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2022-08-31-accounts

Annual General Meeting Minutes – 9th November 2022

(8pm Hanborough Meadows Pre-School)

1. Attendance and Apologies for Absence

Present

Committee: Megan Sayers, Kelly Evans-Barrett, Liz Pringle, Medlan Porter, Stacey White-Rose (Staff)

Staff: Hollie Coles, Sarah Boodell

Parents: Rosie Rose (Clara’s Mum), Maryanne Jones (Hope’s mum), Carolyn Hudspeth, Nadia Al-Sabouni (Phoebe’s Mum)

Apologies

Tamsin Bramley (Staff)

Carrie Anne

2. Matters arising from the last AGM report

Nothing arising. No significant issues.

Please note that the text in italicised font are comments that were made during the meeting and not part of the report being given.

3. Chairperson’s Annual Report (MS)

‘In the past year we have been able to return and settle into post pandemic life. We have been able to focus on the children and ensure the smooth running of the setting. We have never been busier with a full cohort starting with us in September and waiting lists already in place for the next few years.

Fundraising has continued to be one of our biggest challenges. We are focussed on ensuring the events we run are inclusive and enjoyable but also financially beneficial. This is critical for the setting as we rely on the fundraising to allow us to bolster our income as government funding does not cover our costs and running costs continue to rise. Last year we raised money through the conker hunt, the hot chocolate stall at the fireworks and Christmas Wreath making sessions. Unfortunately we had to cancel our late summer party due to passing of the Queen.

The staff continue to provide the children with brilliant learning and opportunities for growth. They go above and beyond for the setting and children they care for. We could not do it without them. We

continue to have a stable, strong and committed workforce that we consider to be the Meadows Family. We did consider further recruitment at the end of the summer term but this was not financially viable.

Without an enthusiastic committee the Pre-School cannot function. We offer the opportunity for parents to get involved as much as suits utilising people’s skill sets. If you would like to become a committee member please do express your interest. It is appreciated that everyone is busy and may not want to be on the committee in an official capacity.

We have also formed the Meadows Money Makers to lead with fundraising events and ideas. We would also like to welcome Kim Holland to the committee. She has completed her DBS and started her EY2 application to join. Kim is new to the area and has over 10 years’ experience of early years in the UK and Germany. Kim is currently undertaking a Professional doctorate in Education with a focus on the early years sector.’

Sonia Groves has now stepped down from the formal Committee but keen to continue to support the setting and volunteer to support events etc.

‘I have been the Chair of Hanborough Meadows Pre-school for six years and would love to continue in the role for another year if voted in. I would like to thank all the Staff, Committee and families for making Hanborough Meadows a setting to be proud of.’

MS gives attendees a background to the setting: 2016 saw the setting close to bankruptcy with an Ofsted ‘inadequate’ and funding withdrawn. MS took over as Chair at this point and the Committee promoted Kelly to manager. Within 6 months the situation had improved and funding was reinstated. The setting ‘Long Hanborough Playgroup’ as it was then, was offered a brand new bespoke building on the Cala Homes estate. The biggest issue at this point was fundraising; the Staff and Committee fought to raise massive funds to pay for the internal fittings and resources needed.

Fundraising continues to be our main focus as the cost of living crisis and energy bills continue to rise. A positive is that we don’t have to pay rent/ lease as we own the building. Ultimately the funding given to us by the government isn’t enough to cover our costs.

Our fundraising over the last year has consisted of:

4. Manager’s Annual Report (KEB)

‘Thank you everyone for coming. We really do appreciate your time, so thank you for being here.

This is my 5th year in giving the managers’ report and every year I have started with the same line, “It has been another very successful year for Hanborough Meadows Pre-school”, which again for us it has!

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Hanborough Meadows is going from strength to strength. We have hopefully passed the worst that Covid throw at us and for the first time in a few years we have had a “normal-ish year”, and its been so nice to reflect on that. So I will start back in September last year, September 2021, where we had said goodbye to lots of our children that moved up to school, and welcomed lots of new families to the Meadows. We also welcomed Stacey and Olivia to the team, who I am so pleased to say fitted straight in from the start, and a solid team was formed. Term 1, in tradition, always sees us hold our annual Grand Conker hunt, which again was extremely successful with 1,000’s of conkers being collected! The monies raised went straight back to the setting in new resources for the children. October 2021, also saw us have our first Ofsted inspection as

Hanborough Meadows Pre-School, which I am proud to say went really well and the Inspector really understood what we were all about, my favourite two quotes from the report say:

“ The Pre-School is full of very happy children, who clearly thoroughly enjoy being there. Children show a very positive attitude towards their play and learning. They are keen and inquisitive, finding the environment and resources fascinating and stimulating. They are well mannered, polite and welcoming to visitors.

