Contact sheet for the Parent Committee of
The Parade Community Preschool
Friday 10th October 2025
==> picture [453 x 115] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
Name of setting Parade Community Preschool
Address Doyle Avenue
Telephone contact Portsmouth
PO2 9NE
Name of Manager Catherine Robinson
Correspondence address paradepreschool@hotmail.com
Telephone Contact
Email address 02392651231
----- End of picture text -----
Details of current Committee
==> picture [453 x 296] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
Office Name
trustees Catherine Robinson
Tracy Tolley
Carol Harris
Wanda Steward
Clive Robinson
----- End of picture text -----
Agenda:
Friday October 10th 2025 at 4.15pm at the Preschool Building
Agenda:
1. Apologies
2. Minutes of Previous AGM circulated
3. Matters Arising
4. Chairs Report
5. Financial Report ( budget review and expenditure)
6. Secretary’s Report
7. Managers Report
8. Items for discussions (review of child levels – spaces available – fund raising ideas)
9. Date of Next Meeting
- 10.Any other business
Minutes
Minutes of committee meeting held 10th October 2025 at 4.15pm
Attending: Cathy Robinson, Jayne Whatling, Tracy Tolley, Carol Harris, Wanda Steward and Clive Robinson
Agenda:
Item 1: Apologies from: Jo and Jason due to work commitments they have chosen to resign from the Committee.
SHOCK: ALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE RESIGNING!
Item 2: Minutes for last AGM 25th October 2024. Circulated and agreed that this was correct.
Item 3: There was no matter arising. There are no matters arising or any outstanding issues from previous meetings.
Item 4: Catherine Robinson gave report on groups progress:
Preschool has 54 children in attendance. This is a worrying decrease on September 2024.
The preschool currently has spaces and again a high level of SEN children. Cathy has discussed her concerns with Local Authority.
The preschool will hold its annual Pink October Fund Raising event and will also be holding a Jumper Day for Save the Children in December.
The setting has continued stay and play sessions for the Autumn 2025 Term. This year they will be held 28[th] and 29[th] August, which were well attended but not as well attended as 2024. Again, concerns.
Parent can still request Virtual tours should they prefer. These are popular for our Military families who are relocating into the area.
Thank you to those of you that have attended this meeting in person, I understand this isn’t always easy.
We understand that many parents are in full time employment and appreciate any time and commitment that you may give to preschool.
The preschool will be closed on 8th December as Staff are having in house Safeguarding training.
The setting continues to work closely with other professionals, such as the Family Hub and Portage to ensure a high standard of care and education. We now hold monthly Parent Hubs with Portsmouth Parent Voice. Our next event will be the 21[st] October 2025.
Our online learning programme and Facebook Page continues to be successful so we will carry on using many aspects of this to stay connected with our parents at home.
We would like to congratulate Danielle and Alisha for gaining their SENCO accreditation award. Danielle level 2 and Alisha level 3. Well done both of you.
Also congratulations to Tracy on her recent marriage to Luke. We now have a Mrs DeLaHunty.
The preschool continues to grow as a team, forever adapting to new styles of learning and restyling our care and teaching to fit in with new guidelines, such as changes to the EYFS Framework and the growth of SEND.
The preschool has celebrated our 25th year! This was with a family picnic in the preschool gardens. We hope to continue to strive and to continue our professional development as a team and part of our local community.
I would like to thank our returning friends and families of the preschool committee.
And thank you for your continued support.
Financial Report:
The Parade Community Preschool
Unrestricted receipts and payments Accounts
For Year Ending 31 August 2025
| Total fees for 31 Aug 2023 |
£303339.42 | |||
| Local authority funding | ||||
| fundraising | £0 | |||
| Total fee income | £303339.42 |
| Total staff costs 30 September |
£255,900.00 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pension costs | £4070.00 | |||
| HMRC costs | £49161.47 | |||
| Grocery and cleaning costs |
£3622.00 | |||
| Cleaning bill | £3479.85 | |||
| telephone | £741.00 | |||
| Other Wings service contract |
£4196.00 | |||
| Repairs/maintainance | £2112.60 | |||
| Other substriptions ( PCC, Aqua aid, EYA) |
£1375.36 | |||
| rent | £7750.00 | |||
| Total outgoings | £332408.28 | |||
| Total Deficit | -29068.86 |
| Total Deficit for 31 August 2025 |
-29068.86 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund Raising | 0.00 | |||
| Total | £0.00 |
Item 6
Secretary’s Report:
Cathy briefed the meeting on efficiency of Noodle Now the online E Learning Training. This portal has allowed staff to update basic First Aid and Manual Handling Training.
Team discussed the effects of recent Safeguarding Training and First Aid and as DFE guidelines continue to change. Ofsted gradings have changed but this does not include Early Years.
Item 7: Deputy Manager Jayne Whatling
I would like to begin by welcoming back existing committee members and to say a sad farewell to Jo Bennett and Jason Blackman. We have had the shock announcement that Tracy Tolley, Carol Harris, Clive Robinson and Wanda Harris have resigned from the committee. Cathy will be contacting the Early Years Alliance and LawCall to find out what this means to the setting.
The preschool has 54 children attending which is a big decrease on last year’s figures by 42%. Our preschool sessions are not full, but we do have some January 2026 starters. This does put preschool into a very worrying position.
The setting had Stay and Play open days in the summer to welcome new families. We will continue Virtual Tours as these are popular with Military families and encourage lots of new parents and children. These are successful and worth continuing for working parents.
The preschool is in a very worrying financial position because of the added rising costs, the cost-of-living crisis and the changes to funding. Sadly, the setting has been given no additional support to help with the drop in funding and the cost-of-living crisis. This obviously continues to cause us a lot of concern.
I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate Cathy and Jayne for the success of the past years, especially with the added strain that low funding and the rise in many bills has caused to the future of the preschool.
I would like to say thank you to all of those that have attended this meeting virtually.
The preschool feels that parent involvement is very important and can only make for a better preschool community.
Item 8: Cathy further discussed there are no spaces available for SEND children and has contacted Early Years to notify them of this. The increase in demand for SEN+ places has also impacted our availability.
Item 9: date of next meeting Friday October 23 2026 at 4.45pm in person.
Focus for the meeting: plans for the Children’s Christmas Party and Christmas Songs. After work staff Christmas meal and party venue. MEETING ENDED 6.15pm