2024-08-31-accounts - St Monica's Nursery and Forest School

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1152590

ST. MONICA’S NURSERY Trustees' Annual Re ort p

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|||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |For the|Period|start|date|Period|end|date| |period|01|09|2023|31|08|2024|

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Charity name St Monica’s Nursery

Other names charity is known by St Monica’s Nursery

Registered charity number (if any) 1152590

Charity's principal address St. Monica’s Close

A leton pp Warrin ton g Postcode WA4 3AW

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

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||||| |---|---|---|---| |Dates acted if not for whole| |Trustee name|Office (if any)| |year| |(if any)| |1|Clare Wadsworth|Chairperson| |2|Helen Kavanagh|Treasurer|Leaver July 2024| |3|Johanna Ducker|Parent|Leaver July 2024| |4|Liam Mannion|Treasurer|Started July 2024| |5|Stephen Hare|Parent Member| |Awaiting to appoint|St Monica’s Catholic Primary| |6| |School Link Governor| |7|

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Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser	Name Address	Name Address

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Mrs Emma Lightfoot - Nursery Leader Mrs Victoria Johnson - Nursery Deputy (until April 2024) Miss Jessica Brown - Acting Nursery Deputy (April 2024 - July 2024)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Trustee selection methods (eg. appointed by, elected by)	Constitution.
	Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
	The Nursery is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and is managed by a committee of charity trustees. The trustees are appointed for a term of three years. There are not less than 3 or more than 7 appointed trustees at any given time. Committee meetings are held at least once per term to monitor the nursery's effectiveness, ensure that it

complies with its statutory obligations, and discuss and agree on matters relating to its day-to-day management and ongoing development. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits.

The Committee must include a parent representative and a member of St. Monica’s Catholic Primary School's governing body. The Nursery Leader is a trustee and has voting rights on all matters other than those relating to the leader's role.

Individuals are appointed trustees based on their skills, knowledge and experience. Each newly appointed trustee receives a copy of the constitution, which clearly states the nursery's aims and objectives, and a copy of the latest Trustees’ Annual Report and Statement of Accounts.

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
relationship with any related parties;
trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

We adhere to our recruitment and employment policy for all employment and/or trusteeship. Rigorous recruitment procedures ensure that we employ the highest-quality staff.

We follow Ofsted guidance on obtaining references and completing Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for all staff and volunteers with unsupervised access to the children.

We provide a staffing ratio in line with the EYFS statutory framework to ensure that the children have sufficient individual attention and to guarantee quality care and education for all the children.

New staff members com lete induction trainin durin p g g

the first two weeks of employment, where the individual must demonstrate understanding of and compliance with our policies, procedures, daily tasks and routines, and they receive ongoing training following the EYFS statutory framework. Regular supervision by the Nursery Leader, continuing professional development (CPD) and support of individual career paths maintain positive staff attitudes to work. The team also conducts regular peer observations. During the financial year, the staff employed within the nursery included a Leader (full-time member of staff), a Deputy Leader (full-time member of staff), and 2 part-time Key Workers. A nominated SENCO liaises with parents and the Early Years Advisor and Children’s Services on any children requiring additional support. All staff receive regular training following the EYFS statutory framework. The Leader has completed HND in early years working with children and families in education (level 5). The Deputy Leader has also completed a foundation degree in the early years (level 5). One of our Key Workers has a full degree, and the other holds an appropriate Level 3 qualification in Childcare. This year, as well as refresher courses in core training such as Safeguarding, First Aid and Prevent, staff have also undertaken training with the DfE, studying the PDP program, and the Early Years Recovery program following COVID-19. The course covers specific learning areas such as Communication and Language, Maths and PSED. A Risk Assessment policy in operation within the nursery is continually reviewed and updated accordin l . A staff member carries out dail risk g y y

assessments and health and safety checks to ensure the setting is safe and healthy for children, parents, staff, visitors and volunteers. We also encourage the children to carry out their own risk assessment indoors and outdoors to understand the need to stay safe at all times.

