2024-08-31-accounts - Portobello Dance and Performing Arts School

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Registered Charity No – 1063754

Mark Elie Dance Foundation

Trustees’ Report and Accounts 31 August 2024

CONTENTS	PAGE
Legal and Administrative Details	2
Trustees' Report	3
Independent Examiners’ Report	6
Statement of Financial Activities	7
Balance Sheet	8
Notes to the Accounts	9

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REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Trustees Damian Rayne (Chair) Patsy Alexander Salome Pressac Yvonne Joan Iglauer Dr Gabriella Beckles-Raymond

Charity registered Number 1063754 Date of charitable registration

Date of charitable registration 1 August 1997

Principal office 33B Portnall Road London W9 3BD

Secretary Patsy Alexander

Independent examiner Michelle Lewis ACCA

Bankers Barclays Bank

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TRUSTEES' REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

The Board of Trustees, who are the trustees for charity law purposes, submit their annual report and the financial statements of The Mark Elie Dance Foundation (also known as Portobello Dance School) for the year ended 31 August 2024. The Board of Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the Charity comply with current statutory requirements, the requirements of the Charity's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

Structure, governance and management

The 5 Trustees are:

Damian Rayne (Chair)
Patsy Alexander
Salome Pressac
Yvonne Joan Iglauer
Dr Gabriella Beckles-Raymond

The Trustees play a primary role in ensuring good governance and functioning of the charity. The Board’s role, functions and responsibilities are quite clearly defined.

The Charity currently has a strong team of operational team, which includes active board members, who have helped to secure financial support and contribute to the future planning of the organisation.

Governing document:

The Mark Elie Dance Foundation’s constitution was adopted on 18 April 1997 and amended on 27 March 2007. The charity was registered on 1 August 1997.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees:

Members of the General Trustee Board are trustees for the purposes of charity law. New trustees may be appointed by resolution of a meeting of the trustees.

The Board of Trustees seeks to ensure that the needs of this group are appropriately reflected through the diversity of the trustee body. The charity sought to identify those who would be willing to become trustees of the charity and use their own experience to assist the charity.

Risk Management:

We are committed to a policy of identifying, monitoring and managing the risks that might adversely affect the activities in which we are involved. In this context, risk is defined as the potential to fail to achieve charity objectives and for loss, financial and reputational, inherent in the environment in which we operate in the nature of the transactions undertaken.

The principal risk of the charity has been its dependence on school fees and voluntary income. Trustees have initiated various processes to mitigate such risk, so that the charity has sufficient reserves in the event of adverse condition(s).

The Trustees have also examined other operational and business risks which they face and confirm that they have taken steps to mitigate significant risks that may arise (where applicable).

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TRUSTEES' REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Public Benefit:

The Trustees have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 and have paid due regard to public benefit when preparing this report. The benefit provided to the public is consistent with the aims of the charity in UK.

Objectives and activities:

The Charity is based in North Kensington's diverse Notting Hill and is a popular weekend destination offering children from 3yrs to adults training in classical ballet, tap, street dance and singing classes.

The objectives and activities are to widen participation in professional dance training/development by targeting local children/young people aged 3 - 19 who don't currently benefit from the Charity’s Saturday school via a dedicated Schools Outreach Programme. A key aim is to position the school as high-quality dance training facility and "feeder provision" to dance companies for talented, disadvantaged young dancers interested in pursuing careers in dance. The outreach programme will engage children/young people aged 3 - 19, primarily (but not exclusively) from BAME backgrounds who are traditionally, disproportionately underrepresented in the dance sector.

The Charity’s enrichment strand, which provides opportunities to attend professional masterclasses/workshops delivered by dance professionals, has developed during the financial year under review. This initiative will enable us to take our training to schools/community organisations we don't currently work with across RBKC and surrounding boroughs, to ensure those most disadvantaged will benefit the most, supported to access highquality training activities so that local untapped talent can be exploited to its full potential in dance forms that have historically excluded them. Another ambition is to formalise professional collaborations with other key dance companies/theatre organisations/institutions with whom we currently work with to promote improved "joined up" provisions and appropriately profile the Charity as a vital local resource.

