Treasurer’s report SEPTEMBER 2023- AUGUST 2024 Ashwell Preschool
(formerly known as Ashwell Playgroup)
Ashwell Preschool is currently flourishing, having benefitted from government changes to both the amount of money the local council pays to childcare settings for funded 2- and 3-year-old children and the number of hours of free funding for three-year-olds that parents are eligible for, all of which increased, and came into effect from April 1[st] , 2024.
During the year we retained a stable staff of 5, including our long serving Manager and Deputy (both level 3 Early Years Educators) and an additional level 2 Early Years Practitioner, who joined us in October 2023. We said a temporary goodbye to one non-qualified worker as she went on her maternity leave in January 2024. One further non-qualified worker extended her hours accordingly.
In September 2023 there were 9 children on the register. By the end of term in July of 2024 there were 21 children on the register, 16 of which had participated in the usual transition activities up at the village school within the summer term, ready to join the school nursery class in September 2024. We are very grateful to the Early Years team at the village school for their help with hosting these events.
Our staff helped to set up and man the messy play tent at the Ashwell Village Show in August 2023 and received a generous grant in return. Additional fund-raising events held during the school year included selling Christmas wreaths made by volunteers at St Mary’s church Christmas fair (Dec 2023), the annual village duck race (April 2024) and provision of teas, coffees and car parking staffing for the village’s Ashwell at Home event in May 2024.
| Christmas wreaths | £730.00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Duck race | £510.68 | |
| Ashwell at Home | Donation for car parking | £1030.00 |
| Teas and cake stall | £154.40 | |
| Ashwell Show | Grant | £2000.00 |
| TOTAL | £4425.08 |
I am delighted to report that we ended the accounting year in profit: £6463.55
During 2024 I have continued to pitch to the Head of the village school a plan for the longer term, where support for staffing and management of the setting could be incorporated into the business management of the school. The preschool is in urgent need of new trustees, and I have asked the staff at the school to consider volunteering for a two-to-three-year term as a trustee, with succession planning within the staff also. With new trustees in place, the conversion of the charity to a CIO can progress finally, allowing for a simplified and streamlined constitution and removal of any financial liability from the trustees.
Merry Pertwee, Treasurer, Ashwell Preschool
Profit and Loss
Ashwell Playgroup For the year ended 31 August 2024
| Profit and Loss Ashwell Playgroup For the year ended 31 August 2024 |
|
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| Turnover | |
| 2 year old funded sessions | 11,039.14 |
| 3 & 4 Year old funded sessions | 20,445.66 |
| Donations received | 26.10 |
| Fund raising events Income | 1,395.08 |
| IDACI Funding | 29.02 |
| Interest Income | 113.74 |
| Self Funded Sessions | 20,109.75 |
| Trust & foundation Grants | 3,030.00 |
| Total Turnover | 56,188.49 |
| Cost of Sales | |
| Cost of Goods Sold | 317.34 |
| Direct Expenses | 10.00 |
| Total Cost of Sales | 327.34 |
| Gross Profit | 55,861.15 |
| Administrative Costs | |
| Advertising & Marketing | 71.00 |
| Audit & Accountancy fees | 2,571.25 |
| Bank Fees | 8.82 |
| Cleaning | 2.10 |
| Entertainment-100% business | 325.50 |
| Equipment & Materials | 666.94 |
| Insurance | 808.36 |
| IT Software and Consumables | 412.26 |
| Pensions Costs | 139.99 |
| Printing & Stationery | 200.39 |
| Rent | 7,304.39 |
| Repairs & Maintenance | 525.01 |
| Salaries | 35,192.80 |
| Snacks | 265.92 |
| Staff Training | 497.62 |
| Subscriptions | 176.00 |
| Telephone & Internet | 229.25 |
| Total Administrative Costs | 49,397.60 |
| Operating Profit | 6,463.55 |
| Profit on Ordinary Activities Before Taxation | 6,463.55 |
| Profit after Taxation | 6,463.55 |
Profit and Loss Ashwell Playgroup
17 Feb 2025 Page 1 of 1
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteesl members of Ashwell Playgroup (Hertfordshire) On accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024 Charity no (if any) 1081830 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ('the Trust.) for the year ended 31108 12024. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed= Date: 8 April 2025 Name: Emma Farquhar BFP FCA Relevant professional qualification(s) or body lif any): ICAEW member number 9251030 Address: 43 Medcalfe Way. Melboum, Cambridgeshire SG8 6HU IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem (see CC32, Independent examination of tharity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Glve here brief detalls of any ftems that the examiner wlshes to dlsclose. IER October 2018