Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
Sherington Pre-School
Sherington
Pre-School
Established 1972
BUSINESS PLAN
September 2012 – September 2013
Ofsted registration number: 141871
Registered charity number: 1029333
PSLA (Pre-School Learning Alliance) registration number: 12624
Page 1 of 8
Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Sherington pre-school is a friendly, rural pre-school that has been established
for 40 years. We promote a relaxed and happy atmosphere focusing on
‘Learning through Play’ within a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment.
We are open to all children aged 2yrs 6months – 5yrs and predominately
serve the village and surrounding areas. Run by a management committee of
volunteers we work within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
framework. We follow set policies and procedures to ensure we continue to
operate legally and ethically.
For the period of this business plan we aim to work with the Calendar of
Events detailing staff and committee actions. Therefore, ultimately offer our
families, friendly, high quality and affordable childcare which where possible
allows them to access full nursery education entitlement.
MISSION STATEMENT
Sherington Pre-School encourages each child to develop and flourish in a
happy, supportive and secure environment, enabling them to be confident,
challenged, and successful and to have high self-esteem.
We work in partnership with parents and local advisors to understand and
provide the highest quality childcare for each child.
We embrace the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and apply the four key
themes; Unique child, Positive relationships, Enabling environments, Learning
and development to the basis of our approach to early learning and
development.
AIMS
To maintain and keep providing high quality childcare with a happy
atmosphere within a safe, secure and stimulating environment.
To encourage the development of self-esteem and independence which will
help children to make a natural transition to full-time schooling.
To ensure each child is supported in developing their potential at their own
pace by means of developmentally appropriate play activities and a high level
of individual adult input.
To provide activities and experiences that are planned to meet their individual
stages of development within the early years foundation stage.
To always look at ways to improve and update the environment, layout,
equipment and resources available within the Pre-school.
Page 2 of 8
Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
BACKGROUND & OVERVIEW
Sherington Playgroup began in 1972 in the Village Hall where we are now,
though the facility has been considerably improved in that time. It was started
by a group of parents who felt that their Pre-School children needed a PreSchool experience. They wanted a local setting with a “learn through play”
ethos, and found other like-minded parents to help as volunteers and with
fund-raising to purchase equipment. Two of those original organisers still live
in the village and went on to be involved even more deeply in education.
Christine Bearman was for many years a head teacher and then a governor of
Sherington School, and Betty Feasey was the long-time school secretary at
Sherington School (and now a governor). Both are now retired, but remain
strong supporters of Pre-School. 3 of Betty’s grandchildren also attended
Sherington Playgroup/Preschool, and her daughter Kay worked hard as a
committee member over a number of years. These early organisers joined
the PPA (now PSLA) for support and assistance.
We are an affiliate with the Charity Commission and as an educational charity
and are run by a voluntary committee made up from our family and associate
members. We are registered with Ofsted and are members of the PLA (Pre
School Learning Alliance) and the Milton Keynes EYDCP (Early Years
development and childcare partnership), this also allows us to free access to a
legal advice team.
SERVICE OVERVIEW
We offer 4 morning sessions Monday to Thursday 9:15 to 12.15 and 1
afternoon session including lunch club on Friday 12:30 until 15:30 (Children
bring pack lunches)
A maximum of 30 children may attend the Pre-School at any one time.
Registration forms can be received any time after the child’s 2nd birthday and
children may start from 2 years 6 months.
We are a registered early years provider (registered charity number 1029333)
and are eligible for Nursery Education Grant funding for 3 to 4 year olds.
Good Ofsted inspection (our latest inspection dated 15/07/10 is available on
request and also on our website preschool@sherington.org.uk or
www.sherington.org.uk and follow the links to the Pre-School)
We are accredited with the Pre School Learning Alliance (PSLA) and such
work to staff ratios of 1 adult: 4 children for under 3 year olds and 1:6 for over
3 year olds.
We offer Early Years Education, following the Foundation Stage curriculum.
Our role is to help children to make progress across all areas of learning so
that they are well equipped and eager to continue learning when they get to
school.
Page 3 of 8
Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
Activities are planned around a theme on a termly, weekly and daily basis.
