Legacurry Pre-school Annual Report & Statement of Accounts For the year ended 31 August 2023 Charity number: NICIO5675
Legacurry Prfrschool Trustses. Annual Report For the year ended 31 Au8USt 2023 The trustees present their Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities at that date. Reference and Administratlve Detslls Legacurry Pre-school clo Mrs Bertha Walker 7 Ballycrune Road Hillsborough BT26 6NQ Re8i5tered CharSty in Northern Ireland- NIC105675 Charlty Trustees The charlty trustees who served durlng the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Naomi Stsfford Alex Mccully Bertha Walker Evelyn Wallace Joanna Curry Sarah Neill Jennifer Van-Boxtell Chairperson Secretary Treasurer (resigned 28th November 2022) (resigned 28th November 2022} {appointed 28th November 2022) (appointed 28th November 2022) Structure. Governance and Management Those charged with governance of the charity are the trustees also known as the Management Committee, as elected annually by the staff and famity members of pupils. are charged with the management of the charlty. The charity staff organise the day to day runnin8 of the pre-school. The charity's governing document is the Constitution. To be elected as a trustee of the charity a person must be a member. The committee is re-elected each year at the AGM. Nominations for elections to the committee may be made by any family member of the students and seconded by another. Members of staff cannot be committee members. The committee must hold at least one meeting every term. Purpose The trustees seek to promote play based learning environments and advance education for all children under statutory school a8e of Legacurry and its surrounding area. This is achieved by the provision of safe and satisfying group play. with the right of parentslcarers to take responsibility for and to become involved in the activities of the pre-school and to promote the preservation of health of the children. The charity supports the values and principles of Early Years. The property and funds of the charity must onty be used to fvlfill the purposes.
Legacurry Pre-school Trustees. Annual Report contlnued For the year ended 31 Au8USt 2023 Activitie5 and Objectives Legacurry Pre-school will deliver the benefits detailed in our Public Benefit statement through 3 curriculum that will be planned to ensure that the children learn and develop within the six areas of the curriculum, the arts; language development; early mathematical experiences,. personal, social and emotional development, physical development and movement and the world around us. Observations and assessments of each child's development will tske place, relevant planning will be carried out to ensure the provision is sufficient to further advance this evidential learning. Through a continuous process of evaluation the trustees will carry out plans necessary for improvement of the childrens educational provision. This process will include regular staff meetings, ongoing training, support from local primary schools and the Early Years Organisation. We also seek feedback from parental interviews and questionnaires, inspections carried out, recommendations and support given by Social Serice$ and the Education and Training Inspectorate. Achlevements During the year the pre-school received grants from the Education Authority which were primarily used to pay the wages and salaries of the charity, running costs, insurance, etc. The committee also organlsed multiple fundraising activities through the year and collected weekly contributions from parents. These funds were used for the daily snack5 for the children and to purchase equipment and resources for the pre-school. Followlng two academlc years with lockdowns due to the pandemlc, thls year the pre-school has been able to Increase its fundraisin8 activities once again. Whilst the funds raised have not reached levels from several years ago, the trustees and staff are very grateful for the continued support. Flnanclal Rev5ew The charity's main source of income each year is from the Education Authority which was £50,424 for the year. Additional funding was received this year to support a Special Education Needs assistant and the wages increased similarly. There was however a drop in other Eduation Authority grants received as expected as some one off grants were received last year. The weekly contributions amounted to £4,016 and fundraising activities achieved £730. The income from fundraising has seen a 50% drop from Sast year. We would also like to express our thanks for some donations from the parents throughout the year. We are very grateful for the continued support of the family and friends of the children at Legacurry Pre- School as these funds are essential in providing the children with new equipment regularly and different learning experiences. The income overall has shown an decrease of 4% which is primarily due to the additional SEN funding received last year. The expenses for the year amounted to £64,966 (£64,306 in 2022) which is a minimal increase of 1%. The main movements relate to the increase in wages for an additional member of staff this year and the reduction in equipment costs as there one off spending in this area last year. There was a decrease in operational costs as expected due to one off expenditure last year.
Legacurry Pre-school Trustees, Annual Report continued For the year ended 31 August 2023 Public Benefit Statement Earl ears educ3tion Medical and educational research has demonstrated that the major development of Intelligence, personality and social behaviour in people occurs in the first few years of life. It is estimated that half of all intellectual development potential is established by age four. Success and indeed failure in early years leads to success or failure in school and consequently throughout life. At Legacurry Pre-school we firmly believe that investing in children at an early age is crucial. High quality early childhood education has lasting effects on learning and motivation. We believe that providing a facility where the children of the surrounding area5 can access pre-school education of a high standard, we are increasing the ability of those children to benefit from primary School education and consequently secondary/grammar school education and further education in later years. cin ducation of children i the hool We see our benefit to the public as multi-layered. Children in our care are encouraged to see education and learning as a valuable, enjoyable and necessary part of life. As a result of this we hope to see more children accessin8 further education and leaving their education equipped with the necessary tools to enter the workforce. This in-turn will result in fewer people accessing unemployment benefit, less need for welfare assistance, higher Income tax payments and reductions in crime. 'A better educated and more stable workforce leads to 3 more productlve societv. There is an Increased abillty for parents to work while thelr children are well cared for at pre-school resulting in increased Incornes, Increased tax payments and reduced need for publlc assistance. Workin artnershl with arent5 and health care rofessionals We work closely with parents and health care professionals to screen children at an early age to identify developmental problems, speech and language difficulties and Dther special educational needs. Early intervention will benefit children, parents and the schools which these children will move on to. We provide support for parents and offer good examples of positive adult/child interactions, appropriate care and parenting skills. We treat parents as partners and learn from them, helping them to understand the curriculurn and their children's development. As part of our education programme we promote healthy life- Styles, healthy eating etc. to both children and parents. We encourage children to look after themselves and make them aware of the benefits of exercise and healthy eating. This part of their education, we believe, will instil good practice for later Ilfe thus reducing health problems, etc. in the future and reducing the burden on the health service. At Legacurry Pre-school we aim to encourage social, emotional, physical and cognitive progress. Helping children to develop skills, learn concepts, follow directions, play well with others and become excited about learning. We promote good behaviour and support parents to promote good behaviour at home. We believe that instilling the foundations for respect for others, respect for boundaries and a respect for your environment will have long term benefits for our community and society as a whole. The charity trustees have had regard for the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's public benefit requirement statutory guidance.
Legacurry Pre-school Trustees, Annual Report continued For the year ended 31 August 2023 Trustees, responsibilitle5 In relation to the financlal statements The charity trustees are responsible for preparing a trustees. annual report and statements of accounts in accordance wlth the requirements of the Charities Commission for Northern Ireland. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial Statements comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland} 2008 and The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations {Northern Ireland) 2015. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. As the charity's income does not exceed £250,000, the trustees have elected under Section 64(3} of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to prepare receipts and payments accounts and a statement of assets and liabilitie5. Approved by the trustees on 6 November 2023 and signed on their behalf by: Naomi tafford Chairperson