## **Minutes of Annual General Meeting on 7th December 21, at 7:30pm** **Present:** Amy Downes (AD), Aja Hickford (AH), Abby Maddison (AM), Alison Power (AP) Beth Wiggan (BW), Caroline Cadman (CC), Charlotte Loynes (CL), Ella Pope (EP), Heather Duke (HD), Katie York (KY), Laura Stevens (LS), Liz Lightfoot (LL), Sara Jones (SJ), Sherie Chivers (SC), Ruth Hatfield (RH) **Apologies:** James Hayward (JH) ## **1. Chair’s Report for the Year 2020-2021 (1 September 2020 – 31 August 2021)** Presented to the AGM on 7 December 2021 and submitted to the Charities Commission as part of the Charity’s annual return. ## **Reference and Administration details** Charity Name: Haslingfield Little Owls Pre-School CIO Registered Charity No: 1174884 Charity’s Principal Address: Haslingfield Little Owls Pre-School CIO Haslingfield Methodist Church High Street Haslingfield Cambridge CB23 1JW Name of the charity trustees who manage the charity: |**Trustee Name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**| |---|---|---| |Heather Duke|Chair|Appointed as Chair 28 Jan 2021| |Ella Pope|Vice-Chair|Appointed as vice-chair 10 May 2021| |Liz Lightfoot|Trustee|Appointed as trustee 16 April 2021| |Sara Jones|Secretary|Appointed as trustee 28 Jan 2021 and
secretary 10 May 2021| |Amy Downes|Treasurer|Appointed as trustee and treasurer on 7
December 2021| |||| |Aja Hickford|Trustee|Resigning 7 December 2021| |||| |Laura Mavely|Chair|Resigned as Chair and trustee 28 Jan 2021| |Helen Brammar|Treasurer|Resigned as Treasurer and trustee 28 Jan
2021| |Ruth Hatfield|Trustee|Resigned as trustee 28 Jan 2021| |Katie York|Treasurer|Appointed as trustee 28 Jan 2021 and
treasurer 10 May 2021
Resigned 21 August 2021| ## **Structure and Governance** The Model CIO Constitution for Childcare Providers 2013 from the Pre-School Alliance (now Early Years Alliance) has been adopted and remains unaltered. Membership will consist of: - 1) Family Members – family of children - 2) Affiliate Members – anyone interested in furthering the aims of the charity. Trustees will consist of: - 1) A minimum of 3 members - 2) A maximum of 12 3) where possible, with at least 60% members having children at the pre-school. Trustees are appointed and reappointed annually at the Annual General Meeting. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits. ## **Chair’s introduction and thanks to the staff** In common with last year, this year at Little Owls has been characterised by huge achievements and varying challenges. I would like to thank our incredible staff team – Abby, Katie, Sobia, Caroline, Charlotte, Laura and Julie. Each one of them brings unique skills and gifts to Little Owls and it has been a huge privilege (both as a parent and a committee member) to see them in action over the past few years. Their commitment to Little Owls is extraordinary and between them they bring experience, creativity, kindness, a passion for Early Years and a devotion to our community which makes Little Owls the lovely setting that it is. Thank you to all of you for your hard work. I’d also like to thank Sarah Rittman and Hannah Golden, both of whom have worked at Little Owls at various points in the past year and brought with them wonderful skills with children and a commitment to help often at late notice. It is helpful to reflect on this staff team because it is a reminder of how lucky this village is to have people who are passionate about Early Years and long to give the youngest members of our community their very best start. ## **Objectives & Activities** Our objectives continue to be to work for the public benefit with regards the development and education of children, in particular by: 1. Promoting their care and safety; 2. Promoting their education and promoting parental involvement; 3. Promoting their health and wellbeing; 4. Providing services to support them and their families and carers; 5. Providing services to individuals holding membership of the CIO; 6. Furthering the aims of the preschool learning alliance [now the Early Years Alliance]. The Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance. Our activities have continued to be the provision of Early Years care to children aged 2- 4 (inclusive). ## **Achievements and Performance** ## **Staying open** Throughout such a challenging year, Little Owls has managed to stay open for all but a handful of sessions during this last year, which is a real credit to the