# Minutes - The Woodland Pre School AGM Thursday 11[th] November – 8pm via Zoom The Woodland Preschool ## **Attendees** Katy White, Karen Pearson, Julia Rouse, Angela Goodman, Viki Hockley, Daniella Dima-Riaim, Charlotte Gaggiano, Natalie Carlin, Matt Walker, Molly Walker ## **Apologies** Stephanie Koch, Nathaneal Gaggiano ## **Welcome** Katy welcomed everyone to the AGM. ## **Minutes of the last AGM** Karen read the minutes of the last AGM and they were agreed to be true and accurate. There were no action points from the last AGM. ## **Leaders Report** Katy presented the leaders report Reflections on 2020/21 ## 1. Children Last September saw us start off the academic year with 28 children on roll, increasing to 31 after Christmas and 45 in total for the summer term. The numbers were down in September compared to previous years, this was very likely due to COVID as more people were still working at home and /or decided it was safer/easier to keep their preschool aged child at home. Numbers increased slightly after Christmas We noticed before the Easter holidays and right before the start of the summer term there were a lot of last-minute places being taken up as life was so uncertain and people were waiting to see if restrictions would be changed or lifted before they made their decision. In the summer we had 20 children leaving Woodlands to go to school. ## 2. Staff Our numbers of children were reduced from previous years so no new staff were needed until the Easter term. The number of children wanting places at the last minute made it very challenging to staff accordingly. We were pleased to welcome back Ali who had worked with us a few years previously. We also made the decision to employ two parents to also help out. We had not previously employed parents to work directly with the children as it can have an adverse effect on their own children. We employed Gemma Tanswell and Charlotte Gaggiano on a temporary basis as they had the relevant qualifications and experience. They were an asset to the team, and it worked out better than expected. In September we welcomed back Gemma as her child had transitioned to school, so she was no longer a current parent. ## 3. Activities Unlike previous years we couldn’t arrange many outings. We managed to visit the Common in the Autumn term as there were less children, going out in Animal group time and taking Karen with us as an extra helper. Normally parents would attend too, and we would all go out at the same time, but COVID restrictions meant this couldn’t happen. For the second year in a row, we couldn’t hunt for bluebells and badger setts like we would normally, due to the pandemic. The staff provided the entertainment for the Christmas party unlike in previous years. We were so grateful that COVID restrictions changed in time for the end of the summer term so that the Leavers party could go ahead with Dave the Disco entertaining the children who were leaving to go to school. We supported Children In Need and Red nose day but sadly couldn’t continue our half termly Mindfulness and Yoga sessions with Jo Clarke, Rugby sessions from Coaches Carl and Tom from the Rugby Tots company or Minimoves dance sessions. The children really enjoy these extra-curricular sessions, and we are pleased we can go back to doing things like this in 2021/2022 ## 4.Administration Woodlands is a pre-school for 2, 3 & 4 year old children. The running of it does not differ from a mainstream school - we have limited funding which has to be budgeted and spent wisely, we need to keep up to date with changes in education, attend training courses and meetings, keep policies, and adhere to procedures that cover every aspect of school life. Until 2019, Woodlands was a committee run preschool, however the decision was made to become a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) with a board of trustees overseeing things as committees changed every year and it was felt the continuity of a board of trustees would be beneficial, which has definitely proved to be the case. ## 5.Parents We are very lucky to have a lovely set of parents who are very supportive. They accompany us on our walks, attend meetings such as Parents Evenings and, of course, raise funds to help purchase new toys & equipment, repair our buildings, and generally keep Woodlands ticking over! We are particularly grateful to our parents who give up their time to form the fundraising committee. We have had a small but extremely hard-working committee this year and want to say a very heartfelt thank you to all of them. They managed to raise some money by organising things like selling Christmas cards but were not able to organize any events due to COVID restrictions. ## 6. The future For the last few years parents have been able to claim up to 30 hours of free childcare per week if they both work and meet certain criteria. We have been able to offer 