2024-04-05-accounts - Foundation Years Information And Research

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Foundation Years Information and Research

Annual report and unaudited financial statements

6th April 2023 – 5[th] April 2024

Charity no. 1158170

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Reference and administration details
Charity registration number 1158170
Charity name Foundation Years Information and Research
Registered address 35 Ulleswater Road London N14 7BL
Telephone number 020 8372 1516
Email address fyiroffice@gmail.com
Website www.fyir.org.uk
Trustees
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Dr Rob Hale, Acting Chair (appointed 2014)
Dr Amanda Jones, Vice Chair (appointed 2014)
Nick Peacey, MBE, Secretary (appointed 2014)
Robin Balbernie (appointed 2020)
Dr Sunil Bhopal (appointed 2020)
Marcus Codrington-Fernandez (appointed 2016)
• Professor Gabriella Conti (appointed 2016)
Professor Dame Sarah Cowley (appointed 2014)
• Merle Davies (appointed 2021)
Professor Pasco Fearon (appointed 2015)
Professor Eva Lloyd, OBE (appointed 2022)
Dr Carine Minne (appointed 2014)
Dr Matthias von der Tann (appointed 2014)

Bank National Westminster Bank, 250 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4AA

The Trustees present their reports and financial statements for the period 6th April 2023-5[th] April 2024

Structure, governance and management

Foundation Years Information and Research is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and was established with the approval of the Charity Commission on 7[th] August 2014. The CIO is governed by a constitution.

The first Trustee appointments were made in August 2014 for a three-year term. The Trustees meet three times annually and hold an Annual General Meeting.

New trustees are briefed on relevant trust matters by the Secretary.

Officers

The first Chair of FYIR was Lord Field of Birkenhead. Lord Field resigned as Chair in September 2015. He was succeeded by Karen Buck MP and from 2017 to July 2024, Karen Buck MP and Catherine West MP were Co-Chairs.

Objectives and activities

The objects of the CIO are:

To advance public education and understanding of the substantial body of scientific work on the extent to which the earliest relationships play a major role in shaping a baby’s brain and in influencing their future mental and physical health
To promote research and study into all aspects of the foregoing, including improved knowledge of neuroscience and developmental processes and to make available the useful results

Report The FYIR Youtube channel

Our continuing series of Zoom meetings now offers presentations by fourteen speakers on the FYIR Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSAP17lTNQc8RcAGrguDH1A

Finland’s celebrated ECEC provision: 8[th] November 8023

Tarja Kahiluoto, senior ministerial adviser to the Finnish Government, gave a memorable explanation of how her country’s under 5s system of integrated education and care (ECEC) has come to be celebrated around the world.

The package was developed over 20 years and serves many policy goals, including implementing all children’s right to a quality early education within a flexible framework that includes a comprehensive and flexible set of measures and provision. For example, parents and carers can choose from a range of settings, all carefully regulated, moderately priced and offering a curriculum framed at national level, modified to suit the local context. All children have an individual plan; there are no ‘learning standards.’ Services are multi-professional with good training of training for all and a pedagogy which starts from the child’s perspective. An appropriately low child-adult ratio within all sorts of settings is strictly maintained. Some jealousy was expressed in the discussion!

The FYIR New Government, New Thinking Seminar Series Session 1 It’s about time young people learned some brain science: 25[th] March 2024

Felicity Gillespie, Chief Executive, Kindred Squared

Felicity Gillespie of Kindred Squared opened our New Government, New Thinking series of six seminars with an examination of the implementation of their SEEN programme for education, a module to be used within the science curriculum for early secondary/late primary pupils on early neurodevelopment.

It was an appropriate topic for FYIR. Frank Field always emphasised that wherever he had spoken to school students, he had found them to have great interest in parenthood and the growth of the baby’s brain.

The SEEN programme has been widely piloted and evaluated in partnership with the University of Oxford. Results show that it is highly successful in recalibrating young people’s knowledge and attitudes to early child development. Felicity concluded: ‘Scientists know that the first few years of a child’s life are critically important for human development with impacts on long-term health, wellbeing, learning and earning potential. And yet, we don’t include any of this on the school science curriculum.’

Since SEEN was initiated in 2021, the lessons have been accessed by over 20,000 students at KS2 and KS3. https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/research/seen

Preoccupations, contradictions, opportunities in early child development: a budget briefing March 2023

This FYIR briefing provided up-to-date evidence as context for the Chancellor's decisions about 0-3 years in the 2023 budget.

Budget briefing. Financial review There are no funds materially in deficit. The principal sources of funding in the period to 5[th] April 2024 were: Funds carried forward from the previous year’s operations: £1419. FYIR’s expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity through the continuation of the organisation’s seminar programme, meetings and collaborations alongside development of the website and Youtube channel to broaden the scope of information and evidence we make available relevant to the organisation’s aims.

Reserves Policy

The aim of the trustees is to hold at least 6 months overhead expenses in reserve. The fund at 5[th] April 2024 meets this test.

Statement of financial activities incorporating income and expenditure account for period 6th April 2023 to 5[th] April 2024

	Restricted Funds £	Unrestricted Funds £	2023/2024 Total £
Incoming resources
Incomingresources -grants	0	0	0
Donations	0	0	0

Resources expended - charitable
Administration/staff development	0	0	0
Design	0	0	0
Phone	0	0	0
Refreshments/sustenance	0	0	0
Speakers honoraria/hospitality	0	0	0
VAT	0	0	0
Accommodation		0	0
Total expenditure	0	0	0

Surplus/deficit for the period	0	0	0
Brought forward from previous financial Year(Note 1)		1419	1419
Carried forward	0	1419	1419

Balance sheet

As at 5[th] April 2024 Balance sheet

	Restricted funds £	Unrestricted funds £	2023/4 All funds £
Fixed assets	0	1419	1419
Current assets: Debtors Cash	0 0	0 1419	0 1419

Accounting policies

a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with applicable accounting standards.

b) Income

Grants are credited to income when receivable.

c) Expenses

Expenses are recognised in the period when they are incurred.

d) Restricted funds

These are grants received for specific purposes. Expenses incurred for these purposes are charged to the restricted fund.

2. Staff costs

The charity has no employees.

Notes to accounts (1)

This line shows the corrected c/f for FY2022/2023

Details provided in line with recommendations in para. 3.36,

correction of a prior period error according to the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities

	Total incoming resources	Total expenditure	Surplus/deficit for the period	c/f 2022/2023
Correction in Annual Report 2023-2024	0	0	0	1419
Misstatement In Annual Report 2022- 23	0	950	(950)	2219

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf

Rob Hale Chair

Date: 27.1.24