The nursery is within St Monica’s Catholic Primary School, a suburban area in the south of Warrington. It falls within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shrewsbury and is part of Warrington Borough Local Education Authority. It is a term-time only setting and is open from 8.50 am to 3.20 pm, Monday to Friday, for children from 2 years. Flexible arrangements are in place for parents requiring out of school care either before and/or after the nursery day through the nursery's breakfast and after-school club or the primary school’s breakfast and after-school club W.A.S.P. 's, an independent after-school link club provider. We are registered with OFSTED and are advised by the EYFS Team. The nursery is authorised to take in a maximum of 28 children per session.

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objectives of the charity set out in its governing document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within	To advance the education of children attending St Monica’s Nursery by providing and assisting in providing facilities for the daily care, recreation and education of such children.
	The nursery has a dedicated room which is situated within the main school building near the reception class. The rear access to the room is suitable for disabled

this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)	access, with access also available through the school. There is also a well-resourced outdoor learning area, which benefits from a sunshade canopy, meaning the children can access the EYFS curriculum both indoors and outdoors throughout the year. Our children are encouraged to become involved in the extra-curricular activities organised by the Friends of St Monica’s Primary School and the Parish Community so that they become an integral part of the broader community from an early age. These include regular fundraising events. This year, staff took part in the Stockton Heath festival along with staff from St Monica’s Catholic Primary, providing a range of Forest School activities for the children and families of the local community attending the event. Nursery children also have use of the school’s dining hall, which is used for the provision of school lunches and also for extracurricular activities such as music, sports and movement. The nursery operates a Healthy Snack policy. Staff act as positive role models to encourage the children to adopt healthy lifestyles in the setting by actively involving the children in making 'good choices' about the food they eat. Discussions help to develop the children's understanding of the types of food which keep our bodies healthy. Snacks are available for the children to enjoy during each session. Cold milk and water are also available. Any allergies and/or cultural issues are considered inprovidingsnacks. Alongside

access, with access also available through the school. There is also a well-resourced outdoor learning area, which benefits from a sunshade canopy, meaning the children can access the EYFS curriculum both indoors and outdoors throughout the year. Our children are encouraged to become involved in the extra-curricular activities organised by the Friends of St Monica’s Primary School and the Parish Community so that they become an integral part of the broader community from an early age. These include regular fundraising events. This year, staff took part in the Stockton Heath festival along with staff from St Monica’s Catholic Primary, providing a range of Forest School activities for the children and families of the local community attending the event. Nursery children also have use of the school’s dining hall, which is used for the provision of school lunches and also for extracurricular activities such as music, sports and movement. The nursery operates a Healthy Snack policy. Staff act as positive role models to encourage the children to adopt healthy lifestyles in the setting by actively involving the children in making 'good choices' about the food they eat. Discussions help to develop the children's understanding of the types of food which keep our bodies healthy. Snacks are available for the children to enjoy during each session. Cold milk and water are also available. Any allergies and/or cultural issues are considered in rovidin snacks. Alon side p g g

our healthy snack policy, we promote a healthy
lifestyle by participating in a ‘daily mile’ each morning,
walking or running two laps around the school field.
During the autumn and spring terms, all our children
enjoy eating their lunch in the nursery room. There is a
choice each day of a home-packed lunch or a cooked
school meal prepared by the school cook at St
Monica’s Catholic Primary (prepared by the school’s
cook following Warrington WBC guidelines for the
preparation of healthy school lunches). At the start of
the summer term, our older children who will be
moving to reception will move to the dining hall..
Our open Admissions policy makes the setting available
to all. Although the nursery is predominantly English-
speaking and reflects the catholic faith, children from
all faiths and cultures are warmly welcome. We
currently have English, Polish, Japanese and Italian
children at the nursery. We use various multicultural
resources, posters and picture books to promote and
encourage an awareness and acceptance of cultural
diversity, and we actively encourage all children to
develop a positive self-image, including their heritage
arising from their race, ethnicity, language, religion,
cultural traditions and home background. Our children’s
cultural needs and beliefs are incorporated within the
setting by celebrating multicultural festivals and food-
tasting activities.
Throughout the year, staff have been involved in
fundraising activities such as hosting monthly movie
nights, Christmas fair and Summer fair with St
Monica’s Catholic Primary. A total of £9 68 was raised this year through
fundraisingactivities.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

Youmay chooseto include
further statements, where
relevant, about:
●policy on grantmaking;
●policy programme related
investment;
●contribution made by
volunteers.

