## Dickory Dock Nursery
(Company Ltd by Guarantee No. 04678193)
(Registered Charity No. 1100027)
## Financial Statements
## for the year ended 31 March 2025
|**Contents**|**Page**|
|---|---|
|Legal Information|2|
|Trustees' report|3-6|
|Examiners report|7|
|Statement of financial activities|8|
|Balance Sheet|9|
|Notes to the accounts|10-11|
1
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Legal Information
## **Trustees**
Caroline Hunt Chair & Treasurer Richard Gill Robert Hunt Jenna Dixon Laura Gordon Lyndsey Ledger Natalie Wilson
## **Company Secretary**
Karly Jennings
## **Registered Charity number**
1100027
## **Company Ltd by Guarantee number**
04678193
## **Principal address**
St Thomas Moore Church 58 Margetson Crescent Parson Cross Sheffield S5 9NB
## **Bank**
Lloyds TSB Firth Park Road Branch Sheffield S6 4PB
## **Independent examiner**
White Rose Accounting for Charities The Ghyll Threapland Aspatria CA7 2EL
2
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Trustee report
The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors' report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.
The financial statements compy with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Entities.
## **Structure, governance and management**
## **Governing Document**
The Charitable Company is governed by the Memorandum and Articles of Association incorporated 25 February 2003 and was entered on the Register of Charities effective from 2 July 2003.
The company has no share capital. The guarantee of each member is limited to £1.
## **Appointment of trustees**
Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the trustees must retire and be reappointed at each annual general meeting of the company. The trustees are authorised to appoint new members to fill vacancies arising through retirement or death of an existing member.
The trustees who served during the year are listed on page 2 on the report.
Trustee Induction and Training New trustees are encouraged to attend short training sessions to familiarise themselves with the charity and the context within which it operates. These cover:
The obligation of management committee members.
The main documents which set out the operational framework for the charity including the Memorandum and Articles.
Resourcing and the current financial position as set out in the latest published financial statements.
## **Risk management**
The trustees actively review the major risks which the charity faces on a regular basis and believe that maintaining reserves at current levels, combined with an annual review of the controls over key financial systems, will provide sufficient resources in the event of adverse conditions. The trustees have also examined other operational and business risks faced by the charity and confirm that they have established systems to mitigate the significant risks.
## **Organisational Structure**
The Trustees meet at regular intervals during the year and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. A scheme of delegation is in place and day to day responsibility for the provision of the services rests with the manager.
3
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Trustee report continued
## **Objective and Activities**
The objects of the charity are to enhance the development and education of children primarily under statutory school age by encouraging parents to understand and provide for the needs of their children through community groups and by;
Offering appropriate play facilities and training courses, together with the right of parents to take responsibility for and to become involved in the activities of such groups, ensuring that such groups offer opportunities for all children, regardless of race, culture religion or means.
Encouraging the study of the needs of such children and their families and promoting public interest in and recognition of such needs in the local areas.
Instigating and adhering to and furthering the aim of the Pre-School Learning Alliance.
## **Developments, activities and achievements**
Due to the recent funding opportunities from the Local Authority regarding 30 Hour Extended care and the Free Early Years Entitlement – This has continued to provide as secure income due to it been from the Local Authority. The rates from the SCC have recently increased the under 9mnts now receive £10.34 which is higher than our hourly rate. 2Yr receive £7.38 and 3yr £5.06. We also receive an additional 44p for children in receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)The increased rates have helped us manage financially.
However, with the rises in the minimum wage and national insurance this has made us consider how we are going to financially meet the requires ensuring all staff receive the correct increase for the qualifications and these increases it will take a toll on our overall financial budget.
We have also recently employed 1 newer apprentice as our last year’s apprentices are close to qualifying. We did also lose an apprentice due to the role and paperwork being too much for her to deal with. We are finding over this finical year we have lost a lot of staff, this year alone we have lost 5 staff. Many of these leaving for primary schools due to the hours, term time contracts and rate of pays being significantly higher than what we can offer.
Many more parents were accessing the extended 30 hours FEL this helped to fill places within rooms, however this increases to all over 9mnts plus from Sept 2025 all children in receipt of the 30hrs will be entitled to more hours and more session. Impacting on how we deliver our funding options because this again this will be impacting staff levels and us financially. But it means that the income from the hours will increase due to the high rate of SCC income. With the numbers being higher we have needed to employ staff to care for the children, but we have also had to use management within the rooms to help meet the demand of the children and lost staff and having 2 staff on maternity leave. Again, this is SMP Payments and cover of hours. We are finding with the increasing demand we are having to up train and upskill whilst on the job. We are now all additionally trained in Makaton, coming at an additional cost to the business.
