2024-03-31-accounts

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John Schofield Trust

Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

Charity number: 1061065 England and Wales

SCO52921 Scotland

20206396 Republic of Ireland

Registered address: PO Box 108, Haslemere GU27 9GU

Objectives of the John Schofield Trust ................................................................................................................ 3 Theory of change.......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Governance of the Trust............................................................................................................................................ 3 Charity registration in Scotland ............................................................................................................................. 4 John Schofield Trust/RTS Emerging Talent of the Year Award ............................................................... 4 Susie Schofield awarded MBE ................................................................................................................................ 4 The Fellowship.............................................................................................................................................................. 5 John Schofield Trust mentoring scheme for early career journalists ............................................... 5 University Student Fellowship pilot ............................................................................................................... 7 Masterclasses and networking events ........................................................................................................... 8 Journalism Cares .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Communications .......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Social media .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 E-newsletter .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Fundraising .................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Staffing .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Regulatory and Trust policies ............................................................................................................................. 10 Income and expenditure ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Gift Aid ...................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Risk management ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Reserves ................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Future plans ................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Financial report of the trustees .......................................................................................................................... 12 Accounting policies ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Appendix ...................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Progress made from future plans outlined in 2022-23 annual report .......................................... 14 Online and in person Masterclass events................................................................................................... 14

Bankers: HSBC 12A North Street Guildford GU1 4AF

Independent examiner: Tomas Wilcox FCIE Counterculture Partnership LLP Unit 115, Ducie House, Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2JW

Trustees’ Annual Report

Objectives of the John Schofield Trust

The John Schofield Trust was set up by the friends and family of the journalist John Schofield who was killed in Croatia while working on the BBC’s World Tonight programme in 1995. The Trust exists to promote and advance education, social mobility and diversity in journalism. It does this by supporting young journalists through mentoring and by encouraging young people from under-represented groups to consider a career in journalism.

Theory of change

Governance of the Trust

The John Schofield Trust is governed by a Declaration of Trust dated 1996 which was amended by supplemental deeds dated 6 January 1997, 16 June 2011, 6 October 2017, 21 September 2022 and 12 September 2023. It is managed by a board of trustees, who give their time voluntarily to the Trust. There are regular meetings of the board of trustees and sub-groups set up to advise on different aspects of the Trust’s activities.

The trustees confirm that they have had regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and to that end set out in this report the main activities undertaken during the year in pursuit of the Trust’s objectives.

The trustees who served during the year were as follows:

Jenny Clark (treasurer) Sunita Bhatti Louise Hastings Alison Comyn Zaiba Malik (appointed Chair Julie Randles (stepped down 14/05/23, 10/5/23) reappointed 29/9/23) Emma Maxwell (stepped down Susannah Schofield (Chair until 10/5/23) 28/04/23) Dhruti Shah

Charity registration in Scotland

In the course of the year the Trust applied to be registered with OSCR, the Office of the Scottish Charity Register, in order to reflect the increased scale of our activities in Scotland.

On 1 November 2023 we were notified that we had been successfully added to the Scottish Charity Register and given the charity number SC052921.

John Schofield Trust/RTS Emerging Talent of the Year Award

In keeping with previous years, we funded a bursary (of £1,500) to accompany the Royal Television Society’s (RTS ) Emerging Talent of the Year Award, which the Trust set up in 1996 in memory of John Schofield. For the first time, Trust CEO David Stenhouse chaired the jury for the Emerging Talent of the Year award. The 2024 winner of this award – the 29[th] – was Joshua Stokes, the Isle of Man reporter for Granada Reports, whose entry commemorated the 50[th] anniversary of the Summerland disaster on the island, in which 50 people were killed and 80 were injured.

Joshua accepted the Trust’s offer of a mentor and was paired with Alex Thomson, the Chief Correspondent of Channel 4 News.

Susie Schofield awarded MBE

In June 2023 it was announced that Susie Schofield, the founder of the John Schofield Trust, had been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List for services to journalism and diversity in the journalism industry.

