Charity Registration No. 1155108
ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Trustees
K Crouch J Harriss J Bucknell G Roger (Treasurer) L Cousins (Chair to June 2022) G Neale (Chair from June 2022) (Appointed 11 June 2022)
Charity number 1155108 Principal address Postland Road Crowland PE6 0JA Independent examiner Carolyn Rossiter Rutland House Minerva Business Park Lynch Wood Peterborough PE2 6PZ
ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 1 - 5 |
| Independent examiner's report | 6 |
| Statement of financial activities | 7 |
| Balance sheet | 8 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 9 - 11 |
ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
TRUSTEES' REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2021.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) " (effective 1 January 2019 ).
Objectives and activities
The charity's objects are t o provide care and education of pre-school age children and enhance their development and education through play and exploration, in surroundings where all families are welcome, valued and enabled to become part of our learning community. Our role is to provide a safe, stimulating environment where with the support of our highly qualified staff, children can develop at their own pace.
The setting is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all children and families.
We instigate and adhere to and further the aims and objects of the Pre School Learning Alliance / EYFS.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
Achievements and performance
Activities undertaken to further the charity's objectives as a pre-school learning environment
In accordance with the Charities Act and the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, the trustees have given regard to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charities Commission.
Abbey 345 Pre-School has had another fantastic – although continuing to be an unusual year, which can only be attributed to the commitment, enthusiasm and professionalism of all the staff and management committee. The support received from parents/carers and members of the local community has also been exceptional.
Kathy (Early Years Manager) and her staff have continued to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum to the children, providing care and a wide variety of learning opportunities in a safe and stimulating environment. We have had to constantly amend & ‘tweak’ our practice on an ongoing basis in order to meet ever changing Government guidance, as the Coronavirus Pandemic continued to impact on all our lives. Obviously in order to do this safely, a lot of planning and additional re-organisation had to take place - in order to ensure the safety of our children, families and indeed staff.
During the periods of closure and reduced numbers we worked very hard at maintaining links with our families via social media with regular scheduled Facebook posts. These included ideas & links to learning activities at home. As the year continued we were able to enlarge our bubbles and the year-end Leavers party and presentation was unusual in that instead of all our children being together it was split into am and pm sessions to accommodate the two large bubbles of Puddleducks & Tiggywinkles. We also had to restrict admission to only one family member per child due to Government recommendations. Sadly as the children were watching the Leavers video, for the first time ever, not all the faces were familiar to them.
Abbey 345 Pre-School continues to offer a variety of sessions to accommodate the needs of all the local preschool children i.e. Let’s Play Together (for parents/carers and their babies/toddlers, which is free of charge) – temporarily suspended from March 2020 – but restarted in June 2021, 2+ sessions (a shorter introductory session to pre-school for those aged 2 and above), mixed sessions (ages 2-4) and School Readiness sessions (for those in their pre-school year). We are also registered to deliver the government funded 2 year old entitlement and 30hr funding placement, which a number of families are taking advantage of, by sharing their hours with other settings.
In “normal” years we hold a School Readiness information evening for parents of children who will be starting School Readiness sessions in the September. This includes a demonstration of ‘ideal’ lunch boxes and ‘difficult to open’ food products, a chance to order uniform and book bags. It gives opportunity for staff and parents to meet and discuss how to support children in early writing and phonetics. We also give parents leaflets to support home activities in a range of skills. Sadly this year that did not take place but we did our best to fully support our school readiness children and families under very difficult circumstances.
Yet again we have been able to maintain excellent links with South View Community Primary School this year liaising with Foundation Stage Teachers via phone and Zoom to enable a smooth transition for the children into full-time education. In addition to this, school were able to visit (masked & socially distanced).
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
Training and development to further the charity's objectives
Abbey 345 Pre-School employs a high calibre of extremely motivated staff and the management team is fully committed to investing in the ongoing training and personal development of each member of the team. Staff have attended both mandatory and specialist training courses throughout the year, enabling them to acquire new skills, keep up-to-date with ‘best practice’, and keep abreast of the ever changing requirements within childcare practice. The whole of this school year it has been in virtual form – via either Teams or Zoom.
Forest School finally commenced in the Autumn term and has proved to be both successful & highly enjoyable. We are very grateful to Jane’s dad Nick (aka Forest School Nick) for his continuing - and highly popular with the children - support with this.
Our Portage accreditation was re-achieved and we continue to be amongst a very small percentage of schools and pre-schools in the country to have this recognition.
