CIO Update – February 2019

Our Parent Committee met on 11th February and received an update from Joint Chairs (Clare Farley & Carly Hood) and the Business Manager (Natalie Sumner) about our transition from an unincorporated association (i.e. a charity) to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

We thought it would be helpful to also share the latest news on this with parents and others who might be interested. So here’s a brief summary - we hope you find it useful!

A quick reminder on the background to this change…

We held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 5th October 2018, where committee members voted in favour of Playgroup changing the legal structure of Tollerton Playgroup from an unincorporated association to a CIO. This is a transition that many pre-school settings appear to be going through in a bid to attract more parents and carers onto their Parent Committees by protecting the trustees from any personal and financial liabilities.

The change will not affect the day to day running of our Playgroup; it is more something that will happen behind the scenes over the coming year. Our anticipated time frame for completion is by September 2019.

We are members of the Pre-School Learning Alliance (PLA) and are following their guidance in completing the transition to a CIO.

We have been in touch with all relevant third parties regarding contracts, leases, licences and funding agreements to inform them of our plans to change to a CIO.

We have also been talking to staff on a regular basis, to reassure them that essentially, nothing will change in terms of their employment. Our fantastic team will continue to provide the same very high standard of wonderful care to our children.

We have been in touch with the Charities Commission and Ofsted to begin the process of setting up the new CIO, which will be known as “Tollerton Playgroup – a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.” This is an ongoing process, and we have factored their timescales into our plans, as we are aiming to be up and running as a CIO in September.

Once we are fully operational as a CIO, we then have two weeks to dissolve the existing unincorporated charity at a final EGM.

We have identified which of our current Committee Members will become the first Trustees of the new CIO, and are working with Ofsted to ensure all appropriate checks are in place.

As far as parents and our children are concerned, it’s business as usual for Playgroup and our busy little people as they go about their activities. Nothing will change day to day – Playgroup will continue to be a nurturing and fun-filled place for our children to learn and thrive!

But if you do have any questions or queries about our transition to a CIO, please ask! Drop us a line at tollertonplaygroup1@gmail.com or have a chat with any parent committee or staff member and we will do our very best to help. Alternatively, feel free to come along to our AGM on 29th April at 8pm at Playgroup.