REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 08396177 (England and Wales)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1154104

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND

UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FOR

OPEN SCHOOL EAST

Page

Report of the Trustees

1

to

5

Independent Examiner's Report

6

Statement of Financial Activities

7

Balance Sheet

8

to

9

Notes to the Financial Statements

10

to

15

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).

INTRODUCTION

Open School East (OSE) is a free, independent art school which is committed to making the arts a more open, diverse and accessible sector.

We support cultural practitioners to develop and sustain their practice; we enable adults and young people to learn new and transferable skills, and to shape their creative voice by becoming active learners and co-producers of OSE’s programmes. We respond to our locality by providing a free, informal and welcoming learning environment for people from all walks of life.

Our learning and development programmes are:

*

Associates Programme: a development programme for emerging artists and cultural practitioners from diverse backgrounds delivered onsite at our home in Margate

*

Public Programme: a multifaceted programme of events, activities and short courses open to everyone

*

Despacito Art School: projects with leading artists for local 5 to 12 year olds who lack opportunities to develop creatively

In 2024/25 we launched two new strands of programming:

*

Civic Programme: long-term projects with leading artists, researchers and practitioners, devised in partnership with our local communities

*

Springboard Programme: supporting the artists and cultural practitioners who have graduated from our Associates Programme through professional development talks and mentoring

Open School East is a registered charity and National Portfolio Organisation, supported by Arts Council England. Core and project funding comes from trusts and foundations, and individual giving/ donations.

For more information, please visit: www.openschooleast.org

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

The charity's objects ('Objects') are specifically restricted to the following:

To advance education of artists and the public in general in the South East, in particular but not exclusively by the provision of:

(a) training, advice and support for artists;

(b) space and facilities for the creation and appreciation of art; and

(c) the exchange of knowledge and skills by way of art conferences, workshops and other facilitated learning opportunities.

To meet its objectives, Open School East (OSE) supports:

(1) The artistic and professional development of artists through tuition, mentorship, studio provision and exhibition opportunities;

(2) The development of life and creative skills, and confidence, among local young people;

(3) The delivery of events, workshops, short courses and collective projects devised by and with the OSE community and partner organisations.

Public benefit

In setting objectives and planning for activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to the general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to public benefit.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Charitable activities

Programme 2024/25

We completed Term 3 of the Associates Programme in this year, with Associates leading on developing and delivering their Public Programme of participatory events, that ran alongside the curriculum, touching on themes or ideas raised through the other stands of programme activity at OSE.

The Associates Programme culminated in an end of year exhibition, which is an opportunity for the Associate artists to share their work with arts professionals (locally and nationally), prospective collaborators, funders, peers and the wider public. The exhibition was curated by a guest curator with expertise in exhibition making, who supported the Associates to share and present their work as part of a group exhibition. The exhibition had an audience of 570 people, our highest ever attendance.

In September 2024, we launched Building an Art School for the Future, a new model of programming at OSE. We have now structured our way of working around a 2 year programming cycle, with each cycle exploring and responding to a specific theme. The threads of this theme will then run through each of OSEs programmes.

Building an Art School for the Future is an ambitious, integrated model that features two additional core strands: our Civic Programme and a dedicated Alumni Springboard Programme.

The Civic Programme is developed in partnership with our local communities through collaborative art projects involving invited artists, OSE alumni, researchers, and community partners and practitioners. These projects will build a foundation for and help shape the school's curriculum.

The Springboard Programme supports the artists and cultural practitioners who have graduated from our Associates Programme. It provides a range of professional opportunities to help them continue their development.

Building an Art School for the Future represents a sector-wide step change, enabling new generations of artists to create and lead high-quality, community-centred arts projects that emphasise collaborative and situated pedagogies.

Our new model will continue to address the inequity of arts training access, while also dissolving the traditional boundaries of the art school. It will nurture a new generation of artists for whom community building and social impact are central to their work.

In this first year of the new model, we established a theme for the Civic Programme in dialogue with invited artists, alumni, community stakeholders, and local and international partners. The programme created a 'bank' of resources, local knowledge, skills, and expertise, while identifying community interests and needs. These efforts then laid the foundation for the curriculum of our next Associates Programme (2025/26) and initiated collaborative projects, embedded in civic spaces, to address the most pressing local needs.