And: “ There is a real culture of wanting to be the best they can be so they can do the best for the children”. These two statements really sum up what we try to achieve at the Meadows.

As soon as the Conker Hunt is over it's full steam ahead to the glitter and sparkly of our festivals. We celebrated Diwali, with dance and Divas lamps, Bonfire night with crafts and music, thanksgiving with folk stories and yummy foods, and of course, my favourite time of the year Christmas! Music, excitement, stories, crafts, and soooooooo much glitter. We held a Christmas party for the children, and we all enjoyed dressing up, a party tea, and a visit from a very special guest!

December also saw us celebrating Tamsin completing her training of Hygge in the Early Years. This was a year-long course, focusing on how to integrate nature and the natural world into everyday teaching. Hygge also reflects on enjoying the simplicity of life and the little things, slowing down, observing and appreciating the beauty of the world around us. This is something Tamsin now builds into the curriculum throughout the week. Well done Tamsin.

February came and saw us congratulating Sarah on passing her qualifications to become a Forest School Lead. This was 18 months of hard work, report writing, teaching plans, risk assessments, observations and lots and lots of assignments!

Well done and thank you to Sarah on your achievements and for making Forest School so amazing. Springtime came around so fast and so did our children’s Easter Egg Hunt. The day started with blue skies and sunshine, the trail set, Easter baskets in hand, and very excited children! This image of springtime bliss soon changed as halfway through the hunt around the Meadows the heavens opened, and the strong winds blew! As did many of our clues and eggs, but in our usual spirit, the children, their families, and the staff embraced the typically British weather and carried on, with a firm grip of their baskets but with smiles and laughter.

In June we also celebrated Hollie passing her functional skill Level Two which then completed her training to a full and relevant Early years qualification. Hollie was then promoted to Early Years Lead,

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and was also made the settings Language Lead, Leading and heading the approach to improve universal early language provision within the setting. Well done Hollie.

Before we knew it Term 6 was soon here. We held a very hot, but fun Sports Day. Because of the extreme heat it was a smaller sports day with lots of water, but we all had fun. Term 6 is always our busiest, and saddest term. With school visits being made, new teachers visiting, and school leaver reports to be written. This term we had 14 children moving on to 4 different schools. But with our older children moving on it meant new children starting; home visits, and settling in sessions. We celebrated the end of term 6 with a jungle themed party and gifts for the leavers.

Term 1 again, came around fast but it was lovely to see the children returning to the setting telling us all about their summer adventures. Our new families and children joined us and we started another exciting term.As I said the Meadows continues to go from strength to strength, this is evident in our numbers and the fact that we are now full until September 2024, and that is also filling up fast.

But none of this would have been achieved or have been possible without the amazing team I am lucky to lead. They always go above and beyond, they shown dedication and true passion, and always put the children first. They are full of ideas, and energy and are truly the best. They really are an amazing team to work with, so to Olivia, Stacey, Hollie, Tamsin and Sarah, thank you for everything you do and everything your bring to Meadows.

To the Committee, again, we could not run without you. I thank you for all your hard work, your time, support, and guidance. Your really are fab! And to our newly formed Meadows Money Makers, which we have just set up. Meadow Money Makers are a sub-committee, solely committed to fundraising, and already are full of ideas and putting plans in place, so to you, I also say thank you, for giving your time and energies to the Meadows.

The year ahead looks exciting!

Nadia queried if we know the situations of any other settings. It seems that Meadows is highly in demand with waiting lists for the next few years whereas other settings in the area still have places for 2022. MS suggests that this is due to our reputation locally through word of mouth and professionally due to consultancy work that Kelly has done for OCC to support other settings.

Kelly had a clear vision for the setting and could start from scratch; natural materials, child lead approach. KEB attributes this to the Staff; they are so passionate, go above and beyond, know the children and families. Staff retention is very high. Relationship between the Staff is effortless, and the Staff are incredibly passionate about working with the children.

5. Treasurer’s Annual Accounts Report (MP)

INCOME

‘Fees and Funding: Direct Funding which is the 15 or 30 hours funding for 3 & 4 year olds, plus some 2 year olds remains the biggest income for Meadows. For 2021-22 this came to £62,066.30, which is a

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decrease of £234.10 from the previous year. For a funded child we receive £4.80 per hour for 3 & 4 year olds and £5.56 per hour for funded 2 year olds from the government which unfortunately doesn’t cover costs.

Fees are paid by parents of children who don’t qualify for funding (e.g. under 3 years old) or in addition to funding if a child does extra sessions or lunch clubs on top of their funded hours. We made a small increase to fees which came into effect from term 5 (April). This financial year Meadows income from fees was £41,941.50 which was an increase on the previous year of £3142.78.

