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**
1
## 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.
2
## 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.
3
## 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)
4
## 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
5
## 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|
|---|---|---|
6
## 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)
7
## 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.
8
## 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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