The Independent Schools Christian Alliance
Report and Accounts Year ended 31 August 2023
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE PO Box 17634 Redditch B97 9RW GOVERNING DOCUMENT Declaration of Trust dated December 1994, amended April 1995 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1047025 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Rev. Alex Aldous MANAGING THE CHARITY Rev. Anthony Buckley (resigned November 2022) Sue Clark Rev. Jim Houghton Rev. Andrew Hutchinson Frankie Knight Raymond Maher (appointed April 2023) Rev. Alice Monaghan Elizabeth Nesbitt Norman Patterson Victor Selvaraj Antony Spencer Emma Taylor Joanna Wright BANKERS Barclays Bank UK plc INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
INDEX
Page 1 Legal and Administrative Details Pages 2-6 Trustees' Report Page 7 Independent Examiner's Report Page 8 Receipts and Payments Account Page 9 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Page 10 Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023
The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023
Objects of the charity
The charity, is constituted as a trust governed by a trust deed. The charity's principal objects, as set out in its governing document, are to promote and advance evangelical Christian education and to advance education generally, and to advance the Christian religion generally.
Summary of the charity's main activities and achievements
See pages 4 to 6 for full report.
Financial review
During the year (excluding the receipt of a loan and subsequent repayment in full), income increased by £1,460, to £40,540, and expenditure increased by £9,210, to £50,950. As a result the cash held by the charity decreased by £10,410, to £3,300, of which £3,100 is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.
Reserves policy
The Trust needs reserves to ensure it can fulfil and complete the charitable obligations and commitments it enters into.
The Trustees believe that the minimum level of reserves that are freely available from cash and investments for its general purposes should be the equivalent of six months’ operating costs (equivalent to approximately £20,000), reviewed annually.
At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £3,100.
The value of the COIF investment fund as at 30 June 2023 was £46,810. The investment figure is not included in the year end cash balances because investments can decrease as well as increase. Investments are held in a fund where same-day transfers can be made and as many times as may be required through the year. The Trustees are confident that these can be realised when needed in order to have freely available cash to comply with the reserves policy.
Funds in deficit
The charity has relied on the sale of investments to fund its annual deficit. The Trustees have agreed to launch a fundraising appeal early 2024 to reduce the deficit and build on cash reserves.
Governance
Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rest with the trustees who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the charity. New trustees are recruited and appointed by the existing trustees.
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Responsibilities of trustees
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
Approval
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
A. Aldous
Rev. Alex Aldous
Date: 29 February 2024
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Regd. Charity No. 1047025
Review of the Trust’s Activities:
1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023
The TISCA year begins in tandem with the schools’ academic year. Membership forms were sent out to all schools and individual members in August via email. We continued with the policy of preparing formal invoices for schools (and emailing these out with a personalised letter) which have in the past provided generous support for TISCA by paying a subscription as Foundation, Associate or Overseas’ Schools of TISCA. The response to this approach was again gratifying, with most of the schools paying up promptly and cheerfully. We have one Academy in membership, additional Schools in both categories and also a few more Overseas’ Schools (e.g. Bingham Academy, Ethiopia, and Grace International, Bangladesh). An encouraging number of individual members now pay their subscriptions by Standing Order (and many add in a gift, too), which provides a greater degree of financial security as we look to the future. Some 100 schools are now linked to TISCA, either through direct school membership or through individuals.
We have also added in a business/charity membership and this has led to several organisations, with which we liaise closely, join TISCA, including the Titus Trust, Rock UK, Kick and Good News for Everyone. They pay an annual fee of £100.
We produce two print editions of TISCA News and Views (TNV) each year – Autumn and Spring – and have updated their presentation, increased the number of pages and secured a few paid adverts / advertorials to offset costs. Some 650-700 copies are printed each time. This academic year we continued with a monthly e-TNV which generally contains two short articles and an occasional advertorial. These also go out by email to nearly 600 people and the response to this, and the upgraded print TNV, have been gratifying. Some schools have also asked to advertise vacancies on our platforms. For members this is free and nonmembers pay £50 per advert.
Over the course of this academic year the TISCA employees have continued to liaise with ACT (The Association of Christian Teachers), for prayer and some discussion. We have a MOU to encourage us to continue to work together in promoting events, to continue to share resources and to pray together. This is proving a very fruitful area of co-operation, not least because ACT focuses on the maintained sector whilst TISCA relates closely to the independent sector.
