Committe Pre-schools

[Guest]

Hi

I wondered if i could ask if there is anybody out there who has stopped having a committee at their pre-school. We are committee run and every year we have the same problems, i just wondered what the options are - whether you can go without a committee and how you go about it - plus where do you find that information?

[Rea]

You can go without a committee but I'm not sure how you go about it. If you are currently part of the PLA you have to sell the pre-school, and then re-open under a new management with a new constitution. The PLA can help with that I think. If you're having problems getting all the committee members you need, the PLA changed their constitution a while back just because of this problem, I think it means you dont have to have the same number of members and they can stay for longer too. You would still need a chair, treasurer, secretary though. If you're not with the PLA already I think they could still help.

I know what you mean about getting and keeping committee, it can be a nightmare.

Hopefully someone who 'knows' rather than 'thinks' will be able to help you more.

[hali]

As Rea says contact the PLA they have lots of advice on this and there are ways of doing it - good luck

[Guest]

Hi

 

We are having the same problems committe has sort of crumbled over the hols. We urgently need advice but not sure where to go, Tried PLA - no response. Sure start are looking into it to try and help Wondered if anyone had any more ideas we don't have time on our side to come up with a solution.Due ofsted anytime as well.

[Deb]

Not much to add, except to empathise. Our chair is standing down at the end of January, and a letter has gone out to parents to say that we will close if nobody comes forward. Seem to have to threaten this most years and hope someone steps forward, for what can be quite a demanding role.

 

Haven't looked on the Charity Commission website lately, but they were about to change something about being incorporated, sorry bit late for my brain, will try to have a think.

 

 

The PLA had this link about incorporation but I haven't followed it. Thought it might be a start.

http://www.pre-school.org.uk/publications/updates/index.php

 

Must go to bed now!

[Guest]

Hi Simcity,

 

You cannot operate as a voluntary run pre-school without a committee. If the pre-school is unable to get a committee together the charity will have to dissolve, in line with the group's constitution - then all of the assets of the pre-school will go to a like-minded charity. Your outgoing committee remain in post until new committee members are elected. If you go through dissolution, the staff are effectively redundant, so the committee needs to ensure that they have redundancy reserves to cover this.

You might want to consider a worker's co-operative, a partnership foundation unit (if you are linked to a local primary school? - this would mean a combined committee with governors, head teacher of the school along with parent committee representation), a social enterprise (more info on this can be found at www.businesslink.gov.uk) where you will need a board of directors, but these don't need to be re-elected each year.

 

Hope this is of some use.

Best wishes,

SammyP

[Guest]

It is ever so hard isn't it, you don't need a very large committee, depending on your consititution, and as SammyP said your chair person is still responsible, until a new one is elected or the charity wound up, as (s)he is a charty trustee.

 

Getting a committee can be a headache, it seems that the direct approach, targetting parents, and asking them if they have considered joining the committee, buttering them up a bit, and having good systems in place to support them are all key. We are actually a committee run pre-school, but as part of a Partnership Foundation Stage Unit, so we have two committees!.

[Guest]

 

 

The PLA had this link about incorporation but I haven't followed it. Thought it might be a start.

http://www.pre-school.org.uk/publications/updates/index.php

 

 

 

Becoming incorporated won't get you out of having a committee, it just limits your liablities. You still need people who are willing to stand as 'directors' of your ltd charitable company. You would have to go through a lengthy process and the end result would be a ltd company. You really need motivated people to take this forward as there are annual returns to companies house with high penalties if they are not returned on time. It is worth doing if you want to limit the liabilities of a committee and in future years it may be easier to persuade people to join the 'committee' if they know they are not liable.

[hali]

oww please we have the best committee ever at the moment but chair is leaving in May due to a new baby , treasurer came up to me yesturday saying she was also going and i have a feeling secretary is also...nightmare .................... hate it

[dublinbay]

I know how you feel Hali.

Our Chair and Treasurer finish in May. The Secretary (the best we've ever had) says he would take over as Chair but that still leaves the other two posts to fill.

Not looking forward to the unsettling times ahead.

[hali]

no its a very uneasy time and with ofsted looming - more grey hairs

[Guest]

It is hard getting a committee as nobody wants to take on the work. I get around it by doing all the work myself and having the committee to back me up if needed i.e. I wouldn't take any major descisions without their approval. I do all the financal stuff, book keeping, wages etc. but I cannot sign cheques so everything is open and above board. Any committee member could have a look at the books at any time. It is an awful lot of work but the advantage is that I know exactly how much money is available and how much I can spend! People seem to be happy to join a committee when they know there isnit much work involved!

[Guest]

Or another option, if there is enough money available, is to employ an administrator to do these jobs with the committee overseeing it.

[Guest]

Hi Playleader 29 and welcome to the FSF!

 

I hope you don't think I'm being nosey but do you get paid any extra hours for the extra work that you do? I'm asking because I do most of the Committee's work and seem to spend most of my time moaning about it now - to the point that they probably wished they WERE doing it themselves!

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Sorry to be a bit thick but if the committee dissolves and we start up a workers co-operative are they still liable for redundancy sorry cant work out what is going on anymore we have no committee and no children just think it might be best to give up.

[Guest]

Janice.

Sorry for the delay in replying to your question. I do get paid some extra hours but not nearly enough. In theory, I also have Wednesday morning off to keep up with the work but I usually go in at 10.30 anyway. I do wonder sometimes what would happen if i just didn't do all the extra work, I think that the group would collapse!

[Bliss]

We were under the "umbrella" of the church committee. I've worked at the setting for 11 years and was never invited to a committee meeting! The supervisor always did the paperwork, wages, policies, etc., UNTIL we began the accreditation process. This threw up a multitude of problems, as the "committee" did not want to put their names to any of our policies or employment contracts and procedures.

 

Therefore, over a year later, a colleage and myself now run and own the setting as a business! We are supernumerary in order to complete all the work involved in running a business, we are doing the Early Years Degree, and getting to grips with the EYFS!

Really do miss being on the "shop floor" sometimes, and the staff seem to have the attitude that difficulties during a session cannot be understood by us, "Because we're not in there!"

 

Sorry - got off the plot a bit there! Just wanted you to know there are alternatives, but whatever you decide, you will probably have a long, busy haul ahead of you - but very satisfying when it's done!

 

Good luck!