The Directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts 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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016)
Trustee's responsibilities in relation to the financial statements
The charity Trustees (who are also the directors of St Brigid's School Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing a Trustee's annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice)
Company law requires the charity Trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are required to :
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
Observe the methods and principals in the Charities SORP;
State whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Objectives and activities
St Brigid's School Limited was incorporated on 8 January 1991 and the Memorandum and Articles of Association, which included the regulations for the appointments of directors, were amended through the St Brigid's School Limited (Variation of Memorandum of Association) Order 1997 date 18 February 1997. Authority to act in relation to charitable and public trusts as a trust corporation was granted on 14 March 1997. The object of the trust is the advancement of education between the ages of 3 and 19 by the provision and conduct of a voluntary aided Roman Catholic School or School for the education of Roman Catholic children, either with or without Christian or non-Christian children.
We aim through this provision, to promote the academic, moral and physical development of our pupils through our academic curriculum, pastoral care, sporting and other activities. We aim to provide an educational environment where each student can develop and fulfil his or her potential, building their self-confidence and including a desire to contribute to the wider community. In so doing, we prepare our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experience of later life and to allow them to become well rounded citizens of the future.
Our objectives are set to reflect our educational aims and the ethos of the School. It is important to us that we maintain and enhance the academic success of the School. In setting our objectives and planning our activities our trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance.
Our key objectives for the year included:
Continue to maintain and enhance the academic success of the School.
Contribute (with the Welsh Government) to the repairs and maintenance of St Brigid's School buildings to continue to provide suitable accommodation for learning.
Conducting an ongoing programme of remodelling and improving learning environments at St Brigid's School.
The Directors have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Directors should undertake.
Public Benefit
The Charity's activities are all undertaken to further public benefit. The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Our educational activities are carried out through the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools and Sixth Form. Pupil numbers in the school are in excess of the Admission Number calculated by Denbighshire County Council, and there is a waiting list for places in the Lower and Middle School. No waiting list is maintained beyond 30 September for entry into the Year 7 year group, although mid-year transfers are possible where there is an available place.
The school performs exceptionally well in relation to local and national benchmarking and was among the top performing schools in North Wales in 2024 .The school has successful partnerships with local schools to operate a sixth form consortium and results at A level are also above national and local indicators. The school's Combined Cadet Force is a successful extra-curricular element of the school and currently has in excess of 100 cadets in the Army and Air Force sections. Cadets take part in national and local activities including shooting and first aid, and on Cambrian patrol competitions. They also participate in the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme.
Ongoing collection of gift aid donations from parents enables us to continue to maintain the school. Funding has previously been received from the Welsh Government (via the Wrexham RC diocese) providing 85% of the cost of certain projects and the Trust providing 15%. In 2020, the diocese decided that St Brigid's School should not be included in its CRAMP funding provision, the school not being under diocesan control. The Directors have raised this with the Welsh Government but the situation regarding CRAMP funding is still yet to be clarified.
The main school building is Victorian and requires considerable maintenance, as do the mobile classrooms which are decades old and have seen better days. The School is included in Phase 2 of Denbighshire County Council Band B funding proposals as part of the 'Modernising Education - 21st Century Schools' (now 'Sustainable Communities for Learning') programme for the improvement of school buildings, to which the Trust will be expected to contribute. No major projects were therefore undertaken in recent years. However, the project is delayed and it it clear that there will be no major investment in the school buildings for some years. Trust funds were allocated to the school account to cover the shortfall in the Delegated Budget (see below) and to be used for general property repairs and maintenance including:
Window and glass repairs
Electrical repairs
Heating and boiler repairs
Felt roof repairs
Gully/drainage, Painting
In the absence of CRAMP funding (meaning that the Trust would pay only 15%), the Trust paid 100% of the cost of the following work:
repair to the stone lintel above a window in the main building,
replacement of a large (bespoke) window on the second floor of the main building,
recladding on Maths and Sixth Form mobiles,
new internal and external doors on Maths mobile, new fire escape door for Year 5,
ceiling replacement in canteen foyer,
joinery repairs to several mobiles,
PVC skirting and corners on girls cloakroom/toilet block.
various roof repairs,
flooring for new Rainbow Room,
new blinds in the Music Studio, History and Welsh classrooms and Sixth Form mobile,
painting the exterior of all mobiles,
safety barriers and ladder replacement to stage gantries,
tree surgeon,
remedial work to render outside Headteacher's office,
external LED lighting to rear playground
The school is a Voluntary Aided School, the Delegated Budget from Denbighshire County Council providing for staffing and all other educational costs.