staff. Our first case of Covid-19 was 16 days ago and so far this is the only case we have had in setting. We did of course all hope that by this point we would have put more of this pandemic behind us. As it stands, two of our staff members are unable to go into setting this week for reasons linked to covid, and the pandemic looms large for us all. But remaining open and meeting our objectives, particularly the promotion of the care, safety, health and wellbeing of our children, is something to be celebrated. ## **Focus on equality** It is well known within the sector that the pandemic has had a significant impact on children’s education and care. But it is also true that families have experienced the pandemic in very different ways and that, far from being in the same boat, the ability of families to weather the storm has been linked to privilege and opportunity. Once again, disadvantaged children and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) are most likely to suffer. This has been a big passion and focus for our staff team who have been completely dedicated to doing all they can to close the gap and give all children, including those with additional needs, a solid foundation and start to their education. ## **Staffing** Staffing has been a chronic problem for Little Owls –the low remuneration and high workload in the Early Years sector makes this an increasingly difficult area in which to work. But the decision to invest in staff really is paying dividends now. Caroline and Charlotte have achieved their level 3 qualifications – to do this during a pandemic really is extraordinary. We have employed Laura Stevens as our Early Years Assistant on a zero hours basis which has made an enormous difference to the children and staff alike, particularly during a year with so many additional pressures and requirements, e.g. all the extra cleaning necessary because of Covid-19. We were able to re-open the Thursday session in Spring 2021 and so now offer Monday and Tuesday 9am-3pm, Wednesday 9am-1pm and Thursday 9am-1pm. We wish it could be more, but again we are so pleased to have sessions for children on four out of five days of the week. ## **Links with our community** We continue to be grateful for our strong links with other groups in our community, which have been invaluable through the pandemic. I would like to thank the Methodist Church for their continued support and for sharing their building with us during a time in which it has been very difficult for them and other faith-based communities to continue to meet. The beautiful garden at the Methodist Church truly contributes to the well-being of both staff and children and we feel particularly grateful for that, especially during a period when the children and adults have been outside for as much time as possible. We are also grateful to our local primary school – thank you to Mr Hayward and Mrs Lightfoot for logging on tonight. Liz Lightfoot joined the committee in April specifically to bring Early Years’ experience to committee. Liz is the Reception Class teacher and Early Years lead at Haslingfield School. Thank you both for your commitment to supporting Little Owls. School transition is so important and when the rules have permitted this, Liz has been able to go into setting to meet the Moonbeam cohort, read stories and ease their transition into primary school. I would also like to extend thanks to the Early Years advisory team at the County Council who have given us support this year, particularly during a period when our previous deputy left the setting. Abby is quick to reach out for help on Little Owls’ behalf and to tap into training and resources to which we have access, to the benefit of all at Little Owls. Our gratitude extends also to the Parish Council for their ongoing support and their willingness to help Little Owls financially when a deficit is forecast. They have issued an ongoing invitation for us to attend annually to update them and request financial support where needed. ## **The year ahead** The focus of our year ahead, with such a wonderful staff team now in place, rests on a couple of areas: - Our financial sustainability – Aja will go through with us in a moment our draft accounts but it has not been easy this past year (particularly this last term). We do of course have this in common with the early years sector in general – financial pressures and concerns about sustainability