Our framework is the Foundation Stage Curriculum, which covers a child’s
education and development from the age of 3 to the end of the reception year
at school. The Foundation Stage is the early years equivalent of the National
Curriculum, there are seven areas of learning and development, all of which
are important and inter-connected. Three areas are particularly crucial for
igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their
capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.
These three areas, the prime areas, are:
 communication and language;
 physical development; and
 personal, social and emotional development.
There are an additional four specific areas, through which the three prime
areas are strengthened and applied. The specific areas are:
 literacy;
 mathematics;
 understanding the world; and
 expressive arts and design.

Within each area there are a number of “early learning goals” for the children
to work towards. We include a full range of activities and take account of
each child’s needs when planning the curriculum.
We do regular observations and assessments, to help us monitor each child’s
progress, and keep records, which are passed to parents when their child
leaves Pre-School.
OPERATIONAL DETAILS
Sherington Village Hall, Church Road, Sherington. The village has a
population of 1000 and is easily accessible from the M1, Junction 14. The
village hall is a clean, bright and spacious facility, set in a park/playground
with grass playing areas and many trees as well as play equipment. The park
is well used by local families as well as the Pre-School community before and
after sessions, and there is a gravelled parking area.
Immediately behind the hall is a fenced and gated play area especially for
Pre-School children. This play area, built by Sherington Pre-School with
support from the parish council (landowners) and the village hall management
(landlords) is for the exclusive use of Pre-School during session times and left
unlocked and available to the community at all other times. The play area
was improved in 2009 with grants from the parish council and Milton Keynes
Council, together with the pre-school’s own funds. Additional safety matting
was laid together with refurbishments.
Page 4 of 8
Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
Within the hall, there is an entrance lobby, a large main hall with moveable
wooden staging blocks at one end, a smaller “committee room,” kitchen, inner
lobby/hall, cloakroom, locked storage room exclusively for Pre-School, a
storage area for village hall tables and chairs, men’s and ladies toilets and a
disabled toilet. There is also an upstairs office area, accessed by an outside
door. We have shared use of this office with other village groups. Our
cupboards and filing cabinets are lockable, and anything that contains
personal information about staff or children is kept locked, with keys held only
by Pre-School personnel.
Each day we create an early years setting from these facilities, which we
arrive to find clean and empty. Most Pre-School activities take place in the
main hall, which is divided into distinct areas by the use of screens, childsized tables and chairs and careful placement of equipment. We have a
“map” of the basic hall layout, and daily and Friday timetables. Particular
activities each day are chosen according to a written plan posted in the
storage room.
The committee room is used for small group activities. The kitchen has a
fridge and a gas cooker. The children use the disabled toilet, which is closest
to the main hall and modified (tap and step) for young children, but have
access to the other toilets under staff supervision if they ask for privacy.
We operate according to the National standards welfare requirements and our
own health and safety policy, both contained in the Operational Plan. We
undertake regular risk assessments and act upon our findings.
We undertake regular fire drills and have a written procedure, backed up with
a fire drill log book.
MANAGEMENT
The Pre-School is run by a committee of parents who are elected annually at
the AGM which is responsible for the finances and the overall management of
the group. Made up of 3 officers; Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and a minimum
of 2 other members. We hold monthly meetings to make decisions about the
current and future management of the setting. At each committee meeting the
Treasurer presents an up to date statement of accounts. All decisions made
by the committee are made in view of the financial situation and required
reserves, as laid out in our constitution and reserve policy.
The Pre-School has much to offer parents and carers. Through committee
work, fund-raising and rota days new skills and confidence can be gained. It’s
a chance to get to know others in the same situation and to develop a support
network. Parents can share skills and interests with the children. Many
lifelong friendships begin in the years when the children are at Pre-School
together.
Page 5 of 8
Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
We employ 5 members of staff for 38 weeks per year and pay holiday
entitlement as per EU working time directive.
Joint Supervisor
Kay Turrell
NVQ 3/ SENCO/H&S
Joint Supervisor
Jo Tough
NVQ 3/Safeguarding
Deputy Supervisor Kerry Kitchen
NVQ 3/Equality & Diversity
PS Assistant
Amy Kitchen
NVQ 3
Assistant
Barbara Smith
Our SENCO (Special educational needs coordinator) is the Joint Supervisor.