We have added 2 new members of staff to our staff team this year, both ex parents who wished to continue to spend time in setting. Collette Dobbs is working towards a Cache Level 3 qualification and Sharon Bell is a Level 6 practitioner. Welcome aboard ladies.
Staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and regular supervisions are scheduled giving staff the opportunity for professional discussions. All staff have additional areas of responsibility such as SEN, Inclusion, Behaviour Management, Mathematics, ICT, Communication & Language etc. and are encouraged to develop these within the setting for the benefit of the children.
Extra activities and community events
Obviously we have had to re-evaluate how we integrate these into a setting under covid restrictions. We continued to work closely with Crowland Community larder and remain a drop off point for supplies for more vulnerable families in the community.
As we were not able to have our school readiness regular outing we brought it into setting. We had a day of animal visitors – from awesome alpacas to terrifying tarantulas – via snakes, lizards, ducks, rabbits & baby chicks along the way. Thank you to everyone who brought in their beautiful beasties for the day.
We also had our first ever Forest School experience day. Parents were invited to share in the joy that a day in the woods brings. They were able to take part in whittling, learning to use tools, den building, music, playdough mini beasts and most exciting of all campfire cooking – complete with marshmallows!
We missed out on many of our usual special days this year but still enjoyed our Christmas parties – including a visit from Father Christmas – a brilliant performance by our committee chair Lucy.
The children took part in celebrating British birds by focusing on the bird life in the pre-school garden for Great British Bird Watch.
As you can see it was still a very busy year for us!
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
Fundraising achievements
As a not-for-profit organisation it is necessary for us to boost our funds and provide experiences / additional resources, which we cannot meet out of our planned budget. We will look into the specific values in the Treasurers report later.
We started the year with the goal of raising £3,500 and actually, despite the world wide events that overtook us, achieved more than that. This was due in part to our very own Santa’s helper (aka Jane’s dad Nick). Working away in his workshop, just like a supersized elf and assisted by his lovely helper (Jan aka Jane’s mum) he created dozens of wooden reindeer and additional funds of over £500.
Our annual Christmas and Easter Hampers had to move entirely online this year but still did surprisingly well. Thank you to everyone who contributed towards these or bought tickets.
As well as fundraising for our Pre-School, we believe it is important to support other charitable organisations and this year our children have raised funds for Children in Need and comic relief.
Financial review
During the year to 31 August 2021, on top of the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the Preschool continued to suffer from minimal increases in government funding alongside significant minimum wage increases. Despite this, we are happy to report a net surplus of £ 21,828 . Of this, £11,209 is a restricted surplus.
The committee and staff continue to monitor expenditure alongside the annual budget which is set to achieve a small surplus position.
The charity’s reserve policy is to hold sufficient reserves to meet potential redundancy costs that would need to be paid should the charity be in the unfortunate position that it can no longer continue.
At the year end £92,447 (of which £ 67 , 908 is unrestricted) was held in reserves; this amount is considered appropriate to meet the costs of the pre-school given any unforeseen fluctuations in receipts (be that through reduced children numbers or reduced funding levels) or to cover redundancy costs .
Faced with continuing minimum wage increases that are unsupported by the government funding received by the setting, alongside the ongoing cost of living crisis that is affecting all costs faced by the preschool, we continue to implement new ways to increase, in a sustainable way, the income that the preschool receives in order to continue to operate as a going concern.
The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Structure, governance and management
Abbey 345 Pre-School is registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), number 1155108. The Charity was first established on 18th March 1987 (Charity No 1036895) and was transferred to the new CIO with effect from 14th October 2014, with a new Pre School Learning Alliance Constitution adopted.
The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were: K Crouch J Harriss J Bucknell G Roger (Treasurer) R Wilson (Secretary) (Resigned 22 October 2020) L Cousins (Chair to June 2022) E Owens (Resigned 31 July 2021) G Neale (Chair from June 2022) (Appointed 11 June 2022)
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
Selection of new trustees is by recommendation by existing trustees.
The trustees' r eport was approved by the Board of Trustees.
L Cousins (Chair to June 2022)
Trustee Dated: 29 June 2022
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2021, which are set out on pages 7 to 11.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. 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.
It is my responsibility to:
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(i) examine the financial statements under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
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(ii) 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
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(iii) 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 financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, 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 financial statements present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.
