Whiteley Preschool AGM – 25[th] June 2025
9:30 am – Whiteley Community Centre
Attendees
Gemma Hardy – Secretary
James Barrett -Treasure
Steve Ward- Community Centre Manager
Apologies
Lisa White (General Member)
Jo Humphries (General Member)
Carla Rowland (Preschool Childcare Manager)
Minutes
GH welcomes all to AGM.
Committee Report
Since our last AGM, Hayley decided to step down as Chairperson at the end of the year. Lisa White kindly took on the role of Chairperson in the interim. At the moment, we are still looking for a new Chairperson
In October, we welcomed Carla Rowland as our new Childcare Manager, bringing over 18 years of experience in Early Years, including leadership in a busy nursery. During the Spring term, Hannah Fletcher began her maternity leave, and Leonie has stepped up as Deputy Childcare Manager in her absence. To support our growing needs, particularly around Special Educational Needs (SEN), we appointed a dedicated SEN Coordinator who has successfully achieved her Level 3 qualification. The management team has been working diligently to restructure and support our staff, implementing new processes to improve both settings. We have also welcomed two new apprentices, and an unqualified practitioner is currently pursuing her Level 3 qualification. We have faced challenges with recruitment, but both settings have maintained appropriate staff ratios with management offering additional support when necessary.
We're excited to share that the team organised another wonderful Christmas Fayre, and thanks to a grant from NATS, we were able to purchase new equipment for the children. WPS North was full of the start of the year and by January 2024 more children had enrolled at the Community Centre making that full as well. In March 2024, Ofsted came to inspect WPS North, and we were thrilled to receive a 'Good' rating in all areas. This achievement reflects the hard work of the full staffing team.
In April 2024 EYFS funding increased, however rent at the Community Centre increased by 10% and the National Living Wage also increased payroll and pension costs.
Financial Report
The preschool has been under careful oversight from our Business Manager, Chair, and Treasurer, and we’re pleased to report a surplus for the 2023-2024 academic year. The first draft is showing a surplus of £39,597, however, there was a delay in Cornerstone sending invoices, April, May, June & July’s invoices were not received until November so therefore were not paid in the correct financial year. In addition, a portion of the August payroll was not processed until September 2024. It is therefore anticipated that the final amount will be significantly less. The surplus is a result of recruitment challenges and being unable to replace staff who left during the year on Maternity Leave. We’ve made concerted efforts to manage rising operational costs by keeping staff expenses in check. This included being reserved on the annual pay review and ensuring management stepped in to support during staff shortages or illness. While initial predictions for the Autumn and Spring terms were modest, we saw a lovely surge in inquiries at the community centre, leading to an increase in enrolments. Additionally, the funding rate for two-year-olds rose in April 2024, resulting in more working parents taking advantage of our services. We anticipate that the number of two-year-olds will continue to grow. It’s important to note that we
expect further cost increases due to enhanced funding changes, along with higher staff wages and pension contributions starting in April 2025. Furthermore, the community centre plans to raise rental fees by 10% in April 2025. Thankfully, we're getting new inquiries every day, and we're excited to share that North is fully booked for next year!
We are pleased to share that the income generated from the EYE grant has reached £292,941.28, which includes Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund (SEN IF) funding for both of our settings. This marks an impressive increase of £97,838.59 compared to last year. While term fees at North saw a slight decrease of £6,857.85, we experienced a rise of £5,303.02 at the community centre. The introduction of 2-year funding has led to the increase in EYE grant funding received. We have reinvested this funding into new equipment and resources across both sites, ensuring our learning environments remain inviting and engaging for all children.
Manager’s Report
The North site at Cornerstone has been thriving, reaching full capacity since September and maintaining that throughout the year. We've had a large waiting list, but we've successfully managed to accommodate most of these children at the community centre. While the community centre began the year with low attendance, it reached full capacity by the summer term, thanks to the factors mentioned and the introduction of the new twoyear funding. Gemma is actively working to secure a permanent preschool site in North Whiteley, as there is a strong demand for this service in the area. We're committed to achieving this goal. We're pleased to report that our Ofsted inspection in March 2024 was successful, and we received a "Good" rating during the inspection. Recruitment has posed some challenges, and management has been stepping in to support room operations regularly. Nonetheless, we managed to appoint new team members and lunch cover staff for September during the summer term. The additions to our staff have significantly enhanced our team. Our preschool leavers' trip and Christmas Fayre were delightful events, and we’ve continued to build our presence within the Whiteley Community. To optimise our operations, we've reviewed and streamlined our observation, assessment, and planning processes to enable staff to spend more quality time with the children. The introduction of the SEN Coordinator has been invaluable, with the Deputy Childcare Manager supporting staff to ensure the highest quality of care and education across both settings. As the needs of our children evolve, and with an increase in two-year-olds attending, we've conducted a thorough review of our environment, resources, and daily rhythm. Additionally, we've acquired Famly, which will be implemented from September 2024, enhancing our systems, parent communications, and the documentation of children’s learning journeys.
Nominations and Elections
James Barrett to remain in post as Treasurer and stand in Chairperson until we are able to secure a Chairperson – all agreed.
Gemma Hardy to remain as Secretary – all agreed.