27 hours of childcare for the last year. It is still not financially viable for us to run a Friday afternoon session as there is not enough interest. In September 2021, due to an increase in demand, a decision was made to offer a 30 minute lunch club on a Friday. This means that we now offer 27.5 hours per week. This may change in the future, and we will continue to ask parents about sessions required. ## **Administrator’s Report** Karen presented the administrators report. The income and expenditure for the year is included in the appendix. For the year to the end of August 2021 we are very pleased to say that we made a profit of £22.471.49. Our accounts have been audited by our accountant. Despite the events of last year, we ended the year in a very good position, this is partly down to Bucks County Council paying a ‘top up fund’ for the autumn term where they paid our funding in line with the number of children on role the previous year rather than the lower numbers, we actually had due to Covid-19. We also received a Covid cleaning grant due to the increased cost of cleaning and hygiene measures that were put in place. We have seen an increase in the number of children attending Woodlands that require some additional support and last year we applied and received some money from the Bucks County Councils Inclusion Fund to help us support these children. Financial commitments continued in the form of Sage for payroll administration, an accounts package, DBS checks for existing and new staff members, training updates for staff, membership of the Early Years Alliance as well as general everyday consumables and equipment costs. With regards to our rent at the Guide and Scout Centre we started the year on a reduced rent rate which had previously been agreed, as we have had such a profitable year, we have agreed an increase in our rent for the next academic year. Main differences in income/expenditure from last year: - Parents fees increased as we were open for the full academic year unlike the previous year - We saw a welcome increase in donations from parents - Gift aid – this is the gift aid claim for the sponsored bounce and eligible donations - Our rent increased compared to last year as we were open the full year as opposed to last year when we were closed for a period of time due to Covid-19 - The equipment cost increased as we have replaced some items due to wear and tear - Our insurance increased partly due to the effect of Covid-19 and all insurance premiums increasing as a result - ‘Other’ expenditure includes parents’ overpayment of fees which were then refunded, and a bonus was paid to each staff member at the end of the year ## **Trustee’s Report** Good evening. My name is Julia Rouse, and I am the acting Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Woodland Pre-School. My involvement with Woodlands goes back a long way as my children came here and then I became the Early Years leader at Woodlands - a position I loved for the values Woodlands embodies and the reason I am still involved today! ## **Background to CIO** Woodlands officially registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 12th February 2019. Although it had operated as a registered charity for over 40 years, the change to CIO status gave the Woodland Pre-School its own legal identity and removed the liability on the individual committee members. The tenure of the elected governing body gives the pre-school stability and continuity. ## **The role of the trustees** So, what do we do? Well, the trustees have the role of being "Guardians of Purpose” which means that we put the needs and best interests of Woodlands at the heart of our decisions. We have a duty to safeguard the charity's assets which include those that are physical, financial, and intangible such as its reputation. Whilst we thought 2020 was a year unlike any other, the continuation of the pandemic in 2021 has meant that the pre-school has had to contend with interruptions, adapted ways of working and changes to the status quo we had previously taken for granted! Last year the trustees were involved in the decision if and when to re-open Woodlands following the lockdown in March 2020 but there have been many difficult decisions to be made this year as the rules and government guidelines changed. All the relevant issues including the over-riding ones relating to everyone's health and safety, the advice from SAGE and the Government, were discussed at great length before deciding on an appropriate course of action. It is a testament to everyone involved in the process that the children have come through the ups & downs undeterred and eager to enjoy their time at Woodlands. No doubt there will be other decisions to be made in the future although we have to hope that they will not be quite as taxing as this year. ## **The Governing Body** The trustees are: Angela Goodman - Angela's daughter Izzy was at Woodlands from 2018-19 during which time Angela was the treasurer on the Committee. Angela is a very experienced teacher in secondary education. Angela's second daughter, Anna, is going to start at Woodlands in September 2022. Viki Hockley - Viki's two children, Charlotte & Daniel, were both pupils at Woodlands and are now at primary school. Viki was the secretary on the committee twice. Stephanie Koch - Stephanie has two children, Matthew & Sophie who have both been to Woodlands. Sophie left in July to start full time school. Stephanie is on course to be a fully-fledged mid-wife ensuring Woodlands stays in business for many years to come! Daniela Dina- Riain - Daniela has 2 children, the youngest Alexei was at Woodlands in 2018/19. Dani's interests centre on alternative therapies. Karen Pearson - Karen is the administrator at Woodlands. Karen's daughter Ellie was at Woodlands a few years ago and her son Josh is now with us. Katy White - Katy has been the Early Years Lead Practitioner since April 2019. She was a primary school teacher for many years and brought her wealth of knowledge to the position. Katy has 2 daughters who came to Woodlands several years ago. Viki Hockley has taken the decision to step down as a trustee now. I should like to take this opportunity to thank Viki for everything she has done for Woodlands over the past years. Viki came onto the committee when her daughter Charlotte was at Woodlands and soon took on the role of secretary. She roped in many family members to help out at Christmas fairs, cooking burgers on barbecues, selling teas & cakes and her husband, Simon, helped to build and repair many items in the outside area for us! Viki re-joined the committee when Daniel was at Woodlands and stayed on as a trustee when he left to go to school. Viki has said how odd it will be not to be part of the Woodlands family - well, it will be very odd for us not to have you on board, but we wish you every success in the future and look forward to seeing you at one of the fund-raising events when they restart! ## **The Trustees** I should like to thank all my fellow trustees for their time and involvement in the discussions and sometimes challenging situations we have had to deal with this year. We are a small team and have collectively supported the staff at Woodlands who have worked fantastically hard to keep Woodlands going in the face of the huge problems that the pandemic has caused. You have pulled together and been prepared to take difficult decisions particularly with regard to staying open, not taking fees from parents who chose not to send their children in for ethical reasons and for holding high standards regarding safety in the light of the ongoing pandemic. Unfortunately, restrictions have meant we have not been able to visit the staff and children but hope that this is a situation that will ease in the coming year. ## **The Fund-raising Committee** Whilst last year meant many fund-raising activities had to be reduced or postponed, nevertheless the fundraising committee continued to organise events which brought in the extra funds needed for the ongoing activities that the children enjoy. Our thanks go to Sarah Cristinziano, Melissa Potter, Charlotte Gaggiano, Jo Daley, and Karen Pearson. ## **The Staff** We have all had to face uncertainty, changes, and new ways of continuing with our regular lives this year as lockdowns came & went, but the issues facing Katy, Karen and the staff team at Woodlands resulted in a completely different way of working. Social distancing, cleaning absolutely everything - both static equipment & moving children - working without parental involvement and volunteers, taking lateral flow tests regularly, carrying out ever changing directives from BCC & the Government were just some of the factors involved in keeping Woodlands running. The trustees are so proud of the way Katy, Karen, Zoe, and the team have adapted to evolving scenarios with fortitude, commitment, and resilience. We know the extra hours that have been required to keep the pre-school open, evenings taken up with revised planning for the curriculum, meetings with the trustees, family life put on hold all to be able to welcome the children and offer them a brilliant learning experience. Our role as trustees has been to support you in the decisionmaking process and we hope that we have been diligent in this regard. Knowing how caring, enthusiastic, resourceful, and dedicated the staff at Woodlands are, we are hopeful that the children at Woodlands will remember this time with nothing but happy memories! We are so pleased that Woodlands is in a sound financial position despite much uncertainty at times. The number of children attending is high with a waiting list for the coming terms. Visits outside have recommenced with parents once again able to accompany the children and it is heartening