ABERLADY PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL
Annual Report
for the
Year ended 30 June 2024
Charity No. SC051995
Report of the Trustees
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report together with the financial statements and the independent examiner’s report for the year ended 30 June 2024.
Structure and Governance
The Aberlady Primary School Parent Council (“the Parent Council”) is an unincorporated association registered as a Scottish Charity (OSCR charity number SC051995). The registration took effect on 13 September 2022. The Parent Council is established under the Scottish Schools Act 2006 (and is subject to the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
The Parent Council is made up of parents and carers of children who attend the school, and members of the school faculty. Additionally, a councillor from East Lothian Council is invited to attend meetings to ensure local government are represented.
The Parent Council’s address is:
Constitution & Purpose
The objectives of the Parent Council is the Advancement of Education, to be achieved by the following means:
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to promote close co-operation and communication between parents and teachers;
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to promote equality and fairness;
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to study and discuss matters of mutual interest relating to the education and welfare of
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pupils;
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to engage in activities which support and advance the education of pupils attending the
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school;
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to fundraise to support the school; and
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to work with the school to support families with children at the school.
Office Bearers
The Parent Council is also constituted of year group representatives, dedicated representatives, and members.
Bankers
The Royal Bank of Scotland 142/144 Princess Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4EQ
Report of the Trustees (continued)
Address
Activities & Achievements
Charitable Status
We have been registered with OSCR since September 2022. This has allowed us to seek funding from additional sources and has had a very positive impact on our overall income. We have continued to receive significant funding through schemes offered by Parent Council members’ and volunteers’ employers, which we would not have been eligible for without charitable status. One of our trustees, Leanne Gillies, stepped down during this year but we are hugely grateful to all the work she put in with managing our initial registration process with OSCR, and all her advice on helping us maintain compliance.
Disclosure Scotland
As a charity we can get free PVG checks with Disclosure Scotland which although not necessary for membership of parent council or to be involved with events could become necessary if we were to meet any regulated work requirements. At present we are ensuring our office bearer roles apply for a PVG and any adult who wishes to be involved in small group activities may be required to apply for PVG.
Procedures and Processes around spending Parent Council funds
Last year we introduced a written spend approval policy and we have continued to use this and will review it as necessary to ensure all transactions are as transparent as possible this will allow us to ensure we spend this money in accordance with our charitable aims and constitution.
Our new page on the website is currently under construction but we will endeavour to add copies of our policies to this as soon as we can. If anyone wishes a copy of our policies they can request this via email.
Road Safety
Road Safety continues to be a concern for everyone in our village and our Parent Council continues to be involved in discussions relating to traffic around the school and in the wider village. Over this year Kimberley Tait has been continuing to work on this as have the school’s JRSOs. This will remain a priority for our Parent Council and we will continue to raise it, alongside this we appreciate all efforts from parents and carers in being mindful where they park and drive around school drop off and collection to help us ensure the safety of our children.
School Extension
No substantive progress was made on the planned school extension during the 2023/24 academic year. We will continue to ask regularly for an indicative timetable for construction.
Report of the Trustees (continued)
Nursery
Sadly, capacity at Aberlady Primary School nursery remains an issue. We have raised this on several occasions with elected members and East Lothian Council officials, but the consistent message we have received is that, although they are sympathetic to the issue, there are no plans to increase nursery provision in Aberlady. We are hugely grateful for all the continued work has done to raise awareness of this and share the frustration that there have been no solutions forthcoming.
Parent Forum Queries
Our meetings provide an opportunity for parents to raise queries through Parent Council with school staff. Topics covered included playing football, homework, lunches, school photographs, dress down days, transition, camp and many more. These tend to lead to helpful discussions and review of policies/ decisions.
Uniform
We continue to have a stock of preloved uniform and have run several “help yourself” uniform events throughout the year. We also endeavour to have a small supply on a rail at the front of the school which you are welcome to help yourself to if required. Thank you to all those involved in sorting and labelling and folding the uniform for these events and particularly to
Fundraising
Our fundraising team, led by elivered a varied programme of fun (and profitable!) events throughout the year. The ever-popular Autumn Fair (led by was a brilliant community effort from families, pupils and staff, and a made for a lovely. We know that both our school families and wider community were delighted to see the Autumn Fair return.
2023 saw a wonderful Aberlady Fireworks event (despite stiff competition locally!) - this ran as a profit share event with Aberlady Gala. It was a wonderful evening for all and a huge thank you for those who put so much effort into the safe and flawless running of this event. Particularly we would like to thank
or all the hard work and dedication they put into this
event not only this year but for so many years in the past. Fireworks made a healthy profit of £4,165 which was divided between Gala and Aberlady Parent Council, so we got a share of £2082.50.