At the time, Susie Schofield MBE said :

“ I am incredibly honoured to receive this award. Setting up the John Schofield Trust to recognise young journalists in the aftermath of John’s tragic death was the most positive act I could do. John was such a welcoming force in any news setting and I’d like to dedicate this award to his memory.

This award is built on the shoulders of hundreds of volunteers who have worked tirelessly to mentor young journalists from diverse backgrounds who are underrepresented in newsrooms to help them navigate their way into the news industry. It has been the privilege of my life to be part of that.

There is still much to be done to make newsrooms welcoming for all.”

News of Susie Schofield’s award was greeted with support from across the industry.

Layla Wright, presenter and journalist, said:

“I and so many other young journalists have had the privilege of being supported by the John Schofield Trust. The Trust helped me navigate what seemed like a daunting industry and helped me believe that my dreams were possible. Susie was the first person I met at the charity back when I was a local radio reporter and she became one of my biggest cheerleaders. It’s made such a difference having her and the charity’s support on every step of my journey since, and to be a small part of John’s legacy. I couldn’t think of anybody more deserving than Susie of this honour.”

David Stenhouse, the Chief Executive of the John Schofield Trust said:

“Susie Schofield is not a journalist, but she has changed journalism for the better. After John Schofield’s death Susie created an organisation which has brought hope, encouragement and support to hundreds of journalists at the beginnings of their careers, and made a massive contribution to increasing diversity in the news industry. In September this year the Trust will welcome applications from early career journalists working in broadcast, print and multimedia, in all four nations of the United Kingdom, and Ireland. As we look forward to our biggest year yet, we are delighted by this recognition for our founder, whose hard work, generosity of spirit and strength of character has transformed British journalism.”

The Fellowship

John Schofield Trust mentoring scheme for early career journalists

Our 2024 application round generated more interest than ever before with applications rising by 46%. The number of applications received from print and multimedia candidates rose, as did applications from candidates based outside London.

Applicants can either complete an online form or submit their application via video or audio. This is to encourage candidates who prefer this to paper-based applications.

We selected and matched a record number, in line with the ambition outlined in our strategic plan. We recruited a total of 112 early career Fellows (up from a total of 72 in 2023, 60 in 2022 and 49 in 2021).

Applications from apprentices have recovered after the lull during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst we saw two applications from apprentices in both 2022 and 2021, in 2024 17% of all applications received were from apprentices or those in training.

An analysis of the characteristics of our Fellows on the early career scheme demonstrates we are making excellent progress towards our mission of newsrooms being as diverse as the audiences they serve.

All national average statistics are sourced from the 2023 NCTJ report into diversity in journalism (for clarity: ‘national average’ reflects those in the media sector, not the national population).

Feedback survey 2023-24

In the mid-point survey for 2023 Fellows:

100% of respondents felt supported by the JST staff team
88% of respondents said that their experience so far was good or excellent
75% of respondents said the scheme had a positive impact on professional development.

In addition to quantitative assessment, the Trust gathered quotes as part of the same survey:

“It has made navigating the journalism industry as a Black early career journalist less daunting.”

“[It has helped me with] building contacts [and] access to experienced journalists who have had similar challenges.”

“I've had a really good experience so far with my mentor. We have had very valuable discussions about career development and it's been really useful to learn more about how his newsroom works, too and hear from his experience.”

“As I’ve mainly worked for one organisation so far my career my mentor has really opened my eyes to the way other media orgs work. She’s been great with helping me with interview prep and all sorts of other questions I have!”

“This mentoring has given me so much knowledge about starting out in the industry that I know I wouldn't have gotten elsewhere.”

University Student Fellowship pilot

In 2023 the Trust piloted a programme with six universities to support undergraduate students of journalism from disadvantaged backgrounds. The universities which participated in the pilot were:

University of Central Lancashire
Dublin City University
Edinburgh Napier
University of Kent
Liverpool John Moores University
University of Northampton.

