2024-08-31-accounts

Trustees, Annual Report for the period PeTiod start dale Peri&J end date 2023 2024 From Section A Reference and ad20inistration details Charity name Horsmonden Kindergarten Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (rf any 1168296 Charity's principal address Frances Austen Memorial Hall Back Lane Horsmonden Postcode TN12 8NJ Names ofthe charity trustees who manage the charity Name of pprson lor body) enti￿•d to appolnt trust•• I an Office Irf any) Dates acted if not forwhole y•ar Helene Murphy Alice Perfect Chair Appointed Nov 2022 Appointed 12 Jan 2021 Appointed Jul 2019 Appointed 10 July 2023 Appointed 22 April 2024 Appointed 21 Nov 2023 Treasurer Sarah Field Louise Creasy Melissa Kapoor Rebecca Finch Secretary Names of the trustees for the charity, if any. (for example, any custodian trustees) Name Dates acted if not for whole ear Name of chlef executlve or names of senlor staff members (Optional informatlon) Tina Walker and Sarah Parsons, Co Supervisors Becky Painter. Business Manager

Section B Structure, overnance and mana ement Description of the charity's trusts Type of goveming document CONSTITUTION ea Ide( 'onsiitVlii'i I How the charity is constituted leg I CHARITABLE INCORPORATED COMPANY Trustee selection methtyjs ELECTED BY MEMBERS AT AGM Additional governance issues (Optional infomiationl You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about: policies and prO￿dureS adopted for the induction and training of trustees., the charity's organisational structure and any v￿der network vrtth vthich the tharity works., relationship any related parties., trustees. consideration of major nsks and the system and procedures to manage them. Section C Objectives and activities The charity works for the public benefit having as its objects the development and education of children and young people by. (1 } promoting their care and safety: {2) promoting their education and promoting parental involvement: (3) promoting their health and wellbeing., (4) providing setvices lo support them and their families and carers- (51 providing servi￿$ lo individuals holding membership of the CIO- and (6) furthering the aims of the Eady Years Allian Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relatlon to these objects (include withln this section the statutory declaration that trustee3 have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit) Horsmonden Kindergarten's aim is to- Enhance the development and education of children under statutory school age. in a pre-school setting. To provide a safe, stimulating and happy environment. To work within a framework which ensures equality of opportunity for all children in our community. The Kindergarten plays a key role in our local community, and we forge strong links with Horsmonden Primary school and oiher organisations. such as the Social Club. who allow us to hold our fundraising events there.

It is vital that we keep up to date with the ever changing rules and regulations within Early Years. We are fortunate that we are able to do this by our staff attendin8 training. Having the opportunity to do this enhances their own personal development as well as the benefit5 It brings to our setting. After training we can assess our practice and make any changes we deem necessary to ensure we continue to provide the highest standards for the children in our care. Staff training over the last year has included= Celebrating Boys Achievement. Awe, Wonder and Cultural Capital. Planning the curriculum Sarah is the lead of our collaboration group, Connex. This is a group made up of several different settings within our area. The purpose of the collaboration is for all providers within the collaboration to work 108ether in partnership with each other, to share best prartice. attend training sessions. and have access to resource5 which can be purchased through our System Leadership Fund. Being part of the collaboration give5 us endless opportunities to deliver the best possible outcomes for our children and families. This gives us acce55 to Briefing and Networking sessions and Leaders Day events. These Sessions are highly informatNe and enable us to deliver the highest quality childcare. Our extensive array of activities and stimulating environment enhance and support communication skills. social interartions, creative flair, decision making and managing feelings and emotions. We have celebrdted lots of different festivals including Diwali. Remembrance Day, Christmas, Chinese New Year. Valentine's Day and Easter. This gives the children an opportunity to learn about different cultures and family traditions. through books, tasting different foods and creative actNitie5. We have enjoyed large physical activities on the big field, such obstacle courses and using large natural resources for open ended play. We have used lots of exploratory play in the mud kitchen and garden area. We have explored and experimented with lots of different resources. and lots of sensory and messy play. This had been a particular favourite of the children. The children love to listen to stories, sing their favourite songs and play musical instruments and their imagination comes to life in the home corner and creative area. We have recently developed and researched the"Curiosity Approach" The curiosity approach 15 based on child- led learning. Therefore the children make their own choices. and figure thin85 out for themselves which leads to enhanced confidence, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. The children are more engaged in their environment, and have a lot of fun. We have and are in the proce55 of creating a peaceful, tranquil environment which does not distract from their learning but instead places focus on the various loose items which they can play with. We are using lots of natural resources which they can make up their own play with. They are challenged to use all their senses to discover how somethin8 feels, sounds. and how they can interact with it. This Increases their confidence and encourages them to think independently. We want to create practice that inspires a child's natural awe and wonder. We have seen how the children are interacting more with each other and how it has helped expand their social and communication skills and developed their well being. Our curriculum plannin8 involves individualised plannin8 along with adult directed activities to support children's learnin8 and progression. We ensure our planning and environment cover all areas of learning. Each child's kev

