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← Surrey Satro

2025-08-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2024-25

www.SATRO.org.uk Charity Registration Number 1040572 Company Registration Number 02957349 (England and Wales)

Contents

Welcome 03
Objectives and Activities 05
Our Vision and Strategy 06
Achievements and Performance 08
Primary Programme 08
Secondary Programme 10
Post-16 Programme 13
Structure, Governance and Management 22
Legal and Adminstrative Information 26
Independent Examiners Report 27
Statement of Financial Activities 28

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Welcome

From the Chairman

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the annual report for the 2024-25 academic year.

SATRO continued to thrive and grow through the provision of our ongoing services: MultiSchool Events, Vocational Construction, STEM & Employability Workshops, Mentoring and Research Work Placements (RWP) There have been a number of additional events/activities as SATRO continues to change in response to the needs of our Region, these are outlined below.

The Board of Trustees, supported by our CEO and senior management team, has developed our new 3 Year Strategy.

In addition, there have been some changes to the Board and I would like to thank Sarah Flew and Oli Chun, who have retired as trustees for their support for and contribution to the work of SATRO over many years. I am also delighted that we have been joined by three new trustees, Garry Bhela, Russell Bond and Toby Wyithe. They all bring significant professional expertise, as well as a strong commitment to our mission, and the SATRO team is grateful for their advice, guidance and time.

SATRO would not be able to thrive and grow without your support, whether you are funders, volunteers, participating schools or SATRO staff and Trustees, I’d like to thank you all for your vital and continuing support.

Shash Patel

Chair of Trustees

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Welcome

From the Chief Executive

This was my first full year as Chief Executive and I want to start by saying a huge thank you to the schools, companies, volunteers and colleagues who have helped to deliver so many inspiring and impactful experiences for the young people we work with.

As you will read in the following pages, 2024/25 was a very busy year, with successful multischool events including STEMfest, CONSTRUCTIONfest and Girls into STEM. Our annual Problem Solving Challenge continued, now expanded to include a Primary School competition, and we were delighted to support Gulfstream with its first annual corporate challenge.

Our primary STEM workshops remain popular and, as well as being fun and interactive, help to create positive associations with STEM subjects. We were also able to increase the number of home-educated young people who benefited from workshops designed to support their learning.

This year’s Research Work Placement Programme was our largest ever, with 92 students working on 25 projects. This popular programme would not be possible without the support and commitment from the companies and research teams who give their time to design and supervise these projects, and we are incredibly grateful to them.

We also launched our new Alumni Network, intended to help those who have been through our programmes make connections and develop networks which will support them into work. A huge than you to L&G for hosting the launch event.

There continued to be strong demand for our Vocational Construction Skills programme, which we were able to deliver in more schools. We were also pleased to see the impact the introduction of AQA Awards alongside the BTEC has had on student achievement, and the positive benefit on future opportunities for those students.

We took the opportunity of our 30th anniversary year to reflect on and refresh our vision and mission and adopt a new three-year strategy. The Trustees are pleased to share with you later in this report our plans for how we intend to fulfil our purpose. All of us at SATRO are excited by the potential of these new plans to create inspiring opportunities for the young people we want to help be better prepared for the world of work.

We were also particularly pleased to be invited to participate in research carried out by Surrey University on behalf of the High Sheriff of Surrey to better understand the reasons why young people become NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). We believe that SATRO has an important part to play in creating solutions which help to prevent young people from becoming NEET, and we look forward to continuing to support this work.

Thank you to everyone who has supported SATRO over the past year, we all look forward to continuing to work with you.

Andrew Whitby-Collins

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Chief Executive

Objectives and Activities

SATRO is an education and skills charity with a reach across Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and South-West London.

We work in all educational settings, partnering with employers to inspire and raise the aspirations of students of all abilities and backgrounds, and give them opportunities to develop the skills and confidence they will need to be ready for the world of work.

STEM, in its broadest sense, is at the heart of what we do. Our partnerships reflect the wide diversity of sectors, and jobs available, and our activities seek to inspire students’ ambitions in those industries and, especially at primary school, a love of STEM subjects.