Lisa White - to remain as a general member– all agreed
Joann Bailey – to remain as a general member– all agreed
Profit and Loss
Whiteley Preschool
For the year ended 31 August 2024
| Profit and Loss Whiteley Preschool For the year ended 31 August 2024 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Turnover | |||
| Cornerstone EYE Grant | - | 30,015.34 | - |
| Cornerstone Reg Fees | 665.00 | 620.00 | - |
| Cornerstone Term Fees | 13,931.50 | 20,789.75 | - |
| Donations | - | - | 70.00 |
| Eye Grant | 292,941.28 | 165,087.35 | 141,334.11 |
| Fundraising | 3,137.57 | 1,837.90 | 879.47 |
| Interest Income | 1,179.54 | 720.25 | 42.41 |
| Other Grants | - | 1,000.00 | 1,860.00 |
| Registration/Holding Fees | 1,365.00 | 1,155.00 | 1,831.65 |
| Term Fees | 24,148.52 | 18,845.50 | 23,938.94 |
| Total Turnover | 337,368.41 | 240,071.09 | 169,956.58 |
| Cost of Sales | |||
| County Supplies | 1,971.19 | 3,078.16 | 2,326.00 |
| DBS Checks | 360.00 | 239.67 | 217.00 |
| Equipment | 6,431.19 | 4,915.43 | 2,217.24 |
| Fee refund | - | - | 196.99 |
| Functions /Days out | 4,614.27 | 1,949.44 | 1,648.09 |
| Resources Cornerstone | 4,654.15 | 2,825.33 | 6,625.85 |
| Resources WCC | 4,655.59 | 2,594.68 | 2,274.00 |
| Snack Cornerstone | 1,129.61 | 614.46 | - |
| Snack WCC | 1,050.46 | 621.08 | 779.62 |
| Total Cost of Sales | 24,866.46 | 16,838.25 | 16,284.79 |
| Gross Profit | 312,501.95 | 223,232.84 | 153,671.79 |
| Administrative Costs | |||
| Audit & Accountancy fees | 400.80 | 400.00 | 402.00 |
| Bank Fees | 670.77 | 453.80 | 215.60 |
| Charitable and Political Donations | 50.00 | 859.77 | 120.00 |
| Cleaning | 501.63 | - | 60.51 |
| Consulting | 80.00 | - | - |
| Cornerstone Rent | 15,240.00 | 14,560.00 | - |
| Corporation Tax | - | - | 0.56 |
| Entertainment-100% business | 485.00 | - | - |
| Insurance WCC | 1,428.86 | 789.11 | 767.56 |
| Insurnance Cornerstone | 78.00 | 821.81 | - |
| Marketing & Website | 5,243.47 | 930.44 | 1,179.95 |
| Motor Vehicle Expenses | - | 2.00 | - |
| Ofsted | 48.00 | - | 85.00 |
| Payroll WCC | 229,870.91 | 170,365.31 | 136,323.47 |
| Pensions Costs | 8,399.42 | 6,919.30 | 4,648.83 |
Profit and Loss Whiteley Preschool
27 Jun 2025 Page 1 of 2
Profit and Loss
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photocopying & printing | 1,905.40 | 557.97 | 723.10 |
| Postage, Freight & Courier | 43.25 | 66.50 | 20.00 |
| Recruitment Fees | 346.56 | 682.38 | 1,808.04 |
| Rent - Hall Hire | 24,923.43 | 27,633.07 | 20,659.89 |
| Repairs & Maintenance | 1,012.79 | 719.00 | 474.69 |
| Staff Expenses | 656.70 | 923.09 | 937.88 |
| Staff Training | 1,451.39 | 2,271.52 | 1,700.80 |
| Staff Uniforms | 534.56 | 377.26 | 646.32 |
| Stationery & Software | 2,404.49 | 3,195.11 | 1,661.71 |
| Subscriptions | 406.63 | 349.87 | 109.89 |
| Telephone & Internet | 970.48 | 1,017.58 | 793.46 |
| Total Administrative Costs | 297,152.54 | 233,894.89 | 173,339.26 |
| Operating Profit | 15,349.41 | (10,662.05) | (19,667.47) |
| Profit on Ordinary Activities Before Taxation | 15,349.41 | (10,662.05) | (19,667.47) |
| Profit after Taxation | 15,349.41 | (10,662.05) | (19,667.47) |
Profit and Loss Whiteley Preschool
27 Jun 2025 Page 2 of 2
dminease 07990 512991 trudy@admin-ease.co.uk Whiteley Pre School Gull Coppice Yew Tree Drive Whiteley P015 7LA 27, June 2025 Dear Commillee I have today finalised the 2023124 accounts, as agreed. Your accounts have been prepared on an accrnal basis, including some large bills incurred during the year but not paid until September 24. All bank transactions have been imported inlo Xero via a direct bank feed. These transactions have then been allocated to the relevant income or expenditure category headings. Based on the inforniation provided, I can confimi that these account5 are a true retlection of the trading activity and the financial position of Whit¢ley Pre-school. l am pleas¢d to have b¢¢ft of service and hope I can continue to do so in future years. Yours sincerely Trudy Braithwaite MICB CB.Cert LVER HE INSTifuTE OF CI.RTIFIED Trudy Br311hwaire MIC8is licenod and regulated by rhe IC8 Pr3rtke Number.. 23675 Associate Membe 222022