person individualises their planning according to their child's stage of development, interests and ideas. We ensure we provide the appropriate props to enhance and extend thelr learning based on their needs, wants and opinion5. We worked closely with our specialist teacher who gave us vital support and strategies for children with speech and language delay. Our transition to school was made easier for the children as we put in place regular visits from their new primary school reception teachers. Our Committee supported our events such as Sports Day and Christmas. Fun was had by all at Sports Day and Christmas. The competitiveness displayed bv the children was amazing at Sports Day and the song singing at the Nativity wa5 truly outstanding. We have welcomed Gemma to our staff team. Gemma has fitted into our team so well and we a￿ thrilled and lucky to have her. Gemma loves to sing and dance and enjoy5 the role play scenarios. We also welcomed Kerry to our bank Staff. Kerry has helped u5 Out over the yearand has played an integral part to the day lo day runningof Kindergarten. Our aims for the forthcoming year are to: Continue to enhance the development and education of children under statutory school age. in a pre-school settin8 following Ofsted regulations Develop our pa￿nt partnership links using Facebook, a parent board. resources box To use the online observation system Tapestry effectNely and encourage parents to use this system. Continue to advertise and promote our setting. Continue to keep our website up to date. Continue to form good links with our local school and community. To conclude. we have had a busy but productive year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our hard workin& committed and dedicate staff, without their commitment and dedication. Kindergarten wouldn't be the amazing setting it is today. We would also like to thank our parents for their support, from providing cake5 for our cake Sales, to participating in our sponsored actNities like our Bunny hop and Halloween boxes. We really appreciate their support and input. We now look forward to the yearahead and what that will bring. Thankyou. rina, Sarah and 8ecky Section D Achievements and performance

Section D Achievements and performance Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the yèar During a challenging financial year which has seen so many early years setting close, Horsmonden Kindergarten has not only managed to continue to provide eX￿lIent care but also improve the setting. We have sUC￿$sfullY recruited two members of staff to our staff team. We have also fundraised enough funds to pul a new fixed roof over our stand and mud area, this will be a huge asset as we vlill be able to use this area in all weathers. Kindergarten. for two summers now, has run a very successful holiday club, this has provided valuable income for Kindergarten, as well as supporting parents and carers with widening our offering by providing 6 days of childcare during the holidays. Section E Financial review Brief statement of the charity's | policy on resep4es i Reserves policy 1. Horsmonden Kindergarten is a registered Charity. offering pre-school education and nursery pla￿S for children aged 2 to school age. The Kindergarten is run by a Management Commtttee. which actively undertakes fund-raising activities to create extra income towards play equipment. improvements and ongoing improvements and investment. 2. Annual income from fees should. in general, meet the annual budgeted costs of the Kindergarten. In years of low numbers of children (largely detenrjined by local population), reserves may be used (supplemented by additional fundraising) to meet the general running costs of the kindergarten. 3. The Committee has reviewed the Kindergarten's need for reseNes in line with guidance issued by the Charity Commission and the Early Years Alliance. The Kindergarten needs reserves to- i) Meet statutory redundancy liabiltiies should the Kindergarten have to dose: ii) Ensure there are sufficient cash ￿selVeS in the current account to cover day to day running costs; iii) Ensure continuty of Servi￿ provision by.. a. meeting unexpected costs such as cover for illness or matemity leave ,' b. covering running costs during periods of lower income iv) Maintain the building and Locket Green in a safe and secure manner for the protection and enjoyment of the children, and to maintain play resources and equipment vl Meet the Cost of repairs to the fabric of the building which are essential to relain the building's integrity (tt is the committee's desire that such expenditure could be immediately met without prejudicing the day-lo- day wnning of the Kindergarten). 4. The Committee are committed to keeping the equivalent of 34 months operating expense in reserve. The Committee believes that this level of reserves is prudent and necessary to ensure that the Kindergarten can wn efficiently and meet future needs. 5. Hotsmonden Kindergarten has no restricted funds, and therefore all cash balan￿S can be considered to be part of reserves. In the event of reserves falling significantly below the target level, the Kindergarten will aim to restore the reserves as soon as possible by increasing fundraising. increasing eamed income, or reducing expendilure.