Independent examiner's statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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(a) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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(i) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
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(ii) to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act;
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have not been met or
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(b) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Carolyn Rossiter
Rutland House Minerva Business Park Lynch Wood Peterborough PE2 6PZ
Dated: 29 June 2022
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
| Unrestricted Restricted funds funds Notes £ £ Income from: Donations and legacies 1,600 530 Charitable activities Pre School Grant Funding 83,509 13,193 Session fees and snack charges 24,040 - Merchandise 347 - Training - - Miscellaneous 1,714 983 Fundraising activities 4,224 - Total income 115,434 14,706 Expenditure on: Raising funds Fundraising and publicity 484 - Charitable activities Charitable expenditure 1 104,331 3,497 Total charitable expenditure 104,331 3,497 Total resources expended 104,815 3,497 Net income for the year/ Net movement in funds 10,619 11,209 Fund balances at 1 September 2020 57,289 13,360 Fund balances at 31 August 2021 67,908 24,569 |
Total 2021 £ 2,130 96,702 24,040 347 - 2,697 4,224 130,140 484 107,828 107,828 108,312 21,828 70,649 92,477 |
Total 2020 £ 5,951 77,673 13,926 305 275 4,122 2,522 |
|---|---|---|
| 104,774 | ||
| 115 | ||
| 99,869 | ||
| 99,869 | ||
| 99,984 | ||
| 4,790 65,859 |
||
| 70,649 |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 AUGUST 2021
| Notes Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Net current assets Income funds Restricted funds 4 Unrestricted funds |
2021 £ 92,477 |
£ 92,477 24,569 67,908 92,477 |
2020 £ 70,649 |
£ 70,649 13,360 57,289 70,649 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 29 June 2022
L Cousins (Chair to June 2022) Trustee
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
1 Charitable activities
| Learning environment Pupil premium and Disability Access expenditure Wages Share of support costs (see note 2) Share of governance costs (see note 2) Analysis by fund Unrestricted funds Restricted funds For the year ended 31 August 2020 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds |
2021 £ 275 2,239 983 3,497 102,831 1,500 107,828 104,331 3,497 107,828 |
2020 £ 1,804 98 3,200 5,102 93,267 1,500 99,869 94,767 5,102 99,869 |
|---|---|---|
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
| 2 Support costs Support costs Governance costs £ £ Wages 92,068 - Website, computer and telecomunications 1,120 - Cleaning, repairs and maintenance 1,682 - Advertising and merchandise 854 - Insurance 1,664 - Learning environment 642 - Staff training and welfare 258 - Light, heat and rent 1,817 - Postage and stationery 650 - Miscellaneous 2,076 - Legal and professional - 1,500 102,831 1,500 Analysed between Charitable activities 102,831 1,500 |
2021 £ 92,068 1,120 1,682 854 1,664 642 258 1,817 650 2,076 1,500 104,331 104,331 |
Support costs Governance costs £ £ 79,621 - 883 - 702 - 711 - 1,650 - 2,382 - 804 - 3,449 - 499 - 2,566 - - 1,500 93,267 1,500 93,267 1,500 |
2020 £ 79,621 883 702 711 1,650 2,382 804 3,449 499 2,566 1,500 94,767 94,767 |
|---|---|---|---|
3 Trustees
During the year two trustees were remunerated for their roles as Pre-school Manager and Senior Early Years Practitioner. Their remuneration in the year totalled £ 32,302 (2020: £31,201).
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ABBEY 345 PRE-SCHOOL
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2021
4 Restricted funds
The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes:
| Movement in funds | Movement in funds | Movement in funds | Movement in funds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at | Incoming | Resources | Balance at | Incoming | Resources | Balance at | |
| 1 September | resources | expended | 1 September | resources | expended | 31 August | |
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Pupil Premium | 1,398 | 685 | (99) | 1,984 | 3,928 | (1,074) | 4,838 |
| Winter Grant | - | - | - | - | 1,311 | (1,095) | 216 |
| Disability Access | - | - | - | - | 615 | (70) | 545 |
| Inclusion Funding | 9,407 | (615) | - | 8,792 | 7,339 | - | 16,131 |
| Community Champions | 737 | - | - | 737 | 530 | - | 1,267 |
| Cleared down funds | 616 | - | (153) | 463 | - | (275) | 188 |
| Other restricted donations | 461 | 2,573 | (1,650) | 1,384 | - | - | 1,384 |
| HMRC Coronavirus JRS | - | 3,200 | (3,200) | - | 983 | (983) | - |
| 12,619 | 5,843 | (5,102) | 13,360 | 14,706 | (3,497) | 24,569 |
Restricted funds are to be used for specified purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets this criteria is allocated to the fund.
Pupil premium and disability access funds are allocated to benefit specific qualifying children in line with government guidelines.
The negative income in relation to Inclusion Funding (£615) relates to the repayment of overpaid funds received in the previous year.
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