The nursery's curriculum provision aligns with the
EYFS statutory framework.
Each child is allocated a key worker upon entry into
the nursery to ensure consistency and establish good
working relationships between staff, children and
parents. This allows the key worker to develop a good
understanding of the child’s needs and to plan
effectively for them to be met in collaboration with
their parents and other nursery staff.
Planning is child-centred and is significantly influenced
by the children's current interests in the setting and
their homes. Weekly staff briefing meetings are held
to discuss, evaluate and amend the plans accordingly.
Children’s tracking documents are regularly annotated,
and each learning journal is completed weekly. Famly
(an On-Line Learning Journal) allows families to secure
access to their child’s learning journal throughout the
academic year.
The whole staff team works together to provide a
stimulating environment in which children learn and
develop. Through a broad, balanced curriculum, children
are encouraged to develop a positive self-identity,
taking on roles within their key worker groups to
increase their independence and self-esteem.
All staff model and promote the characteristics of
effective learning, understanding the importance of
each child’s learning method. Key workers
differentiate activities to suit the needs of children in
their key groups.
Provision is monitored and audited using the Early
Excellence audits. This allows staff to ensure we have
the very best resources to offer to the children to
fullyenhance their learningand development.

Evidence is collected through regular observations	of
the children’s play and learning and through
photographic evidence.
The Nursery Leader collates the tracking information
from Famly and submits it to the Local Authority.
Tracking data is used to assess children's progress
and staff's professional development. This enables
informed planning decisions for children’s next learning
development opportunities and agendas for staff
supervision meetings.
The nursery acknowledges that continued
communication with parents is essential and is
committed to forming effective partnerships with
them to enable each child to develop to his /her full
potential. We operate an ‘open-door’ policy whereby
parents can make contact with a team member at	any
time of the nursery day.
We also encourage parents to observe their children
at home and report their findings by completing a
“Star Moment”, which is then shared and displayed
within the nursery room, or by uploading evidence
directly onto their child’s learning record in Famly.
Parents are keen to be involved in their child’s learning .
We host a number of events throughout the year to
allow parents to be involved. These events include
Parent Par tnership Evenings during each term and	the
joint EYFS Evening with the Reception class during the
Summer term .
A comprehensive newsletter is issued to parents
monthly and we have our own section within St
Monica’s Catholic Primary website. We utilise a secure
social mediapage which we also use as a means of

communication with parents. We also have a public
social media page which is used for advertisement
purposes.
W e held regular Stay & Play Sessions where existing
and prospective new families were invited to come
along and spend some time with their children in our
setting. This not only gives parents an insight into the
kind of activities on offer for their children, but it
also provides another opportunity for them to get to
know their key workers better and to interact with
other families within their cohort.
All who come into contact with the nursery comment
positively about the setting, staff and exemplary
behaviour of the children. Nursery staff act as
positive role models at all times, and behaviour is
managed in a calm, consistent and positive manner. This
ensures that boundaries and routines are set in an
environment in which the children feel secure, happy
and valued.
We have a positive attendance record which
demonstrates that children feel safe and secure in the
setting and are happy and confident to leave their
parents and access their independent play.

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

A rebrand was done at the start of the academic year. We welcomed a new logo and signage to advise our Nursery as a Forest School setting. Delivering Forest School sessions has allowed our children to experience a broader range of activities and experiences and has helped our children and families develop empathy for the environment which has encouraged our families to spend family time together in our local nature spaces including ‘The Dingle’. Building a strong relationship with the new Head Teacher of St Monica’s Catholic Primary School. Allowing better communication and collaboration between ourselves and the school. Attending Stockton Heath Festival, meeting children and families with the local community and advertising our Nursery.