Our activities are centred around two main themes:

Skills, Confidence and Aspiration:

Vocational Pathways:

In-school skills workshops, multi-school challenges and events, research projects and mentoring partnerships which challenge perceptions, raise aspirations, increase confidence and prepare students for their next steps in education, training or employment.

Delivering AQA and BTEC Level 1 construction qualifications, practical construction workshops and SEN independent skills training from school age to young adults.

All areas of our work directly involve employers in the development of real-world experiences and career understanding, including the involvement of staff as volunteers in delivery. We support students of all abilities and are particularly keen to ensure that young people who lack access to opportunities to be inspired and develop the key skills they will need, and those at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), are able to benefit from our programmes.

Charitable Objectives set out in the Memorandum and Articles:

The advancement of education, principally but not exclusively in the County of Surrey, in particular but not exclusively by educating young people in science, technology and business practice, and associated skills.

Public Benefit

The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

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Our Vision and Strategy

We took the opportunity of our 30th anniversary year to look ahead to the future of SATRO and refresh our vision and mission.

Our Vision

That all young people have opportunities to explore their potential and develop skills and confidence to pursue fulfilling careers.

Our Mission

To raise the aspirations of young people for their future, and through engagement with inspirational people from a wide range of businesses, particularly STEM, help them develop the skills and confidence needed to be work ready.

Our Strategy 2025 -28

Key to being able to fulfil our mission are our relationships with schools, volunteers and businesses, without whom we could not improve outcomes for the young people we work with.

A central focus of our efforts over the next few years will be to deepen and strengthen those relationships to improve outcomes and deliver greater impact through our activities. We want to reinforce our place as a trusted partner in raising young people’s aspirations, and supporting companies to influence the acquisition and development of key skills which will better prepare their future talent for the world of work.

Future Plans

Our educational and business partnerships are central to the following ways in which we want to see SATRO develop:

SATRO Steps

We will develop our Skills, Confidence and Aspiration offer into a comprehensive programme that progressively develops, from year 7 through to year 11, essential life and employability skills, knowledge and careers awareness.

Participating students will be better able, and feel more confident, to take key decisions about their future, and be on the way to being work ready. Steps will also help schools deliver against the Gatsby benchmarks and meet the requirements of the CEC modern work experience model.

We want to grow that to support more schools and in time extend it to include year 6.

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Our own education space

SATRO will set up and operate from a new workshop space in Guildford (in one of the most deprived wards in Surrey as assessed by the Index of Multiple Deprivation). This will enable us to move beyond education settings to work with young people most in need of support. We will be able to support schools without the numbers to engage us to deliver on site, as well as schools and statutory authorities in need of educational options for, in particular, disengaged students, those with special educational needs, looked after children, those in the youth justice system and others at greater risk of becoming NEET.

Vocational Skills

We will expand our existing construction skills programme into a wider vocational skills programme to include Level 1 vocational stage & screen technical skills and Level 2 construction skills, with the potential for further development if need is identified. As well as helping us to increase the reach of our programmes to support those at risk of becoming NEET, we hope to increase the number of girls on our vocational skills programmes.

Collaborating on efforts to support those at Risk of NEET

We will continue to contribute to the community of practice established in response to the Unseen Surrey report commissioned by the High Sherrif. We will collaborate on the development of programmes targeted at preventing young people becoming NEET, which will build on our expertise in mentoring and utilise our new education space.

Increasing our engagement with girls

We will seek new partners to help us expand our Girls Into STEM event, with aim of holding more across Surrey, and in so doing raise the profile of more businesses by giving them opportunities to engage with and inspire future talent.

We will also introduce a new vocational skills programme which we hope will have greater appeal to girls.

SATRO Alumni Network

We will establish a network for students and businesses with a programme of activities (events, webinars, masterclasses) which help our alumni network continue to develop skills and make connections that will help them enter the workforce. This will be open to all students who have participated in a SATRO programme, including Research Work Placements and Vocational Skills.

We believe that this will also help build and strengthen relationships with corporate partners who we want to help engage with future talent, and who we hope will support by hosting events or webinars.