Other events included the lovely Book Swap held just before Christmas which saw the community donate so many beautiful books and it was truly lovely to see every child walk out the hall with absolutely delighted with a new to them book.
We had a lovely Christmas Raffle which was hugely successful and saw so many kind donations from our community and surrounding area to make it possible.
In the new year we had a movie night in the village hall which went down a treat, and stunning refreshments stall at Sports Day. Huge thanks to nd those that support her for all her wonderful effort. Thanks also to for arranging the Tesco scheme which saw us get £500 to spend on Barrington Stoke books for the school library. Easy Fundraising continues to add to our fundraising potential with £770.18 over the school year.
This year our income was boosted by very generous donations from Aberlady Gala and significant contributions from employer charity schemes over and above our own fundraising. In a challenging fundraising climate, this extra income was very welcome.
We will continue to have ‘fundraising only’ meetings (held in the evening in School and attended by the head teacher) and have a dedicated fundraising WhatsApp group. It has been great to welcome some new faces to the team this year and help plan more exciting events. We have some new events pencilled in on our upcoming calendar and we are still keen for more people to get involved in event planning and raising funds. If you would like to be included in future discussions, please do get in touch with us or come along to a meeting – you will be very welcome!
Report of the Trustees (continued)
Fundraising (continued)
All this fundraising has allowed us to donate amounts raised to the School, to cover the cost of items including: new books as requested by our powerful pupils group; science and topic resources; nurture items; sports equipment; outdoor playground items; classroom chairs and library shelving (as part of our furniture update); in-school curriculum-linked workshops and experiences; contributions towards trips for pupils; bus transport and panto contribution, and a Mathletics licence.
We also supported “just for fun” activities (which are an important part of school life too!) for pupils and the school community (this included ice cream van visits, refreshments for families after the P1 and P2 nativity, a contribution to P7 leaving gifts and a small welcome gift for the new 2024 P1s). On behalf of all school families, we gifted baked goods for staff in December, which we know was much appreciated!
Each spend of Parent Council funds (whether a donation to school or other spend) during the year was approved by the full Parent Council, either via an email to all members seeking approval, or in a routine meeting.
In Conclusion
This has been a great year for our Parent Council, both in terms of income, the contributions we have been able to make to school, and the wider discussions we have had with school staff, families and other village groups. We are lucky to have such a fantastic team of school staff to support our children, and to create the lovely environment for them to learn and grow that is Aberlady Primary School.
Huge thanks are due to who stepped down from her role as chair in June of this year in advance of having no children left at Aberlady as been on parent council for years and will be dearly missed. She has brought so much enthusiasm and dedication to Parent Council and has helped it grow from strength to strength. Her enthusiasm and commitment have always been a great source of support and connection between the School and Parent Council.
We must also say a huge thank you to , another stalwart of the parent council, he has been our treasurer for a very long time! He has always been responsive and considerate despite some of the last-minute juggling that can happen with events and taken on all aspects of his role willingly. The amount of time he also commits to the role without fuss is considerable particularly as the income levels and number on online transactions have grown. will step down at the upcoming AGM and we are sad to see him go but do appreciate the sheer amount of time he has devoted to the School and Parent Council.
Huge thanks are due for the support and advice which has been offered through the year from all the school staff with a special mention to who continue
to offer their support and patience with our many requests!
Financial Review
The Parent Council produced a Surplus of £9,333 (2023 – Deficit £1,159). This is principally as a result of income raised from fund raising activities. The Parent Council continued to support the school through contributions of £5,930. As a result of the year’s activities, the Parent Council holds surplus funds of £12,398 (2023 - £3,065).
Plans for future periods
The Parent Council intends to continue to operate as it has in previous years: through the donation of time and funds from the parent body and the wider community. It expects to host fund raising activities and attracting donations to allow it to continue supporting Aberlady Primary School in coming and future years.
Report of the Trustees (continued)
Reserves
As the Parent Council operates through the work of volunteers and is centred around fund raising activities, it has no fixed expenses or overheads. Whilst the Trustees consider it prudent to maintain a balance in the bank, this is a preference and not required for the charity to operate. Consequently, the absence of a reserves policy does not pose a solvency risk to the charity.