"Home is where the garden is" is the theme for our current two-year programming model, which will run from September 2024 to September 2026. This theme explores the garden as a metaphor for spaces of cultivation, rooting and unexpected encounters. It explored how artists can work in more embedded, durational ways with our local community of practitioners, researchers, community partners, and public organisations. This cycle invites artists and community members to collaborate in exploring the evolving and rhizomatic threads that connect our shared civic spaces, through a series of artistic commissions, collaborative projects, public workshops, and community initiatives.

Young artist members of Despacito Art School learnt about typography, symbols and signs and made their own fonts and symbols with drawing, collage and found materials to create a new typeface for Home is where the garden is. They also undertook mapping exercises to think about civic, public and green spaces in Margate, including sharing stories of migration and mapping how communities form and are established in shared civic space.

As part of the two-year model, we also launched the Springboard Programme, a new alumni focussed programme. Through the development of varied partnerships, we created opportunities for recent alumni, recognising the challenges many artists face in accessing networks and opportunities after leaving the programme. At OSE, we will continue to share our resources and networks, supporting our alumni as they develop their ongoing careers. In its first year this support included development opportunities such as ongoing mentoring support from OSE's programming team, external partnerships, commissions and targeted funded opportunities. The programme is an integral way to ensure OSE continues to support early to mid-career artists to develop and sustain their practices, develop strong support networks of their own, and provide them with a platform to connect to new audiences and peers.

In the first year of this new programme we developed the online Springboard Sessions, where a range of cultural practitioners, artists, and Arts professionals spoke about their work, how artists can access funding or how to find commissioning opportunities.

We had our first partnership with Cement Fields through their new Foundations mentorship programme. As part of the partnership, Cement Fields ring fenced one opportunity for an alumni of the OSE Associate Programme, extending their artistic support and critical development opportunities during the programme.

We also created our first alumni solo exhibition at Gathering, London. As part of the partnership, our alumni artist presented Kiss the Back of My Hand, at GLASSHOUSE, Gathering's project space in May 2025.

Fundraising activities

In the 2024-25 financial year, OSE received funding from the following:

Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation

Grants from the following Trusts and Foundations:

Colyer Fergusson

Garfield Weston

Griffin Fund

J P Jacobs

Kent Community Foundation

And Public funding from:

Thanet Community Lotto Grant Fund

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Overview of income and expenditure

Our net income in the year ended 31 March 2025 was £14,784. This compared to net expenditure in the year ended 31 March 2024 was £2,280. The movement was due to strong fundraising, an increase in rental income following a review of rates, and the timings of expenditure in the new two-year cycle.

Reserves policy

The Trustees have resolved to build up financial reserves of up to £70,000. This is to be used as a fund of last resort in the event of an unforeseen financial emergency that threatens the organisation or we are forced to ‘wind up’ our activities. This would provide for approximately 6 months of running costs. This is to be held in a separate bank account and the interest rates earned upon it to be shown in our Charitable Accounts.

Any surplus amount above the £70,000 threshold can be moved into the Charitable Account as Designated Funds, towards specific organisational costs or programme expenditure to be agreed with the Board of Trustees.

This policy is reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees.

Going concern

OSE is a charity and its Trustees have a duty to consider the operational and financial resilience of the entire organisation. OSEs financial position is reviewed on a monthly basis as part of the preparation of management accounts and cashflow forecasts and is considered alongside our planning processes.

OSE has a strategic risk register in place and any changes to the register are assessed in terms of their impact on our financial resilience. The register enables Trustees to retain a clear oversight of any external or internal factors that are likely to have a significant impact on income and expenditure, which are particularly relevant to cashflow management and our going concern status. The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. A strategic risk register is in place and this is reviewed at each Board meeting.

For OSE as a free art school, our ability to navigate appropriately through the current financial context will be crucial; continuing to support our artistic community in a safe and responsible manner, using our finances in the most efficient way possible, whilst continuing to build our supporter/ donor base.

Trustees will continue to review plans with the OSE leadership team to make any necessary changes to our financial plans.

