## ## ## ## ||Type ofgoverning
document|Articles ofAssociation| |---|---|---| ||How the charity is constituted|Company
limited
by guarantee| ||Trustee selection methods|Elected by members.
Trustees can also be co-opted onto the Trustees by
agreement
ofthe Trustees.
Any co-opted member
will retire or be elected| |||as a Trustee at the next AGM.| |Additional
governance
issues||(Optional
information)| |You may choose to include
additional
information,
where
relevant,
about:||Registered
by Ofsted on the Early Years Register and inspected
accordingly.
Operates
under the Early Years Foundation
Stage statutory
framework.
Member ofthe Early Years Alliance and partner ofEssex
County Council Early Years and Childcare.| ||policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and|Staff and trustees subject to Disclosure and Barring Service checks and| ||training
oftrustees;|all hold enhanced
disclosures.
New staff members are appointed
by the| |~|the charity's
organisational
structure
and any wider
network
with which the charity
works;|trustees
in consultation
with the manager
and business
manager,
who
have received training
in safer recruitment
practices.
All staff receive
training
in safeguarding
children
and the setting has two designated
safeguarding
lead officers and one deputy
safeguarding
lead officer.| |~
~|relationship
with any related
parties;
trustees'
consideration
of|Trustees form the "Registered person"' under Ofsted requirements
and
have overall responsibility
for the organisation.
Daily running
ofthe setting
is led by the preschool
manager,
business manager
and deputy preschool
manager.| ||major risks and the system|| ||and procedures
to manage
them.|In line with the governing
documents,
the majority oftrustees are parents
ofchildren at the preschool.| ||||||~ ~| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||Toenhance the development
and education
of children
under statutory| ||||||school age by encouraging
parents to understand
and provide for the| ||||||needs oftheir children
through
community
groups and by| ||||||1. offering appropriate
play, education
and care facilities and training| ||||||courses, together
with the right ofparents to take responsibility
for| |Summary ofthe objects
charity set out in its
governing
document||||ofthe|and to become involved
in the activities ofsuch groups, ensuring
the such groups offer opportunities
for all children whatever
their
race, culture,
religion, means or ability;
2. encouraging
the study ofthe needs ofsuch children
and their| ||||||families and promoting
public interest
in and recognition
ofsuch| ||||||needs;| ||||||3.
instigating
and adhering
to and furthering
the aims and objects of| ||||||the Early Years Alliance,| ||||||Activities ofthe preschool are in line with the guidance
and requirements| ||||||ofthe Early Years Foundation
Stage framework
and are inspected
and| ||||||monitored
by Ofsted.
In December 2019the preschool was inspected
by| ||||||Ofsted and rated good.| ||||||Since January 2020 the setting has a preschool manager
and business| ||||||manager,
working together to make sure that the aims ofthe preschool| ||||||are achieved,
that the preschool
remains
sustainable
and that the welfare| ||||||and learning
and development
requirements
ofthe EYFSare met.| |Summary ofthe main
activities undertaken
for the
public benefit in relation to
these objects {include within
this section the statutory
declaration
that trustees
have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission
on public
benefit)|||||The preschool
is an independent,
voluntary
setting and delivers free early
education
for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds through a contract with Essex County
Council.
The setting offers eligible families up to30 hours per week of
funded
childcare, as part ofthe government*s
extended
offer. This
enables the setting to contribute to the government
aim ofproviding
disadvantaged
children
and families with good early education
and
childcare.
Fees are kept toa level which cover costs and provides
sufficient funds to improve the service and resources we provide.
Care is
taken to ensure that families are not excluded because of inability to pay
the fees and that families are welcomed
whatever
their circumstances| ||||||and back grounds.
Parents are able to become members ofthe| ||||||preschool free ofcharge.
Parents are encouraged
to take up| ||||||membership,
volunteer at the preschool and become trustees.| ||||||The charity trustees have had due regard to the guidance
on public| ||||||benefit published
by the Charity Commission
and have complied
with the| ||||||duty
in section 4 ofthe charities Act 2006.| ## ## |Briefstatement ofthe
charity's
policy on reserves|Briefstatement ofthe
charity's
policy on reserves|Briefstatement ofthe
charity's
policy on reserves|The financial
position at the end ofa normal
running
year remains strong
with good cash reserves.
There was no need for any fees to be
refunded
during the year.| |---|---|---|---| ||||Little Owls Preschool holds| ||||1. an unrestricted
fund ofno more than f40,000as a contingency
to| ||||cover 3months
running
costs ifnecessary.