Participants were matched with professional journalism mentors for the last six months of their undergraduate degree and the first six months after graduation.

The review of this pilot programme concluded that it was impactful and offered significant support to undergraduate students which was not being offered elsewhere. Accordingly, the Trust now offers the University programme as a full programme, with 11 universities participating. The six universities which took part in the pilot committed to joining the full programme, and they were joined by University of the Arts, London Cardiff, Falmouth and Leicester, and Salford University.

Feedback from the University Student Fellowship pilot programme

Asked to rate their experience so far:

100% felt supported by the Trust
95% said that being part of the scheme has had a positive impact on their professional development and/or future career
90% said it was good or excellent
79% said they were happy with the mentor they were matched with
10% neutral – neither good nor bad.

Comments

“I think my experience on the Trust will definitely benefit me going into my final year as it has equipped me to deal with real deadlines and writing challenges.”

“I feel that [mentor name] has provided me with help and information on certain things I may not have learned in University, as well as being there to help me with internships.”

“While university has taught me about journalism, the mentoring scheme has taught me about getting a career in journalism.”

Masterclasses and networking events

The Trust’s masterclasses are an opportunity to stage discussions, share experiences, allow our Fellows to hear career insights from distinguished journalists, and to raise the profile of the Trust. Some of our masterclasses are public-facing whilst others are hosted exclusively for our Fellows. Public-facing masterclasses are posted to our YouTube channel and social media. In planning masterclasses, the Trust is responsive both to the news agenda and suggestions from Fellows.

Over the course of the year the format “How to...” developed as a practical skills-based strand within the masterclass programme, and we staged events on “How to be a Science Journalist”, and “How to Present a News Programme”.

We were also able to meet for a day of masterclasses in London and live events in Cardiff and Dublin. See Appendix for a list of the masterclasses we ran during the year under review.

In addition, we held briefing sessions and online support sessions for mentees and mentors.

Cicero/HAVAS generously hosted our annual event for the third time at their central London offices, and our guest speakers were JST Senior Fellow Sangita Myska and JST Fellow Lewis Goodall of Global.

Recommendation

To continue hosting masterclasses in person and outside London. To prioritise the day of masterclasses as an opportunity to meet in-person and develop skills.

Journalism Cares

In 2022, more care experienced journalists applied to the Trust for mentoring on our Early Career programme than ever before. Having identified this untapped need the Trust worked with Barnardo’s to develop a programme of mentoring for aspiring journalists from a care background. We’ve called the new programme Journalism Cares, and it was the subject of our fundraising in 2023-24, both through a direct fundraising appeal to our network and through

the Big Give Christmas Appeal. We were successful in raising enough money to run a pilot programme in 2024-25. The pilot, which will be fully assessed at its conclusion, offers:

1-2-1 individual mentoring from a specially trained senior journalist who works in an area they have an interest in
Two newsroom visits and an opportunity to shadow a working newsroom
Fortnightly masterclasses focused on journalism skills such as interviewing techniques, research tools, effective copywriting, using social media
CV and portfolio help from newsroom managers and recruiters
All of the networking and other opportunities that come from being a John Schofield Trust Fellow.

Communications

Social media

The Trust continued to build its social media impact during 2023-24 by implementing the strategy devised in 2022-23, namely:

Increasing frequency and regularity of posts
Interacting with comments and engaging actively with others’ content
Developing relationships with other users via sharing/reposting
Diversifying types of content – increasing use of video and stories
Designing dedicated social media campaigns to inspire engagement and shares through eyecatching visuals, high profile figures, hard hitting quotes – such as the Big Give 2023 fundraising campaign
Active engagement with and campaigns centred on global celebrations, such as International Women’s Day, World Press Freedom Day and National Mentoring Day.