to know that life is returning to pre-pandemic normality. None of these things would have been possible without the tireless work carried out by Katy, Karen, Zoe, Bea, Farzana, Lisa, Fran, Shayle, Alison, Gemma & Charlotte. On behalf of the trustees, parents, and children - the biggest thanks must go to Katy & Karen for your dedication, energy, and amazing patience. It is because of your unstinting love for the children and their well-being that Woodlands continues to thrive. As trustees we are privileged to work with such amazing people, and we are rightly proud to be part of the Woodlands community. ## **The Future** Taking on board the new EYFS Awaiting Inspection Self-Evaluation Meeting 17/11/21 ## **Trustee Resignation and Re-Election** In line with our constitution any trustee must resign after two years of service but can get re-elected again if they would like to put themselves forward. We have a number of trustees who have completed two years service and must resign at this AGM, they are: Julia Rouse Angela Goodman Daniella Dima-Riain Karen Pearson Katy White Viki Hockley A number of trustees requested to be re-elected Julia Rouse – nominated by Katy White, seconded by Angela Goodman Angela Goodman – nominated by Julia Rouse, seconded by Katy White Daniella Dima-Riain – nominated by Karen Pearson, seconded by Angela Goodman Karen Pearson – nominated by Katy White, seconded by Angela Goodman Katy White – nominated by Julia Rouse, seconded by Karen Pearson It was agreed that the trustee roles would be held by the following people: Chair – Julia Rouse Vice Chair – Angela Goodman Secretary/Treasurer – Karen Pearson ## **Fundraising Committee Report** Karen presented the fundraising committee report on behalf of Nathaneal, please find attached. Due to restrictions in place, they were not able to do as many events as they had hoped, however they did manage to make over £2,300 from the events that did happen. ## **Any Other Business** Daniella mentioned that she is happy to come in and run the nutrition sessions that she has done previously with the children. ## **Appendix** The Woodland Pre-School For the year ended 31 August 2021 Profit and Loss ||INCOME|||2020||2021| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||Incoming Resources from Charitable Activities|||||| ||Bucks CountyCouncil Funding||£92,156.02|||£ 90,124.03| ||Parent Fees||£12,105.71|||£ 24,980.00| ||Milk Refunds||£396.00|||£ 338.00| ||Bank Interest||£54.84|||£ 5.46| ||Donations||£925.80|||£ 1,541.13| ||Gift Aid||£390.43|||£ 478.30| ||Uniform Sales||£658.83|||£ 359.26| ||Commission||£102.34|||£ 40.09| ||Committee||£407.56|||£ 236.44| ||Grants||£0.00|||£ -| ||Other||£281.00|||£ 48.00| |||Subtotal|£107,478.53|||£ 118,150.71| |||||||| ||Incoming Resources from Fundraising|||||| ||Fundraisingactivities||£2,366.31|||£ 2,563.79| |||||||| ||Total IncomingResources||£ 109,844.84|||£ 120,714.50| |||||||| ||EXPENDITURE|||2020||2021| ||Resources expended for charitable activities|||||| ||Salaries||£75,384.36|||£ 78,065.96| ||PAYE & NI &pensions||£3,676.61|||£ 5,209.36| ||Rent||£5,818.50|||£ 7,306.50| ||Equipment||£396.52|||£ 857.05| ||Milk||£399.75|||£ 338.00| ||Subscriptions and Licences||£405.20|||£ 961.59| ||Insurance||£667.52|||£ 790.91| ||Printingand Stationery||£510.60|||£ 356.39| ||Postage||£31.39|||£ 56.19| ||Training||£718.00|||£ 345.20| ||Bank Charges||£2.50|||£ 2.50| ||Other||£290.70|||£ 1,010.70| ||DBS Checks||£112.00|||£ 406.00| ||Legal & Professional Charges||£95.00|||£ 120.00| ||Gifts||£78.78|||£ 58.00| ||Consumables||£273.35|||£ 537.60| ||Snacks||£76.60|||£ 55.12| ||Broadband Connection/telephone||£462.12|||£ 580.61| ||Uniform||£175.44|||£ 349.20| ||To committee Account||£642.50||£ 112.00| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||HR Consultant/Website||£100.00||£ 154.00| ||Advertising||£114.18||£ -| ||Extracurricular activities||£514.00||£ 377.90| ||||£90,945.62||£ 98,050.78| ||||||| ||Resources Expended on Fundraising Activities||||| ||Printing, postage,and stationery||£0.00||£ 150.23| ||Equipment||£7,860.03||£ -| ||Events||£445.57||£ -| ||Transfers topre-school||£193.03||£ 42.00| ||||£ 8,498.63||£ 192.23| ||||||| ||Total resources expended||£ 99,444.25||£ 98,243.01| ||||||| ||Profit/Loss||£ 10,400.59||£ 22,471.49| _**Please note the figures above are for the year 1/9/20 to 31/8/21. The audited accounts below are from 1/8/20 to 31/8/21 due to the previous financial year ending on 31/7/20 (this was amended to finish on 31/8 going forwards)**_ ## **Treasurer’s Report** ## **2[nd] September 2020- 1[st] August 2021** Bank Balance as at 1[st] September 2020 from previous years committee **£784.03** |**Funds raised from:**|| |---|---| |Sponsored Bounce|£1078.70| |Christmas Cards|£236.00| |Easter Trail|£454.81| |Wycombe Lotto|£277.50| |Amazon|£67.28| |Your School Lottery|£219.00| |My Name Tags|£21.00| |Cash 4 Clothes|£167.50| |Misc.