Witnesham Pre-School High Road Witnesham Ipswich Suffolk IP6 9EX
Charity Registration Number: 1174690
10[th] January 2024
Charity Trustees Annual Report
Trustees: Laura Kemp (Chair), Carl Mortimer-Smith, Amy Potter, Rose Johnson, Sara Rose
The financial year of April 2022 to April 2023 saw a number of changes for Witnesham Pre-School, along with some difficult challenges too.
The number of children attending the setting at the start of the financial year was relatively low, largely still due to the effects of the pandemic and also potentially due to the inadequate Ofsted report in 2021.
In July 2022 Annette Law who had managed the pre-school for 22 years retired and Hannah Nicolls was recruited as the new pre-school manager from September of that year.
Until this point the pre-school had only accepted children from the age of 2 years old, Hannah implemented the change to accept children from birth from September 2022 in a bid to increase the number of children attending. She transformed a room that had previously been used as an office into a sleep room and created a separate space within the main room of the pre-school for children under 2 years. Relevant resources for under 2’s including cots were purchased and some funds were spent on new advertising materials to promote the change in age range.
Some of the children attending the pre-school moved up to primary school in September and numbers remained very low in the autumn term of 2022.
Energy and food costs continued to rise and in December 2022 there were not enough funds coming into the pre-school and no reserves left to continue to cover the operational costs. Emergency meetings were called with Staff and Parents to advise of the situation and that we may be unable to open from January 2023.
Sadly this was and still is a very common issue for early years settings across the country. Many have been forced into closure due to underfunding and the increasing rise in operational costs.
Very fortunately Suffolk County Council stepped in to assist our pre-school and were able to agree a non-repayable grant of £9,000 to cover the operational costs until April 2023 in a hope that the
number of children attending the setting would increase and make it viable for us to continue.
In January 2023 the AGM was held and three parents put themselves forwards to join the committee
- Amy Potter, Heather Pascall and myself, Laura Kemp.
A quiz night fundraiser was planned for February 2023 and a Just Giving page was launched to help with much needed funds to purchase resources and keep the preschool running. The quiz night was a huge success and in total we raised £1,900 from that and the just giving page.
In February 2023 Charlotte Eaton the chairperson for the pre-school committee stepped down from her role and it was voted that myself Laura Kemp would step up into the role.
I am so pleased to report that the number of children attending the setting has continued to significantly rise and we are now at full capacity most days, meaning that the setting has become financially viable once again.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of the staff and committee members for your hard work and commitment over a somewhat difficult twelve months and I am so pleased that the future is looking much more positive.
Laura Kemp
Chair of Witnesham Pre-School
Charity Name No (if any) WITNESHAM PRE-SCHOOL Receipts and payments accounts For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01/04/2022 31/03/2023
CC16a
Section A Receipts and payments
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 18,998 18,007 3,662 9,000 7 - - - 49,674 - - - 49,674 35,241 9,922 1,179 5,088 - - - - - 51,430 - - - 51,430 - 1,756 - 14,911 13,155 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 18,998 18,007 3,662 9,000 7 - - - 49,674 - - - 49,674 35,241 9,922 1,179 5,088 - - - - - 51,430 - - - 51,430 - 1,756 |
Total funds to the nearest £ 18,998 18,007 3,662 9,000 7 - - - 49,674 - - - 49,674 35,241 9,922 1,179 5,088 - - - - - 51,430 - - - 51,430 - 1,756 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fees - Suffolk CountyCouncil | 18,998 | 22,345 | ||||
| Fees - Parents | 18,007 | 7,920 | ||||
| Fundraising | 3,662 | - | ||||
| Grants | 9,000 | - | ||||
| Interest | 7 | 4 | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
49,674 | 30,269 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| 30,269 | ||||||
| Wages | 35,241 | 32,518 | ||||
| Insurance & Premises Costs | 9,922 | 5,077 | ||||
| Office Costs | 1,179 | 1,617 | ||||
| Consumables & Equipment | 5,088 | 4,134 | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 51,430 | 43,346 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| 43,346 | ||||||
| - 1,756 | - | - | - 1,756 | - 13,077 | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 14,911 | - | - | 14,911 | 27,988 | ||
| 13,155 | - | - | 13,155 | 14,911 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
21/01/2024
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Signature Details Details Deposit Account Current Account Fundraising Account Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 3,593 - 7,867 - 1,695 - 13,155 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name L. Kemp S. Rose |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| L. Kemp | 13/01/2024 | ||
| S. Rose | 13/01/2024 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
21/01/2024
2
This report on the accounts of the Witnesham pre-school for the year ended is in respect of an examination carried out under s.43 of the Charities Act 1993
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
As the members of the pre-school you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 3(3) of section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 do not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those accounts in accordance with Regulation 7 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 1995.
Basis of independent examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 43(7)(b) of the Act and to be found in the guidance from the CBF. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the pre-school and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts 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 I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent Examiner's Statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
-
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and
-
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the requirements of the Act, have not been; or
understanding of the accounts to be reached.
D N Austin A.C.I.B.