Section E Financial review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves	An amount of £11,000 has been ring-fenced to fund the estimated exit costs, including staff redundancy costs, in the unlikely event of closure. This is reviewed annually. In addition to this, we aim to hold unrestricted cash reserves of at least £10,000. These funds are held to meet one month’s financial obligations and any unforeseen expenditure that may occur. Any surplus monies are used to purchase further resources for the children and/or fund our ongoing maintenanceplan which covers both our dedicated

room and our outdoor play area.

Details of any funds materially in deficit Not applicable.

Further financial review details (Optional information)

Youmay chooseto include
additional information, where
relevant about:
●the charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising);
●how expenditure has
supported the key objectives
of the charity;
●investment policy and
objectives including any
ethical investment policy
adopted.

The nursery’s main source of income is the Early
Years Funding provided by the Local Authority.
This funding is available to all children from the school
term after their third birthday and currently equates
to 15 hours per week up to a maximum of 570 hours
per annum; some children are eligible for up to 30
hours per week up to a maximum of 1,140 hours per
annum.
The nursery offers full-time funded places (ie 30
hours per week) to all eligible parents across all
sessions.
The nursery also receives income from non-funded
sessions (i.e. additional sessions attended in excess of
the 15/30 hours per week) which are optional and are
invoiced termly and paid for by parents.
The funding covers the cost of running the setting.
The main costs are staffing, rent, insurance,
professional services (including an external payroll
provider), training and resources.
The nursery relies on fundraising, organised by staff
and parent volunteers to fund all other enrichment
activities.
The nursery has opted to prepare accounts on a
Receipts and Payments basis. The financial year end is
31stAugust.
The accounts disclosed for the period ending
31/08/24 include all financial transactions from
01/09/23 to 31/08/24. Duringthisperiod, the nursery

made a profit of 11510. This was a fantastic achievement as it demonstrates the hard work that staff have put into the setting during the past 12 months. This total comes from a combination of children increasing sessions and new children in the setting that were not originally included in the year's financial budget.

As a reward for all their hard work the trustees agreed that a third of the profit would be used for staff end of year bonuses. While the rest would be used for renovating the outdoor space including new astro turf, mud kitchen and coat trolly.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) C Wadsworth Full name(s) Clare Wadsworth Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Chairperson Date 13th March 2025

St Monica's Pre-School

Profit & loss account

for the period ending 31 August 2024

	Turnover	2024 2023
	Funding Fees Other Cost of Sales Staffing Gross Profit Administrative expenses Operating profit Other income Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities before taxation Exceptional item: Office Laptops (two of) Internal Works (flooring and toilets) External Works (MUGA, fence and gate) Taxation Profit/(loss) for the period Retained profit brought forward Profit/(loss) for the period Retained profit carried forward Administrative expenses:	89,937 58,068 28,253 34,219 477 1,532 (74,058 ) (67,017 )

		44,609 26,802
		(33,099 ) (27,599 )

		11,510 797
		11,510 797 0 11,510 (797 ) 48,132 48,929 11,880 (797 ) 59,642 48,132
	Premisis	13,879 7,200
	Insurance	1,517 1,324
	Professional services	5,533 3,860
	Advertising	39 168
	Staff training	943 666
	Fundraising spend	7 531
	Toys, equipment, activities & consumables	11,181 13,850
		33,099 27,599

St Monica's Pre-School is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registration No. 1152590

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ ’ members of ST MONICA S PRE-SCHOOL On accounts for the year ended 31/08/2024 Charity no 1152590 Set out on pages 1-2

Respective responsibilities The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. of trustees and examiner The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with 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 the 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.

IER

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention

which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and
- comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Date: Name: Liam Mannion Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:

IER

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

IER