Total Funding and Fees: £103,807.80 against £101,099.12 from the previous year.

All this information is available on the Charities Commission website where you can also see that we have had considerable financial progression over the past years.

Fundraising: Following the limited fundraising opportunities in recent years, this year’s fundraising total of £4026.67 is a significant increase on the £1121.21 of last year. This was raised from a number of events such as the wreath workshops and fireworks as well as the conker hunt, raffles and summer fete.

Other Income: We also received £2050 from other sources such as Consultancy work carried out by Kelly for OCC, and with the increasing popularity of Meadows we’ve also received £250 in registration fees to hold places for new starters.

Therefore, our total Income for the financial year ending 31stAugust 2022 was £112,334.63.

This is again a fantastic increase compared to £106202.48 for last year and just under £93,600 for the year before.

EXPENDITURE:

Payroll, as expected, remains our biggest outgoing again this year. Staff wages stand at £73,350.74, this is an increase on last year which reflects the additional member of the team as well as staff pay reviews.

Alongside the wages we have Pensions at £3,096.19 and HMRC at £4865.46. This brings the Payroll total for 21-22 to £81,312.39.

Building Expenditure amounted to £5,263.21, this includes all maintenance and repairs to the building and gardens as well as fire extinguisher testing and cleaning. Utilities bills amounted to £780.32 for electricity, £351.84 for gas and £513.85 for water.

Supplies and equipment expenditure amounted to £8,588.94, this covers everything from toilet rolls, pens and paper to toys, books, educational materials and snacks.

Phone/internet expenses were a little less than the previous year at £1,078,90. Staff training including courses such as first aid amounted to £743.70 for the year. Other costs for the year amounted to £5,759.46 this includes all other expenditure such as OFSTED fees, website hosting, party entertainment, leavers gifts etc.

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Therefore, total expenditure for the financial year ending 31st August 2022 was £105,779.76.

So for this year our income exceeded our expenditure, leaving an overall surplus of £6,554.84.

Hanborough Meadows is a charity and is therefore not designed to make money, however we do need to ensure a buffer to cover any unexpected expenses.

Bank Account Balances as at 31st August 2022:

Hanborough Meadows Pre-school is in an increasingly stable financial position, however in 2016 we were close to bankruptcy so we remain financially cautious and monitor carefully how money is spent. We continue to value our fabulous staff and review their pay to ensure they feel appreciated. We also regularly review the fees we charge parents. Following the bedding- in period in the new building, costs have stabilised, however in the current climate we remain conscious that costs such as energy bills may be 80% rate relief as we are a charity.’

Thankfully we have fixed our energy bills fixed until April.

Some maintenance issues: repainted inside, awning replaced as damaged. As the building ages these maintenance issues will only increase and we need to financially plan for this.

We are a charity but need to run as a business.

- Summary of Annual Accounts 01/09/2021 31/08/2022

To be added

6. Adopt New/ Updated Policies

Policies all updated; Terms and Conditions have been slightly updated re: the changing of sessions. It was becoming challenging to meet changing needs. There is now an expectation of commitment to the sessions that you would like. Children starting on 2 days per week initially but when eligible for funding they may want to take their 15 hours and KEB needs to plan accordingly. If families chop and change this makes planning extremely difficult.

All of our Policies are available to parents.

All of the policies need signing again.

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The most important policy, the Child protection/ Safeguarding policy is on the website and this is the template provided by OCC. MS is designated safeguarding lead for the setting- also a social worker and works as safeguarding consultant. MS and KEB regularly discuss safeguarding at the setting.

7. Adoption of the Constitution

8. AOB

None

9. Election of Committee

Chair

Megan Sayers: Proposer KEB , Seconder EP

Treasurer

Medlan Porter: Proposer MS, Seconder KEB

Secretary

Elizabeth Pringle: Proposer MS, Seconded KEB

Committee Ordinary Members

Stacey White-Rose is happy to stay on as a Committee Member as a Staff member and parent however she can’t vote. Any discussions re: pay/ staff/ conflict of interest SWR wouldn’t be invited to come to the meeting at that time.

MS suggests that if anyone is interested in supporting the Committee there are two options:

We are currently established as an Unincorporated Charity. This is a very traditional set-up; 3 officers on the Committee and minimum of 2 members. Those Committee members are Trustees and they are personally financially liable.

We have been looking for several years to change to a Charity Incorporated Organisation (CIO) so that the Trustees aren’t financially liable. This is a big project; we would have to re-register with Ofsted, although as we have been recently inspected this would just mean that Ofsted would just call the Chair and Manager. There would then just needs to be 3 Trustees but they would need to sign up for a period of 2 years.

Changing to a CIO is a difficult process that can take up to 9 months. You would then have 3 Directors so then you don’t have to have a full formal Committee to make decisions. We are looking into a company who would do this for us at a fee.

