15 hours... achieving big ambitions
Monday, October 31, 2011
Providing the 15 hours and responding to the changing needs of parents has, as this column has shown, required much effort by settings to transform their business, workforce, and sometimes premises. James Hempsall explains how one pre-school has exceeded its ambitions by being resourceful and sharpening its business approach.
At West Haddon Pre-school in Northamptonshire, Ros Britton (chair of the voluntary management committee) believes their business planning approach helped focus and unite the team to support them to achieve way beyond their original long term goals.
Things have changed massively at West Haddon since 2007. Back then Ros remembers staff and committee members saying how regulations and formalities had increased over recent times. Now business planning is a key part of how they manage the pre-school. In contrast to previous practice when finances were quickly jotted down on pieces of paper.
The team had discussed a desire to move from their village hall to purpose-built premises for many years. Their own premises would offer them the flexibility to offer mornings, afternoons and extended days for the 15 hours. It got to a point in 2008 where the whole committee wanted to go for it - so they did. They wrote in their business plan they would look at moving into their own building. Once that was documented formally on a business plan, there was no going back!
The following year involved huge fundraising efforts, lots of dedication and a fantastic team effort. This resulted in raising £220,000 to build their very own pre-school building within the local primary school grounds. They benefitted from a capital grant from Northamptonshire county council of £150,000 and raised a further £70,000 through a range of activities such as buy-a-brick schemes, gift aid, roller-discos, and online shopping. Their website is particularly proactive and enables people to directly donate to the pre-school www.westhaddonpreschool.org.uk
In these financially challenging times it is important to remember that such funding need not come from the local authority, as in addition to their events, there are thousands of charities and trusts which give funding to such causes.
Two months ago (September 2011) the setting has moved in and Ros says the children absolutely love it, as do the staff.
FURTHER INFORMATION
James Hempsall is director of training and research provider Hempsalls (www.hempsallsconsultancies.com)
Things have changed massively at West Haddon since 2007. Back then Ros remembers staff and committee members saying how regulations and formalities had increased over recent times. Now business planning is a key part of how they manage the pre-school. In contrast to previous practice when finances were quickly jotted down on pieces of paper.
The team had discussed a desire to move from their village hall to purpose-built premises for many years. Their own premises would offer them the flexibility to offer mornings, afternoons and extended days for the 15 hours. It got to a point in 2008 where the whole committee wanted to go for it - so they did. They wrote in their business plan they would look at moving into their own building. Once that was documented formally on a business plan, there was no going back!
The following year involved huge fundraising efforts, lots of dedication and a fantastic team effort. This resulted in raising £220,000 to build their very own pre-school building within the local primary school grounds. They benefitted from a capital grant from Northamptonshire county council of £150,000 and raised a further £70,000 through a range of activities such as buy-a-brick schemes, gift aid, roller-discos, and online shopping. Their website is particularly proactive and enables people to directly donate to the pre-school www.westhaddonpreschool.org.uk
In these financially challenging times it is important to remember that such funding need not come from the local authority, as in addition to their events, there are thousands of charities and trusts which give funding to such causes.
Two months ago (September 2011) the setting has moved in and Ros says the children absolutely love it, as do the staff.
FURTHER INFORMATION
James Hempsall is director of training and research provider Hempsalls (www.hempsallsconsultancies.com)
