2023-06-30-annual-report

Poyntzpass Community Pre-School 16-18 Church Street

Poyntzpass NEWRY BT35 6SW Tel: [phone]

Trustees’ annual report for the period From: 01 Jul 2022 To: 30 June 2023 Charity name: Poyntzpass Community Playgroup Charity registration number: 101926

Objectives and activities

Poyntzpass Community Playgroup is a cross-community playgroup in a mainly rural locality. The group is established to promote play based learning environments for pre-school children aged between 3 and 5 years in Poyntzpass and the surrounding area, without distinction of age, gender, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnical identity, political or religious opinion, by associating with the statutory authorities, community and voluntary organisations and the inhabitants in a common effort to advance education. Our main aim is to deliver a balanced preschool curriculum through a wide variety of creative and play activities with an emphasis on the child at the centre of the learning experience.

Over the academic year 2022-23 Poyntzpass Community Playgroup met the educational, care and social needs of 24 children. The main activities included delivery of a balanced pre-school curriculum for the 24 children and in addition to this, the pre-school employed a additional worker for on average 8 hours a week, to provide relief for staff and additional support for children who while not

having an identified disability required targeted support to meet their full potential. Unfortunately in February 2023 a long term member of staff retired on the basis of ill health, and our relief worker stepped in as full time support until the end of term.

We were successful in a grant application for the GRTL (Getting Ready to Learn) programme funding for which we were awarded £500 to spend on running workshops and updating our lending library playpacks.

The pre-school has continued in its aims of cross-community engagement, working with the two local primary schools in organising shared events. This has also ensured the smooth transition of our children into their primary school settings.

The management committee have taken an active role in the development of the pre-school, and fundraised directly for resources including a new water table, as well as supporting the end of year trip to Wallace Park on the train, which was a key learning topic for the children this year.

We as the trustees can confirm we are aware of and have put in practice the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.

Achievements and performance

The main achievements of the playgroup over academic year 2022-23, included

• Meeting the educational, care and social needs of the 24 children

• Providing a fun, nurturing environment where all children developed a love of

• learning

• Establishing links with the local primary schools where the children went on to

• attend, creating smooth transitions for the children

• Taking part in the Getting Ready to Learn programme, linked to the EITP

• programme to raise standards for children through play at home. Through this

• programme we were able to deliver workshops, both practical and information based

• on how to support children’s development at home. The playgroup provided a range

• of play-based resources to support this at home. All 24 children benefited from the

• EITP programme and this was evident through both their play and development The

• staff team development was positively impacted through this involvement which

• provided excellent training that raised knowledge levels within the team and again

• impacted practice for the better.

• The Leader has continued in their own professional development in completing their Level 7 in Leadership and Training, and has in turn provided in-house training to staff to provide a highly skilled support to the children in the setting. The Committee have supported all the staff in identifying targeted training and opportunities to attend training.

• Development targets of improving contact with the local schools, improving the

• playgroup reputation within the local community and developing links within the

• community were all exceeded.

Financial Review

The charity has no debts and a reserve policy stipulating reserves of £15,000. No funds

are held as a custodian trustee. Reserves are held in order to allow for redundancy

payments to staff of 3 months wages in the event of unforeseen closure of the

playgroup, as well as any costs to convert the building back to original state.

Amount of reserves held £15,000

Details of fund materially in deficit N/A

The charity’s principal sources of funds are placements for eligible children from the

Education Authority and Social Services for any Special Needs Assistance, Fundraising Activities carried out by the Management Committee and Grant Applications, as well as donations from the parents for snacks and resources.

Changes to regular funding would be considered the most significant risk to the charity, for example, in this financial period the Pathway grant application was unsuccessful. This

has will result in a fourth member of staff being funded out of reserves money for the

next financial period and would be unsustainable going forward in the long term.

How the money has been spent in this financial period

• Establishment of a new outdoor area & garden

• Office refurbishment

• Education Farm trip

• Workshop, books and play packs from GRTL programme

• Staff training

• Staff Pensions scheme

• Staff wages

Structure, governance and management

Type of governing document: Constitution

How is the charity constituted? Unincorporated association

The Charity is made up of a Management Committee of Parents or Guardians of the Children (Family members) and Associate members from which the Trustees are recruited. There are 3 permanent members of staff employed for 27 hours a week - the Playgroup Leader, Deputy Leader and Playgroup Assistant. We also employed a temporary member of staff in this period as an assistant. The Charity also works within the wider network of Early Years.

Trustees are elected to the post at the Annual General Meeting of the Playgroup.

Policies and procedures adopted are reviewed regularly through management committee reviews, these are all available to the public on request.

	Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity	Ofce (if any)	Dates acted (if not for whole Year)	Name of person (or body) enttled to appoint trustee (if any)
1	Bríd Waddell	Chair	01 May 2017 – 30 June 2023
2	Sorcha Byrne	Vice-Chair	01 July 2021 – 30 June 2023
3	Kate Ervine	Secretary	01 July 2021 – 30 June 2023

There are no corporate trustees and no trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity.

Declarations

The company has taken advantage of the small companies’ exemption in preparing the

report above.

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report (including directors’

report) above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) __ ___ __________

Full name(s) Bríd Waddell_ _________

Position (for example Secretary, Chair, etc) _Chair ________

Date _13.06.24___