The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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 charity'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)".
The objectives of the charity are specifically restricted to promoting the benefit of people living in rural communities in rural parts of Pakistan by:
the advancement of education and training for the public benefit, particularly but not exclusively by promoting quality standards in education and;
the prevention or relief of poverty.
The trustees confirm that they have considered the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit where applicable.
The organisation began the process of renaming itself to Quest for Education Foundation during the year. This new name has stronger resonance with many of the business people who regularly support the charity.
Significant activities
The trustees continued to promote the work of Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF) in Rawalpindi. KEF is a non profit, non political and non governmental organisation that relies on donors to continue raising educational standards in poor rural areas of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan.
The charity continued to raise awareness of the educational needs in rural Pakistan and to raise funds for KEF. KEF runs three schools and a teacher training college for talented children from poor communities with a strong focus on improving opportunities for girls.
Student attainment is improving after the decline caused by the pandemic period. The funds sent to KEF during the year, totaling £25,850, were used to support improvements in standards across their schools and the teacher training college.
The organisational restructuring that began in the previous year did not deliver the consistent results hoped for. The board plans to reduce the size of the teams and keep only those who have the time and experience to carry out the work required. The focus for the next year is to build smaller and more effective groups.
To increase the charity’s relevance and strengthen its message, the trustees have also agreed to proactively seek out organisations in other parts of the world that share similar values and aims. Malawi is an early example of a place where potential partner organisations may be identified. The intention is to share funds with such groups when appropriate and in line with the charity’s objectives.
The charity also plans to build and strengthen relationships with schools in the United Kingdom where doing so supports its mission. Valentine’s High School in Ilford and Acklam Grange School in Middlesbrough are among the schools being considered for this engagement.
Fundraising in 2024 to 2025 was much improved. The charity made strong use of JustGiving and raised close to £20,000 through the platform. Notable contributions came from trustee Hasham Khan’s Snowdon expedition and from Amina Ansari’s fundraising efforts.
A leafletting campaign during Ramadhan raised awareness of Quest for Education and resulted in new standing orders worth almost £300 per month.
The charity relaunched its website and social channels and is continuing to build new digital routes to reach potential donors and promote regular giving.
The addition of trustees based in the North of England has helped create opportunities for new major fundraising events. Planning is underway for a large dinner aimed at business people in Bradford during the 2025 to 2026 financial year.
The charity continues to encourage standing orders and Gift Aid as reliable and long term sources of income. The economic climate in the UK remains a challenge but the trustees are working to diversify income and reduce risk.
The charity's income for the year amounted to £20,448 (2024: £4,181) and after expenditure of resources there was net loss for the financial year of £7,782 (2024: net loss £3,793). The level of unrestricted funds at 31 March 2025 is £17,701 (2024: £25,483). The level of restricted funds at 31 March 2025 is £NIL (2024: £NIL).
At the time of signing these accounts the Trustees are of the opinion that the Charity will remain viable for the foreseeable future and therefore these Financial Statements have been prepared on the Going Concern basis.
It is the policy of the trustees that the charity retain free reserves (that is, those funds not tied up in fixed assets and designated and restricted funds), at all times sufficient to meet governance costs that will be incurred in the charity's continuing operations for a minimum period of three months after the balance sheet date based on the average level of such expenses in the past two years.
The level of available resources and anticipated activities are regularly reviewed by the trustees in the light of the commitments faced by the charity.
The Board feels that it is now exiting the restructuring period and is excited about changes that are being made to enhance awareness about the charity moving forward, which will consequently result in increased funding for our beneficiaries.
The future developments of the charity include:
Creating smaller and more focused teams with clear responsibilities
Strengthening the charity’s digital presence and building better online fundraising funnels
Delivering a major fundraising dinner in Bradford and exploring other opportunities in the North of England
Improving links between educational institutions in the United Kingdom and Azad Kashmir
Building new relationships with suitable schools in the United Kingdom and offering support where it aligns with the charity’s mission
Seeking partner organisations in countries such as Malawi and sharing funds where objectives match
Continuing to explore ways to support talented young people in parts of Africa
Returning to a major annual fundraising event when circumstances allow
Quest for Education is a company limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006, governed by its Articles of Association dated 9 March 2011. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. Each member is a trustee and also a director under the Companies Act 2006. At 31 March 2025 there were 13 members (2024: 9). In the event of dissolution each member is liable to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 whilst a member and for up to one year after ceasing to be a member.
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:
The board of directors, all of whom are members and trustees, make up the Council of Management of the charity. The day to day management of the charity is undertaken by a small self selecting group of directors.
As the directors of the charitable company (the charity) are also trustees for the purpose of charity law, throughout this report and financial statements they are collectively referred to as the trustees.
As set out in the Articles of Association, the chair of the trustees is elected by the trustees. Trustees are appointed by the Council of Management upon submission of an application for membership.
New trustees are briefed by members of the Council of Management on their legal obligations under charity and company law, the committee and decision-making processes, the business plan and recent financial performance of the charity. Although no specific training is given to the trustees to equip them for their role each brings with them considerable experience and expertise in some appropriate field of law, education, public service or commerce.
The Trustees report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Quest for Education (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
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 charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
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 Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements 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 financial statements 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 statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Quest for Education is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is St Paul's House, 23 Park Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2ND, United Kingdom.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's constitution, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "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 charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity 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 charity 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.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, 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 classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
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.
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
Quest for Education raises funds in the United Kingdom for the Kashmir Education Foundation, an established educational trust in Pakistan. Iffat Ferdinand, a trustee of Quest for Education, is also a trustee of the Kashmir Education Foundation in Pakistan. During the year, the charity paid £25,850 (2024: £6,423) in the form of grants to Kashmir Education Foundation.