Achievements and performance:

The charity’s strategic partnerships with local stakeholder organisations which add value to the provision have increased to six including:

K&C Arts Week
Young K&C
Portobello Pavilion
Kensington & Chelsea Social Council
Muse Gallery, Portobello Road
JM Gallery, Portobello Road

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TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Following on from last year, over seventy percent of the children who attended the Summer Dance School project regularly attend the Saturday dance school. The tutors' interactive approach and varied teaching styles continue to cater for all ages, abilities and learning styles. Children and young people can access dance genres beyond the world of "street dance" including Jazz, Ballet, Tap and Musical Theatre.

This year the Summer Dance School project was again generously supported by workshops led by professional dancers from leading West End shows including: Matilda, Wicked and We Will Rock You. This led to 2 auditions for the hit Tina Turner musical (one call back) and one successfully audition for Matilda.

The interactive workshops continue to evidence that these enrichment opportunities are an essential part of our provision where activity and play are key to helping to expand children's thinking, horizons and life experience and expectations.

The year-round provision continues to support marginalised children in particular with a different experience of the world of dance. With this approach participants gain a much deeper cultural experience and a "real world' insight to the world of dance which will hopefully inspire them to take up dance in the future and widen their cultural horizons.

Plans for Future Developments:

The Operations Manager and staff team, supported by the current trustees continue to streamline and review operations delivery at weekly operations meetings. Core funding is no longer received from the John Lyon’s Charity. However, donations received from the Muse gallery and Rayne Trust provided the much needed support, ensuring the charity’s continued operational stability, organisational capacity and infrastructure. The organisation’s three-year strategic will continue to focus on building and strengthening the charity’s administrative core.

Financial review:

The Charity made surplus of £106 in the financial year (2023: loss £2,280). There was no restricted funding carried forward into the new year. The reserve policy was reviewed during the year and it was agreed that reserves will be held to cover three months support costs. The unrestricted reserves held at 31 August 2024 was £662.

The Charity currently aims to designate the total fund received less expenses for the main objective of the charity.

Review of the reporting period:

The charity continues to seek to diversify the fundraising strategy in keeping with the overall strategic plan which includes identifying new income streams, funding sources, investors and sponsors. This includes targets, donations from high-net-worth local individuals. A fundraising team has been created to help pursue these avenues of fundraising to be included in the yearly programme.

The Dance School has seen an increase in the demand for its services and now offer over 60 free places to children from the most deprived backgrounds living in Kensington and Chelsea. The Friday Musical Theatre classes continue to grow in popularity across all age groups and genders and both the beginners and advanced classes have reached capacity and have a growing waiting list.

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TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

The summer dance project was very well attended and the school was also able to offer an easter and October dance project. There was a 40% increase in new recruits.

The increased recruitment numbers are reflected in the now regular Marketing and Social Media updates which indicate a steady upward trend in recruitment numbers, followers and the general visibility and profile of the charity. This is in part due to our improved community outreach programme.

Statement of Board of Trustees’ responsibilities:

The Board of Trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Charity law applicable to charities in England/Wales requires the Board of Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which gives a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the surplus or deficit of the Charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements the Board of Trustees have:

Selected suitable accounting policies and applied them consistently,
Made judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent,
Stated whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
Prepared the financial statements on a going concern basis (unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation).

The Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for ensuring that the Charity has an appropriate system of controls, financial and otherwise. They are also responsible for keeping proper accounting records.

disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the detection and prevention of fraud and other irregularities.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Statement of disclosure of information to independent examiner

We, as the Trustees of the Charity who held office at the date of approval of these financial statements as set out on page 2 each confirm, so far as we are aware, that:

There is no relevant information of which the Charity's independent examiner are unaware; and we have
taken all the steps that we ought to have taken as Trustees in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that the charity's independent examiner is aware of that information.

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TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Independent Examiner:

The Charity's independent examiner, Michelle Lewis ACCA, has indicated her willingness to continue in office and offers herself for appointment.

This report was approved by the Trustees on and signed on their behalf by Damian Rayne:

……………………… 1/04/2025

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER`S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE MARK ELIE DANCE FOUNDATION

I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet with associate notes.

