The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 August 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 governing document, 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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016)
The Charity's objects of the charity are :
To advance the education for the public benefit by creating and maintaining a partnership of schools in the Wigan borough.
The Charity achieves its objectives by holding seminars and conferences to promote best educational practice.
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Charity should undertake.
This period the charity's expenditure exceeded income and there is a deficit for the year. The trustees are pleased with the results for the year.
The charity is pleased with its achievement in supporting school improvements and facilitating the professional development of staff.
Our on-going commitment as the Leigh, Lowton and Golborne Schools Partnership (LLG) is to secure excellent teaching and leadership across the Consortia, with a relentless drive for a first class education and improved outcomes for the pupils in all of our schools. The Partnership continues to create exciting opportunities to further raise aspirations, progress, and achievement for all pupils. It is founded on the strong principals of collaboration, mutual support, rigour, challenge, trust, professional dialogue and debate.
During the 2024-2025 academic year Ofsted visited 13 out of the 25 LLG Schools. We are delighted that 96% of our schools are now graded as Good or better. Following the 2024 Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) outcomes, the Trustees commissioned a programme of training and support which resulted in much improved outcomes at the end of 2025, improvements which received positive comments from the Local Authority. LLG are committed to ensuring all our youngest pupils have the best start to their formal education and make the very best progress at this most important stage of their education.
In 2025-26 our plan is to continue with the current consultancy support for schools and those aspects established and working well as outlined above, as well as developing new training programmes. These include: training for Teaching Assistants within the EYFS, developing writing within the EYFS and ensuring a successful and smooth transition from EYFS to Year1; and developing a whole school strategy on the effective use of TAs.
Ultimately our fundamental purpose and moral responsibility to those families and children in our care is to further promote school improvement and raise standards for all our children. We will strive to achieve this through continued challenge and support across the whole LLG Consortia.
The trustees have no formal policy to maintain a level of reserves however they are conscious of their responsibilities and monitor the level of reserves to ensure the charity can meet its liabilities.
During the period, the charity made a deficit of £736.
At the period end, the reserves were £4,984 (2024 £5,720).
The company was incorporated at Companies House on 30 March 2011 and was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission on 14 January 2013. It commenced its activities on 9 June 2011. The charity is a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association (as amended by special resolution). The company provides a support service to a cluster of schools.
Trustees are elected by members of the charity in General meeting. Trustees hold office until the Annual General Meeting when Trustees can offer themselves for re-election or re-appointment.
The Trustees delegate the daily running of the Charity to the Project Manager, Mrs A Davies, who acts as Charity Co-ordinator, and her support staff. The charity is considered to be under the control of the Board of Trustees as a whole.
The chair of the Trustees is responsible for the induction of any new trustee which involves awareness of a trustee's responsibilities, the governing document, administrative procedures and the history and philosophical approach of the charity. A new trustee would receive copies of the previous year's annual report and accounts, and a copy of the Charity Commission leaflet 'The Essential Trustee: What You Need to Know'.
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 trustees intend to continue to be a dynamic and highly successful partnership of schools working positively together in Leigh, Lowton and Golborne to enhance the life chances and opportunities and aspirations for all our children.
The Trustees report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Leigh, Lowton and Golborne Schools Partnership (the Charity) for the year ended 31 August 2025.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the Charity 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 Charity’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.
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.
Barbara Shuttleworth
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Leigh, Lowton and Golborne Schools Partnership is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Leigh St Thomas CE Primary School, Leigh, Lancashire, WN7 2AS.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charity's governing document, 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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016). 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 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 Charity. 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 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.
Turnover is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business.
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:
- expenditure on raising funds includes the costs of all fundraising activities, events, non-charitable trading activities, and the sale of donated goods.
- expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities.
- other expenditure includes all expenditure that is neither related to raising funds for the charity nor part of its expenditure on charitable activities.
All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apprortioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.
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 Charity 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 Charity's balance sheet when the Charity 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.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the Charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
In the application of the Charity’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.
Room hire
Insurance
Legal and professional fees
Conference expenses
Consultants and speakers
General expenses
Training
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
During the year , the charity paid £600 for an Independent Examination and £486 for other services.
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 (2024 - none).