The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2023.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the trust's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".
The trust's objects are:
To advance the Christian faith for the benefit of the public in accordance with the Statement of Beliefs contained in the schedule to the Memorandum and Articles of Association in such ways and in such parts of Takeley, the United Kingdom or the world as the Trustees from time to time may think fit.
The advancement of education on the basis of Christian principles and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing the provision of such education in any educational establishment for the general education of children or adults on the basis of such Christian principles in Takeley and in such other parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the Trustees may from time to time think fit.
The Trust achieves its objectives by operating a small independent school for children aged between 3 and 16 years with a Christian ethos in the village of Takeley, Essex. The school provides education for around 50 pupils and includes families from a wide geographical area, who belong to a number of different churches or none.
The School's ethos encourages a real sense of community and the family nature of the school means that children can be themselves in a safe and accepting environment where pupils and staff work together. The overall aim is to provide a Christ centred education that enables children and young people to become confident, creative, aware and responsible members of their communities.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the trust should undertake.
Introduction
The Christian School (Takeley) is a faith-based, independent day school catering for children from 7 to 16 years of age under two school departments; Junior and Senior, on a single site. The school is housed within buildings owned by Takeley Chapel and rented by the school.
Pupils
In September 2022 the school started the academic year with 35 pupils and ended with 38 on roll with an expected number for the following September of 28 after losing a large year 11 cohort. The school’s maximum number of pupils remains at 70. The aim is to stabilise the number in each year group to eight in the Seniors and 5 in the Juniors, although exceptions are made to this. We maintain a flexible approach to classes as our numbers fluctuate. Some year groups are taught together, for example years 5 and 6, and years 7 and 8. The School has struggled to rebuild pupil numbers to pre-pandemic levels and the ongoing financial uncertainty felt by many in the nation has added to this. We aim to provide as wide a curriculum as possible whilst balancing the financial limits of the school when pupil numbers are low. Staff have worked hard on advertising and events to raise awareness of the school.
The school continues with its flexible approach to families who home-educate as well as welcoming pupils with special needs. Staff have worked hard to cater for such needs yet at the same time have attempted to maintain a balanced approach so that pupils of all abilities can be accommodated. We currently have three pupils with an EHCP and a greater number with individual education plans.
We do not take on pupils whose needs we cannot accommodate but the small nurturing nature of the school is conducive to meeting the needs of many pupils who have had difficulties elsewhere. We have a strong SEND team and this year our SEND lead gained qualification as a SENCo which has added significant value to what we offer as this is the generally recognised role in mainstream schooling and is better understood by parents.
External examination results for the 2022/23 period were very positive. Pupils were all successful in gaining sixth-form or further education places. This cohort was heavily affected by missed school during the pandemic, (the effects of which we will be mitigating for more years ahead) therefore, staff we were very proud of the results these pupils achieved. We also accommodated the maximum number of external candidates possible, most of whom had left the state school system, opting for elective home education with privately funded tutors. These candidates often comment a desire to have heard about us earlier, and this impacts our marketing strategy.
School leadership
The school continues to benefit from the leadership of the Head Teacher, M Emlyn Humphries and Mandy Watts as deputy and assisted by Angela Toms and Jonathan Beckett as part of the Senior Leadership Team. Angela also fulfils the role of deputy designated safeguarding lead to the Head Teacher’s DSL role. Jonathan is Lead for the Junior department and SEND. Weekly SLT meetings are held as well as a full staff meeting to discuss progress and training as well as events and behaviour issues.
This year begun a plan for succession for the Head Teacher who is the founding Head of the school and is looking ahead to retirement and how to pass on the leadership of a very unique school. The Trustees worked with the Head over this year to look at a workable solution and have formulated a plan of Co-Headship that Emlyn Humphries will take on with Angela Toms in order to form the first phase of a staged withdrawal from the school leadership. At the end of the year Mandy Watts also stood down from her leadership role (as deputy head and SLT) but will continue at the school in her teaching role. The plan was for Katherine Wilkinson to step into the Senior Leadership Team and support the SENCo from September. This is an exciting time for the school to look ahead to a new chapter and reflect on the successes of the past.