X (formerly Twitter) followers have increased from 8,715 to 9,827 over the year. The most appealing content by far on X continues to be that relating specifically to our Fellows: introducing new Fellows, sharing and celebrating Fellows’ news.

E-newsletter

Subscribers to the Trust’s monthly newsletter continues to grow. Our average open-rate has risen from 43.4% to 48.7% (where the average of similar organisations is 34%).

Two sections introduced to the monthly newsletter in the last year – the Fellow ‘feature blog’ and the ‘awards and opportunities’ to apply for – have proved popular. Both consistently feature in the ‘most clicked links’ list, and also gain further engagement through social media likes and shares.

We continue to highlight success stories from Fellows, Senior Fellows and Trust friends/partners in our monthly newsletter, and re-purpose these stories by posting on our social media platforms and our website.

Fundraising

We comply with the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 and adhere to the Code of Fundraising Practice.

The Trust took part in The Big Give Christmas Fundraiser 2023 for a third year. This is an intense week-long national match-giving fundraising campaign which took place from 28 November to 5 December 2023. This year’s campaign raised money for our proposed Journalism Cares scheme (see above). Pledges came from Knight Ayton, former trustee Kate Riley, long-term supporter Robin Lustig and News UK. The Trust generated social media assets and collected testimonials to support our campaign which raised £20,322, exceeding our goal by £322. The total raised including Gift Aid was £21,999.25.

Our work continues to be dependent upon the generous support of our current funders: 5 News, BBC News, Channel 4, CNN, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, ITV News, Knight Ayton, RTE, Sky News, News UK, DC Thomson and Reach. We also received gifts in kind from Cicero/HAVAS for hosting our annual reception, as well as the New York Times and the Washington Post.

All other fundraising was carried out on a voluntary basis by the trustees.

There have been no complaints relating to our fundraising activities.

We have no other form of income other than funds raised. We do not charge application fees or joining fees to our participants or entry fees for our events. All our mentors and speakers at events are volunteers to whom we are greatly indebted. During 2023-24 the Trust benefited from the work of more than 300 volunteers (trustees, mentors, champions, speakers, campaign support).

Staffing

David Stenhouse is employed as Trust CEO, Howard Littler as Fellowship Manager. Ursula Billington, Co-ordinator, left the Trust during the course of the year.

Regulatory and Trust policies

We continue to be registered with the ICO and Fundraising Regulator. We adhere to GDPR guidance in managing and keeping our data secure. We have a safeguarding policy in place and CEO David Stenhouse is our designated safeguarding lead.

In addition to revising existing policies in the course of the year the Trustees adopted new policies on Modern Slavery and Volunteer Selection for Senior Fellows and masterclass participants.

Income and expenditure

The John Schofield Trust had income of £144,538. This included donations from 5 News, BBC News, Channel 4, CNN, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, ITV News, Knight Ayton, RTE, Sky News, News UK and DC Thomson.

We also received gifts in kind from Cicero/HAVAS for hosting our annual reception, as well as the New York Times for providing access to their digital content for Fellows taking part in the 2023 mentoring programme.

For 2024 free digital access for fellows is provided by the Washington Post.

The key elements of the Trust’s expenditure in 2023-24 are:

staff costs
Fellows’ expenses.

Trustees are not remunerated for their services but are paid out of pocket expenses.

Gift Aid

The Trust was registered for Gift Aid during the year and applied to eligible donations. We received £1,677 in Gift Aid.

Risk management

The trustees take their responsibilities for effective risk management seriously. We currently have in excess of three months’ worth of operating costs in cash reserves.

Fellows are required to sign up to terms and conditions before joining the scheme.

We have Charities Liability Insurance and Trustees Indemnity Cover in place with Hiscox.

Reserves

The trustees aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately three months of unrestricted charitable expenditure. The trustees consider that this level will provide sufficient funds to ensure that support and governance costs are covered and to allow other sources of income to be found should this be needed.

The balance held as unrestricted funds at 31 March 2024 was £83,662 (2022/23: £68,833. The reserves policy will be reviewed annually by the trustees.