have been experienced across the sector. Our former Chair, Laura Mavely, and former treasurers, Pippa Keynes and Helen Brammar set our reserves at a healthy sum and it is reassuring in these uncertain times knowing we have that separate amount in our savings account. - Our operational model – the demands of the pandemic, the loss of fundraising income and our reliance on children attending Little Owls as their second childcare setting (their first one generally being used as the main childcare for working parents), has highlighted the fragility of our operational model. Any robustness in the voluntary committee-run approach comes only from the commitment of individual members as opposed to the viability of that model in itself. We have seen a shrinking in the numbers of people able to be involved- perhaps this is linked to the sheer fatigue of having lived through a pandemic. Whatever the causes, which are no doubt multi-faceted, the reality is that pre-schools like ours seem constantly to - be fire-fighting. This is the case for both the staff and also the committee members. The purpose of reviewing our business model is to ensure a secure future for Little Owls. - We are losing our fantastic manager, Abby. Abby’s commitment to Little Owls and her work ethic has been extraordinary. She has managed the setting for three challenging years, utterly committed to making Little Owls as brilliant as it can be. Thankfully Abby’s hard-work will stay with us as we have staff she has trained and a strong child-centred ethos. Thank you, Abby, for your commitment. Our recruitment of a new manager is underway and we hope to hold interviews next week with a view to a new manager taking the position after February half term 2022. ## **Summary and thanks to committee** I would like to finish by reiterating my thanks to you all, including to our small committee. Ella Pope, our vice-chair, has spent hours and hours a week on Little Owls all of this year, and really does have no idea how brilliant she is and we’re all very grateful to her. Sara Jones joined our committee and is now our secretary – bringing a fresh perspective and a willingness to take on tasks that is much appreciated. I mentioned Liz above and our appreciation of her giving time to Little Owls. Very sadly, we say goodbye to Aja Hickford tonight. Aja has been on committee since summer 2019 and has been heavily involved in payroll, our pension scheme, bank accounts, invoices and many other areas for the past few years. We are especially grateful for her hard-work these past few months when we have been without a treasurer. As a busy accountant and Mum, we are so grateful Aja for the experience and the skills you’ve brought to committee. Like many before you, you have stayed on beyond your time in order to facilitate a smooth handover with our new treasurer, Amy Downes. We welcome Amy Downes onto committee tonight and are looking forward to working with her. Thank you too to the parents who have sent offers of help and also have donated generously to Little Owls – a couple of you have logged on tonight and we are grateful for the ways you are supporting us. There is also a parent-led fundraising committee which Ella will speak about in a moment, and we would like specifically to thank Jane Spence, Ruth Hatfield and Helen Brammar for their fundraising efforts over the past year. I am so proud of the way that Little Owls has continued to serve its community in the most challenging of circumstances, to the benefit of many young children. And they are, after all, what this is all about. ## **Heather Duke** ## **Chair, Haslingfield Little Owls Pre-School Management Committee December 2021** EP and AM thanked HD for how brilliantly she runs the committee and for all her hard work. Committee and staff are all so grateful. **2. Fundraising Report for the Year 2020-2021 (1 September 2020 – 31 August 2021)** _**Table showing main fundraising events/income**_ |**Month**|**Event**|**Funds raised £**| |---|---|---| |Sept|Pizza night|1603| |Allyear|Easyfundraising|176| |Allyear|Amazon smile|41| |Nov/Dec|tea towels|208| |Dec|PTFAquiz|553| |Dec|Xmas fair|482| |Feb|Coffee morning (football)|84| |Mar|Easter bags|250| |May|Nature hunt/ sunflowers|413| |Aug|Pizza night|1273| |Aug|South Cambs communitychestgrant|1000| _These figures do not include fundraising expenditure unless noted._ ## **Total 6085** We raised a total of just over £6k (- £1k expenses), this includes a ring-fenced SC community chest grant of £1000. The main earners this year were 2 pizza nights in Sept 20 and Aug 21 (1,600, and 1,270), the PTFA quiz night (550), and the Christmas fair (480). Other fundraisers are shown on the report above. We ended the year 27% down on fundraising income compared to the previous year. Donations were down 63% compared to previous year. Bonfire night is usually a high earner for us (2000 previous year) and that didn’t go ahead due to Covid. The same was true of the regular coffee mornings, and we also weren’t able to put on any large-scale events (such as the comedy night as per last year). This year we decided to adjust our fundraising structure. Previous committee members formed a fundraising group outside of committee and took on the organisation of our fundraising events, the purpose being to trial a recommendation to rely less heavily on fundraising to contribute to the day to day running of setting (namely salaries). It has worked well to separate fundraising, to a point, but meeting the costs of running the setting without a contribution from fundraising has been a struggle. There is a discussion ongoing at the moment about how we go forward, and whether we return to the less than ideal scenario of raising more funds for these purposes. I want to reiterate Heather's thanks to Helen, Jane, and Ruth and all those who have contributed, for their herculean efforts and commitment, I’m in awe of you all. If there is anybody who is keen to be involved on the fundraising side, do let us know. it doesn't necessarily mean you have to have trustee responsibilities. I’ve always found being involved with the organisation of these events really great fun and a lovely way to meet new families, and spend time with a lovely bunch of people. ## **Ella Pope** ## **Vice-Chair, Haslingfield Little Owls Pre-School Committee** ## **December 2021** ## **3. Finance Report for the Year 2020-2021 (1 September 2020 – 31 August 2021)** Attached is the current report for income and expenditure for your information and approval. Appendix 1 shows the summary accounts sheet. This report is based on the draft final accounts submitted for audit. ## **Current situation** - Current account balance: £15,299 (prior year £14,350). - Income for this financial year totals £70,953 (prior year £63,165). 1. Fees and funding: £61,119.00 (prior year £44,529). 2. Fundraising: We have raised net £6,085 (prior year £8,339). 1. Donations: £3,748.00 (prior year £10,245) has been received. - Expenditure: £74,274 (prior year £62,692). - 4 The largest expenditure is on wages and salaries £61,889 (prior year £47,701); rent is £6291 (prior year £3,550) Our income versus expenditure has left us with a deficit of £3,321.52 (prior year surplus of £473). Savings account - Our savings account holds £10,013.48 (prior year £10,012.48) General position We are ending the year with a deficit of £3,321.52. Continuing covid related and unforeseen staffing challenges this year have contributed to this deficit and have impacted on donations and fundraising capabilities. Our total cash holding is: £25,313 (prior year £24,433). ## **Reserves policy** This policy aims to set out the optimum level of reserves required by Haslingfield Little Owls Preschool CIO in order to function as a responsible and financially healthy preschool. The current reserves held are in line with the policy. Report ends. Thank you. ## **Aja Hickford** ## **Treasurer, Haslingfield Little Owls Pre-School Committee** ## **December 2021** Resolution (agreed) **:** The committee resolves to approve the Haslingfield Little Owls accounts as sent to the independent examiner. ## **2. Committee: resignations, election and appointments** The new committee was voted on: - Heather Duke (Chair) – Proposed by EP and seconded by SJ - Ella Pope (Vice-Chair) – Proposed by HD and seconded by LL - Sara Jones (Secretary) – Proposed by LL and seconded by HD - Liz Lightfoot – Proposed by SJ and seconded by EP - Amy Downes (Treasurer) – Proposed by EP and seconded by SJ ## **3. Dates for the diary** - **Tuesday 14th December** – Nativity play. There will be more details being sent round about the play shortly. - **Tuesday 14 December** –Fundraising meeting in the evening for anyone interested in learning more – probably at Jane’s house! - **Thursday 16 December** - last day of term - **4-5 Jan** - Staff