Information Please

[Guest]

Hi all

Help please. We are losing the majority of our committee next September (due to their children moving on to big school). No Chair, Secretary or Treasurer!!! and can't recruit any new parents. We have been spoilt with such a keen and hard working committee over the past few years, and now it all looks to change as we only have a couple of mums staying on the committee "just to help out". We had heard that there is something we can do as a Pre School to retain our charitable status, but be managed differently? Parents could solely be there for fundraising, but the Pre School would be owned and run without the management committee of parents - possibly by one or more of the staff? Does anybody know what it is? or where to find more information? I think I heard the Pre School would become a 'Co-operative' is that the right word?? or limited company?

Have tried the PLA website - no luck! Has anyone gone down this route? and if so would the staff become liable if the Pre School went under? Any advice please would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

Hi

we are a workers co-op but there are lots of different types of set ups parent/workers parent/workers/school or community. We got info and help from our local authority buisness development officer you can google in co-operatives uk to look at what they have to offer . There is also community interest companies which I understand are cheaper to set up than a co-op though we did everything including the legal bit for about £400 both are ltd by guarantee. good luck we have no regrets

sue

[Guest]

Sue - are you able to be registered as a charity if you are set up as a workers co-op? If not, how do you raise funds?

[Guest]

Sue - do you know if you are able to do this if you have the PLA constitution?

[Guest]

I ahve read about this on another forum.

You can always change your constitution at your next AGM.

This is the link for community interest groups:http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/

They can't be registered as a charity so you may have to set up a PTA that can be.

[Inge]

concerns here with changing status .

 

would winding up the charity so all assets etc have to be disposed of as in constitution, leaving you with no pre-school!!

 

we also always have this problem and would love to change but are worried about losing all and having to start again, is there a way around this? or am i looking for problems

 

is not setting up a PTA to become a charity just what you are doing now really so would not change the need or aprents to do the same and form a committee etc.

 

Inge

Edited July 15, 2007 by Inge

[Guest]

Hi

we where never a reg charity just a not for profit pre-school we where members of the PSLA but did not take up their constitution or their policies we found them quite restricting and a bit overwhelming. So we could back out as we wished with our funds and equipment. I think you would have to vote to change your constitution . We can still get some grants as we can prove that we are not for profit and that if we should close the monies equipment etc would go to another not for profit organisation not into our pockets. The main prob we have for grants is because our community room is attatched to a maintained school some awarding bodies will not fund projects that are within a school .

We joined forces with the after school club which the school ran with some of the same staff. Each was run by commitees that struggled to stay afloat even though the groups flourished (thanks to staff) so it was somthing that evolved and each group /commitee was behind the move. PSLA not too happy at losing our subscriptions we dropped them because we have to pay annualy for our reg with the financial services authority and the co-op subscription not sure if you have to do all this for the cis companies. Again ask for help from your early years team there should be a sustainability officer.

I have to say that from our point of view it has been hard work but rewarding we have really grown and offer more services and options for parents . we have backing from our school and they flag us up in all there promotional brochures ect and we attend all there open evenings.

we are an oddity as there are no other workers co-ops in our area we seem to confuse people including ofsted which means we are pretty much on our own but we like a challenge, a recent visitor said they loved coming to us as we are a tiny setting but have lots of fizz running the show yourself gives you that feeling.

sue

[HappyMaz]

Hi all

Help please. We are losing the majority of our committee next September (due to their children moving on to big school). No Chair, Secretary or Treasurer!!! and can't recruit any new parents. We have been spoilt with such a keen and hard working committee over the past few years, and now it all looks to change as we only have a couple of mums staying on the committee "just to help out". We had heard that there is something we can do as a Pre School to retain our charitable status, but be managed differently? Parents could solely be there for fundraising, but the Pre School would be owned and run without the management committee of parents - possibly by one or more of the staff? Does anybody know what it is? or where to find more information? I think I heard the Pre School would become a 'Co-operative' is that the right word?? or limited company?

Have tried the PLA website - no luck! Has anyone gone down this route? and if so would the staff become liable if the Pre School went under? Any advice please would be greatly appreciated.

Are you talking about incorporation? I vaguely remember this from my time as administrator with the local branch of the PLA. If so, I'm surprised the PLA website wasn't helpful (actually, no I'm not, come to think of it!).

 

You could try the Charities Commission - they should be able to help.

 

Maz