2024-04-05-accounts - Little Rascals Playgroup

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Little Rascals Preschool Limited

Address :Cwm Golau Integrated Children’s Centre Duffryn Road, Pentrebach, Merthyr Tydfil. CF48 4BJ Tel No: 07760227106 ~ Email: littlerascalspreschool@live.co.uk Facebook: Little Rascals Preschool Registered Company Number: 06750544 Registered Charity Number: 1181400 Little Rascals Preschool

Dated July 2024

Annual Report For the year September 2023 – July 2024

After ending the term in July 2024, Little Rascals decided to close for the six weeks of the Summer Holidays in order to give all members of staff a well earned break.

September 2023 start numbers. As in the past, September always begins with numbers as nearly maximum in the mornings, but with afternoons as usual, running under 10 per session. Throughout the year, with the increase in Flying Start funding in many more areas within Merthyr, our number steadily increased to almost maximum both morning and afternoons. November 2023, we had our ESTYN and CIW inspection, report published in January 2024.

After Easter, we began discussions regarding opening a bespoke dedicated Little Rascals Forest School, Preschool, with the aim to beginning in September 2024.

New Assessment Arrangements began in September 2023 and we are now fully using the Curriculum for the Non Maintained.

The Cwtch, our setting for children with Social Communication needs, start numbers were 4 children in the mornings, who would have been due to have gone to Greenfields Special School, but as they were full the children were accepted into Little Rascals. January 2024 saw us receiving a further five children in afternoons into the Cwtch, with one of the morning children attending Greenfields Special School. After Easter, a further two children started with us in the Cwtch.

The following information includes the annual running of the setting:

Regulatory Procedures ~ Little Rascals is a Company limited by Guarantee but not for profit, with Charitable Status. Little Rascals continue to run within the CIW guidelines on ratios of 1:4 children who are 2 years old, 1:8 with 3 year olds providing children with quality care. We are CIW registered, and are also registered with ESTYN as Early Years Education providers providing children also with quality education. Being ESTYN registered provides parents of children, in the term after their third birthday, with part funded places. Also, for eligible parents we can provide 30 hours per week of Education and Childcare if the child does not attend school. Little Rascals is also registered as a Flying Start setting, allowing children in the term after their second birthday free access of up to 12.5 hours per week.

We have an up to date, July 2024, Self Evaluation Report and CIW Quality of Care Report. We have also put together a Development Plan for September 2024 to July 2025.

Management Structure ~ Hannah Hughes is a past parent who continues to be our Chair of the Committee. Karen Roberts, again a past parent, also continues to be our Treasurer. Myself as Secretary on the Committee and Manager for the Preschool.

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Leadership and Management

Staff ~ The setting is managed by myself with the support of two umbrella organisations Cymryd Rhan and Early Years Wales. The main room has a Leader and Deputy, who are both Persons in Charge with CIW, the Leader is qualified to Level 5. As is the Leader of The Cwtch. All other members of staff are qualified to Level 3, we have a dedicated Additional Needs CoOrdinator and all staff take on various roles and responsibilities.

Weekly Themes/Planning ~ We continue to plan for children’s learning and experiences based on weekly themes. Photos of these activities are posted on the Facebook Closed Group Parent page weekly. We also have a public page showing these activities, but there are no pictures of the children. We are now working within the New Curriculum for Wales and enjoy giving the children authentic experiences in which to learn through play and play based activities.

Children’s Progress ~ All children are allocated a keyworker. Within the first six weeks of them starting in Little Rascals, the child’s keyworker will have arranged to meet with the parent to discuss assessments that have been carried out over the six weeks and the children’s next steps. At any time the child is with us, parents are more than welcome to arrange a meeting with their child’s keyworker to discuss progress or at the beginning and end of each session if parents wish to know, the keyworker will be available to inform of progress or about how the child’s day has been. All staff are happy to talk to parents so at any time parents can feel free to talk to any member of staff about their child’s day. At time of the child’s transition to school, a One Page Profile is completed, which is discussed with the parent and is then sent to the school the child is attending. Wellcomm assessments, which assess children speech and language skills and understanding, are carried out throughout the year and again, at transition, these assessments are shared with the receiving school. A weekly online learning journal, through the App SeeSaw, is shared with parents about their child’s progress and development with accompanying photos.