We were lucky enough to receive the Capital Grant Funding; this funding has helped us to develop all of our nursery rooms. Where we have increased space to allow us to increase our occupancy levels, enabling us to offer more spaces our to our healthy waiting list. We also used this funding to help make the nursery spaces, much more manageable, this has also helped the noise levels the rooms and demand with the children. This funding alongside our own business needs allowed us to complete the necessary work of the toilets as the systems were old and needed updating. We now have more functional spaces and operational toilets within all rooms. We also used this funding to implement 2 new sensory rooms due to our high demand of SEND children.
The numbers are up to capacity within all rooms, a lot of parents are now returning to work or children and taking advantage of the new Role out of the government funding. We have increased our overall numbers with OFSTED.
4
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Trustee report continued
Our website is still generating a high number of parents to our waiting lists and continuing to generate healthy occupancy levels. We continue to have intakes of children as and when a place becomes available to help meet current demand for places. At this moment we have a Waiting list for under and 2yr rooms due to the high demands especially children in receipt of Funding. We feel this is due to our OUTSTANDING Ofsted rating. We are noticing a drop on 3yr boom forms, we do believe this maybe because schools now offer their own 2yr provisions and they are now filtering through into their own on-site nurseries?
The expenditure was mainly higher due to staffing costs, cover replacement maternity staff and staff absences than last year.
Our employment of staffing level is now 19 members of staff within the setting. This does have an increased to our wages bill having to reviewing staff salaries, cover and use of management within nursery rooms.
Company pension contributions for 2025/2026 and if an increase would be sustainable, but due to the already increases of pay, minimum wage and national insurance.
Within the setting we also have a high number of children who have Special educational needs, this has meant that we have been able to claim DAF funding and the early years inclusion funding.
2 of our children was successful with EHCPs (Education Health Care Plans) which again entailed some funding. This money in has been great to give support into our children and really was shown within our reputations, thriving children and professional views.
Our greatest achievement would be sustaining our OFSTED grade which we achieved an Outstanding Grade, a great achievement for the setting. We have continued to maintain a high standard of care and education. Which is all down to the hard-working empathic staff who continued with the committed support towards our setting.
We have continued to ensure we are meeting our high standards by keeping our ratio to staff to the lower levels rather than the newly increased higher ratio levels, we felt this increase of more staff to one adult was not manageable as a setting. We have taken into consideration the children and their individual needs/SEND needs and have continued to work at the lower ratios we have always used, we will continue to keep reviewing to ensure we can financially meet this demand.
The children have been supported by many professionals due to their high level of SEND needs this year with a high intake on SEND children again this has impacted the setting, with demands to meet individual needs at times pushed ratios to require one to one support we have reached out for additional funding to catered for these demands. We are also in the need of updating the setting with new equipment, resources as everything is showing its age and wear and tear this year has been at a high.
We aim to continue to look for funding opportunity for the setting, last year we didn’t have many positive returns, due to our financial revenue.
We are continuing the process of these funding opportunities as we require do require a new gate for the main entrance, Astro turf in the play’s areas, new equipment due to demanded, and resources to continue to make us strive for the outstanding setting we are. There is also a lot of current legislations being updated and reviewed which will impact on necessary things having to be in place.
Alongside our individual professional development for all staff who continue to bring exciting new plans for the setting.
We value our long-standing hard-working staff so much and appreciate all their help and commitment they have shown the setting. We are looking at incentives to show this back to the staff. We have made it our mission this year to work on developing our staff team and their wellbeing with a new renovated staff room area and developed many inhouse way to support mental health and awareness. As working in Early Years is becoming harder and harder, we feel all staff should be recognised for their hard work and commitment.
For the Financial year for 2024/2025 we continue to strive for inclusive practice and continue to be the hub of the community, Offering new opportunities to all. We will aim to continue to implement our ethos to the children as they are our centre, they are all unique. Our qualified staff are here to provide the scaffolding to their individual learning.
Karly Jennings Company Secretary
5
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Trustee report continued
## **Financial review**
Income for the year is shown at £740,965 (2024: £571,100 and this is mostly from grant funding and fees which is listed on the notes to the accounts. Expenditure is shown at £615,271 (2024: £495,150) with a year end carried forward of unrestricted funds balance of £307,029 (2023: £181,335)
## **Reserves Policy**
The organisation is working towards a reserves policy of maintaining 6 months running costs as its reserve level.
## **Trustees responsibilities for the financial statements**
Company and charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial period which show the state of affairs of the charity and of net income or expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- q select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
- q make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
- q prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it
is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
q state whether applicable accounting standards of recommended practice have been followed subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable the Trustees to prepare financial statements. The Trustees are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention of fraud and other irregularities.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.
This report was approved by the Trustees on ________and is signed on their behalf by:
Karly Jennings Company Secretary
6
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Independent Examiner's report on the Accounts of Dickory Dock Nursery for the year ended 31 March 2025
I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are set out on pages 8 to 11.
