The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)".
Going forward , the main objective is to achieve a rating of outstanding from the next Ofsted Inspection. At its last inspection it received a high scoring "Good" rating.
The nursery is looking into expanding which would be dependent on receiving Essex County Council Funding which is currently being offered subject to Business Plans, Cash Flow Projections of a possible de-mountable building within a suitable site.
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
The charity has continued to provide pre-school education for the children of the Willowfield area of Basildon.
Under the guidance of the Chief Executive Officer, Julie Baker, who is also the head teacher, the charity has provided pre-school places for up to 47 children during the period.
We have continue to have Directors who are active within the setting and they work with us to achieve the best outcome. They will all be continuing into the next year which gives stability and continuity.
Whilst at the pre-school, the children have participated in a wide range of activities including early stage education, arts and crafts as well as structural play. The structure of this has been based on the guidance provided by the Pre-school Learning Alliance. We are mainly looking into how the children learn when they first start. We have received positive feedback from our local schools in relation to how well the children had coped with the transition into school from the setting.
The charity aims to keep sufficient reserves to enable it to continue its Charitable Activities in the absence of short term funding, and replace any equipment that may need renewing or upgrading. To this effect the trustees have decided to aim to keep the equivalent of 3 months expenditure in reserves, plus the associated costs of closure (to include redundancy
payments and lease obligations). At the year end, this would equate to £91,947.
The trustees are also concerned about the possible need to relocate the pre-school due to continual increases in rent it has suffered in the past, and may be expected to pay in the future. The current site is also restrictive in the times the Pre-School can operate, which makes it difficult for it to compete against the increasing number of private run nurseries opening in the area. In order to increase potential income the Pre-School would need to be able to offer after school clubs and other facilities. this options are not currently available to it, until a more suitable site can be found. To this effect the management are now liaising with various parties to assess any potential sites. These increases in rent or relocation costs will need to be included within future reserves requirements.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The Trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The trustees are continuing to look at opportunities to develop the pre-school and its involvement in the local community, including increasing the number of children the setting can have from 32 to 36 children per session. However they are concerned about the future viability of remaining at the current location. The costs associated with this location have increased considerably over the last few years and they have received indications that they may
continue to rise further. The Trustees are therefore monitoring this to ensure that the location does not become unviable for the pre-school to operate from. As described in the Financial Review the Trustees are looking for suitable alternative sites and will assess any sites that may be available.
The Trustees and staff are also continually looking to improve the development of the children's education and are currently assessing the viability of the further use of Information Technology to monitor the children's development and to manage individual development plans.
The Trustees are also looking to invest in new equipment to keep the pre-school at the forefront of the children's development.
The charity is controlled by its governing document, the Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 6th October 2010. The charity constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
The Trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The charity continues to look for new trustees to join its board. The charity tends to recruit trustees from the parents of children attending the pre-school. In particular it looks for trustees which give the board a range of skills, including finance, education and local interest.
The charity is governed by the board of trustees who make all strategic decisions. They delegate the day to day management of the charity to the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
All new trustees are given copies of the relevant documentation and leaflets from the Charity Commission explaining their duties and responsibilities. Further training is available if requested.
Willowfield Pre-School Limited is part of the Pre-School Learning Alliance, and follows the recommendation of their constitution.
https://www.willowfieldpreschool.co.uk/
This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
The report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Willowfield Pre-School Limited (the charity) for the year ended 31 August 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Willowfield Pre-School Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 1386 London Road, Leigh-On-Sea, Essex, SS9 2UJ, United Kingdom.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
During the year, Julie Baker was paid a salary of £48,499 (2024 : £48,023)
During the year, no trustees' expenses occurred.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).