Teaching staff
The Junior department has been led with consistency by Jonathan Beckett this year with no disruption. Two of his class achieved exceptional results in the national Junior Mathematics Challenge which was much celebrated in the school. The rest of the teaching staff team has been stable throughout the year with a total of 11 teachers including those in additional leadership roles. At the end of the year we said goodbye to two very long-standing members of staff who had come to retirement and our science teacher also left the school. A plan was put in place to fulfil their teaching commitments with existing staff, given that current staff expertise could cover the subject areas, and also to look for one additional teacher in order to reduce the Head’s teaching timetable. The expected number of pupils for September meant that it was financially prudent not to employ additional staff.
Non-teaching staff
Our administrative team was stable this year in three members of staff covering reception, finance, admissions, health and safety, and HR. Our bookkeeping continued to be done in-house with some external support and this has worked well. At the end of the year we said goodbye to our finance and admin assistant and employed a new member of staff in preparation for the coming school year. This member of staff will cover the administration side whilst an existing member of the admin team will take on the finance role with continued external support from the same source.
Trustees
The trustees continue to hold monthly meetings throughout the year. These meetings vary between being held in person and online to make it easier for those with a greater distance to travel to attend the meetings. The trustees were as follows: Carina Bowman (chair), Erika Beumer, Rachel Campos (secretary), Katherine Wilkinson, Paul Toms and Willem Beumer. Rachel Campos resigned during year due to moving out of the area and Kate Wilkinson stood down at the end of the year in order to focus on her SLT role instead. We are currently looking to recruit new trustees.
Parents
We continue to encourage parents, especially those new to the school, to play as significant a part as possible in school life. This may be teaching, administrative work, helping with school trips or many other aspects of school life. All families are expected to attend termly cleaning days. Parents are welcome to attend Friday morning assembly in the Chapel and are encouraged to attend meetings with the trustees and our annual school Envisioning Day. There are also weekly prayer meetings and social events. There is a maintenance team which holds regular maintenance days where parents are encouraged to help with general maintenance tasks and usually have a social element too. We have been working hard on re-establishing events we help pre-covid. Our Christmas Carol Concert was well attended as was our theatrical production, ‘Olivia!’ which we held over two evening performances and was a wonderful event that brought the whole school community together and showcased some excellent singing and acting talent among our pupils. We also upscaled our Arts Festival at the end of the summer term to involve a local primary school and wider community to raise the profile of the school in the local area. This was also a very enjoyable event which showcased the hard work and talent of our pupils in many areas of the arts.
We use parent questionnaires annually to keep in touch with the parent view and once again we have found the consensus to be overwhelmingly positive.
Inspection
Our most recent inspection by Ofsted in early 2020. We were very pleased with the outcome of this inspection and are now officially rated as ‘Good’ in all areas. It is our belief that this outcome will encourage new pupils to join the school. We have now moved to a new inspectorate, the Independent Schools Inspectorate and future inspections will now take place under ISI. We expect our next inspection to take place early in the 23/24 academic year.
Our financial assistant meets with the Head Teacher several times a week, ensuring all operational financial decisions are carefully considered before being made. Open communication paths with the Trustees ensure that they are also consulted when necessary. Along with detailed monthly financial reports the Trustees can closely monitor the school financial stability.
General financial uncertainty on a national level continues to affect families and their decisions to pay for education. There are continued active efforts to recruit new pupils.
Parents have been encouraged to give voluntarily to building projects and to general school funds to enable the school to manage financially while more pupils are recruited. These donations are entirely voluntary and no amounts are specified. The building projects from the last year have been completed this year and a new classroom has been created as a result. The Bounce Back loan which the trustees took out in the wake of the national lockdowns continues to benefit the school and is being repaid according to the schedule.
