2024-12-31-accounts

MAYFLOWER PLAYGROUP HAYWARDS HEATH CIO (Reg. Charity No. 1181625) Page 1 of 2 TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for 2024

Mayflower Playgroup was established in 1973. It is a registered CIO (no. 1181625) and operates in association with Christ Church Haywards Heath in West Sussex. The Playgroup continues to work in accordance with its constitution, maintaining its evangelical Christian ethos.

The Playgroup provides Sessional Care and Nursery Education on a non-profit-making basis, catering for children from two years to school-age, from the locality. Sessional care is offered five days a week, with varying lengths of day available. The playgroup offers a safe learning environment and high staff-to-child ratio to encourage maximum spiritual, intellectual, and physical development in preparing the children for their next developmental stage and for life and citizenship in general. The staff operate within the Early Years Foundation framework and best practices learned from their training.

Children are cared for in secure, safe, and suitable premises that are organised to provide a warm welcome to children and their parents. The provision of well-resourced workshop areas and appropriate projects allow children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the world. Staff seek to provide a range of learning opportunities and experiences for children both inside and outside. The outside area is used in all weather, and the planting and landscaping of this area have been worked on for the benefit of the children. Many of the children benefit from the use of a large hall on-site for weekly sporting activities with an outside provider. In accordance with the Christian ethos of the Playgroup, simple Bible stories, songs and a ‘thank you’ prayer are shared with the children by some of the staff.

The day-to-day running of the Playgroup is the responsibility of a Supervisor who reports regularly to the other Trustees. In 2024, Mrs Caroline Nicholls continued to lead the Playgroup as Supervisor in a dedicated and professional manner, ably assisted by Mrs Sarah Konig as Deputy Supervisor.

During the year ended December 2023, the following served as Trustees of the CIO: Sarah McQuaker (Chair of Trustees) Caroline Nicholls Mark Ventham Carol Eggleton Elizabeth Martin Ruth Nicholls

This arrangement is in line with the Constitution of the CIO.

At the end of 2024, there were 9 permanent members of staff, which provided consistency of provision. One member of staff was supported in their studies to gain a Level 3 qualification, and the Deputy Supervisor undertook a Level 3 SENCO qualification.

The Playgroup was open on Mondays to Fridays for 38 weeks of the year. The daily session length varied from 3 hours to 5.5 hours in accordance with statutory requirements. There was an average of 30 children per morning with a total of 49 children on the register over the year, reflecting a wide range of backgrounds. The setting welcomed more two-year-old children, in line with new Government initiatives.

During this year, the staff of Mayflower continued to prioritise caring for the children and helping them to settle and flourish, seeking to offer them rich experiences in line with EYFS themes. Staff worked hard to speak with families and support them as needed. The Playgroup continued to support a number of children with additional needs, as well as speech and language needs, and continued to welcome a number of children with English as an additional language. Staff worked to support these children well in the setting, as well as supporting their families.

Parents enjoyed joining their children for picnics on occasions, and services were held at the end of each term, to which many parents and relatives came.

MAYFLOWER PLAYGROUP HAYWARDS HEATH CIO (Reg. Charity No. 1181625) Page 2 of 2 TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for 2024

The Playgroup’s income is derived primarily from West Sussex County Council, through the ‘Free Entitlement’ payment, as well as EYPP and payments for those with additional needs. The Playgroup receives some additional income from fees paid by parents of children who are too young to qualify for the Free Entitlement provision. Fees are set at an affordable level for parents, commensurate with the grant provided for funded children. Fees and wages are set by Trustees annually.

The Playgroup expends all funds to meet the operating costs of the Playgroup, including the cost of paying staff and purchasing learning and welfare resources to enhance the provision of Sessional Care and Nursery Education, as well as maintaining the fabric of the setting. Funding received for children with additional needs was spent to purchase equipment to enable these children to benefit from their day-to-day experience in the setting and for their peers to enjoy alongside them. Staff continued to attend training events as required (Safeguarding and First Aid); to develop good practices, and to continue learning in line with the EYFS statutory framework.