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Increase the number of volunteers

We will grow our network of volunteers to support the growth of our programmes and create more opportunities for young people to be inspired about potential future careers. We will also support businesses to develop their staff, reach out into the community and engage with young people by providing opportunities to share their stories, engage through hands-on workshops, challenges and activities and inspire the future workforce.

Supporting Careers Leads

We will continue to develop our relationships with Careers Leads by establishing a regular forum for feedback and sharing advice. This will help us to better understand how we can develop our programmes to meet their objectives and improve student outcomes.

Achievments and Performance

Skills, Confidence and Aspiration

Primary Programme

We delivered 91 workshops to schools across Surrey and the surrounding counties, including The Science of Health, CSI Goldilocks, Coding, Forces and Magnets, and Electricity. Thanks to some funding from Guildford Poyle Charities we were able to deliver workshops in a number of schools in areas of high need. This has helped us either start or develop positive relationships with those schools and delivery will continue into the 20252026 academic year.

Thanks to the support of the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund we were able to develop a new rural roads workshop with a focus on improving road safety and awareness in rural areas as well as sustainability. We delivered this hands-on, interactive workshop in three primary schools, reaching 193 students.

We also continued to deliver bespoke programmes in a number of SEND schools, with a focus on Coding and Animation.

Our Primary Problem Solving Challenge has continued to grow and develop, with 138 students across three heats participating this academic year, along with a final at Guildford College. The students were challenged to create a marble run which lasted as close to 10 seconds as possible. After a hotly fought contest the results were:

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Home Educated Young People

Our events for home educated students continued this year, with 165 students joining us across 3 events at Brooklands Museum.

The students participated in activities ranging from decoding secret messages, creating model molecules and building and coding vehicles. They were also invited to watch demonstrations of chemistry practical work, such as ‘elephant’s toothpaste’.

These events are designed as drop in sessions to introduce home educated students to a variety of science topics, across all areas of science and STEM careers. They are inclusive events, which aim to help and support young people with high levels of anxiety in educational settings.

Feedback from parents on these events has been extremely positive. They have said that there are no other similar events in the local area, and that they “inspired and created opportunities to work together and converse” and “all the activities were very engaging with a wide range, something for everyone”.

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Secondary Programme

Employability Workshops

These interactive virtual workshops bring students into contact with volunteers from business to learn about the different roles available, explore with them their career pathways and gain an understanding of the skills and qualifications they need to follow their own routes to work.

They have continued to grow in popularity and will be incorporated into the Steps pilots which will start in 25/26. The workshops were originally developed in partnership with L&G and have proved to be very successful both with students but also within L&G for staff engagement.

After the initial roll-out they have been revised to place more emphasis on skills and now incorporate more time for students to reflect on their own skills. They will now be made available to other companies and to the wider volunteer network which will allow for variety and flexibility for different cohorts of students.

From a teacher after a workshop:

“It was a really enjoyable and interesting morning where students learned about the many different jobs available in this huge company. But crucially, it gave them the opportunity to try their hand at the key skills of researching, communicating and presenting. Well done to all those Year 9 students who took part and impressed our hosts with the focus and effort they brought to this challenge.”

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Mentoring

Mentoring improves student confidence and employability skills awareness. Very often improvements in academic performance follow.

Our successful mentoring programmes continued in Broadwater School, Bohunt Farnborough and Cobham Free School, and we started a new programme at Applemore College. We are very grateful for the support we receive from AB CarVal, BMW, HEON and Synamedia who provide mentors and help make this programme possible.

Our mentors provided almost 600 hours of support for the students who were almost all attracting pupil premium and who were felt to be at the risk of disengaging – often because of poor self-confidence or a lack of support from other directions.

One mentor said:

“It's often said that both the mentor and the mentee benefit from the relationship, and this was very much the case in my experience. Working with my student over 2 years gave us the opportunity to build a relationship based on mutual trust, and it was incredibly rewarding to watch them grow, and develop, and build a plan for their future. It can be challenging at times, but those are the times that make the breakthroughs all the more valuable.”

