Committee Meeting Minutes, 20 January 2016
Attendance
Emma Wood, Chair
Melanie Pollard, Secretary
Pam Evans, Staff
Melanie Black, Staff
Sian Pritchard, Committee
Victoria Lawden, Committee
Lianne Self, Committee
Item
number
Agenda
topic
Present
Sarah Wilson, Committee
Apologies
Mary Hughes
Kerrie Ainsworth
Giles Andrews
Emma Cutts
Becca Percival
Discussion
Action
1. Chairperson’s Report
1.1
Welcome
EW welcomed everybody to the meeting.
1.2
Connect
Apparently the email that was supposed to
be sent to Connect has not yet been sent.
We have now stopped paying the direct
debt.
PE to send draft email to EW
and EW to send on to
Connect asap.
2.Business Administrator’s Report
2.1
Pensions
PE is happy to be the Contact Person for
PE and MP to look into this
Pensions. We had previously agreed to use further and report back.
Now Pensions but on looking further into it,
there is apparently an extra service charge
of £36 + VAT each month and our payroll
system may not support it. PE would like to
look further into it before we go ahead. To
other options recommended to us were
NEST and People’s Pension (NEST is free
and PP has a one off £500 set up fee).
Need to balance costs of running it with
getting the best investment for staff.
2.2
Forecast/
Budget
PE talked through the current forecast and
budget and the Committee accepted and
agreed this.
2.3
Financial
report
PE talked through the financial report and
the Committee accepted and agreed this.
2.4
Ink
PE suggested that we increase the budget
for printing ink as we are overspending on
the budget. It was agreed to increase it to
£800 per year but EW will look at sourcing
EW to order ink from eBay
going forward.
The Village Pre-School (Gorse Covert), Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood, Warrington WA3 6TS
www.thevillagepreschool.org.uk
Registered as company limited by guarantee in England & Wales  Registered office: Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood,
Warrington, WA3 6TS
Registered No: 6421707  Registered Charity No: 1122485
Page | 1
cheaper alternative ink from eBay.
2.5
Elf Hunt
Financial
Report
PE went through Elf Hunt financial report for
2015 and clarified with EW where some of
the expenses had gone to and where we
had stock remaining for use in the Egg Hunt
and Elf Hunt 2016.
2.6
Laptops
PE still has issues with her laptop. SW and SW/CP to look at PE’s
Cas Pritchard are going to have a look at
laptop and SW to speak to
the laptops and SW to speak to Microsoft re Microsoft.
desktop versions of Office for the machines.
3. Secretary’s Report
3.1
Handyman
3.2
IT Company It has been agreed that we need proper IT
support. To be looked into and costed.
MP to speak to Yellowbus
and BCHS.
3.3
Cleaning
Company
It has been agreed that we need a cleaning
company to perform a thorough clean of the
Preschool building each half term/holiday.
EW suggested a trial of a dehumidifier to
help with the atmosphere in Pre-school.
MP to source and cost.
MB to follow up with sending
out customer service survey.
At the last meeting we agreed to find a
handyman for ad hoc maintenance jobs.
SW knows of someone and
will find his card to pass to
MB.
EW to lend her dehumidifier
to Pre-school for a trial and
see if it is worth investing in
one.
3.4
Customer
Service
Survey
MP asked if this had been progressed. MB
to follow up.
3.5
Staff
Handbook
update
This was never followed up. PE to send MP MP to finalise staff
documents for finalising and then rolling out. handbook/capability
procedure.
Bradford Factor spreadsheet is not being
utilised.
SW/MB to look at Bradford
Factor spreadsheet.
3.6
Website
Still problems with uploading documents
onto website. SW will have a look and
produce simple guide on how to do it.
SW to produce simple guide
for uploading
documents/using website.
4. Supervisor’s Report
4.1
Committee
MB needs all Committee Members to
All committee members to
register with Ofsted ASAP and get their EY2 register with OFSTED ASAP
(“suitable person”) letters to her – this is
and get EY2 letter to MB.
ESSENTIAL and URGENT.
SW to look for evidence of
her being our “nominated
person”.
DBS’s are still awaited from EW and GA.