## **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(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
q examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
q to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145 (5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
q to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner’s report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 you as 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 matter has come to my attention:
(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
· to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and
· to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities
have not been met; or
(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:____________________________________
P Simpson ACA White Rose Accounting for Charities The Ghyll Threapland Aspatria CA7 2EL
Date:________________________
7
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Statement of Financial Activities incorporating Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 March 2025
|**Notes**
**Incoming resources**
**1**
Incoming resources from Charitable
activities
**2**
Incoming Resources from generated
funds:
**3**
Other income
**Total Incoming resources**
**Resources Expended**
**Charitable activities**
Salaries and Employment costs
**6**
Consumables
Rent, services and utilities
Insurance
Office costs
Equipment, repairs and maintenance
Training and travel
Membership and subscriptions
Uniform
Other expenditure
Total Charitable expenditure
**Governance costs**
Bank charges and payroll fees
Accountancy
**Total Expenditure**
**Net Incoming/(Outgoing) Resources**
Total funds brought forward
**Total funds carried forward**
**4**|**2025**
**£**
571,198
168,359
1,409
**740,965**
448,033
26,672
50,691
2,347
13,348
52,500
540
3,578
1,380
14,645
**613,735**
896
640
**615,271**
**125,694**
181,335
**307,029**|2024
£
387,269
182,123
1,708|
|---|---|---|
|||571,100|
|||394,155
22,015
42,951
2,198
10,023
9,691
918
2,494
1,695
7,613|
|||493,753
812
585|
|||495,149|
|||75,951
105,385|
|||181,335|
8
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025
|Company number: 04678193
**2025**
**Notes**
**£**
**Current Assets**
Balance at bank and cash in Hand
307,669
Debtors
**4**
-
307,669
**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
Accruals
**5**
(640)
(640)
**Net Current Assets**
307,029
**Net Assets**
**307,029**
**Represented By**
**FUNDS**
Unrestricted Funds
307,029
**307,029**|2024
£
181,920
-|
|---|---|
||181,920
(585)|
||(585)|
||181,335|
||181,335|
||181,335|
||181,335|
For the year ending 31 March 2025 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
Director's responsibilities;
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476,
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements are approved by the Board on ____________ and signed on its behalf by:
Caroline Hunt
Trustee
9
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
## **1 Accounting Policies**
## **(a)** General
The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), and the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS102 (effective from January 2015 and updated with effect from January 2016) - (the Charities SORP (FRS102)), as modified for smaller charities.
## **(b)** Income
Grants donations and Income from charitable trading activities are recognised in full in the Statement of Financial Activities in the year in which they are received.
## **(c)** Restricted Funds
Restricted funds are used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets the criteria is identified to the fund together with a fair allocation of management and support costs.
## **(d)** Unrestricted Funds
Unrestricted Funds are other income received or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.
## **(e)** Resources expended
Resources expended are included in the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis, inclusive of V.A.T. The company is not VAT registered.
Governance costs of the charity relate to the costs of running the charity such as
the costs of meetings, professional costs and statutory compliance, and includes any costs which cannot be specifically identified to another expenditure classification. In the opinion of the trustees all support costs relate to charitable expenditure.
## **(f)** Tangible Fixed Assets and Depreciation
Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its useful life.
## **(g)** Fund Accounting
Funds held by the charity are either restricted funds or unrestricted general funds. Unrestricted funds are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted funds that can only be used for a particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
10
## Dickory Dock Nursery
## Notes to the accounts
## for the year ended 31 March 2024
|**2**
**Grants and donations**
**Total**
**2025**
**£**
Sheffield City Council - Free Entitlement Learning
505,722
Sheffield City Council - EYIF
13,476
Sheffield City Council - EHCP
-
Sheffield City Council - Capital
50,000
Sheffield City Council - Senco
-
Realise
2,000
South Yorkshire Community Foundation
-
Smaller grants
-
**571,198**
**3**
**Fees for services**
**2025**
**£**
Nursery fees
167,139
Fundraising
1,219
**168,359**
**4**
**Debtors**
**2025**
**£**
Debtors
-
**-**
**5 Accruals**
These are expenses that have been incurred but have not been billed or paid for
during the accounting period. They are in respect of:
**2025**
**£**
Accountancy
640
**640**
**6**
**Staff costs and trustees remuneration**
**2025**
**£**
Gross salaries
422,374
Employers national insurance
25,659
**448,033**|Total
2024
£
358,471
8,908
9,354
-
2,536
-
7,500
500|
|---|---|
||387,269|
||2024
£
181,047
1,076|
||182,123|
||2024
£
-|
||-|
||2024
£
585|
||585|
||2024
£
373,474
20,681|
||394,155|
No remuneration or out of pocket expenses were paid to any trustees during the period.
11