STEMfest

Another successful SATRO STEMfest took place in March, continuing its tradition as a flagship annual showcase of STEM opportunities for young people.

This year’s event brought together 21 schools and 252 students, who participated in three dynamic sessions packed with innovative and engaging STEM activities. These sessions were delivered by 20 leading companies, offering students a diverse insight into STEM careers across a wide range of disciplines.

Students experienced a full day of hands-on learning, including:

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The event concluded with an inspiring keynote from Dr Juliet Jones of NatureMetrics, who shared insights into the cutting-edge work her company undertakes and her own career journey within STEM.

SATRO STEMfest continues to be a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with industry partners and deliver an inspiring, engaging, and fun experience that helps young people envision themselves in a wide range of STEM careers.

Problem Solving Challenge

Our 2025 Problem Solving Challenge was again kindly supported by Air Products. This annual event is designed to equip students with essential future-ready skills through handson engineering tasks. It fosters creativity by encouraging students to develop and refine ideas using the engineering cycle, while also building resilience and adaptability under strict time constraints.

This year 582 students from 40 schools competed across five heats to design, make and test a solution to a set problem using only the materials provided. The winning teams from each key stage at each heat progress to the final. Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Key Stage 3 – St Bede’s School Key Stage 4 – Claremont Fan Court School Key Stage 5 – Godalming College

This year, we introduced a new pre-challenge initiative to provide practice problems and additional support from Fluor engineers.

The Challenge wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers from STEM industries who play a vital role by supporting students, ensuring compliance with competition rules, and judging the finished products. They consistently report the experience as highly rewarding, offering a unique opportunity to witness creativity under pressure and inspire the next generation of problem-solvers. To all of you we say a huge thank you.

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Corporate Challenges

We were delighted to add to our programme of corporate challenges by collaborating with Gulfstream to deliver the inaugural Gulfstream School Innovation Challenge at Gulfstream’s Farnborough facility in April 2025.

This innovative event provided 84 students from seven schools with a unique opportunity to engage in a real-world aviation engineering challenge designed by Gulfstream’s apprentice team. The day comprised a design consultation and advice phase, followed by construction and testing, culminating in team presentations to a panel of Gulfstream professionals.

Feedback from participants demonstrated significant impact: all students reported that they found the challenge enjoyable, gained a better understanding of Gulfstream and the range of job roles available and had reinforced, or developed a greater interest in pursuing STEM careers. They also felt they had enhanced key employability skills such as teamwork, problem solving, and time management.

This initiative highlights the value of industry-led engagement in inspiring the next generation of engineers and strengthening pathways between education and employment.

Post-16 Programme

Research Work Placements

Our Research Work Placement programme is an opportunity for year 12 students to gain experience of working with a business or academic team on a short research project that is relevant to both the student's studies or future plans and the supervising organisations’ objectives.

We are delighted that 2024/25 has been the largest programme so far, with 92 students completing projects chosen from 25 diverse possibilities covering AI, sustainability, methane reduction and marketing as well as physics, chemistry, engineering & many more. We also welcomed four new providers to the programme.

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Students
92 17 25
Students Companies & Academic Research Projects
Teams
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Thanks to the increasing popularity of the programme, due to students’ desire to get first hand experience in the world of work, this year we introduced a two fold application process with the students asked to submit a video to support their application. This had the added benefit of helping to better match students to projects.

As well as a wide range of research areas, students benefit from site visits, expert advice and guidance. This year all the students were offered support with workshops on referencing and scientific posters, and many took up the opportunity of virtual practice interviews as well.

Some projects are undertaken individually and some in groups, and results are presented in a variety of ways including films, papers, scientific posters and presentations. The presentations this year were made to industry experts, companies and even a representative from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero.

Projects qualify for the Crest Gold Award, which furthers students' university applications. The programme culminated in a celebration evening where students showcased their projects, met other participants and networked with representatives from the supporting companies. We are very grateful to British Land and LGC Group for letting us use the fantastic Priestley Building on Surrey Research Park and giving us tours of their new labs.

