Welcome to Goostrey Pre-School AGM 2025. Thank you for joining us.
It has been such a joy and privilege to serve as Chair of Trustees for Goostrey Pre-School again this year. I have been lucky enough to visit numerous times throughout the year and have seen firsthand the children fully engaged in play—eager to learn and truly ‘happy little people’.
The committee has always made sure that the children and families are at the very heart of every decision we make, keeping their best interests front and centre. Throughout this time, safeguarding and inclusivity have remained top priorities for the committee, and we continue to be committed to working closely with our team ensuring every child feels safe, supported, and valued.
This year, we have been thrilled to see the children flourish, making full use of the wonderful new equipment purchased from Early Excellence, which has truly transformed our setting both indoors and outdoors. Our caring staff have provided the children with countless enriching experiences throughout the year, supporting their learning and development in so many meaningful ways.
During the Autumn and Spring terms, we had the valuable opportunity to collaborate with an experienced early years consultant, whose observations provided insightful feedback and training that has helped further strengthen our team’s practice.
Looking back over the year, we also want to express our heartfelt thanks to all our families for everything you bring to our Pre-School community. Whether it’s the smiles shared at the door each day, the friendly chats between parents and staff, or your enthusiastic involvement in special events like the nativity and sports day, it’s clear how much this partnership means to everyone. Our staff truly enjoy these connections and seeing the children thrive with your support. We are committed to continuing to build a positive, welcoming environment with a friendly atmosphere where families feel connected, and we look forward to growing this partnership even further in the year ahead.
Staffing
This year has been one of change and new beginnings for our Pre-School. We said a heartfelt farewell to Nicola, our long-standing manager, whose years of dedication and hard work have left a lasting impact on everything we do.
We’ve been fortunate to welcome Becca, who brings not only exceptional experience in childcare and management but also shares our vision and values, with a strong commitment to safeguarding and child wellbeing. While we understand that change can feel unsettling at times, we’re genuinely excited about the fresh energy and expertise Becca brings. Together, we’re confident we will build on our foundations and continue moving the Pre-School forward with positivity and care. We look forward to working closely with Becca as we embark on this new chapter.
Over the summer, we also wished Gaynor well as she left Pre-School to move to an admin based role. Although her departure was sooner than expected, it allowed us to welcome new ideas and energy. We’re thrilled to have Jessica and Christina – both qualified and experienced childcare professionals—join our team. We’re also eagerly anticipating Cassie’s return from maternity leave after Christmas.
Fundraising
We’re incredibly grateful to our fundraising team, made up of dedicated parents, who planned a wonderful range of events this year—including film night, Mother’s Day afternoon tea, and our end-
of-year party. All were great successes and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone involved. Thanks to their hard work, we were able to fund new bikes and helmets, sand toys, and other valuable resources for the children. Several members of the team have now left as their children have moved on to school, so we warmly invite anyone interested in joining the fundraising and events team this year to get in touch. We love growing our Pre-School community through these social events. A final big thank you to last year’s team for their fantastic efforts!
Finances
This year, our financial position has been impacted by staffing changes, which have led to increased costs. These increases are the result of a deliberate decision to invest in quality — specifically, by employing an experienced manager and ensuring we have a generous number of qualified practitioners.
As a charity and therefore a not-for-profit Pre-School, these decisions are driven by our commitment to providing the very best for our children rather than by profit margins. Our increase in staff means we have the flexibility to send team members on more CPD training, further enhancing the quality of education and care we provide. It also enables us to operate at much higher staff-to-child ratios than typical Pre-Schools, making us unique and allowing our children to receive far more individual care and attention.
Working closely with our business manager, Sally, we have developed a strategy to strengthen our finances to compensate. This includes operating at full or near-full capacity and actively seeking grants to fund new equipment as and when needed. We also hope to reintroduce our holiday clubs, not only to boost income but also to provide a much-valued service for our families.
We also want to highlight the tremendous value of the voluntary contributions we request and the importance of attending our fundraising events—not just as vital opportunities to raise funds, but also as enjoyable social occasions that strengthen our Pre-School community.
The Pre-School maintains a healthy bank balance, and with income increasing year on year, we are well-positioned to absorb any rise in expenses without negatively impacting our required reserves. With this plan in place, we are confident the Pre-School will have a secure and sustainable financial future.
Development Plan
Together with Becca, we have carefully reviewed last year’s development plan and thoughtfully set our aims for the year ahead. At every step, we remain committed to our mission statement, which guides all our decisions and actions.
Our mission is to serve our village and community by providing a caring, safe, and high-quality environment where children can play purposefully and engage in thoughtfully planned learning experiences. Our goal is that every child at Goostrey Pre-School leaves feeling confident and ready to flourish at school.