The 'premises' line of the delegated budget is reduced by 7% as the Trust is expected to cover the shortfall.
The principal source of income is donations and gift aid, accounting for over 99% of the Trust's income this year. The Trust received no CRAMP funding this year. There is currently no means by which the Trust may apply for CRAMP funding, as the school's allocation is not paid by the Welsh Goverment, the school not being administered by either of the dioceses nor by the LA. This is a cause for concern as the Trust is having to pay 100% of any project costs rather than the 15% that other Voluntary Aided schools are required to pay. The Trustees are working with the Welsh Government, diocese and LA to find a suitable resolution to this issue. The Trustees valuation of the property is £491,075.
As a charity, the parents of our pupils have the assurance that all gift aid income of the Trust will be used for the repair and maintenance of the school buildings. However, as an educational charity, we are unable to reclaim VAT input tax on our costs as we are exempt for VAT purposes.
It was the policy of the Directors that unrestricted funds, which have not been designated for a specific use, should be maintained at a level of no less than £50,000 to maintain the viability of the school. The Charity reserves amounted to £677,868 at 31 March 2024. A review of the Trust's resources will be carried out by the Trustees, in due course.
There are no related parties.
The Directors have assessed the major risks to which the Directors are exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Plans for the future
Future plans are financed through Gift Aid contributions, grant funding and our reserves. The Trustees need to maintain an equitable balance ensuring our current pupils benefit whilst, at the same time, ensuring a sound infrastructure and financial base are preserved for the next generation of pupils in the same way as our current pupils benefit from the investment made in the past. Maintaining, and where necessary, developing the fabric and facilities of the School are central to our strategy.
The Welsh Government and Denbighshire County Council had confirmed that the School would be included in Phase 2 of the Band B funding scheme to target investment at addressing the condition of school buildings.
The Welsh Government 'Band B' funding scheme has rolled into a new programme (Sustainable Community Programme) and, although the school is still included, it is now likely to be another six years before any work is carried out at the school.
Two of the mobile classrooms are now beyond economic repair (one had been in this condition and had not been used for several years) and the Trustees have investigated options for replacement. The local authority was unable to identify any surplus mobile classrooms, the the Trustees decided that replacement, even with refurbished structures, would leave insufficient funds for the Trust's objectives and activities in the future. The mobiles will be demolished in the next financial year. It is unlikely that the loss of the mobile classrooms will affect the value of the assets but a new valuation will be sought.
The company is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.
The Directors who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
None of the Directors has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Directors are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 each in the event of a winding up.
The Trustees are responsible for the overall management and control of the St. Brigid's Trust and meet, at least, annually. The work of implementing most of their policies is carried out by the members of the Property, Health, Safety and Welfare committee and the Finance Committee which meet termly.
The St Brigid's School Facilities Officer and the Business and Finance Manager are responsible for co-ordinating the work of the Trust's and Governing Body Committees, preparation of papers and management of accounts and the review of matters arising.
All trustees give their time freely and no remuneration or expenses were paid in the year.
There are four Directors/Trustees of the company. When recruiting new Trustees the important attribute is a passion for the work of our School and an understanding of education as a holistic and rounded experience of personal growth. Those willing to stand as a Trustee are recommended by the Directors or may be proposed by members, and are appointed by ordinary resolution at the Annual General Meeting.
The Directors report was approved by the Board of Directors.
I report to the Directors on my examination of the financial statements of St.Brigid's School Limited (the Trust) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
As the charity's trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the company 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 for this year 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.
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 statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
St.Brigid's School Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Mold Road, Denbigh, Denbighshire, LL16 4BH.
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)" (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016) and the Charities Act 2011. 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 Bulleting 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, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Trust has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Directors 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 Directors in furtherance of their charitable objectives unless the funds have been designated for other purposes.
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.
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, net of discounts, VAT and other sales related taxes.
These are the costs of charitable activities.
Tangible fixed assets 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 bases:
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.
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). Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and intangible assets not yet available for use are tested for impairment annually, and whenever there is an indication that the asset may be impaired.
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.
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 Trust’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
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.
In the application of the Trust’s accounting policies, the Directors 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.
Donations and legacies - Unrestricted
Charitable activities - Unrestricted
The average number of (unpaid) employees during the year was four (no change to previous) year.
No remuneration was paid in the year
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Land and buildings with a carrying amount of £466,725 were revalued during 2013 by the trustees and no independent valuation has taken place. At 31 March 2013 the value of the land and buildings was not less than £625,000 in the opinion of the directors.
At 31 March 2025, had the revalued assets been carried at historic cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses, their carrying amount would have been approximately NIL (2024 - NIL)
The Trust is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).