The Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute (SPTI Ltd.) through its subsidiary Sherwood Counselling & Psychotherapy Ltd. (SC&P Ltd.) is a not-for-profit educational organisation specialising in training counsellors and psychotherapists. We offer professional and academic qualifications, ranging from introductory to masters' level. We work in partnership with the University of Staffordshire who award our degree programmes. Our MSc Integrative Psychotherapy, and Person Centred & Experiential Psychotherapy Programmes are accredited by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the BSc (Hons) Counselling & Psychotherapy is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Our Introductory Level 2 Award in Counselling Concepts programme is accredited by The Skills and Education Group. Our newest course MSc Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy commenced September 2024 and is accredited by UKATA (United Kingdom Association for Transactional Analysis).
Our stated mission is to be at the forefront of the counselling and psychotherapy profession in providing a wide range of courses which foster the academic, personal and professional development of our trainees. Our training has a reputation for excellence in both academic rigour and clinical competence and we aim to equip our trainees to become ethical practitioners and life-long learners who will not only continue to be at the forefront of the development of knowledge in the counselling and psychotherapy profession but also have a positive impact on the well-being of society. We have a commitment to high standards in interpersonal relationships, characterised by mutual respect, collaboration, appropriate boundary and the celebration of difference. The organisation has a strong reputation in the field, earned through the delivery of psychotherapy and counselling training for over 37 years. Student recruitment remains consistently high with most courses recruiting to capacity and in 2023-24 we had over 300 students across all programmes.
Corporate Governance and Internal Controls
SPTI Ltd is a company limited by shares, the Directors are Alison Jane Fookes, Julie Ann Dearden and Rosemary Langford-Bellaby, shareholders are Alison Fookes and Ruth Layzell. SC&P Ltd is the wholly owned subsidiary of SPTI Ltd and the company through which all financial transactions of the business occur.
The Directors/Leadership Team has oversight and responsibility for the work and operations of the organisation. The Directors Team comprises directors Alison Fookes, Rosemary Langford Bellaby , Julie Dearden as Director of Training, Tracey Jackson Quality Assurance and Data Manager, members of the academic Programme Leader team and Will Graham as Business Operations Manager .As such the Directors Team comprises members who hold extensive experience in the management and delivery of psychotherapy training, a specialist in Higher Education and quality assurance and a senior business person responsible for the business operations of the organisation. The Directors Team meet on a termly basis to oversee and review the strategic direction and action plan of the organisation and to identify, evaluate and manage risks to the business. The Directors and Leadership Team remit falls within the following key areas of responsibility as indicated in the terms of reference.
- Strategic development
- Organisational structure
- Finance and budget approval
- Training and academic delivery — —
- Risk management
- Regulatory and legal compliance
- Student recruitment and progression
- Graduate membership
- Data and performance
The Directors Team is supported by the Leadership Team comprising operational and academic/training managers: Alison Fookes Company Director, Julie Dearden Director of Training, Rosemary Langford Bellaby, Tracey Jackson Quality Assurance and Data Manager, Will Graham Operations Manager and Programme Leaders Deborah Blagden, Deborah Mendham and recently appointed member Marie Fitzpatrick. The Leadership Team meet monthly. Each committee has its own terms of reference. As a small company all Leadership Team members all work closely on a regular basis ensuring ongoing planning, review, and oversight of operations.
Our accounts are audited annually by Rogers Spencer who are registered to carry out audit work in England and Wales by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Rogers-Spencer includes a report of their findings in the annual report and accounts.
Directors meet twice yearly with the accountant to ensure the financial stability and viability of the business and to discuss the financial implications of business decisions and planning on financial forecasts. Financial reserves are maintained to meet the requirements of the Student Refund and Compensation Policy and to ensure future financial viability and success of the business. We have one bounce back loan of £50,000 taken during Covid pandemic to protect cashflow during the increased financial demands of the pandemic. This loan will be paid in full by October 2025. We have a bank loan of £50,000 to offset the outlay and expenditure of the relocation from Thiskney House to new premises at 2 Castle Quay and 7 Castle Quay. This loan will be paid in full by August 2028.
Monitoring and oversight are undertaken on an ongoing and annual basis through our professional, regulatory and accrediting bodies:
- Continuous monitoring, annual and five yearly review of validation arrangements in conjunction with The University of Staffordshire our degree awarding body,
- Annual and 5 yearly accreditation processes with BACP,
- Annual moderation and Quinquennial review with UKCP,
- External examiners report annually on the quality of students work,
- Oversight of Office for Students Regulation is the responsibility of the Directors team which includes business operations, quality assurance and training managers and financial reporting through the Annual Financial Review process.
We are therefore satisfied that the level of scrutiny of training delivery and business operations, both internal and external, is robust and ensures maintenance of teaching excellence, organisational excellence, financial viability and a robust and well-planned approach to business development and risk management.