Feedback from students and providers alike has demonstrated the positive impact:

“ David and the team were supportive and approachable throughout, offering clear guidance and feedback that helped me develop my project to a high standard.” ANS Student

“I really enjoyed working on this project and found the experience to be both engaging and insightful. It has also given me a deeper understanding of how research can be applied in practice.” Thakeham Student

“The program, gives a great platform to the students. Your organisation’s goal and activities are really touching many lives.” KBC Global

“ Our employee’s coaching skills really paid off - the change between the first meeting I sat in on and yesterday for both students was simply transformational. Success all round! ” Molecular Medical

The students were all invited to join our Alumni network.

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Alumni Network

We launched our new Alumni Network in June, kindly hosted by L&G in their London office.

The network has been created to help our alumni continue to develop skills and make connections that will help them enter the workforce. It will be open to all students who have participated in a SATRO programme, including Research Work Placements, Problem Solving Challenges and Vocational Skills. We believe that this will also help build and strengthen relationships with corporate partners who we want to help engage with future talent.

The launch event involved a master class for alumni, followed by networking for which we were joined by a number of our corporate partners and RWP providers. As a result of the networking four students attended company insight days during their university break, and another found work during the summer holidays.

As the Network gets up and running, we have been gathering data from alumni to see how we can properly support them as they take their next steps. The interest from our students has been very encouraging and we look forward to growing the Network and reaching more of our students over the next few years. We already have webinars, a LinkedIn group and in person events planned for 2025-26.

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Emma, a student at Godalming College and member of the winning Key Stage 5 team in this year’s Problem Solving Challenge took up the opportunity to join the Alumni Network from the start. She attended the Alumni Launch and went on to take part in the Research Work Placement programme on a project designed by Future Biogas, which also gave her the opportunity for in person visits to their laboratories.

This gave her the opportunity to attend our annual RWP showcase, present her work and network with other participants and employers. Emma is now a member of our alumni network, joining our LinkedIn group and attending online and in-person events.

“ I have really appreciated all the opportunities SATRO have provided me with since I first took part in their Problem Solving Challenge.

“ Attending the networking event in London gave me the chance to talk to businesses and other students, building my confidence in a corporate environment - something that you can't learn in the classroom! I was also incredibly grateful to be offered a Research Work Placement with a local company, as this gave me a unique experience to put on my Personal Statement when applying to university, as well as lab-based and communication skills that I can apply to my future career.” Emma

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Vocational Pathways

Vocational Construction Skills

The SATRO vocational construction skills programme is a weekly 2-hour session in years 10 and 11 (the GCSE years) during which students develop skills in carpentry, plumbing and electrics as well as modules on planning for next steps and being organised. There is also an additional module, minor repairs in the home, which can be added to the course where appropriate.

Participating students work towards either a BTEC Level 1 Award (if only studying for one year) or Certificate (the two-year course) or for some students, particularly those in SEN settings or with low attendance they are able to gain recognition of their achievements with AQA Unit Awards. A SATRO construction tutor goes to the school with all the tools and materials needed for the session and is supported by a school teaching assistant.

The SATRO Education Lead is responsible for ensuring quality control and that the standard of all assessments is verified. The team is also supported by a programme manager who is responsible for the administration of the programme including tutor support, qualification management and school liaison.

Results

This year we have delivered vocational construction skills to a total of 435 students, of whom 243 completed a qualification, either a BTEC Level 1 Certificate, a BTEC Level 1 Award, or an AQA Unit Award. The rest will continue on to the next year.

The introduction of AQA Unit Awards has continued to be popular and has been incredibly beneficial, especially for SEN students. This year 44 students achieved AQA Unit Awards, ranging from one Award to eight students who got 11 Unit Awards each.

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Vocational Construction Results 2025
BTEC
Certificate
Distinction
4%
BTEC
18%
Certificate
Merit
18%
8%
BTEC
Certificate
Pass
19%
BTEC Award Pass
17%
BTEC Award
BTEC Award Merit Distinction
14% 2%
----- End of picture text -----

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We have also introduced new certificates of achievement for year 10 students at the end of their first year of the course, which have proved very popular. This is to recognise their achievements and the modules they have completed, as formal recognition of their success from BTEC does not come until the end of the course and we wanted to encourage them at the mid-way point.