With guidance from the PSLA Pre-School Development Worker for SEN, she
assists in facilitating learning support, behaviour support, SEN assessment
and administration, and parent support.
QUALITY
Sherington Pre-School reviews 4or5 policies/ procedures each month
throughout the year (as directed by the Calendar of Events). The PSLA
publishes a policy book each year, which we have purchased. The
Committee Chair reviews and amends our policies and then passes them to
the Pre-School Supervisor for final check before they are placed in our
Operational Plan folder for the parents to view. The Supervisor advises the
staff that the policies have been amended for their review too. Every policy
has been reviewed in time for our AGM in October where they are formally
adopted. A full set of updated policies is kept in the main Operational plan
folder, held at the Pre-School.
We annually send out questionnaires out to all our parents to measure the
effectiveness of our service.
MARKETING
We mainly attract children from the neighbouring villages and Newport
Pagnell through word of mouth recommendations and toddler group visits.
We have a Prospectus, we hold Open Mornings for new families. We
encourage prospective parents to feel free to pop in and sit in on a session.
We advertise in the local SCAN magazine, this is distributed to Sherington,
Chicheley, Astwood, North Crawley and Hardmead residents and in Town
Crier, this is distributed to Newport Pagnell and surrounding villages.
Write editorial pieces for Phonebox and Citizen (distributed to Olney, Newport
Pagnell and the villages). We give out fliers and distribute posters on notice
boards (libraries, doctors etc.)
Page 6 of 8
Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
We have a two Facebook pages; one open for general information and this
holds all the information that is sent out for publications, one closed group for
committee members and parents and this is only accessible by invitation.
Websites:
www.sherington.org.uk/preschool www.sherington.org.uk
www.childcarelink.gov.sg www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports
www.yell.com www.netmums.com www.newport-pagnell.org.uk
www.thomsonlocal.com
FINANCIAL
The pre-school operates a comprehensive cash flow projection; the treasurer
now compiles and updates it for the Pre-School on a monthly basis for the
monthly committee meeting. (A copy is available upon request).
The cash flow projection is updated monthly for year ended 31st July. Monthly
accounts are maintained by the Treasurer and submitted at the monthly
committee meeting.
This includes the Income and Expenditure account for the period, the Balance
Sheet of current assets and liabilities and a breakdown of fundraising profit.
The monthly accounts and a copy of the bank statement is kept with the
Treasurer. (Copies available upon request).
The Treasurer explains the accounts for the past year at the AGM, a copy of
the Year End Accounts is compiled. The accounts are checked and signed off
by an independent examiner.
The committee have employed an external bookkeeping and accounting
service to handle the payroll. On the 3rd week of each month, the Treasurer
sends off the staff rota information. Wages are transferred by electronic
transfer or a cheque raised by the month end.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
The business plan will be reviewed quarterly at a committee meeting to
ensure the group is continuing the service as described.
As guided by the PSLA, the committee use the SWOT analysis method of
analysing our areas of Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat.
To date we have used a standard Ofsted format to gather views from parents.
However, realising that to continue to grow and improve our service we
require a more comprehensive process to gather this information, we are
Page 7 of 8
Sherington Pre-School Business Plan
currently designing a new procedure. This project will be a shared initiative
between the staff and committee members.
We would like to ask the parents their views on our provision, prior to the
AGM in October (This procedure will be described in the new Self Evaluation
procedure). This feedback will give the new committee a focus to ensure they
are meeting the needs of the local community.
We use the calendar of events structure to guide us through the school
business year. Its contents have come from previous committees, in a
successful format that ensures a professional handover. It ensures that PreSchool business activities are not overlooked – all areas are monitored and
evaluated as regularly as necessary. (A copy is available upon request).
Prior to the end of this plan the committee will evaluate the success of the
Aims and review and update the plan accordingly.
Appendix 1 Budget and Cash flow forecast
Appendix 2 Current Calendar of events / Action Plan
Appendix 3 Independently examined year end accounts with reserve policy
Appendix 4 List of Policies and Procedures
Page 8 of 8