On behalf of the Trustees
Chair 24 March 2025
Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Aberlady Primary School Parent Council
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2024 which are set out on the attached pages.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity’s trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (a) to (c) of the 2006 Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention [other than disclosed below*]
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
have not been met, or
- to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Date: 31 March 2025
Enter SC No. below
APPENDIX 2
Enter charity name below
SC051995
ABERLADY PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL
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|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Receipts and payments accounts|
|Period start date|Period end date|
|For the period|Day|Month|Year|to|Day|Month|Year|
|from|
|01|July|2023|30|June|2024|
|Section A Statement of receipts and payments|
|Expendable|Permanent|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Total funds|Total funds last|
|endowment|endowment|
|funds|funds|current period|period|
|funds|funds|
|to nearest £|to nearest £|to nearest £|to nearest £|to nearest £|to nearest £|
|A1 Receipts|
|Donations|8,081|8,081|7,631|
|Legacies|-|
|Grants|-|
|Receipts from fundraising activities|18,680|18,680|17,479|
|Gross trading receipts|-|
|Income from investments other than|
|land and buildings|-|
|Rents from land & buildings|-|
|Gross receipts from other charitable|
|activities|1,476|1,476|976|
|-|
|A1 Sub total|28,237|-|-|-|28,237|26,086|
|A2 Receipts from asset &|
|investment sales|
|Proceeds from sale of fixed assets|-|
|Proceeds from sale of investments|-|
|A2 Sub total|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|Total receipts|28,237|-|-|-|28,237|26,086|
|—|
|A3 Payments|
|Expenses for fundraising activities|12,215|12,215|12,053|
|Gross trading payments|-|
|Investment management costs|-|
|Payments relating directly to charitable|
|activities|5,930|639|6,569|14,908|
|Grants and donations|
|-|
|Governance costs:|
|-|
|Audit / independent examination|-|
|Preparation of annual accounts|-|
|Legal costs|-|
|Other|
|120|120|284|
|-|
|A3 Sub total|18,265|639|-|-|18,904|27,245|
|A4 Payments relating to asset and|
|investment movements|
|Purchases of fixed assets|
|-|
|Purchase of investments|-|
|A4 Sub total|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|—__===—|Total payments|18,265|639|-|-|18,904|27,245|
|Net receipts / (payments)|9,972|( 639)|-|-|9,333|( 1,159)|
|A5 Transfers to / (from) funds|-|
|Surplus / (deficit) for year|
|======|9,972|( 639)|-|-|9,333|( 1,159)|
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APPENDIX 2
SC051995
ABERLADY PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL
Section B Statement of balances
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Unrestricted Expendable Permanent Total current
Categories Details funds Restricted funds endowment funds endowment funds period Total last period
to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
B1 Cash funds Cash and bank balances at start of year 2,749 316 3,065 4,224
Surplus / (deficit) shown on receipts and 9,149 184 9,333 ( 1,159)
payments account
-
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Cash and bank balances at end of year 11,898 500 - - 12,398 3,065
(Agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s)) - 823 823 - - - -
Fund to which asset belongs Market valuation Last year
Details
to nearest £ to nearest £
B2 Investments
Total - -
Details Fund to which asset belongs Cost (if available) Current value (if available) Last year
to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
B3 Other assets
Total - - -
Details Fund to which liability relates Amount due Last year
to nearest £ to nearest £
B4 Liabilities
Total - -
Details Fund to which liability relates Amount due (estimate) Last year
to nearest £ to nearest £
B5 Contingent liabilities
Total - -
Signed by one or two trustees Date of
on behalf of all the trustees Signature Print Name
approval
31.03.25
31.03.25
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Receipts and Payments accounts and Statement of Balances year ended 30 June 2024 / Statement of balances2
December 2007
APPENDIX 2
ABERLADY PRIMARY SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL
SC051995
Section C Notes to the Accounts
C1 Nature and purpose of funds (may be stated on analysis of funds worksheets) Fund without restrictions: The fund used for the collection and distribution fo funds that relate to its objectives. Restricted Fund: This is a Hardship fund. Before the Parent Council was granted charitable status, it was provided with a donation with the request that it be used as a Hardship Fund. The charity segregates this fund and presents it as restricted.
Individual / Number of grants £ Type of activity or project supported institution made C2 Grants Total - C3a Trustee remuneration If no remuneration was paid during the period to any charity trustee or person connected to a trustee cross this box (otherwise complete section 3b) x £ Authority under which paid C3b Trustee remuneration - details C4a Trustee expenses If no expenses were paid to any charity trustee during the period then cross this box (otherwise complete section 4b) x Number of £ trustees C4b Trustee expenses - details Transaction Balance amount (£) outstanding at Nature of relationship Nature of transaction period end (£) C5 Transactions with trustees and connected persons C6 Other information These financial statements are prepared on a cash basis.
Receipts and Payments accounts and Statement of Balances year ended 30 June 2024 / Notes3
December 2007