Internal controls
The above governance arrangements and internal controls are designed to manage rather than eliminate risk and to safeguard the business, funds and assets for which we are responsible and hence the interests of our students and staff. Our internal control system is based upon the above ongoing processes to identify evaluate and manage risks. In addition to termly and monthly Leadership and Directors meetings to review strategy, objectives and plan actions, a risk management report is completed on an annual basis by the directors and risk assessment and management is embedded within business changes or development, Key risks to business continuity evaluated in November 2022-23 included:
Current buildings:
Existing buildings were no longer large enough to offer the necessary training space or allow for future course development, one also did not offer the desired level of disabled access for the future. A move to relocate to a second larger premises at 2 Castle Quay was planned for and occurred in April 2023 This gave significantly improved accessibility to our students and staff, offered additional training rooms and provided premises where students, admin and teaching teams are all located, providing improved services to students. It has also represented a significant improvement to the facilities offered going forwards with a ground floor fully accessible library and larger training rooms than previously available. Contingency plans were incorporated in the planning to allow for unforeseen delays to works, however the move and transfer to new premises was smooth and was completed in April 2023 with further training room modifications occurring in December 2023. This move has secured modern accessible premises and allowed for course development and improved income streams going forwards. Substantial work was undertaken to create a modern inclusive environment for all stakeholders. Compliance with Disability legislation and Health & Safety regulations was a particular focus and is now in place.
Subsequent development of a further MSc programme Masters in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy has been completed in 2023-24 with the course recruiting its first intake in September 2024. Alongside this new course development, the need for further premises was identified to allow for future growth and future cohorts to this 4-year programme. It was recognised that new premises would necessitate further investment beyond that originally planned. However, the increased rental expenditure incurred, and hence reduced surplus was analysed and considered necessary for the course continuation and expansion and would quickly return the organisation to previous, pre covid, levels of surplus. A lease was procured on 7 castle Quay in May 2024, conversion work undertaken May to August 2024 and the premises became operational in September 2024. A phased programme of further alterations has been planned over a period of two years 2024-2026
Operational running costs:
Operational running costs have been subject to increased energy costs, inflation and increases in rent and rates necessary to enable further expansion of courses and student intake. An unplanned reduction in students numbers occurred in 2023-24 reducing forecast income and hence taking us into a loss making position Plans include ongoing review of costs vs forecasts, renegotiation of energy contracts, review of staffing predictions and increased student intake to enhance income whilst maintaining teaching excellence. With purchase of Xero accounting software, tighter control of expenditure will be in place throughout this year. With the Business Op Manager having oversight of all expenditure and the Company Director having oversight of strategic financial planning we expect to return to a profit making situation within the next 12 months.
Reliance on existing information systems:
The SPTI bespoke databases have been in continuous process of development and have served the company well for many years. Whilst we are confident that these systems have provided sufficient financial and administrative information for meaningful management control and decision making, the demands for data collection and reporting are increasing. This is no longer considered to be the case and future data reporting requirements, effective administration and effective financial and management reporting require upgraded systems in 2024-25. Expenditure is planned in 2024-25 to acquire new financial reporting systems Xero working with our accountancy team, and to transfer to the Classter Database which will significantly improve and streamline administrative processes. These upgrades are considered essential priorities to future proof our IT systems and processes.
Key responsibility and knowledge held by individuals:
During the last 8 years the business operations and admin teams have been significantly enhanced to ensure that teams are robust and hold the necessary expertise to meet increased demands or allow for unplanned absence. All key areas of staffing have been reviewed in the last year to support business continuity and excellence of training delivery.
Risk of reduced student recruitment:
Recruitment to the degree and masters' courses has remained stable over recent years with continued high demand for MSc Integrative in 2023/24 and intake of a further double cohort in September 2024. Recruitment to the Introductory courses was impacted by Covid but has returned to previous stable numbers. In 2023-24 there was a reduction in continuing student numbers with a significant number of students either withdrawing, taking a break in studies or becoming dormant. With student returns to studies and a popular new MSc programme with recruitment beyond that forecast, we are confident of returning to profit and maintaining financial stability going forward. Risk of ongoing reduced student recruitment is considered to be low.
Accreditation and validation of courses:
The loss of accreditation of our courses by our professional, statutory and regulatory bodies would have a significant impact to the organisation. Ensuring compliance, quality assurance standards and positive working relationships with our PSRBs is essential and is maintained though a robust leadership structure and experienced team members, stable teaching teams and a robust admin and support structure which has been recently reviewed and enhanced. We have recently completed 5 year validation processes with the University of Staffordshire and have also expanded our profile of courses via accreditation with UKATA a further national organisation. This risk is therefore considered to be very low.
Directors' Financial Responsibilities
The directors are responsible for preparing the directors' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and the profit or loss of the company for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,
- make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company 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 company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention of fraud and other irregularities.