This may be| ||||necessary to allow the preschool to continue
running
in the event| ||||ofa low number of children
on roll over a period oftime.
2.
An unrestricted
fund of no more that f60,000 to be used on| ||||maintenance
ofthe building
and garden area and replacement
of| ||||essential fixtures such as heating
systems,
flooring etc. This may| ||||in the future be necessary to provide funds towards a| ||||replacement
building
when the current
building comes to the end| ||||of its life.| ||||As at 31August 2023, the reserves held were| ||||1. 35,726.58| ||||2. 29,214.30| |Details ofany funds
in deficit||materially|There are no funds materially
in deficit.| |Further financial
review details|||(Optional
information)| |You may choose to include
additional
information,
where
relevant about:
~
the charity's
principal|||Fundraising
returned
to near normal
levels, although
the cost of living
crisis has not helped this. The main fundraising
was from a well-
supported
sponsored
fun iun held in May, then a small raffle held at
Christmas
and a very small amount
raised from the sale ofpreschool
un-
essential school uniform.| ||sources offunds (including
any fundraising);||The main expense that the fundraising
was used for was a large wooden
outdoor storage unit that was bespoke
built to enable the children to| |~
~|how expenditure
has
supported
the key objectives
ofthe charity;
investment
policy and
objectives including
any||access all outdoor toys. The sections ofthe perimeter fence and gate to
the garden and gate to the side garden needed
replacing
to ensure the
children were kept safe.
Expenditure
on other new resources was managed
very carefully and the
purchase ofait and craft resources was also managed
carefully as we
continue
to use stock.| ||ethical investment|policy|| ||adopted.||Principal sources offunds: free early education
entitlement
funding
from| ||||Essex County Council, fees, fundraising.| ## ||||Notes||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Fixed Assets|||||| |Building
Furniture,
Equipment|5.Toys||||187,967
6,316| |Total Fixed Assets|||||194„283| |Current Assets|||||| |Bank Current Account
Bank Deposit Account
Cash||||45,109
64,941
0|| |Debtors||||0|| |Total Current Assets||||110,D50|| |Current Liabilities|||||| |Creditors
Pre-paid fees
Accruals 8committed
Total Current Uabilities|expenditure|||9,848
0
300
10,148|| |Net Current Assets|||||99,902| |Total Assets less Current Liabilities|||||294,185| |Capital 8 Reserves|||||| |Unrestricted
Reserves
Unrestricted
Reserves|b/fwd
transferred|in|||106,331
0| |Unrestricted
Operating|surplus for|year|||-113| |Restricted Funds, Building|||||187,967| |Audit Exem tion Statement|||||294,185| ## ## ## ## ## ||||2021/22|2022/23| |---|---|---|---|---| |||Notes||| |Operating|Income|||| ||Fees
Essex CC Funding
Grant
Registration
Fees||36,64?
119,092
40|39,366
115,?94
120| ||Fundraising||2,413|2,461| ||Donations
/ Other||7,801|66| ||interest Received||6|231| ||||165,995|158,038| |Operating|Expenditure|||| ||Payroli inol. Ni and Employer Pension
Premises Costs 8 Repairs
Business Rates||124,59S
4,671
315|131,604
5,704
276| ||Utilities 8 Water||4,023|2,621| ||Catering costs||774|820| ||Consumables
Minor equip items 8 repairs
Office Costs 8 admin
insurance||3,346
946
3,299
2,768|3,397
3,912
1,941
2,922| ||Training||?60|560| ||Fundraising
expenses||925|1,009| ||Miscellaneous
expenditure||663|1,001| ||Depreciation||1,917|2,385| ||||14S,006|158,151| |Total Net|Operating
Income||16,989|| ## ||Fixed Ass|e|t Register|at 31August|202|3depreciated|over 5years, s|traight
line basi|s||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||Cost at
acquisition||Depn. b/f|NBV Blfwd|Depn. For
period||Depn.
clfwd|NBVat
31.8.23| ||Brought Forward|||826,902||F19,185|67,717|R2,287||E21,472|85,430| ||Disposals||in period|EO||f.0||FO||LO|RO| ||Additions|in period||||RO||898|||| ||Balance|||27,886||19,185||2,385||21,570|6,316| |8|Reserves||||||||||| |||||||||2022||2023|| ||Reserves
blfwd
Unrestricted
Reserves|||transferred|in|||89,342||106,331|| ||Unrestricted
Restricted||Operating
surplus
for
Funds, Building||year|||16,989
199,024|'|-113
187,967|| |||||||||305,355||294,185|| ## ##