## **Foundation Years Information and Research** 

## **Annual report and unaudited financial statements** 

**6th April 2023 – 5[th] April 2024** 

**Charity no. 1158170** 




**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Reference and administration details<br>Charity registration number  1158170<br>Charity name Foundation Years Information and Research<br>Registered address   35 Ulleswater Road London N14 7BL<br>Telephone number   020 8372 1516<br>Email address  fyiroffice@gmail.com<br>Website  www.fyir.org.uk<br>Trustees<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


- 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 

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## **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 

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## **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. 

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**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. 

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

||**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**|**2023/2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Incoming resources**||||
|Incomingresources -grants|0|0|0|
|Donations|0|0|0|
|||||
|**Resources expended -**<br>**charitable**||||
|Administration/staff<br>development|0|0|0|
|Design|0|0|0|
|Phone|0|0|0|
|**Refreshments/sustenance**|**0**|**0**|0|
|**Speakers**<br>**honoraria/hospitality**|**0**|**0**|0|
|**VAT**|**0**|**0**|0|
|**Accommodation**||**0**|0|
|**Total expenditure**|**0**|**0**|**0**|
|||||
|**Surplus/deficit for the**<br>**period**|**0**|**0**|**0**|
|**Brought forward from**<br>**previous financial**<br>**Year(Note 1)**||**1419**|**1419**|
|**Carried forward**|**0**|**1419**|**1419**|



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## **Balance sheet** 

## **As at 5[th] April 2024 Balance sheet** 

||**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**£**|**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**<br>**£**|**2023/4**<br>**All funds**<br>**£**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Fixed assets|0|1419|1419|
|Current assets:<br>Debtors<br>Cash|0<br>0|0<br>1419|0<br>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<br>incoming<br>resources|Total<br>expenditure|Surplus/deficit<br>for the period|c/f<br>2022/2023|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Correction in<br>Annual<br>Report<br>2023-2024|0|0|0|1419|
|Misstatement<br>In Annual<br>Report 2022-<br>23|<br>0|950|(950)|2219|



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Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf 

Rob Hale Chair 

Date: 27.1.24 

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