Links with Outside Agencies ~ We have had good links with all the receiving school of the children leaving us throughout the year. A transition forum was arranged where Nursery and Head Teachers from the school receive the One Page Profile and Transition Document in person from our Leader and the children’s development discussed. This year we have a good link with College with students attending to complete a Level 3 qualification, EY Advisory Teacher, Health Visitors, Speech and Language, Barnardos, Educational Psychologist, Occupational Therapist and The Flying Start team.

Training Undertaken ~ All staff continue to undertake mandatory training (every three years) and optional training (resulting in some closure days). Mandatory training includes: Safeguarding, Paediatric First Aid and Food Hygiene. Staff also undertake their own Continuous Professional Development attending courses. Enhanced Support CoOrdinator and Leader attended regular forums. More training this last year has been carried out face to face.

Running Costs ~ Very few parents are now fee paying as the majority of children access the Flying Start funding. Even so, we continue to strive to provide affordable childcare for those that do pay. Unfortunately, with increasing costs, minimum wage and rent each month is a struggle to remain sustainable. Although we are based in the ICC, we pay rent and we receive no grant funding to support running costs. All incoming fees are our only source of income and all outgoings are taken from these. With the expansion of Flying Start, many more children were able to access 5 sessions for free but unfortunately the amount received by the setting has not increased in line with other costs increasing.

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Allergens ~ Little Rascals provides a daily snack for the children. The child’s registration form informs us of any allergies the child may have. Regulations state that we must keep a record of all allergens in the food we provide. This is available upon request. A daily menu is displayed on the parent notice board and posted on our closed Facebook parents group page.

Fundraising/Grant Funding

This year it was decided to take part in Operation Christmas Child again – Christmas shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse, although not as many boxes as in the past, we were very grateful for those received.

Food collection and toiletries for the homeless – this we did and all donations were gratefully received by the local charity Children in Need Red Nose Day

Little Rascals were successful in receiving capital funding from the Welsh Government towards: Capital grant items – Shed and storage for Forest School, wooden gazebo for our outside area and sheltered canopy for The Cwtch.

Other funding supported Forest School sessions for other users at the ICC plus a weekly Parent & Toddler Forest School Group, which is becoming increasingly popular.

Group Visits/Visitors

Careers Choice sessions Ready Steady Music Cwmni Blodau Haul – music sessions

Achievements

Completed the Healthy Preschool’s Certificate Level 2 Successful Inspection Report

Celebrations

Divali Thanksgiving Christmas A.A. Milne Birthday Chinese New Year St. Dwynwen’s Day, St. David’s Day World Book Day Mother’s Day Easter Father’s Day Independence Day

Premises ~ The premises indoors continues to be in good repair. It continues to have calm, welcoming and warm atmosphere. Outdoors is well resourced to support children’s learning. We also have use a large garden area with fixed play equipment and also the small play area with climbing equipment. The Forest School area is resourced using mainly natural resources.

Parking ~ This is a real difficult issue for the centre who have tried in vain to ensure the safety of children coming to and leaving the Preschool. At no time should parents park on double yellow

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lines, on the pavement or in the disabled bays. Parents are also asked be mindful of travelling to and from the car park at a safe speed. As we and the Centre have a duty of care, we must ask that parents do not leave children in cars unattended at any time.