|£42.00| |**Total**|**£2563.79**| |**Expenditure:**|| |Christmas Cards|£142.73| |Postage|£7.50| |Misc.|£42.00| **Total £192.23** Balance in bank as at 01[st] September 2021: **£3155.59** CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examine￿$ Report Report to the trusteesl members of The Wotsjland Pre-school lown￿y) CIO On accounts for the year ended 31st August 2021 Charlty no lif any) 1181991 Set out on pages 1to10 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity Ilhe Trusl'l for the period ended 31Bt August 2021 As the charity's trustees. you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 i.the Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Dire¢tions given by the Charity Commlssion under sects'on 145(5)Ibl of the Act. Responslbilitles and basis of report Independont examinerfs statsment I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any matenal respect.. Ihe accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming Ihe fomi and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that Ihe accounts give a Irue and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no ¢oncems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: Namè: Marina Legge Relevant professlonal qualification{sl or body lif any): ACCA Address: G02 Terriers House. Amersham Road High Wycombe Bucks HP13 5AJ -4 Pfe- Note11 Paid employees Please complete this note if the charity has any employees. 11.1 Staff Costs This year Last year Salarles and wages Social security costs Pension costs (defined contributlon scheme) Other employee benefits 83,889 3,473 2,100 69,562 3,313 Total staff costs 89.461 72,875 This year: Please provide details of expenditure on staff working for the charity whose contracts are wlth and are pald by a related party Last year: Please provlde detsils of expenditure on stsff working for the charity whose contracts are wlth and are pald by a related party Please give details of the number of employees whose total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) fell within each band of £10,000 from £60,000 upwards. If there are no such transactions, please enter trrue. in the box pmvided. No employees recelved employee benefits (excluding employer penslon costs) for the reporting period of more than £60,000 Band Number of em Thls year loyees Last year £60,000 to £69,999 £70,000 to £79,999 £80,000 to £89,999 £90,000 to £99,999 £100,000 to £109,999 This ear Last ear Please provide the total amount pald to key management personnel (includes trustees and senior management) for their services to the charlty. For speclfic amounts paid to trustees, see Note 28. CC17a (Excell 0911112021 This year Number Last year Number 11.2 Average head count in the year The parts of the charity in which the employees work Total 11.3 Ex-gratia payments to employees and others (excluding trustees> Please complete if an ex-gratia payment is made. Please explain the nature of the payment This year Last year Please state the legal authorlty or reason for making the payment This year Last year Thls year Last year Please state the amount of the payment lor value of any waiver of a right to an asset) CC17a (Excel} 0911112021 11.4 Redundancy payments Please complete if any redundancy or temiination payment is made in the period. This year Last year Totsl amount of payment The nature of the payment (cash, asset etc.) This year Last year The extent of redundancy fundlng at the balance sheet date Please state the accounting policy for any redundancy or termlnatlon payments CC17a (Excell 0911112021 Section C Notes to the accounts (conti Note 20 Creditors and accruals Please Complete this note if the ¢harity has any creditors or accruals, 20.1 Analy$ls of ¢reditors Amounts falling due withln one year This year Last year Amounts falllng due after more than one y9ar This year Last year A¢cruals for grants payable Bank loans and overdrafts Trade creditors Payments recelved on account for contracts or porformance-related grants Accruals and deferred income Taxation and social securlty Other Credltors 11,579 Total 20.2 Deferred income Please complete thls note if the charlty has deferred income. This ear Monles received from local authority in August for thg Autumn tem? startlng in Septgmber Last ear Please oxplain the rgasons why incom• Is deferred. Movement In defgrred income account Thls year Last year Balance at the start of the reportlng period Amounts added In current perlod Amounts released to Income from prevlous perlods Balance at the end of the reporting period 11,579 11,579 0911112021 GC173 (EX￿1) Sectioll C Notes to the aecounts (conti Nots 24 Cash at bank and In hand Thi8 year L4tst year Short temi cash investm6nts1188s than 3 months maturlty dat81 Short ¢erni deposlts ¢45h at bank and on h4rtd Other Total 76.034 48.895 .034 95 0911112021 CC178 (Exce11 Iiiiiiiiiiill 111111111111 111111111111 111111111111 1111111111 111111111111