training days - **Thursday 6th Jan** – Children return to preschool ## **4. Q&A** BW asked for clarification on our reserves policy EP - holding appropriate levels of financial reserves to protect against closure costs. HD explained that this will vary depending on staffing and that it was set at a healthy level. AP asked why we didn’t ask for any funding from the Parish Council (PC) HD – explained that we have been to the PC every year and we take a forecast of accounts. The year ends don’t correspond and this year in the lead up Little Owls received two big donations. We wanted to be honest and anticipated to break even. BW asked whether we could base our application for funding from the PC on previous year ends rather than a forecast? HD – our treasurer role has been vacant at times this year so it is an area that will improve, we might explore approaching the PC sooner. ## **5. Any Other Business** There was no other business and so the Chair closed the meeting at 8:10pm. ## **Haslingfield Little Owls INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT 1st September 2020 to 31st August 2021** **----- Start of picture text -----**
1st September 2020 to 31st August 2021
12 months 12 months
2020/21 2019/20
INCOME
Fees 61119 44628
Fund raising income 6085 8339
Donations 3748 10245
Government Grants 2092 0
Interest 0 0
Interest 1 52
Total Income 73044 63264
EXPENDITURE
Wages and salaries 63981 47701
Fund raising expenditure 1044 1663
Rent 6291 3550
Professional fees 1068 1310
Equipment purchases 980 6925
Insurance 503 451
Miscellaneous expenses 1174 327
Training 568 754
Subscriptions 756 12
Total Expenditure 76366 62692
Surplus (Deficit) (3,322) 572
**----- End of picture text -----**
**Haslingfield Little Owls BALANCE SHEET As at 31st August 2021** **----- Start of picture text -----**
|||| |---|---|---| |2020/21|2019/20| |CASH| |Cash (bank current account)|15299.61|14350.12| |Cash (bank deposit account)|10013.48|10012.48| |Cash in hand|0|70.25| |Total Cash|25,313|24,433| |DEBTORS| |Prepayments and accrued income|382.38|1,427.72| |Interest accrued| |Milk refund| |Unpaid fees| |Fund raising income| |Fees received late|99.00| |Total Debtors|382|1,527| |CREDITORS| |Invoices payable|(1,816.92)| |Refund of fees (covid)|(260.50)| |Holiday pay| |Expenses Due|(81.71)| |Fees paid in advance|(1,816.75)| |PAYE|(234.04)| |Donation HPC for next fy| |Fundraising income| |Total Creditors|-3,634|-576| |Total|22,062|25,383| |ACCUMULATED FUND| |Balance brought forward|25,383.32|24,810.88| |Surplus/(Deficit) for the year|(3,321.52)|572.44| |Total|22,062|25,383| **----- End of picture text -----**
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustee81 members of Haslingfièkl Llttlo Owl8 Preschool CIO On accounts for the yoar •ndod 31•t August 2021 Charlty no Ilf any) CE012367 Sot out on page• Ito3 I report to th8 trust888 on my examination of the accounts of the above charity {'the Trust'l for th8 year ènded 3110812021. Rosponslbllltles and As the charity trustees, you are responsible for the p￿ParatIOn of the b••l8 of Mport accounts in accordance wilh the Ch8riti88 Act 2011 1.the Act.). I report in respect of my 8xamination of the Trust's accounts Carried out undér 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{51(bl of the Act. Independent oxamlner'8 Statement I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any malenal respect,: the accounting records were not kepl in accordanc8 With section 130 of the Act., or the a¢count8 did not accord with the accounting ffj¢ord8'. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the fomi and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirem8nt that the accounts give a Irue and fair, view which is not a matter consideréd as part of an independenl examination. I have no concerns and have come across no olher matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in ordar to enable roper understanding of the accounts to be r8ached. e words in th8 br8ck8ts if they do not appty. Pleas Slgned: Date: 20.05.2022 Name: David J Rowe Relevant professlonal quallficatlonlsl or body {If any): Fellow of CIMA and CGMA Address: 18 Wytherlies Drive Bristol BS18 1HX IER October 2018 Section B Disclosure Only complete If the examiner needs lo highlight matters of concern {see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Givè hore details of any Items that tho axamlnor wlsho8 to discloso. Nothing to report IER October 2018