Unrestricted income for the year amounted to £327,986 with expenditure of £333,128. After fund transfers there was a deficit on unrestricted funds of £5,142. Unrestricted funds carried forward amounted to £26,879. The overall result for the year was a deficit of £4,892 (2022: surplus of £4,889) leaving total funds carried forward of £27,129.
Reserves policy
It is the policy of the trust that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level of £15,000. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the trust’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised.
Unrestricted reserves stood at £26,879 at the balance sheet date which is above the target level. The trustees will be striving to maintain this level of reserves over the coming year.
Risk management
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the trust is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
The trust is a company limited by guarantee governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 2 August 2012. The company registration number is 08165830. The trust is also registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, registration number 1148518.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
New Trustees with suitable skills, knowledge and experience who subscribe to the Statement of Faith contained within the Memorandum and Articles of Association are proposed and appointed by the existing trustees as the need arises.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
The day to day running of the school is delegated to the Head teacher and his senior leadership team. The governing body is a parent council consulted by the Head teacher as part of his management of the school and includes teachers, parents and trustees but has no management status in the school.
The trustees are responsible for the financial management of the school and hold the Head teacher to account. They also ensure that school policies are being carried out.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of The Christian School (Takeley) for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the trust and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the trust will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the trust and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Christian School (Takeley) (the trust) for the year ended 31 August 2023.
As the trustees of the trust (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the trust are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the trust’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Since the trust’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the trust as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The Christian School (Takeley) is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Brewers End, Takeley, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM22 6QH.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the trust's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The trust is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The trust has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the trust. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the trust has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the trust has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Liabilities are recognised when a constructive obligation exists, the payment is probable and the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably.
Resources expended are allocated to the particular cost centre to which they relate and include irrecoverable VAT.
Property, plant and equipment are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following basis:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
Items of a capital nature costing less than £500 are not capitalised.
At each reporting end date, the trust reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The trust has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the trust's balance sheet when the trust becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the trust is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the trust’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grants receivable
School fees
School camp and trips
Books, resources and exam fees
Rent & Rates
Utilities
Insurance
Swimming pool and associated transport
Cleaning
Equipment costs
Repairs & maintenance
Training costs
Printing, posting and stationery
Telephone & Internet costs
Licenses & Subscriptions
During the year Trustee Mrs C Bowman received a salary of £7,432 (2022: £4,050) and pension contributions of £39 (2022: nil) for her role as a teaching assistant.
Trustee Mrs K Wilkinson received a salary of £11,922 (2022: £8,198) and the charity made pension contributions of £nil (2022: £42) on her behalf for her role as a teaching assistant.
Mrs A Toms, wife of Trustee Mr P Toms, received a salary of £14,234 (2022: £13,546) and the charity made pension contributions of £399 (2022: £477) on her behalf for her role as a teaching assistant.
The authority for the employment of Trustees is contained in the Charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Except for the above, none of the trustees (nor persons connected to them) received any remuneration or benefits from the trust during the year.
The total unrestricted donations received from Trustees and related parties during the year was £3,910 (2022: £4,267).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel is as follows.
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The school took out a £50,000 coronavirus Bounce Back loan in October 2020. For the first 12 months no capital repayments or interest were due. From October 2021 onwards interest of 2.5% per annum is charged on the loan. The school is due to repay the loan over 10 years with the last repayment due in October 2030. There are no penalties should the school want to repay the loan early and there are also options for the school to extend the loan term or take repayment holidays should it wish to do so.
The trust operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the trust in an independently administered fund.
The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £7,547 (2022 - £5,504).
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Head Teacher Fund
Donations specifically related to the costs surrounding recruitment and training of a replacement head teacher for the school.
Building and equipment fund - this represents funds given and used for work on the buildings and the purchase of new equipment. Transfers out in the prior year represent items which were capitalised in the year so were not expensed in the accounts.
Buchanan programme - this grant was received from Orbis Investments used towards purchase of new equipment. The transfer out in 2022 represents the cost of capitalised fixed asset additions made during the year.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2022 - none).