6 Similady. rf reserves are significantly above the target level, the Committee wll put in pla￿ a plan as soon as possible, aiming lo eliminate the excess wrthin four years by spending money lo enhano the quality of Kindergarten provision, or othe￿ise further the aims of the Kindergarten, or by reducing fundraising. The Committee will not, however, take any steps that might call into question Ihe ability of the Kindergarten to continue as a financially viable operation in the long tenn. 7. The Committee ￿11 monitor the level of reseThes regulady, and review the reserve policy and position al least annually. Detsils of any funds materially in deficit None Further financlal review detalls (Optional Inforniation You may choose lo include addrt]onal infomatson, where relevant about. the charty's prinapal sources of funds (induding any fundraisingl., 202>2024 has been an excellent year. ending wrth a surplus of £23,582. Compared to the challenging year we experienced in 2022-2023, this positive tumaround is down to the hard work and dedication of the stsff who have managed their time and budget efficienlly. The number of child hours. and therefore fee income, was much higher than previous years. This has been a huge factor in the positive result for this year. The number of child hours is the key indicator of financial outcome in any year, as a certain level of fee income will cover our fixed Costs and anything al)ove this will help lo build a surplus. Addrtional funding received from KCC for EYPP and SEN has been used to provide equipment etc to assist with these children's development. Fundraising, vthich is a major requi￿rnent for Kindergarten. has improved this year with us raising £2.937. which is more than the previous fv40 years. Due lo low child numbers, we have sadly decided lo stop running Cheeky Monkeys as il became no longer financially viable, we are very grateful to all the parents and children who use lo attend. and wish them well. This enables the comrnittee lo focus their energies on other fundraising activities. Amongst the committees fundraising activitie5, in March the cornm￿ee were proud to pul on a afternoon lea al the social club, which was open to all.11 was a good tum out and it was lovely to see many members of the local community attend, including many not connected to Kindergarten. This helped to both slrenglhen our community links and was valuable fundraising event. expenditure has supported the key objectives of the chanty., investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted. The child numbers have increased slIgh￿Y for the new financial year. arKI we can therefore be hopeful of a positive outcoffle once again. We musl remain vigilant however in respect of our costs, given the financial challenges that the UK is lacino, to ensure that Horsmonden Kindergarten remains a viable operation for the lulure children of Horsmonden. From April 2024. working parents of two-year-old8 have been able to acc83$ 15 hours ol childcare. And then from September 2024, 15 hours of childcare has been extended to all chiklren from the ag8 of nine month8. The impact ol the govemmant'8 policy 0130 hourn free child¢ar8 for elyible familie8 does affect us financially. however we continue to offer lo all eligible families, where we have capacity in the se88ion8. We will continue to identrfy way8 to in(Yea8e income to ueate a more 8U81ainable bu8ine88 model lor U)e firture includiryJ: Increased use of our web8it0 and Sodal media to promot• our setting A Justained ramme of lundraisi events

Wherever possible we add Ad-hoc sessions that come available on our Facebook page and also (tse th(s medi(rn to prvmoiÈ any vacancres Y￿ have. How did we achieve our Income7 2023-24 2022-23 2021-22 Fees 155.907 104.587 113,147 EYPP Funding 671 499 SEN Funding 398 1,302 300 Collaborats'on Funding 3,205 COMF Funding 2,226 DeprivatKJn Funding 67 Fundraising Income 2.937 1,860 Donations 809 227 1,621 Inte￿l Received 430 231 18 Merchandise Sales 466 380 249 Mtscellaneous Income 659 168 Toddler Group ll￿9 893 893 Total 165,559 110.810 121,465 What costs did we incu 2023-24 2022-23 2021-22 Wages 112.977 86,799 81,135 EYPP ExFenses 55 485 460 SEN Expenses Collat¥)ratbon Expenses 53 1.270 918 COMF Expenses 2.225 Accounts & Payroll Advefts'sing 2,965 2,236 70 Bank Charges 60 93 Cleaning 5.520 4,909 4,141 Equipment Fundraising Expenses 322 182 229 149 98 51 Gifts 497 502 Insufance 2.356 1,738 1.601 Miscellaneous Expenses 255 167 Phone & Broadband 770 677 605 Play Resources Printin9, Postage & Stationery 1,387 1,181 770 576 616