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Our contingency covers any liability should the setting close. This would predominantly be redundancy payments as we don’t have any debt, mortgage or lease etc. It protects the Committee members.

We are in need of new Committee members. Anyone joining the Committee needs to complete an EY2 and additional DBS check (even if you are on the update service). Ofsted have to deem Committee Members suitable. There can be issues with how long they take to be processed. As a Committee member you would not have unsupervised access but it is possible for the setting to conduct a risk assessment so that potential members can work on the Committee before the EY2 is returned.

Committee meetings are every 6-8 weeks, often on Zoom, not always in person if there is an issue with childcare. There is not a commitment to attend every one.

The role of the Committee is to help manage the setting and support with:

Any new parents would be very welcome to join the Committee and more information can be provided. Please contact MS if interested.

Discussion re: Grant applications:

Nadia discussed the Meadows Money Makers fundraising ideas:

Family day- family outing. Kelly took families to Marwell Zoo in her previous role. This could be a really nice social event for the setting.

Actions

None recorded.

Next Committee Meeting – 23rd November 2022 8pm Venue: Hanborough Meadows as prep for the Christmas Wreath Making fundraiser..

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Hanborough Meadows Treasures Report 2021-2022

INCOME

Fees and Funding: Direct Funding which is the 15 or 30 hours funding for 3 & 4 year olds, plus some 2 year olds remains the biggest income for Meadows. For 2021-22 this came to £62,066.30, which is a decrease of £234.10 from the previous year. For a funded child we receive £4.80 per hour for 3&4 year olds and £5.56per hour for funded 2 year olds from the government which unfortunately doesn’t cover costs.

Fees are paid by parents of children who don’t qualify for funding (e.g. under 3years old) or in addition to funding if a child does extra sessions or lunch clubs on top of their funded hours. We made a small increase to fees which came into effect from term 5 (April). This financial year Meadows income from fees was £41,941.50 which was an increase on the previous year of £3142.78.

Total Funding and Fees: £103,807.80 against £101,099.12 from the previous year.

All this information is available on the Charities Commission website where you can also see that we have had considerable financial progression over the past years.

Fund-Raising: Following the limited fundraising opportunities in recent years, this year’s fundraising total of £4026.67 is a significant increase on the £1121.21 of last year. This was raised from a number of events such as the wreath workshops and fireworks as well as the conker hunt, raffles and summer fete.

Other Income: We also received £2050 from other sources such as Consultancy work carried out by Kelly for OCC, and with the increasing popularity of Meadows we’ve also received £250 in registration fees to hold places for new starters.

Therefore, our total Income for the financial year ending 31stAugust 2022 was £112,334.63.

This is again a fantastic increase compared to £106202.48 for last year and just under £93,600 for the year before.

EXPENDITURE:

Payroll, as expected remains our biggest outgoing again this year. Staff wages stand at £73,350.74, this is an increase on last year which reflects the additional member of the team as well as staff pay reviews. Alongside the wages we have Pensions at £3,096.19 and HMRC at £4865.46. This brings the Payroll total for 21-22 to £81,312.39.

Building Expenditure amounted to £5,263.21, this includes all maintenance and repairs to the building and gardens as well as fire extinguisher testing and cleaning. Utilities bills amounted to £780.32 for electricity, £351.84 for gas and £513.85 for water.

Supplies and equipment expenditure amounted to £8,588.94, this covers everything from toilet rolls, pens and paper to toys, books, educational materials and snacks.

Phone/internet expenses was a little less than the previous year at £1,078,90. Staff training including courses such as first aid amounted to £743.70 for the year. Other costs for the year amounted to £5,759.46 this includes all other expenditure such as OFSTED fees, website hosting, party entertainment, leavers gifts etc.

Therefore, total expenditure for the financial year ending 31[st] August 2022 was £105,779.76.

So for this year our income exceeded our expenditure, leaving an overall surplus of £6,554.84.

Hanborough Meadows is a charity and is therefore not designed to make money, however we do need to ensure a buffer to cover any unexpected expenses.

Bank Account Balances as at 31stAugust 2022

Current Account £28,969.06

Fundraising Account £4,553.56

Contingency Account £15,066.10 (this balance is held to cover major incidents, such as redundancies in event of closure etc, as Preschool trustees are financially liable)

Total - £48,588.72

Hanborough Meadows Pre-school is in an increasingly stable financial position, however in 2016 we were close to bankruptcy so we remain financially cautious and monitor carefully how money is spent. We continue to value our fabulous staff and review their pay to ensure they feel appreciated. We also regularly review the fees we charge parents. Following the bedding in period in the new building costs have stabilised, however in the current climate we remain conscious that costs such as energy bills may be unpredictable.

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