EW and GA to chase up
The Village Pre-School (Gorse Covert), Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood, Warrington WA3 6TS
www.thevillagepreschool.org.uk
Registered as company limited by guarantee in England & Wales  Registered office: Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood,
Warrington, WA3 6TS
Registered No: 6421707  Registered Charity No: 1122485
Page | 2
DBS’s urgently.
DBS update service has not been properly
investigated. SW to have a look into this.
SW to look into DBS update
service.
MB pointed out that some apparent
EW speak to Committee
Committee members had never attended a members who have not
meeting and not got their DBS’s and so they taken part.
should be removed from Committee. EW to
speak to them.
MB went through the current Committee
members and positions. It was requested
that a Vice Chair should be nominated.
Lianne Self and Victoria Lawden kindly
volunteered to be joint Vice Chair for this
year.
MB to update Committee list
and circulate.
4.2
Door
MB produced the quotes she has received
MB to speak to Oakmead
for work on the doors to the outside area.
and book the work/ask for
The Committee agreed that the Oakmead
diagram.
quote was most competitive (£5,574.60) and
they should be instructed to do the work. It
was noted that a diagram would be useful of
how it will look. The money can come from
the fundraising for the outside area
(restricted funds).
4.3
Fence
MB produced the quote for the fence in the
outside area and the quote from Cheshire
Fencing was agreed (£565).
MB to speak to Cheshire
Fencing and book the work.
4.4
Storage
It was agreed that the new storage area
arrangement should be to take the larger
unit at Birchwood Park Storage, to get some
proper shelving in there and have a proper
sort out.
MH to arrange the large
storage unit with Birchwood
Park. Once this is done MB
to arrange a weekend to
move the contents.
4.5
Hours
MB said that the staff were requesting that
they were paid until 4.00pm. After some
discussion it was agreed that the Committee
were happy to pay the staff until 4.00pm
provided that overtime was then no longer
available except in exceptional
circumstances, and that they stayed working
until 4.00pm. EW will need to consult with
the staff before this is adopted.
EW to speak to staff firstly
and produce a letter
detailing the suggested
amendment. If they are
happy with the change then
to liaise with PE regarding
amending staff contracts.
4.6
30 hours
There were more discussions regarding
whether Pre-school could offer extended
hours to its children. It was agreed that the
first step is to speak with Mrs Cooke of
GCPS to see whether there are any
EW to arrange a meeting for
EW and MB with Mrs Cooke
– ASAP.
Depending on what happens
The Village Pre-School (Gorse Covert), Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood, Warrington WA3 6TS
www.thevillagepreschool.org.uk
Registered as company limited by guarantee in England & Wales  Registered office: Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood,
Warrington, WA3 6TS
Registered No: 6421707  Registered Charity No: 1122485
Page | 3
suggestions from her, and then look at
in this meeting, EW to then
speaking to Warrington Borough Council
contact Council re field.
about the possibility of re-siting Pre-school
on the school field and expanding to be able
to increase the hours we can offer.
4.7
Recruitment MB announced that Ysabel Dohoney was
returning to Pre-school to fill the current
vacancy. She will be starting 25 January
working Monday only until February half
term and then Monday to Wednesday from
after half term onwards.
5. Fundraising Report
5.1
Egg Hunt
The date will be 26 March (Easter
Saturday). It was agreed there should be a
market area again, a park and ride service
again and that this time we should charge
an entrance fee to all of £1 per adult, 50p
per child and sell the maps on the gate to
avoid potential lost revenue. A separate
Egg Hunt meeting will be arranged.
EW
7. Date of next meeting: Monday 7 March 2016
2015/2016 Meeting Dates*
Date of Meeting
Purpose
Monday 7th September 2015
Committee Meeting
Wednesday 16th September 2015
AGM
Monday 9th November 2015
Committee Meeting
Wednesday 20th January 2016
Committee Meeting
Monday 7th March 2016
Committee Meeting
Monday 9th May 2016
Committee Meeting
Monday 11th July 2016
Committee Meeting
*Dates are subject to change. Time and venue will be decided before each meeting.
The Village Pre-School (Gorse Covert), Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood, Warrington WA3 6TS
www.thevillagepreschool.org.uk
Registered as company limited by guarantee in England & Wales  Registered office: Gorse Covert Road, Birchwood,
Warrington, WA3 6TS
Registered No: 6421707  Registered Charity No: 1122485
Page | 4