival raised £299.

Staff continue to embrace the EYFS and the ‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’ in the setting and all are passionate about what they do. The SENDCo is long established and well placed to make necessary adaptations to support children with additional needs. Other practitioners are experienced and show initiative with both adult directed and child led activities. There have been recent appointments to the staff team including a new Room Lead for the Acorn room as well as an Acorn room practitioner. An Early Years Teacher has also been employed part-time to work in the Oak room. The staff at the Pre-school are an integral part of making Oakwood Community Pre-school a success and as trustees, we are pleased to have given all staff a pay increase (April 2024) following on from the pay increases of the previous two consecutive years to ensure they are being remunerated at market level.

Children continue to go out into the community and have enjoyed local walks to St John’s Church to take part in Christmas festivities and celebrations. This will continue and the Pre-school will look to forge further links at other times throughout the year such as Harvest or Easter. Tapestry (an online interactive observation and assessment tool) continues to be an intrinsic part of Pre-school life and parents enjoy regular posts and updates about their own children and Pre-school life. Trustees recently agreed to the purchase of four new tablets as some of the tablets were incompatible for new software updates. Training continues to be a priority (as part of the Pre-school’s development plan) with all staff being issue a Noodle log-in for training to be undertaken as led/ directed by the Manager. The Pre-school Manager continues to work closely with outside agencies to ensure the well-being of all children, but particularly those on the SEND register and those with safeguarding issues.

The committee has had a busy and effective academic year with new initiatives and best practice adopted. We hope that going forwards the newly elected committee will be able to build on recent implementations so the Pre-school can move from strength to strength with its early years provision in its pursuit of excellence for all.

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Financial Review

Due to a larger than usual intake of children for school year 2023/24, the Pre-school had a cash positive year with our bank accounts increasing by £10,637 on the previous year. A further cash positive year is projected for the coming year, as we have a waiting list until 2025. With the ongoing monitoring of the Pre-school’s finances, together with good cost controls in place, we aim to increase cash funds while the Pre-school is busy, to give us the financial stability to cope with quieter years when the birth rate is lower.

We need to ensure that we have an accurate understanding of the Pre-school’s finances, so we are updating our monthly forecasts for the projected termly intake figures and staff costs. This enables us to ensure we are running at a profit, even when the Pre-school may not be running at full capacity.

As it was a cash positive year, the Pre-school management and committee members decided to apply our savings on a big spend; a log cabin, which should be in use from January 2025. We will create a savings account for its maintenance and future repairs. This was part of Pre-school’s initiative to make sure money from fundraising and savings were fed back into the Pre-school, while still maintaining a reserve fund.

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees hereby state, that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit, published by the commission, in exercising their powers and duties.

Trustees Responsibilities

Charity Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of its financial activities for that period. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:

• (a) Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• (b) Make sound judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• (c) state whether appointed accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

• (d) Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud or other irregularities. Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Jennifer Astovasadourian (Joint Chair)

Date: 29 October 2024

Natalie Glass (Treasurer) Date: 29 October 2024

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 August 2024, which are set out on pages 5 to 9.

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.

It is my responsibility to:

• e Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act;

• e Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act; and

• e State whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of the Independent Examiner’s Statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. 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 Examiner’s Statement

In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect:

• e The accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act); or e The accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or

• e The accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Kay Linnell FCA Kay Linnell & Co Limited a n Brick Kiln Cottage TheHerriardAvenue a Hampshire RG25 2PR

Date: 29 October 2024

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Statement of Financial Activities

For the year ended 31 August 2024

For the year endedended 31 August	2024
		Total Funds	Total	Funds
		(Unrestricted)	(Unrestricted)
	Note	2024		2023
		3		£
Income
Charitable Activities		197,207		145,965
Bank InterestReceived		637		255
TotalIncome		197,844		146,220
Expenditure
Charitable Activities:
Playgroup StaffCosts	4	136,617		120,993
Premises Costs	5	27,733		26,429
Activities, Toysand Catering	6	8,756		9,302
Governance Costs	7	2,582		2,035
Raising Funds:
Advertising		240		240
TotalExpenditure		175.928		158,999
NetIncome /(Expenditure)		21.916 (12,532) SS ee

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Balance sheet as at 31 August 2024

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|||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Note|31|August|31|August| |2024|2023| |£|3| |Fixed|Assets| |Log|Cabin|(2024:|asset under|construction)|11,279|_| |11,279|-| |Current|Assets| |Bank|Current|Account|34,669|24,669| |Bank|Deposit Accounts|60,985|60,348| |95,654|85,017| |Net|Assets|106,933|85,017| |Funds| |Unrestricted|Funds:|General Fund|96,933|75,017| |Unrestricted Funds:|Contingency Fund|5,000|5,000| |Unrestricted|Funds:|Exit Costs|Fund|5,000|5,000| |Total Funds|106,933|85,017|

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Approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on its behalf by:

Jennifer Astovasadourian (Joint Chair)

Natalie Glass (Treasurer)

Date: 29 October 2024

29 October 2024 Date: 29 October 2024 yy} bs

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Notes to the financial statements

1 Accounting policies

Basis of accounting

These financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK (FRS 102) and with the Charities Act 2011.

The following principal accounting policies have been applied:

Offsetting

There has been no offsetting of assets and liabilities, or income and expenses, unless required or permitted by the FRS 102 SORP.

Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Restricted funds are subject to restrictions on their expenditure as imposed by a donor or grant provider.

Incoming Resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities on a receipts basis.

Resources Expended

Payroll costs are recognised on an accruals basis. All other expenditure is recognised on a paid basis. Charitable expenditure includes those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity.

Fixed Assets

Tangible assets are stated in the balance sheet at cost, less accumulated depreciation. The cost of tangible assets includes directly attributable incremental costs incurred on their acquisition and installation. Depreciation is charged so as to write off the cost of assets over their estimated useful lives. For the log cabin, depreciation is charged over 15 years on a straight-line basis, starting from the year in which the asset came into use.

2 Trustees Remuneration and Related Party Transactions

All trustees gave their time voluntarily and received no remuneration nor benefits from the charity.

3 Taxation

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges for the year have arisen in the charity.

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

Notes to the financial statements (Continued)

4	StaffCosts
		Funds	Funds
		2024	2023
		£	£
	Wages and Salaries	135,587	120,860
	StaffTrainingand Recruitment	1,030	133
		136,617	120,993
5	Premises Costs
		Funds	Funds
		2024	2023
		£	£
	Rent and Utilities	18,773	15,635
	Premises Maintenance	5,184	6,305
	IT Costs	2,321	2,426
	Insurance	1,455	2,063
		27,733	26,429
6	Activities, Toys and Catering
		Funds	Funds
		2024	2023
		£	£
	Activities and Outings	2,578	2,054
	ToysandEquipment	1,116	2,007
	CateringandConsumables	5,062	5,241
		8,756	9,302

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Oakwood Community Playgroup

7 Governance Costs

	Funds	Funds
	2024	2023
	£	£
Subscriptionsand Registrations	592	364
Bank Charges	92	106
Accountancy and Payroll	1,898	1,565
	2,582	2,035

8	CharityFunds
		Brought	Income _—Expenditure		Carried
		Forward			Forward
		£	£	£	£
	Current year:
	UnrestrictedFunds	75,017	197,844	(175,928)	96,933
	Previous year:
	UnrestrictedFunds	87,796	146,220	(158,999)	75,017

The unrestricted funds are available to be spent for any purpose of the Charity.

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