School Feedback and Case Studies

We gather feedback from schools and are pleased to share a selection of comments about the benefits and impact of the Vocational Construction Skills programme:

" Students have engaged and interacted well in course. Many have cited it as their favourite part of the school day’.

"The impact on the students has always been positive. They have gained an understanding about construction, not just the practical side but the theory that goes with it (costing, safety regulations, how to earn a living). The tutor delivers a great lesson where he helps them to understand the construction industry demonstrating the positive and effective ways of communication’.

"Some of the often-disengaged students come and settle in and enjoy the lesson and are happy they achieve something tangible and have great pride when take their work home. "Of the six students, three plan apprenticeships, two plan to complete college course and one is yet to choose. This shows that for many of the students this has been a direct avenue to their further educational and career progression."

“This course is coursework focussed and has therefore kept our disaffected students engaged and given them an opportunity to achieve. Students take ownership of their work and build on their carpentry skills. They can contribute ideas towards the design of their project, and they can take their work home. This is something that has been highly popular as it encourages them to take pride in their work and have something positive to take home. It has been lovely to see photographs of the students work at their home.

“One student relentlessly contacted local companies, seeking an apprenticeship in electrics. The company were so impressed with his portfolio of work from the construction course that they hired him as soon as he left school after his GCSEs. They usually only take apprenticeships at the age of 18 years”.

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From an SEN School:

"Most importantly for students at [our school], they will have developed a sense of resilience which supports their self-esteem. Within [school], learners’ experiences are structured around success and therefore learners struggle with their resilience once they transition into college. SATRO courses support learners to understand that their work can be taken apart and re-done, in a safe supported environment. This supports them in understanding that they can have faith in their own ability outside of the [school] environment.

"ConstructionFest has been invaluable to learners in understanding what careers are open to our young people, and the fact that some of the presenters have had difficulties within formal learning as well and yet been successful.

"Finally, Kev, our instructor has had an incredible impact on learners. By giving them the opportunity to be taught by someone external to the school, who understands and supports their needs, helps the learners social skills and being able to trust a wider range of people. SATRO supports some of our learners within their chosen career paths and supports them in moving onto their college course."

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CONSTRUCTIONfest

ConstructionFest has become a firmly established part of the academic year. The purpose of the day is to introduce students to a range of companies in the construction sector, take them through the different pathways they could take to get into the construction industry, practice some valuable team-building skills and network with a variety of companies and tradespeople from across the industry.

The day contains pathway workshops, which this year were led by Activate Learning, Ringway and the Army, company stands with a short, hands-on activity, which this year included Balfour Beatty, Bam, Beard, Niblock, Thakeham and Uvex, and careers speed-networking, for which we were joined by AtkinsRealis and Higgins amongst others. The day also helps the schools to meet Gatsby benchmarks, a framework that sets out what careers provision in education should look like, which schools are required to use. In particular the day helps meet benchmark 2: ‘Learning from careers and labour market information’ and benchmark 5: ‘Encounters with employers and employees’ and benchmark 7: ‘Encounters with further and higher education’.

Level 2 BTEC

We have begun the development of a BTEC Level 2 course thanks the generous support of the Shanly Foundation, enabling our Education Lead and construction tutors to develop the syllabus and work with schools to discuss the feasibility of running the course. Two schools have agreed in principle to pilot the Level 2 course, which, given the lead time needed, will begin in the 26/27 academic year.

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Built Environment Festival (BEfest)

Plans for this new festival, targeted at students studying higher level qualifications with a focus on careers in the built environment sector, including surveying, architecture, and environmental mapping have also progressed well. The first festival took place on 9 October 2025.

During the year under review we designed the event, identified suitable companies to participate, and made new contacts where necessary. We also produced explanatory material and signed up companies and schools to take part.