Future plans

i. To continue funding the RTS/John Schofield Trust Emerging Talent of the Year Award bursary
ii. To increase the number of Fellows on the mentoring scheme in line with the strategic plan, and to promote the mentoring scheme to print, digital, multimedia and broadcast journalists in the UK and Ireland.
iii. To increase the number of in-person masterclasses outside London.
iv. To conduct a review of the Journalism Cares pilot programme with a view to assessing its impact and viability as a returning programme.

Financial report of the trustees

Receipts and payments for the 12 months to 31 March 2024

Receipts Donations Gift Aid Total Receipts Payments Salaries Employer NI Employer Pension Payroll costs RTS Bursary Insurance Software charges Audit examination fee Other expenses Travel Staff/Trustee Expenses Surplus (Deficit)	2024 2024 2023 2023 Unrestricted Total Unrestricted Total Funds Funds
	£142,860 £142,860 £131,935 £131,935 £1,677 £1,677 £7,315 £7,315
	£144,538 £144,538 £139,250 £139,250 £95,791 £95,791 £100,377 £100,377 £10,414 £10,414 £11,216 £11,216 £3,282 £3,282 £2,695 £2,695 £810 £810 £786 £786 £3,000 £3,000 £0 £0 £570 £570 £519 £519 £3,100 £3,100 £2,825 £2,825 £1,269 £1,269 £495 £495 £2,207 £2,207 £1,592 £1,592 £5,478 £5,478 £4,172 £4,172 £3,788 £3,788 £5,105 £5,105
	£129,709 £129,709 £129,782 £129,782
	£9,468 £9,468 £14,829 £14,829

Assets and Liabilities

Assets Cash at Bank Liabilities Net Assets Total Reserves	Unrestricted Reserves Total Funds 2023 Unrestricted Reserves Total Funds 2023 £83,662 £83,662 £68,833 £68,833 0 £0 £0 £0 £0
	£83,662 £83,662 £68,833 £68,833
	0
	£83,662 £83,662 £68,833 £68,833

Signed by Zaiba Malik Chair of Trustees DATE: 10[th] June 2024

Jenny Clark Trustee

Accounting policies

Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice – Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP (FRS102), second edition issued in January 2019)”, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

John Schofield Trust meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

Going concern

The financial statements are prepared, on a going concern basis, under the historical cost convention.

Funds

The charity maintains a general unrestricted fund which represents funds which are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objects of the charity. Such funds may be held in order to finance both working capital and capital investment.

Restricted funds have been provided to the charity for particular purposes, and it is the policy of the board of trustees to carefully monitor the application of those funds in accordance with the restrictions placed upon them.

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the Charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Donations are recognised on receipt.

Resources expended

Liabilities are recognised as resources expended when there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the Charity to the expenditure. Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

Taxation

As a registered charity, the company is exempt from income and corporation tax to the extent that its income and gains are applicable to charitable purposes only.

Appendix

No ~~==~~	Plan ~~==~~	Progress ~~==~~	Note ~~==~~
i. ~~==~~	To continue funding the RTS/John Schofield Trust Young Talent of the Year Award bursary ~~==~~	~~==~~	Achieved - 29thaward-winner named – Joshua Stokes ~~==~~
ii. ~~==~~	To increase the number of mentees, especially apprentice journalists, on the mentoring scheme and to expand the mentoring scheme to include journalists from print and multimedia journalists in addition to broadcast ~~==~~	~~==~~	Achieved- applications rose by 46% for mentoring in 2024, with applications from print and digital journalists, and from those outside London featuring strongly. Numbers of Fellows rose from 72 in 2023 to 112 in 2024. ~~==~~
iii. ~~==~~	To increase the number of in-person masterclasses outside London ~~==~~	~~==~~	Achieved – masterclasses held in Cardiff and Dublin. ~~==~~
iv. ~~==~~	To consolidate the university mentoring scheme and – subject to a successful review of the pilot scheme- to make it a full Trust programme ~~==~~	~~==~~	Achieved- 11 universities now taking part in a full university programme ~~==~~

JST masterclasses over the course of the year

How to make great documentaries Tim Stirzaker, the producer of Putin vs the West was interviewed by Vitaly Shevchenko of the BBC’s Ukrainecast on how to make a documentary with a cast of high profile contributors.