Safeguarding ~ Safeguarding and Child Protection are our priority at Little Rascals. We have an open door policy where values such as honesty, fairness and respect are fostered. All staff adhere to essential policies and procedures, such as Safeguarding, Confidentiality, Child Protection, Health and Safety, Fire Safety and Behaviour Management. All staff attend regular Child Protection and Safeguarding courses. Senior staff have attended the Level 3 Child Protection and Safeguarding training and also MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub) and Prevent Duty training. All staff are aware of MASH and the process for Child Protection. All staff are aware of the new law against smacking and the process should they witness this. At the first initial meeting with parents, they are informed that should we have any Safeguarding concerns regarding their children, we can and will inform Social Services and/or MASH. All staff have also attended ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) training. All staff recruited complete an application form with names for two references, one from their most recent employer. Any breaks in employment need an explanation and is documented. The setting is safe and secure with enclosed fencing, high level gate latches and internally high level exit button and handles. At the beginning of each session children are collected from their parents at the main gate and at the end of the session, parents are let into the setting through the intercom system to collect their children. The main gate is locked at all times and has an intercom video system. The main gate can only be opened by a member of staff. Fire and Risk Assessments are carried out termly as are fire drills. Offsite risk assessments are carried out as necessary. If a child enters preschool with a pre-existing injury, we ask parents to let a member of staff know. Internally, the exit buttons and handles have been raised to enforce the safety of the children. Little Rascals continue to conform to the General Data Protection Regulations. Annually, Little Rascals complete the Local Authority Safeguarding toolkit and actions from it are carried out. Termly Risk Assessments and Fire Risk Assessments/drills are carried out.

Facebook/e-mail ~ Little Rascals are on Facebook: Little Rascals Preschool Closed Parents’ Group and also Little Rascals Preschool public group for information purposes only. This last year LR have put photos of children on Facebook (with parents’ permission) of the weekly activities the children carry out based on the themes. Should you wish to contact the Manager/Leader via e-mail the address is littlerascalspreschool@live.co.uk We also have a Forest School Parent & Toddler group email page.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff in Little Rascals for all their care and education they continue to give to the children. I would also like to say thankyou to all parents who support the preschool in many ways, and show their gratitude with so many thankyou presents to the staff at the end of term. I would especially like to thank our Management Committee who carry out their role unpaid and for their support of the Preschool.

Angela Samuel Manager/Secretary

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Little Rascals Preschool Limited Address:Cwm Golau Integrated LThildren's Centre Duffryn RId. Pentrebach. Alerthyr Tydfil. CF48 4BJ Tel No: 07760227106 - Email: littleroscalspreschool@livLco.uk Facebook: Little Rascals Preschool Registered Cryny fvknlxr: 06750544 R¢9is*ered Chffj P4mther: 11814(X) Little Rascals Preschool Little Rascals Preschool Income and Expenditure Account- 2023 - 2024 Income Parent Fees Flying Stsrt FeeslFunding Early Years FeeslFunding Childcgre Offer Fee%unditig Flying Siart ALN EY ALN Oth¢r Wages inrrrainiog Grdnts EYGF and RRRS Grants Mi]k Reimbursemeni Educatxon Reimbursement IOJ71 6&414.44 5.92XiKI 9,145JI 2.07&70 I91j4 4J96.75 -16.747J3 41J4S24 1,099ffj9 Total Inc4%ne 225I62.18 Wages Flying Start Enhanced SupTKKt wag¢5 & National iDsuznce Pensions ReDt Insurance Pho¢opy1Adm1n Hygiene Milk Pur¢h8ses Snack Ctaft Equipment EducationaVPlay EquipmenVR¢sou Phone Charges Bank Charges Unifonn Grant Funding Spend- Outdoor Wc¢ G82ebo Trips Creative Project Ftts Refund Revolut Card Carry Over (161.937.46) (2,075.70) (16.153.36) (4.426.43) (14.948.19) (728.71) (1270.93) (670.18) (1.188.60) (1781.67) T2.63) {33.483.68) (143.06) (6720) (1,018.63) (8.615.26) (2.769.00) {5J81.79) {450.00) {235.16) Total Expendititye (260.717.64} Defictt to Carry Fonvard (34.855.46) olg Ba]an¢e blf 03.18 Closing Balanc¢ clf 19,647.72 Accountant Signature. ... Company .....