Volunteers

Volunteers are the lifeblood of SATRO and essential to our ability to engage and inspire young people, raise their aspirations and help them develop the skills and confidence they need. We recognise the importance of developing and maintaining our relationships with volunteers and with volunteer coordinators in many of the companies we work with. To that end we have introduced new recruitment and onboarding processes to help us better understand each person’s interest in volunteering, what they are hoping to bring to and get out of the experience and where they can make the greatest impact.

We have also improved our resources to help volunteers understand what is expected of them in each of our activities, as well as the regularity of our communications and the sharing of opportunities to get involved. One of our industry volunteers shared his experience:

“SATRO has been instrumental in providing students an insight into the challenges they will face in a working environment and helps in terms of early stage career thinking. From a volunteer perspective, it is satisfying to give something back as students begin to shape the life ahead of them. SATRO really delivers on the day in engaging all, and the challenges are well thought through, and you sense each school appreciates what value SATRO brings and there is a good working relationship.”

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Structure, Governance and Management

Surrey SATRO is a charitable company limited by guarantee. The affairs of the charity are regulated by its Memorandum and Articles of Association and governed by the Board of Trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law. The names of all those who were Trustees on the date of this report or who served as a trustee in the reporting period are shown on the legal and administration page.

Trustees are appointed, elected or re-elected for a fixed term, according to the procedures set out in the charity’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. New Trustees are recruited by advertisement and/ or recommendation by existing Trustees or our network of supporters; the Chairman is tasked with ensuring that we have a diverse set of candidates. They are initially offered the opportunity to observe a Board meeting and are interviewed by the Chairman and CEO. If successful, their appointment is confirmed at a Board meeting. A structured induction programme is agreed and implemented for each new Trustee, covering all aspects of the role and the organisation. They are required to have an enhanced DBS check.

Trustees have a five-point training/ awareness plan which has been developed to ensure all Trustees reach a base level of knowledge of SATRO's objectives, governance, and operations. In addition, a "special interests" document is maintained outlining each Trustee's areas of expertise and SATRO's expectations of them.

Trustees participate in SATRO’s school activities in a number of ways, including as judges of our popular Problem Solving Challenge, volunteering as advisers and negotiators in our Business & Enterprise Challenge, in our Career Speed Networking, or supporting our Research Work Placement programme.

All Trustees are required to provide information on potential conflicts of interests and related parties. A Code of Conduct is in place to manage any potential conflicts.

The Board ensures that the charity operates in compliance with all relevant UK legislation and regulations. We have initiated an annual governance audit and monitor performance and put in place measures to ensure improvement. The Board's work includes setting SATRO’s strategic direction, agreeing the financial plan and monitoring performance against it. Matters reserved for the Board are set out clearly and include the appointment of a CEO who is responsible for the day to day running of the organisation.

The Board has appointed three standing committees of Trustees:

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Risk Management and Mitigation

The charity maintains a register of identified risks which is updated as necessary and reviewed on a six-monthly basis by the Risk Committee, which reports to the Board at each subsequent meeting of the Trustees.

The Trustees consider the main risks to the charity, and the steps taken to mitigate them are:

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Employees

SATRO is fortunate to have a dedicated and passionate team of people who are committed to helping the charity achieve its aims and impact the lives of the young people we work with. They regularly go above and beyond and we wish to express our gratitude for their contribution to the outcomes we have been able to achieve over the past year.

SATRO had no employees receiving in excess of £60,000 p.a. in 2024/ 25. The CEO is not a Trustee and does not have the responsibilities of a statutory director.

Financial Review

This year saw a £65,001 surplus (2024: £5,924 surplus) with income of £867,452 (2024: £778,032), an increase of 11% and expenditure of £802,451 (2024: £772,108) an increase of 4%. We continue to believe that diversity of income sources is the best way to provide a stable base for the Charity's growth. Our long-term plans anticipate an increase in our operational activity, which will require a commensurate increase in our reserves. As this will need to come from surpluses we will use some of this year’s surplus for that purpose and some to fund the planned deficit of expenditure over income in 25/26.

We are mindful of the continued pressures on school budgets and we intend to recruit a new Business Development Manager in the 25/26 year to help realise our strategic ambitions and minimise the cost of our services to schools.