Our aims this year are:
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To improve staff recruitment, retention and development
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To be inclusive and welcoming to all children and prioritises their individual needs
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To offer high quality resources and equipment and use them effectively as a tool for purposeful play
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To develop positive relationships with all our families to offer a smooth transition for children between home and Pre-School
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To send all children to school prepared and eager to learn
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To ensure the curriculum is delivered through a play-based, inclusive, and child-led approach that promotes holistic development and prepares children for future learning.
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To maintain accurate accounts and ensure tight management of income and expenditure
Committee changes
This year, we say thank you to Jane Grindel and Ashley Sherlock, who have both stepped down from the committee after five and three years respectively, as their children have now moved on to school. We are grateful for their contributions over the years.
Katy Lane, our treasurer, and I have reached the end of our initial two-year term, but we would be pleased to be re-elected today. We are passionate about continuing the positive progress we’ve made and working closely with Becca to build on the strong foundations already in place. We are also pleased to put forward Sarah Lisgo, a previous Pre-School parent with a background in HR, along with Sabine Fell-Douglas and Sophie Martin, current Pre-School parents, all keen to be elected as trustees today.
Final words
We’re excited about the year ahead and hope you’ll keep supporting us by sharing the word about our Pre-School and joining in with our events and fundraisers.
Together, we can keep building a happy, positive community for our children and families.
Jess Moores Chairperson
| Goostrey Pre School N |
Goostrey Pre School N |
Goostrey Pre School N |
o (if any) | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||||
| For the period from | 1st August 2024 | To | 31st July 2025 | ||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ Endowment funds |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
|
| OperatingActivities to further Charities Objectives - Government Income | 105,386 28,874 813 783 8,918 1,872 146,645 |
0 | 0 | 105,386 | 93,993 |
| OperatingActivities to further Charities Objectives - Fees | 0 | 0 | 28,874 | 33,450 | |
| FundraisingEvents & Appeals | 0 | 0 | 813 | 40 | |
| Bank Interest & Compensation | 0 | 0 | 783 | 0 | |
| Support Costs - Income | 0 | 0 | 8,918 | 13,863 | |
| Other receipts | 0 | 0 | 1,872 | 5,777 | |
| 0 | 0 | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 0 | 0 | 146,645 | 147,123 | |
| 0 0 0 |
|||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). | |||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||
146,645 |
0 | 0 | 146,645 | 147,123 | |
| Charitable Activities | 129,635 0 3,783.37 18,040 196 0 151,655 |
0 | 0 | 129,635 | 131,963 |
| Fundraising Events & Appeals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Support Costs - Expenditure | 0 | 0 | 3,783 | 4,489 | |
| Other Payments | 0 | 0 | 18,040 | 3,932 | |
| Bank Interest & Compensation | 0 | 0 | 196 | 227 | |
| Staff/Trustee Expenses | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 151,655 | 140,611 | |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) | 0 0 0 |
||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||
151,655 |
0 | 0 | 151,655 | 140,611 | |
(5,010) 0 53,815 48,805 |
0 | 0 | (5,010) | 6,513 | |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | (30,000) | ||
| 61,701 | 0 | 115,516 | 77,303 | ||
| 61,701 | 0 | 110,506 | 53,815 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories B1 Cash funds Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Details | to nearest £ Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
to nearest £ 0 0.00 0 0 0 OK Date of approval # 4/13/2026 Endowment funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Account | 48,805 | 0 | 0 | |
| Reserve Account | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Savings Account | 0 | 61,701 | 0 | |
| Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Signature |
48,805 | 61,701 | 0 | |
| OK | OK | |||
| Name | ||||
| KatyLane | Katy | Lane # |
# 4/13/2026 |
|
Independent Examiner’s report to the Trustees of Goostrey Pre School.
I report on the accounts of Goostrey Pre School for the year ended 31 July 2025 as set out on the statements of Receipts and Payments and associated notes.
Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and the examiner
The Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act), and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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Examine the accounts in accordance with section 145(1) (a) of the 2011 Act.
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To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5) of the 2011 Act); and
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To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner’s Statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Goostrey Pre School and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as members of the Goostrey Pre School 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 whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view.’
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 Charity has not met the requirements to ensure that:
: proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with sections 130 and 131 of the 2011 Act); and
: accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act; or
- to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed H. Orme Helen Orme FCA 7[th] April 2026
Statement of Approval on Behalf of the Goostrey Pre School Trustees
The Financial Statements of the Charity have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 using the Receipts and Payments basis.
The Financial Statements were approved by the Goostrey Pre School on 13 April 2026 and signed on their behalf by Jessica Moores (Chair of Trustees) and Katie Lane (Treasurer).
Jessica Moores
Katy Lane