The Playgroup has continued to benefit from the ongoing generosity of Christ Church Haywards Heath in providing premises for use by Mayflower at a discounted rate.

Total cash reserves at the end of 2024 were £72,200. Of this, £30,000 has been invested with the aim, in the event of the unexpected closure of the playgroup, of meeting the costs of giving parents and staff at least half a term’s notice of any closure plans, plus meeting all financial obligations, including staff redundancy pay. Further funds are held in reserve to provide for termly fluctuations and future expenditure. The cash reserves enabled the setting to maintain good staffing levels above statutory ratios, and to be able to cope with the increasing cost of utilities and daily essentials, as well as resourcing the setting in response to the children’s needs. The Famly App continues to benefit the setting, assisting with communication with parents, as well as with staffing and invoicing.

We were thankful for the Local Authority funding received this year, and the additional funding to allow settings to support two-year-olds and children with additional needs. The Trustees remain confident that ongoing management of costs, coupled with the stable Local Authority funding rate, will enable the Playgroup to maintain a stable reserve position for 2025. However, playgroups such as Mayflower continue to see significant increases in annual costs, and it will be essential to the longer-term financial stability of such playgroups that Local authority rates for funded places continue to increase annually in line with inflation.

The Trustees continued to review the financial position of the Playgroup, working to develop governance policies and reviewing financial investment and strategy. It is expected that there will be investment in the fabric and fittings of the setting in the coming year, to enhance the setting for the benefit of the children.

The Trustees are thankful to the Lord that the Playgroup has continued to be provided for financially, and wish to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Playgroup staff that has led to such a secure, loving and developmentally valuable setting for young children and their families. The steady commitment of the staff team meant that they were able to persevere through a challenging period in the year, working especially hard to ensure that the children and their families continued to be cared for and supported, and supporting each other daily in the setting.

SIGNED

Sarah McQuaker On behalf of the Trustees

21st October, 2025

Mayflower Playgroup CIO 1181625 Receipts and payments accounts For the period 01/01/2024 31/12/2024 To from

CC16a

Section A Receipts and payments

Section A Receipts and	payments	payments
Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £		Restricted funds to the nearest £		Endowment funds to the nearest £	Total funds to the nearest £		Last year to the nearest £
Fees from Council funded places	130,917		-		- - - - - - - -	130,917		92,068
Fees from Privately funded places	17,875		-			17,875		21,789
Other Income	2,294		-			2,294		4,000
	-		-			-		-
	-		-			-		-
	-		-			-		-
	-		-			-		-
	-		-			-		-
**Total receipts **	151,086		-		-	151,086		117,857

Payments

Payments
Staff Costs	100,800		-		- - - - - - - - -	100,800		89,105
Rent and Utilities	5,960		-			5,960		6,743
Equipment	3,485		-			3,485		1,417
Insurance	1,064		-			1,064		1,015
Training	754		-			754		587
Administration	439		-			439		347
Accountancy	201		-			201		-
Other Expenses	10,105		-			10,105		9,465
	-		-			-		-
**Total Payments **	122,808		-		-	122,808		108,679

			- - - -		28,278	28,278
Net of receipts/(payments) Transfers between funds funds from prior years Cash funds this year end	28,278		-		28,278		9,178
	-		-	- -	-		-
	72,192		-		72,192		63,013
	100,470		-	-	100,470		72,191

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 Cash funds	(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Bank Accounts Petty Cash Total cash funds Signature	Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Unrestricted funds to nearest £
		100,364 106 -	-
			-
			-
		100,470	-
		Sarah McQuaker
		Mark Ventham

NOTE: The CIO was formed on 18th January 2019. On 1st August 2019, the CIO took on the Charitable activities of the Charitable Trust also known as Mayflower Playgroup (registered Charity number 1072441). It also received cash assets from the Charitable Trust together with payments for amounts received by the Trust on behalf of the CIO.

NOTE; Cash funds include an advance payment from the Local Authority for fees due during the Spring term 2025.

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