Masterclasses in Cardiff and Dublin * First Minister Mark Drakeford turned the tables on three Welsh political journalists in a special event in Cardiff which was arranged in partnership with ITV Wales and, in Dublin, RTE staged a special masterclass on investigative journalism for JST Fellows and university students.

Day of masterclasses : “How to work with experts” – a panel supported by the Conversation UK Mike Herd, Investigations editor of the Conversation UK chaired a discussion with Dr Louise Ashley of Queen Mary University London and Dr Emily Setty of University of Surrey, two experts who regularly engage with the media, to discuss the relationship between journalists and experts. How can journalists work with experts without surrendering control of the story, or distorting complex research by forcing it to fit a headline? How should journalists and experts engage with one another

Breaking news – a session chaired by Helena Wilkinson of BBC News with Adela Suliman, a breaking news reporter at the Washington Post ’s London hub, and Narinder Kalsi of the BBC’s On The Day team. How do journalists respond to breaking news? What role does social media

play in the discovery and reporting of breaking news? How do news organisations decide to allocate time, journalists and resources to stories as they unfold quickly?

Career agony aunts– should I go freelance? My new boss thinks I’m an idiot. Am I ready to go for this big job? How do I keep control of my story? I messed up at work – what now?

Chaired by Dhruti Shah, career agony aunts Adam Waters of the Senior Management Team of the British Forces Broadcasting Service, JST Fellow Georgia Coan and Adela Suliman of the Washington Post answered questions live about career dilemmas.

Marianna Spring , the BBC’s Disinformation Correspondent, was quizzed by three JST Fellows at the day of masterclasses at the BBC’s New Broadcasting House in June 2023.

How to be a financial journalist with chair, Helia Ebrahimi – Economics Correspondent Channel 4 News. Hosted by our supporters the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development this session featured an amazing panel of finance reporters: Ed Conway, Economics and Data Editor, Sky News, Sabah Meddings, UK Business Reporter Bloomberg UK, and Rachana Shanbhogue, Business Affairs Editor, the Economist

How to be a sports journalist – featuring Carl Anka Sports Writer at the Athletic FC, Gary Taphouse, football commentator for Sky Sports, Ellen Ellard freelance commentator at BBC 5 Live, and Nate Williams, chair of The Ability Group in Sports Journalism, (TAGS) – the first network for disabled people in sports media roles

News with a foreign accent with Barbara Serra – the distinguished CNN anchor spoke about the challenge of working as a journalism in your second or third language.

CEO on the ropes – real-life CEO Joe Binder addressed a crisis scenario in a special in person session which lifted the lid on how broadcasters prepare for an interview, and CEO’s work with crisis comms teams to contain it. With Rich Preston of the BBC.

How to create your own brand in news with Dougal Shaw. A discussion of how to create, curate and sustain your own branded content in news programming.

How to find and tell great local stories – hosted by JST Senior Fellow Vicky Gayle, with Joshua Stokes, winner of the 2024 JST/RTS Emerging Talent of the Year Award, Marc Deanie, Head of News and Sport with DC Thomson and JST Fellow Naomi DeSouza of Birmingham Live.

Reporting the Post Office scandal – long before the ITV Drama “Mr Bates vs the Post Office” journalists were working to uncover the Post Office Scandal. Broadcaster Ritula Shah chaired a discussion with pioneering journalists Karl Flinders of Computer Weekly , Richard Brooks of Private Eye , along with wrongly accused Post Office staff, Parmod Kalia and Teju Adedayo.