Cylch Meithrin Bodffordd Trustee Annual Report
The board of trustees of Cylch Meithrin Bodffordd present their annual report and audited accounts for the year ended April 5th 2021 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
Our Aim
Our aim is to provide quality pre-school provision for children aged 2- 4 years through the medium of Welsh, in a happy, safe and secure environment, having fun, meeting new friends and learning through play. We believe every child has a voice and the right to be heard. We create an environment that promotes independence and confidence encouraging all children to develop to their full potential building their self-confidence and preparing them for future opportunities and life experiences. We aim to work closely with the local school and other settings to provide a service for local children and families to access and thrive.
Our Objectives
Our objectives reflect our setting’s aims and ethos. It is important to us that we maintain and enhance the success of the setting and individual objectives are set for each year that will help the setting move forward in continuously achieving and working towards the highest of standards.
Our key objectives for the past year included:
Running as smoothly and efficiently as possible throughout the COVID 19 pandemic
Continue to ensure that practitioners use the Welsh language effectively and consistently to improve children’s spoken Welsh (ESTYN Recommendation 2)
Improve resources and equipment in the outdoor area to ensure children are safe and have opportunities to develop to their full potential.
Review of our activities and achievements.
This year has been a difficult year with the COVID 19 Pandemic but we have successfully continued to provide children attending the setting a high-quality care and learning experience.
Staff have attended online training throughout the past year to enhance and develop their professional skills and extend their understanding of the Welsh government curriculum, with excellent knowledge of child development, observational techniques, activities and assessment strategies practitioners can clearly evidence the individual progress of learners and service users within the setting.
This year we have continued working in partnership with the local authority to provide numerous funding opportunities to service users in the local area. We continue to offer Early years education places for children aged 2 and a half and also provide the childcare offer for working parents in Wales entitling parents to 30 free hours childcare a week.
These funding opportunities allow children and families with varying needs to be able to access the setting and for all children to have opportunities to feel happy, safe and secure in a fun environment where they can develop individually.
Achieving a high standard in inspection outcomes is a constant aim whilst maintaining the quality of care, education and opportunities we provide. The setting’s co-leaders and other practitioners continue to review the curriculum and opportunities provided to ensure they remain appropriate for our children’s individual development.
Our future plans are financed primarily from local authority funding, fee income, fundraising events and grants. The trustees ensure the finances are healthy and a balance is maintained between the continuous improvements in the setting and the reserve of finances to ensure the security of the organisation.
The board of trustees and the staff are committed to working with each other and are constantly reviewing and renewing our procedures in the current ever-changing situation with COVID 19.
Finances
The financial statements show gross incoming for the year for the setting as £19,895.11
The principal source of income is local authority funding accounting through grant funding of £5,649.39 (28.4%) of the settings income. The board of trustees has deployed 100% of its income on the care, education and running of the setting.
As an educational charity, we are unable to reclaim VAT input tax on our costs as we are exempt for VAT purposes. We pay tax as an employer through national insurance contributions we make.
As shown on the accounts a surplus of £3,153.29 was made for the year ending April 2021 with a closing cash funds balance of £12,117.04.
The board of trustees consider that given the strength of the increasing numbers in the later part of the year and the stable cash flow from local authority funding the ongoing popularity of the setting there is a good reserve to support any future needs.
Ethos, Strategies and Policies
Our ethos: a caring setting serving our local community, we are a setting which seeks to benefit the public through the pursuit of its stated aims. Our fees are set at a level to ensure the financial viability of the setting and at a level that is consistent with our aim of providing a quality care and education experience to children and families.
Our Setting welcomes pupils from all backgrounds. We are an equal opportunity organisation and are committed to a working environment that is free from any form of discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability. We will make reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of staff or pupils who have additional physical needs or who are disabled.
Our setting is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and service users and expects all practitioners and volunteers to share this commitment.
Parents and Carers are given regular information about their children’s progress through parent evenings, Open Morning Events and end of year reports. A weekly roundup of information on activities, celebrations and interests of individuals are provided to parents through the Cylch’s private social media page. We maintain regular contact with parents throughout the year through informal contacts and through our newsletters.
Structure, Governance and Management
The charity trustees are responsible for the overall management and control of Cylch Meithrin Bodffordd and meet quarterly. All trustees give up their time freely and no remuneration or expenses were paid in the year.
The implementation of most policies and the day to day running of the setting is delegated to the co-leaders. The Co-Leaders undertake the key leadership role overseeing the care, education and administrative functions. The day to day administration for the setting is undertaken within the policies and procedures approved by the trustees which provide for only significant expenditure decisions and major capital projects to be referred to the trustees for prior approval. The trustees are responsible for the recruitment of all practitioners. The Co-leaders are invited to attend trustee meetings.
Risk Management - The trustees are responsible for the overseeing of the risks faced by the setting. Risks are identified, assessed and controls established throughout the year. A formal review of the charity’s risk management processes is undertaken on an annual basis. Risk is managed under the headings of financial sustainability, setting safety, child welfare/ safeguarding and employment.
The main risks that the trustees have identified and the plans to manage those risks are:
Finances. Our ability to continue is reliant on children’s fees and the ability to pay bills as they fall due. This risk is managed by local advertising, having a good reputation in the local area and fundraising events held throughout the year.
General setting safety is monitored by the setting co-leaders and risk or actions required reported to the trustees to act upon appropriately.
Child welfare / safeguarding is managed with robust safeguarding policies and procedures. All practitioners have appropriate safeguarding training along with members of the board of trustees. Safeguarding policies and procedures are covered in-depth during staff inductions and are regularly discussed in in house training and staff meetings.
Employment and the turnover of staff is managed by staff recruitment policies, staffing policies and a good relationship between trustees and the practitioners. We offer good hourly rates of pay, training opportunities for practitioners to further develop their skills and have regular meetings, supervisions and annual appraisals to monitor and encourage staff.
Through the risk management processes established for the setting, the Trustees are satisfied that the major risks identified have been adequately mitigated where necessary. It is recognised that systems can only provide reasonable but not absolute assurance that major risks have been adequately managed.
CYLCH MEITHRIN BODFFORDD ACCOUNTS (Year end 5th APRIL 2021) 2020 / 2021
| INCOME | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 2000.00 | ||||||||
| CSYM (LEA grant) | 5649.39 | ||||||||
| Children's fees | 3841.00 | ||||||||
| Fundraising | 826.01 | ||||||||
| Sundries + 30 hour scheme | 1926.00 | ||||||||
| HMRC, JRS Grant & other | 5102.71 | ||||||||
| Training grants | 550.00 | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 19895.11 | ||||||||
| EXPENDITURE | |||||||||
| Salaries | 15137.36 | ||||||||
| Equipment | 516.58 | ||||||||
| Ins. Registration & PAYE scheme | 108.00 | ||||||||
| Other | 979.88 | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 16741.82 | ||||||||
| Surplus | 3153.29 | ||||||||
| Balance brought forward | 8963.75 | ||||||||
| Balance carried forward | 12117.04 |