The charity has a positive balance sheet and the Trustees are of the opinion that OSE has sufficient resources in place to meet its liabilities as required. As such, they remain satisfied that OSE can continue to operate and that the accounts have been prepared in the knowledge that OSE is a financially viable organisation.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

The management of the company is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Articles of Association.

Organisational structure

OSE has a Board of Trustees who meet quarterly and who are responsible for the strategic direction and policies of the charity. In 2024-25, the Board had seven members from a variety of professional backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity, with a newly appointed Co-chair model. A scheme of delegation is in place, and day-to-day responsibility for the running of the school rests with the Senior Management Team, consisting of an Artistic Director and an Operations Director. The Senior Management Team is responsible for ensuring that the charity delivers the activities specified, and that key performance indicators are met.

Risk management

The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. A strategic risk register is in place and this is reviewed at each board meeting.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

08396177 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1154104

Registered office

39 Hawley Square

Margate

Kent

CT9 1NY

Trustees

Mrs S Griffin Co-Chair of OSE Board

Mr M J O’Shaughnessy

Mr O Watson

Mr S Kohli

Mr S M Causer

F Parrott (resigned 6/1/2025)

Ms S van Schalkwyk

Ms L R Stonock Co-Chair of OSE Board

Independent Examiner

Philip Loveridge

Spurling Cannon

Chartered Certified Accountants

424 Margate Road

Westwood

Ramsgate

Kent

CT12 6SJ

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 20 November 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Mrs S Griffin - Trustee

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Open School East ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company 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 your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

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:

1.	accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2.	the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3.	the accounts 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

4.

the accounts 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 accounts to be reached.

Philip Loveridge

Spurling Cannon

Chartered Certified Accountants

424 Margate Road

Westwood

Ramsgate

Kent

CT12 6SJ

20 November 2025

2025

2024

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

Notes

£

£

£

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

2

125,327

27,916

153,243

158,020

Other trading activities

3

2,411

-

2,411

-

Investment income

4

1,559

-

1,559

1,378

Other income

5

30,821

-

30,821

16,106

Total

160,118

27,916

188,034

175,504

EXPENDITURE ON

Raising funds

5,304

-

5,304

6,530

Charitable activities

Associates Programme

61,131

2,607

63,738

118,304

Public Programme

3,229

-

3,229

23,572

Civic Programme (including Despacito)

52,107

4,229

56,336

29,378

Springboard Programme

44,643

-

44,643

-

Total

166,414

6,836

173,250

177,784

NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

(6,296

)

21,080

14,784

(2,280

)

Transfers between funds

12

(50

)

50

-

-

Net movement in funds

(6,346

)

21,130

14,784

(2,280

)

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

129,714

1,766

131,480

133,760

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

123,368

22,896

146,264

131,480

2025

2024

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

Total

funds

funds

funds

funds

Notes

£

£

£

£

CURRENT ASSETS

Debtors

10

791

-

791

3,004

Cash at bank and in hand

132,738

22,896

155,634

133,125

133,529

22,896

156,425

136,129

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

11

(10,161

)

-

(10,161

)

(4,649

)

NET CURRENT ASSETS

123,368

22,896

146,264

131,480

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES

123,368

22,896

146,264

131,480

NET ASSETS

123,368

22,896

146,264

131,480

FUNDS

12

Unrestricted funds

123,368

129,714

Restricted funds

22,896

1,766

TOTAL FUNDS

146,264

131,480

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

(a)	ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and

(b)

preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 20 November 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

Mrs S Griffin - Trustee

Ms L R Stonock - Trustee

1.	ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis as, after making enquiries, the Board of Trustees has reasonable assurance that the organisation has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

2.	DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

2025

2024

£

£

Donations

18,370

13,200

Grants

134,873

144,820

153,243

158,020

Grants received, included in the above, are as follows:

2025

2024

£

£

ACE NPO

91,656

91,656

Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust

10,000

-

KCC

-

4,100

Kent Community

5,000

-

Other Grants

3,092

7,064

Roden

-

15,000

Sarah and Gerard Griffin

-

25,000

Weston Jerwood

-

2,000

Garfield Weston

15,000

-

J P Jacobs Charitable Trust

10,125

-

134,873

144,820

3.	OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES

2025

2024

£

£

Fundraising events

2,006

-

Event income

155

-

Consultancy fees

250

-

2,411

-

4.	INVESTMENT INCOME

2025

2024

£

£

Deposit account interest

1,559

1,378

5.	OTHER INCOME

2025

2024

£

£

Studio Income

30,821

16,106

6.	SUPPORT COSTS

Governance

Management

Finance

costs

Totals

£

£

£

£

Associates Programme

50,276

47

1,757

52,080

Civic Programme (including Despacito)

50,276

46

1,758

52,080

Springboard Programme

43,096

40

1,507

44,643

143,648

133

5,022

148,803

Activity

Basis of allocation

Management

Split by size of programmes

Finance

Split by size of programmes

Governance costs

Split by size of programmes

7.	TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2025 nor for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Trustees' expenses

There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2025 nor for the year ended 31 March 2024.

8.	STAFF COSTS

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

2025

2024

Management and Teaching

3

3

No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.

9.	COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - YEAR END 2020

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

funds

funds

funds

£

£

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

129,857

28,163

158,020

Investment income

1,378

-

1,378

Other income

16,106

-

16,106

Total

147,341

28,163

175,504

EXPENDITURE ON

Raising funds

6,530

-

6,530

Charitable activities

Associates Programme

96,788

21,516

118,304

Public Programme

21,281

2,291

23,572

Civic Programme (including Despacito)

24,440

4,938

29,378

Total

149,039

28,745

177,784

NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

(1,698

)

(582

)

(2,280

)

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

131,412

2,348

133,760

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

129,714

1,766

131,480

10.	DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2025

2024

£

£

Prepayments

791

3,004

11.	CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2025

2024

£

£

Social security and other taxes

3,523

2,292

Pension liability

511

439

Accruals and deferred income

3,302

405

Deposits held

2,825

1,513

10,161

4,649

12.	MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Net

Transfers

movement

between

At

At 1.4.24

in funds

funds

31.3.25

£

£

£

£

Unrestricted funds

General Fund

69,714

(6,546

)

(9,800

)

53,368

Reserves

60,000

-

10,000

70,000

Consultancy Fees Fund

-

250

(250

)

-

129,714

(6,296

)

(50

)

123,368

Restricted funds

Weston Jerwood

1,766

(1,823

)

57

-

Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust

-

10,000

-

10,000

Kent Community Fund

-

5,000

-

5,000

Despacito

-

6,744

-

6,744

KCC Straits Committee

-

7

(7

)

-

TDC Lotto Grant

-

1,152

-

1,152

1,766

21,080

50

22,896

TOTAL FUNDS

131,480

14,784

-

146,264

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Incoming

Resources

Movement

resources

expended

in funds

£

£

£

Unrestricted funds

General Fund

38,214

(44,760

)

(6,546

)

ACE NPO

91,656

(91,656

)

-

Consultancy Fees Fund

250

-

250

Griffin 2023-2024

14,999

(14,999

)

-

Garfield Weston

14,999

(14,999

)

-

160,118

(166,414

)

(6,296

)

Restricted funds

Weston Jerwood

-

(1,823

)

(1,823

)

Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust

10,000

-

10,000

Kent Community Fund

5,000

-

5,000

Despacito

10,125

(3,381

)

6,744

KCC Straits Committee

791

(784

)

7

TDC Lotto Grant

2,000

(848

)

1,152

27,916

(6,836

)

21,080

TOTAL FUNDS

188,034

(173,250

)

14,784

Comparatives for movement in funds

Net

movement

At

At 1.4.23

in funds

31.3.24

£

£

£

Unrestricted funds

General Fund

51,412

18,302

69,714

Reserves

60,000

-

60,000

Griffin 2023-2024

20,000

(20,000

)

-

131,412

(1,698

)

129,714

Restricted funds

Weston Jerwood

-

1,766

1,766

Art Fund

385

(385

)

-

KCC Straits Committee

1,963

(1,963

)

-

2,348

(582

)

1,766

TOTAL FUNDS

133,760

(2,280

)

131,480