The need for investment in our plans for the future as outlined earlier in this report means that the Trustees anticipate that in 2025/26 there will be a small deficit as it is forecast that expenditure will exceed income.

Where our income came from

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Investment
Income
2%
Donations
34%
Charitable
Activities
63%
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How our income was spent
Raising Funds
3%
Charitable
Activities
97%
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Investment Policy

Surplus funds are invested only in short-term interest-bearing accounts with the charity’s principal banker and in short- to medium-term fixed term interest bearing accounts with banks up to the threshold for protection under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This policy is considered by the Trustees to be appropriately conservative with little financial risk.

Reserves Policy

The Reserves Policy is based on a detailed assessment of the operations and financial risks of SATRO, including assessment of the reliability of future funding sources, the cost base and any financial commitments. The Trustees take into account the need:

Taking those factors into account, as well as rising costs of staffing, materials and overheads including utilities, and based on our financial plan for 2025/26 the Trustees have concluded that the charity needs to maintain free unrestricted reserves (general reserves less funds not readily available for spending e.g. fixed assets) of £386,000. The policy is subject to annual review and effective interim monitoring of the financial situation. Overall, the free reserves at the year-end were £471,968.

Going Concern

The Trustees recognise that the coming years will be difficult for funding but are reassured by the income from services which continues to be strong due to the need from schools. We continue to place importance on reducing operating costs and diversifying our income to ensure our long-term viability. We aim to maintain our reputation for quality and high impact outcomes of our programme whilst continuing our commitment to innovation and growing and strengthening our relationships. We will continue to invest in the future whilst continuing our tight management of income and costs. The Trustees will continue to regularly review financial forecasts against the budget to ensure that we remain confident of being able to secure adequate funding for SATRO’s activities. Consequently, the Trustees consider it entirely appropriate to prepare the accounts on a going concern basis.

The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees on 28th January 2026.

Mr S N Patel (Chairman)

Trustee

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28th January 2026

Legal and Administrative Information

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Independent Examiners Report

To the Trustees of Surrey SATRO

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Surrey SATRO (the charity) for the year ended 31 August 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

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.

Independent examiner's statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed. in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies. 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:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.

  2. 2.the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

  3. 3.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

  4. 4.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.

Debra Saunders FCA

Azets Audit Services Ashcombe Court, Woolsack Way Godalming, Surrey GU7 1LQ

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rd

3 February 2026

Statement of Financial Activities

Including Income and Expenditure Account For the Year Ended August 31st 2025

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006

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Statement of Financial Activities

Including Income and Expenditure Account For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Balance Sheet

As At August 31st 2025

The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 August 2025.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006

with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject

to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 28 January 2026.

Mr S N Patel (Chairman)

Trustee

Company registration number 02957349 (England and Wales)

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Cash Flow For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements

For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

1 Accounting policies

Charity information

Surrey SATRO is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Surrey Technology Centre, 40 Occam Road, Surrey Research Park, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7YG, United Kingdom.

1.1 Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Articles of Association, 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 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.

1.2 Going concern

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.

1.3 Charitable funds

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.

1.4 Income

Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received. 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. Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

1.5 Expenditure

All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, the outflow of

funds is probable, and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading to aggregate similar costs to that category. All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories in the Statement of Financial Activities on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly; others are apportioned on an appropriate basis which reflects the use of the resources. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular activity, for example, support and governance costs, these have been allocated on a 67% : 33% split between Construction and STEM & Employability within charitable activities. The charity has reviewed their activities and, based on the use of resources, has ascertained that this allocation between Construction and STEM & Employability is an accurate reflection of the charity's affairs.

1 .6 Tangible fixed assets

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.

Capitalisation policy

Fixed assets purchased above the limit of £2,000 are capitalised.

1.7 Impairment of fixed assets

At each reporting end date, the charity 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).

1.8 Cash and cash equivalents

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.

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

1.9 Financial instruments

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

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

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.

Derecognition of financial liabilities

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

1.10 Employee benefits

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 charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

1.11 Retirement benefits

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

For The Year Ended August 31st 2025

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