Refreshments 578 350 210 Repairs & Maintenance 2,793 12.069 4.822 Subscriptions 1.101 767 823 Training Unifomi 1.462 1.279 749 811 1.069 Ulilrties 5.920 5.848 5,796 Village Hall Hire 408 360 276 Total 141,977 23,582 122,950 (12.140) 107.423 14,042 SurplusllDeficit} for year The reconciled closing balances in the accounts were as follows: 2023-24 2022-23 2021-22 Cash Accounl Santander Current Account CAF Current Account Santander Deposit Account {reserves} 40.50 50.980.32 1,096.67 41,261.91 141.30 28.808.75 14.32 40.832.76 89.20 38,509.50 2.733.78 40.604.46 Total funds 93 379.40 69 797.13 81 936.94 Section F Other optional information We are very grateful for all of the donations we receive, for the help we receive wtih cleaning of toys and support wtth fundraising. The committee. parents. and staff are so valuable to us to enable the smooth running of Kindergarten and for this we are truly thankful. Section G Declaration The trustèes declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf of the Charity's trustees Signature(s Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary. Chair, etc) Ch6Lir r-LoS u (o Date li 202

Horsmonden Kindergarten Year ended: 31st August 2024

INCOME Fees EYPP Funding SEN Funding Deprivation Funding Collaboration Funding Donations Fundraising income Interest Merchandise Miscellaneous Toddler Group Training TOTAL INCOME EXPENSES Wages Accounts and Payroll Advertising Bank Charges Cleaning Collaboration Expenses Equipment EYPP Expenses Fundraising Expenses Gifts Insurances Miscellaneous Expenses Phone and Broadband Costs Play Resources Printing, Postage & Stationery Refreshments Repairs and Maintenance SEN Expenses Subscriptions Training Uniform Utilities Village Hall Hire TOTAL EXPENSES OVERALL TOTAL	Actual Results 155,907 186 398 67 3,205 809 2,937 430 466 85 1,069 0 165,559 112,977 2,965 0 60 5,520 918 322 55 149 497 2,356 299 770 1,387 576 578 2,793 53 1,101 1,462 811 5,920 408 141,977 23,582	Budgeted Results 148,413 238 300 0 0 156 1,500 300 300 60 880 0 152,147 99,613 2,500 0 60 5,050 0 240 238 100 500 1,750 260 630 1,200 615 385 2,500 0 780 1,300 1,020 6,000 360 125,101 27,045 Year to Date	Variance 7,494 -52 98 67 3,205 653 1,437 130 166 25 189 0 13,412 -13,363 -465 0 0 -470 -918 -82 183 -49 3 -606 -39 -140 -187 39 -193 -293 -53 -321 -162 209 80 -48 -16,876 -3,464	Actual 104587 671 1302 0 0 228 1860 231 380 659 893 0 110,810 86799 2366 70 60 4910 0 182 485 98 502 1738 255 677 1181 616 351 12069 1270 767 1279 1069 5848 360 122,950 -12,140 Prior	Variance 51,320 -485 -904 67 3,205 581 1,077 199 86 -574 177 0 year
					54,749 26,178 599 -70 0 611 918 140 -430 51 -4 618 44 93 206 -40 228 -9,276 -1,217 334 183 -258 72 48
					19,027
					35,722

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees	Horsmonden Kindergarten
On accounts for the year	31stAugust 2024		Charity no	1168296
ended			(if any)
Set out on pages
		(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)		(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 / 08 / 2024 . Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

• Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have

• examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

• the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or

• the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or

• the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

• Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Signed: Date: 13 May 2025 ~~Paula Veysey- Sinith |~~ Name: Paula Veysey-Smith Relevant professional Institute of Certified Bookkeepers qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 2 Oast View, Horsmonden Tonbridge, Kent

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Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

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

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