THE PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION OF R A BUTLER ACADEMY INFANT AND JUNIOR SCHOOLS
TRUSTEES' REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2022 Registered Charity No. 1059789
R A BUTLER ACADEMY PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION
CONTENTS
Section A - Charity Information Section B - Trustees' Report Section C - Statement of Financial Activities Section D - Notes to the Accounts
– SECTION A CHARITY INFORMATION Charity Number 1059789
Trustees and Committee (to year ending 31 July 2022): Cherry Parker Trustee and Chair (Appointed Trustee 2021, Chair 2021 - 2022) Laura Back Trustee and Treasurer (Appointed 2021) Luciana Kavanagh Trustee and Committee member (Appointed 2018) Louise Colledge Trustee and Committee member (Appointed 2016) Jane McCluskey Committee member (and unofficial Vice Chair) Vicki Cross Committee member Charlotte Allen Committee member Kate Foley Committee member Kate Dodridge Committee member Helen Binns Committee member Ellie Peters Committee member Elena Fejdi Committee member Kelly Downes Committee member Marion Van Den Bussche Committee member
School contacts Emma Vincent Executive Headteacher Paul Belzar School Business Manager
Charity registered 13 December 1996
Constitution adopted 10 October 1996 and amended 28 September 2018
Registered address: R A Butler Academy Infant and Junior Schools, South Road, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3DG Bank: Lloyds Bank, 3 King Street, Saffron Walden CB10 1 HF Independent Examiner Luke Westwood SECTION B: TRUSTEES’ REPORT
R A BUTLER ACADEMY PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2021
The Trustees, who are referred to as the Committee, present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 July 2022.
REVIEW
Despite a challenging year emerging from the pandemic, the committee gained several active new committee members and held a wide range of successful fundraising events. Annual gross income was £34,018, a 17% increase on the previous year, with a profit of £22,962, broadly in line with the last two years.
Our most profitable event was our annual Summer Fayre, which provided a contribution of £6,112 – the highest-ever from this event – followed by our family camp-out RAB Fest with £3,202, which saw 64 pitches sell out in a record few hours, and a creatively reimagined Winter Magic programme, including a multi-hamper raffle with profit of £2,892.
A Pizza-Making Evening, and our much-loved Presents for Parents events ahead of Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, together with a second year of our 100 Club, made further valuable contributions, supplemented by a growing income stream from Easy Fundraising.
While the last three years of PTA fundraising at RA Butler have had to work differently due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the committee has risen to the challenge and found creative ways to engage the school community and continue to raise muchneeded funding.
We had an uncertain first half of 2021-22, our plan to run parent socials shelved, and our usual winter fundraising efforts substantially scaled back. Neither were we able to gain momentum from an initiative to introduce a class-rep system.
More positively, we have set a course for improving how the committee is run with a new system of sub-committee leads for fundraising events and automated banking. We were also able to bring back two major fundraisers, our Summer Fayre and
RAB Fest, in the summer term and have continued to use social media to help bring the school community together.
During the year 2021 – 2022, the PTA has provided £13,531 of funding support to the school, of which the largest item of spending was for schoolbooks. We were also delighted to be able to run a Year 6 disco, with gifted leavers’ autograph books and over 600 Christmas and Easter treats.
The PTA bank balance stands at £36k and we have approved several requests for large capital items of expenditure, including a new wellbeing hub, improvements to the reception playground.
We have also invited further creative proposals for spend from the school around extra-curricular activity that wouldn’t be possible otherwise and have agreed a new Teachers’ Fund worth £300 a year for each year group, which will be open to bids on a termly basis.
The PTA has limited resource and is seeking a new chair and committee members to help us do more in coming years to support RA Butler Academy to provide funds to help advance the education of learning of the pupils in the school.
The PTA benefited from the support of over 60 volunteers during 2021-22 and has asked the school to put class-reps in place for next year to improve resourcing and communication flows to help further develop our school community.
We would like to thank everyone in the RA Butler school community who has supported our fundraising efforts over the year.
ORGANISATION
The RAB PTA is a Charitable Organisation made up of a small group of parents and guardians who volunteer and work hand in hand with R A Butler Academy. This includes the involvement of Paul Belzar, School Business Manager.
The Committee, which is elected by the members annually at the AGM, manages the PTA. This Committee organises events, with the help of the main body of members, to raise funds. These funds are then distributed by Committee decision.
There have been no material changes in either the objectives or policies since the last Annual General Meeting.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The object of the RAB PTA is to advance the education of pupils in the schools. In furtherance of this objective the Association may:
Develop the more extended relationships between the staff, parents and others associated with the schools.
Engage in activities which support the schools and advance the education of the pupils attending them.
Provide and assist in the provision of such facilities or items of education at the schools (not provided from statutory funds) as the Committee in consultation with the Governing Body shall from time to time determine. The principal activities of the Charity each year are to raise funds primarily from parental contributions and to remit these funds to R A Butler Academy as required.
PUBLIC BENEFIT
The Trustees confirm that, in determining the activities of the Charity, they have paid regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Signed
Back
(Cherry Parker)
(Laura Back)
R A BUTLER ACADEMY PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION FUTURE PLANS AND COMMITMENTS
It is not the policy of the PTA to commit future Committees to any expenditure prior to funds being available.
VOLUNTARY ASSISTANCE
We wish to thank all committee members for their
extraordinary and unwavering voluntary help throughout the year, challenging as it was. The PTA and volunteers should be proud of their success in income generation as a continued demonstration of their commitment to R A Butler Academy.
– SECTION C STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
After costs, RAB PTA raised £34,018 from its fundraising and events throughout the year. The overall surplus for the year was £22,962.
Amounts totalling £11,056 were expensed in respect of charitable activities and a new bank transfer system with dual authorisation was set up to expedite payments.
In total, the PTA donated £13,531 to the school in the year 2021-22, a lower amount than committee members consider ideal.
The PTA aims to hold reserves of no more than £30,000 and no less than £5,000 to finance the running of the PTA for the following year and to cover the costs of any items the school requests. Total reserves carried forward as 31 July 2021 were £36,000.
All funds held by the PTA are unrestricted.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
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Signature (s)
Laura Back
Full name (s) Cherry Parker Laura Back
Position Chair 2021-22 and Treasurer and
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Trustee (2021 to trustee (2021 to
date) date)
Date 06-09-2022 06-09-2022
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– SECTION D NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS 1.1 BASIS OF ACCOUNTING
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Association.
The financial statements have been prepared using cash accounting rather than on an accrual basis.
1.2 Going Concern
At the time of approving the financial statements, the Committee members have a reasonable expectation that the Association has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the Committee members 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 Committee members in furtherance of their charitable objectives unless the funds have been designated for other purposes.
1.4 Expenditure
Expenditure is recognised in the period in which it is incurred.