It was a delight to hold nine in-person meetings during the course of this academic year and we have retained three online evening gatherings (one per term) and also made many events hybrids. The online events were attended by between 20- 40 people each time, including delegates from Overseas and the Western Isles of Scotland. Paul Houghton of the
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Kingdom Bank, Ayo Awotona of ‘Joy Uplifts’ and Paul Blakey of ‘Street Angels’ were the main contributors. We have also continued weekly online prayer meeting for Chaplains and now run four very active closed WhatsApp groups for Heads, for Chaplains, for Senior Leaders and for Governors. A twice a term online prayer meeting is also offered for Heads.
Our Senior Prefect Training was offered as an online event only (the death of the Queen necessitated changes to school routines in the Autumn Term 2022) and was run this year by Monkton Combe School. Some 7 schools took part (c. 50 pupils), including two from Overseas (Hebron in India and Chengelo in Zambia). Once again the feedback was very positive, albeit disappointing that we hadn’t met in person.
The residential Chaplains’ Conference (March 2023) was a great success. Again held at the Elim Centre in Malvern, some 40 Chaplains attended in person and a few online. The theme was ‘Chaplains of Courage’ and we had several sessions led by serving Chaplains and visitors including Tim Abbott of ‘Prayer spaces in schools’, Stefan Smart of ‘I am’, a drama specialist, Keith Metcalfe (Head at Malvern College) and Pete English of ‘At a loss’, a bereavement charity. There was also a special evening session for Church of England chaplains in order to consider changes within that Church which are affecting the theology and practices of school chaplains.
Our annual Heads’ Meeting took place in May 2023 at Monkton Combe and followed the theme, ‘Discernment in Difficult Times’. Some Chairs of Governors also joined the discussions and reflections which centred on secular pressures facing schools with a Christian ethos. This was a follow-up to a Round Table meeting in Oxford in November 2022, attended by over 40 people, where we looked in detail at this pressures and suggested some ways forward, both of a legal nature and also in terms of close fellowship.
Regional meetings numbered eight across the year – a rise from our usual six because we went to Scotland in September 2022 and held some extra gatherings there (Livingston, Strathallan and Fettes). This was our first in-person visit to Scotland and proved to be mightily encouraging, also affording link-ups with Scripture Union, SIM (Serving in Mission) and CVE (Christian Vales Education). Our regional meetings were held in the South (Castle Court Prep School and Lambrook), the Midlands (Dean Close), the South East (Farringtons) and in the East (Heritage in Cambridge and Framingham in Suffolk). We were blessed with outside speakers for each and these including Bishop Sandy Millar, co-author of the Alpha course.
This year’s Keynote leadership conference (March 2023) was in Oxford and focussed on Senior Leaders in schools under the theme ‘Leading in the (lime) light’. It was led by two TISCA Trustees who are Heads and, whilst only attended by ten people, proved very effective and encouraging.
Our Annual Conference in June 2023 , held in Westminster as usual, was on the theme In His Image. We had outstanding contributions from a Chaplain (Alex Aldous, also a TISCA Trustee), Peter Woodroffe (Deputy CEO of the ISA), Liz Bewley of ‘One Life’ and Sarah Griffiths, head of Wellbeing at Caterham School. The conference was attended by 70
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people, mostly in person, and sponsored by two Christian charities. We also offered a series of ‘stalls’ manned by eight Christian organisations.
Over the course of the academic year, we have continued to meet regularly via Zoom in meetings with CCfE (Christian Coalition for Education) and the EA ’s (Evangelical Alliance) Education Forum. Key contacts continue to be forged with CST (Christian Schools’ Trust), CVE (Christian Values Education – Scotland), the Christian Institute and with Christian Concern. TISCA is also a member of the REC (Religious Education Council) and has been involved in the launch of a new RE network which is seeking to maintain the clarity of this subject in the face of pressures from worldviews. We continue to reach out to Christian governors and will offer them a special event next academic year.
Over the course of the year we have had a stable Trustees’ body , chaired by Revd Anthony Buckley. One new Trustee has joined, Mr Ray Maher, the Bursar at King Edward VI School in Southampton. As we plan ahead for 2023-4, we are hoping to add an additional part-time employee whose focus will be on supporting our growing network of School Chaplains. We are also launching a new membership category, Foundation Plus, to reflect the growing number of members which are now part of a ‘family’ of schools.
Our objectives are set to reflect the educational and charitable aims of TISCA. In setting our objectives and planning our activities the TISCA Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. They are satisfied that the activities described above provide clear and substantial public benefit.
