Charity number 1126437
Bright Sparks Pre School
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 March 2024
Bright Sparks Pre School
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 2 to 4 |
| Examiner's report | 5 |
| Receipts and payments account | 6 |
| Statement of assets and liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the accounts | 8 to 9 |
Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
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Bright Sparks Pre School
Trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2024
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors
The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: Name Position Dates Julie Hobson Chair Emma Rogers Secretary Tracey Allen Sarah Marquis-Linley Resigned 25 May 2023 Tracey Wilson Christina Brooks
Appointed 25 May 2023 Registered in England and Wales
Charity number 1126437 Registered and principal address Bankers Great and Little Preston Junior School Barclays Bank PLC Preston Lane 93-95 Main Street Great Preston Garforth Leeds Leeds LS26 8AR LS25 1AF
Independent examiner
Katy Sargeant ACA
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
Structure, governance and management
The charity is governed by a constitution adopted on 21 July 2008
Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees
The trustees of the charity are appointed by the members at the AGM.
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Bright Sparks Pre School
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024
Objectives and activities
The charity's objects
The charity's objects 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, offering appropriate play, education and care facilities, family learning and extended hour groups, together with the right of parents to take responsibility for and to become involved with the activities, ensuring that we offer opportunities for all children whatever their race, culture, religion, means or ability.
The charity's main activities
Bright Sparks is a non-profit making Pre-School for children from age 2 to school age. Opening Monday to Friday, with a morning, afternoon and full day sessions. During the full day session our staff provide lunch cover for the children. There is a maximum of 30 children in each session.
We offer a wide range of activities and opportunities for children to learn through play in a large indoor and outdoor environment which we let from Great Preston Primary School. We feel our setting is a welcoming and friendly place for children to attend at very affordable prices for families.
In addition we offer wrap-around care with breakfast and after school clubs for children aged 2 to 11 years providing working parents with provision from 7.30am to 6.00pm.
Our setting is a friendly place for children to attend and a valuable community service.
Public benefit statement
In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular the advancement of education.
Achievements and performance
We currently have 48 children who currently attend, some of which will move across into the reception class at school, Bright Sparks has a good relationship with the school, the school provides lunches for Bright Sparks children who stay over the lunch period, the children go over to the school hall for their lunch.
This year we had one of the parents in with her ducklings to show and talk to the children about the ducklings. We took the children to Skye Pies Soft play for the end of year Summer party and also for a Christmas party which each child received a present from Santa.
Bright Sparks have introduced a Spanish lesson for the children which all children get to join in every Wednesday.
We have regular fundraising events within Pre School by holding raffles at Christmas and Easter and selling reindeer food, Christmas treats and Easter treats to help raise money to buy new toys and equipment.
We continue to offer places for special needs children and have staff in place to offer them one to one attention. All staff are qualified to level 3 and regularly do online training courses to give them the knowledge and understanding to offer the level of service the community expect.
Financial review
The net receipts for the year were £13,823, all unrestricted in nature.
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Bright Sparks Pre School
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024
Reserves policy
The charity's free reserves, at the year end were £199,870.
The trustees have adopted a formal reserves policy to ensure the charity properly manages its resources and currently monitors the amount of reserves held to ensure that they are adequate to fulfil the charity’s continuing obligations for 6 months as well as staff redundancy costs. Based on the 2023/24 expenditure this comes to around £112,000, and estimated redundancy costs are approximately £35,700.
The trustees recognise that free reserves held at year end are still in excess of our policy however are comfortable with this as it provides a buffer for any unexpected expenditure which may arise - such as repair and maintenance on the building.
Approved by the board of trustees on 10/12/2024
Julie Hobson (Trustee)
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Bright Sparks Pre School
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Bright Sparks Pre School
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024, which are set out on pages 6 to 9.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').
I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Charities Act; 2 the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and 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.
Katy Sargeant ACA
11/12/2024
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
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Bright Sparks Pre School Receipts and payments account for the year ended 31 March 2024
| Notes Receipts Grants (2) Nursery fees Bonds School meals income Children's uniform income Party and trip contributions Bank interest Fundraising (Inc. photos and book club) Other income Total receipts Payments Salaries, NI and pensions Rent School meals cost Bond refunds Events and activities Materials and resources Speech and language Food Children's uniform costs Fixtures, fittings and extension work Repairs, maintenance and cleaning Equipment Photocopying, stationery and postage Telephone Insurance Memberships and subscriptions Staff training, expenses and uniform Advertising and publicity Independent examination Legal and professional fees Fundraising costs (inc. photos and book club) DBS checks Other expenses Bank charges Total payments Net receipts / (payments) Fund balances brought forward Fund balances carried forward |
2024 Total funds £ 145,817 85,891 1,450 3,260 75 311 984 367 - 238,155 167,208 22,300 4,814 1,500 2,137 3,164 1,578 2,507 13 2,778 796 234 3,346 1,491 314 1,108 2,803 717 792 4,184 154 226 - 168 224,332 13,823 186,047 199,870 |
2023 Total funds £ 145,684 83,558 800 3,623 110 355 183 809 69 235,191 145,555 19,694 3,967 1,000 1,168 1,419 1,070 2,284 310 4,340 1,242 1,272 3,262 956 1,443 1,619 6,067 1,402 684 5,618 225 417 4,000 141 209,155 26,036 160,011 186,047 |
|---|---|---|
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Bright Sparks Pre School Statement of assets and liabilities
| as at 31 March 2024 Cash funds Cash at bank Cash in hand Total cash funds |
2024 Total £ 199,858 12 199,870 |
2023 Total £ 186,035 12 186,047 |
|---|---|---|
| Liabilities Accruals Other creditors |
2024 £ 1,188 729 1,917 |
|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 10/12/2024
Julie Hobson (Trustee)
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Bright Sparks Pre School
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31 March 2024
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.
No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
Taxation
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
Fund accounting
All funds received were unrestricted in nature, i.e. available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
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Bright Sparks Pre School
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 31 March 2024
| Grants and donations Leeds City Council - Nursery Education Grant Leeds City Council - SEN grant Arnold Clarke Tesco |
2024 Total funds £ 140,074 5,743 - - 145,817 |
2023 Total funds £ 140,584 3,600 1,000 500 145,684 |
|---|---|---|
2 Grants and donations
3 Related party transactions
Trustee expenses
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
Trustee remuneration and benefits
| Details of remuneration and benefits Tracey Allen Gross pay Pensions |
2024 £ 28,940 1,264 30,204 |
2023 £ 25,033 1,066 26,099 |
|---|---|---|
Reason for remuneration
The trustee was employed in the role of Pre-School Manager.
Legal authority for the payment
The legal authority for the payment is via a provision within the charity's governing document.
No other trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
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