Alastair Reid
General Secretary September 2023
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF
THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Independent Schools Christian Alliance ('the charity') for the year ended 31 August 2023 on pages 8 to 10 following.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and 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.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material 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 accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
J. Young
Jaimée Young
Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: 26 March 2024
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THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023
| Unrestricted | Funds | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Designated | Restricted | Total | Total | ||||||||
| Funds | Funds | Funds | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||||||
| Income receipts | ||||||||||||
| Donations | 8,460 | - | - | 8,460 | 9,061 | |||||||
| Gift aid receipts | 1,299 | - | - | 1,299 | 2,711 | |||||||
| Conference and other events | 14,193 | - | - | 14,193 | 7,162 | |||||||
| Membership subscriptions: | ||||||||||||
| School membership | 14,050 | - | - | 14,050 | 14,026 | |||||||
| Prefects Training | 683 | - | - | 683 | 400 | |||||||
| Investment income | 1,400 | - | - | 1,400 | 1,353 | |||||||
| HMRC refund | - | - | - | - | 3,345 | |||||||
| Other | 458 | - | - | 458 | 1,026 | |||||||
| 40,542 | - | - | 40,542 | 39,084 | ||||||||
| Capital and similar receipts | ||||||||||||
| Loan received | 5,000 | - | - | 5,000 | - | |||||||
| 5,000 | - | - | 5,000 | - | ||||||||
| Total receipts | 45,542 | - | - | 45,542 | 39,084 | |||||||
| Payments | ||||||||||||
| Payments in relation to activities undertaken directly |
charitable | 2 | 50,952 | - | - | 50,952 | 41,743 | |||||
| 50,952 | - | - | 50,952 | 41,743 | ||||||||
| Loan repaid | 5,000 | - | - | 5,000 | - | |||||||
| 5,000 | - | - | 5,000 | - | ||||||||
| Total payments | 55,952 | - | - | 55,952 | 41,743 | |||||||
| Net of receipts / transfers |
(payments) | before | (10,410) | - | - | (10,410) | (2,659) | |||||
| Transfers between funds | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Net movement in funds | (10,410) | - | - | (10,410) | (2,659) | |||||||
| Cash funds as at | last year end | 13,505 | - | 200 | 13,705 | 16,364 | ||||||
| Cash funds at this year end | A | 3,095 | - | 200 | 3,295 | 13,705 |
The notes on page 10 form part of these accounts.
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THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023
| A Cash funds Held at Bank Held in term deposits B Other monetary assets Gift aid due to charity Other debtors C Liabilities Falling due within one year: PAYE and pension Fee for Independent Examination |
General Designated funds funds £ £ 2,095 - 1,000 - 3,095 - - - 1,451 - 1,451 - 146 - 756 - 902 - Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted funds £ 200 - 200 - - - - - - |
Total 2023 £ 2,295 1,000 3,295 - 1,451 1,451 146 756 902 |
Total 2022 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6,705 7,000 |
||||
| 13,705 | ||||
| 132 - |
||||
| 132 | ||||
| 393 720 |
||||
| 1,113 |
D Assets retained for charity's own use
The charity owns no assets.
E Investment assets
COIF Charities Investment Fund
| Fund to which asset belongs General |
2023 £ 46,813 46,813 |
2022 £ |
|---|---|---|
| 45,446 | ||
| 45,446 |
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf
by A. Aldous date 29 February 2024
Rev. Alex Aldous
The notes on page 10 form part of these accounts.
Page 9
THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023
1 Accounting policies
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
| 2 Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly Employment costs and expenses Note 3 Conference costs and prefect training Software and support Insurance Post, printing and production of TISCA news Accounts and independent examination Travel Regional and trustee expenses Administration and other costs |
Unrestrict | Designated funds £ - - - - - - - - - - ed Funds |
Restricted Funds £ - - - - - - - - - - |
Total 2023 £ 27,612 10,959 1,156 876 4,816 720 1,970 304 2,539 50,952 |
Total 2022 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds £ 27,612 10,959 1,156 876 4,816 720 1,970 304 2,539 50,952 |
||||||
| 26,425 6,705 579 872 4,048 702 848 342 1,222 |
||||||
| 41,743 |
3 Transactions with related parties
At the year end the charity had two employees, to whom the employment costs above refer. No amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee, or to any person connected to them, other than expenses reimbursed on behalf of the charity.
| 4 Movement of funds General funds Restricted funds Training/conference fund Total funds |
Opening balance £ 13,505 13,505 200 200 13,705 |
Receipts £ 45,542 45,542 - - 45,542 |
Payments £ (55,952) (55,952) - - (55,952) |
Transfers £ - - - - |
Closing balance £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,095 | |||||
| 3,095 | |||||
| 200 | |||||
| 200 | |||||
| 3,295 |
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