This report is made solely to the charity's Trustees, as a body, in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the charity's Trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's Trustees as a body, for my examination work.

RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF TRUSTEES AND EXAMINER

The charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements, and they consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Examine the accounts (under Section 145 of the Charities Act);
To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under Section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act); and
To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner's report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Group/Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act; and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act

have not been met; or

2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

Signed: M Lewis Dated: 1/5/2024

Michelle Lewis ACCA

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(Incorporating income and expenditure account) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds 2024 2024 2024 2023 Notes £ £ £ £ Incoming resources 3 Donations and Grants 47,658 17,040 64,698 47,932 Gift Aid - - - - Other Income 61,313 61,313 55,372 Total Incoming resources 108,971 20,000 126,011 103,304 Resources expended Direct charitable expenditure 108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584 Governance costs - - - - Total Resources expended 108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584 Movement in total fund for the year- Net income / (expenditure) For the year 106 - 106 (2,280) Fund balance brought forward 556 - 556 2,836 Fund balance carried forward 662 - 662 556	Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds 2024 2024 2024 2023 Notes £ £ £ £ Incoming resources 3 Donations and Grants 47,658 17,040 64,698 47,932 Gift Aid - - - - Other Income 61,313 61,313 55,372 Total Incoming resources 108,971 20,000 126,011 103,304 Resources expended Direct charitable expenditure 108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584 Governance costs - - - - Total Resources expended 108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584 Movement in total fund for the year- Net income / (expenditure) For the year 106 - 106 (2,280) Fund balance brought forward 556 - 556 2,836 Fund balance carried forward 662 - 662 556	Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds 2024 2024 2024 2023 Notes £ £ £ £ Incoming resources 3 Donations and Grants 47,658 17,040 64,698 47,932 Gift Aid - - - - Other Income 61,313 61,313 55,372 Total Incoming resources 108,971 20,000 126,011 103,304 Resources expended Direct charitable expenditure 108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584 Governance costs - - - - Total Resources expended 108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584 Movement in total fund for the year- Net income / (expenditure) For the year 106 - 106 (2,280) Fund balance brought forward 556 - 556 2,836 Fund balance carried forward 662 - 662 556
	Notes Incoming resources 3 Donations and Grants Gift Aid Other Income Total Incoming resources Resources expended Direct charitable expenditure Governance costs Total Resources expended Movement in total fund for the year- Net income / (expenditure) For the year Fund balance brought forward Fund balance carried forward	Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds 2024 2024 2024 2023 £ £ £ £ 47,658 17,040 64,698 47,932 - - - - 61,313 61,313 55,372
		108,971 20,000 126,011 103,304
		108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584 - - - -
		108,865 17,040 125,905 105,584
		106 - 106 (2,280) 556 - 556 2,836 662 - 662 556

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BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 AUGUST 2024

2024 £ - 662	2024 £ - 662	2023 £ - 556	2023 £ - 556
662 -		556 -
662 - - -		556 - - -

	662		556

	662		556

The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 1 April 2025 and signed on their behalf, by Damian Rayne:

The notes on pages 10 – 12 form part of these financial statements

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

1.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at market value, and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008). The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities' published in December 2005 and applicable accounting standards.

1.2 Fund accounting

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 and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

1.3 Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of financial activities when the charity has entitlement to the funds, certainty of receipt and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Donated services or facilities, which comprise donated services, are included in income at a valuation which is an estimate of the financial cost borne by the donor where such a cost is quantifiable and measurable. No income is recognised where there is no financial cost borne by a third party.

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

1.4 Resources expended

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular activities, they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of the resources.

Fundraising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities. Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management carried out at Headquarters. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Grants payable is charged in the year when the offer is made except in those cases where the offer is conditional, such grants being recognised as expenditure when the conditions attaching are fulfilled. Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the yearend are noted as a commitment, but not accrued as expenditure.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

2. TRUSTEE EXPENSES

There were no Trustee expenses paid during 2024 or 2023

3. DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES:

Donations and Grants Donations Kensington & Chelsea RBKC Black Heart Trust John Lyon Trust HAF Truemark Trust Westway Trust Total Donations and Grants Other Income Total incoming resources Resources Expended Teacher fees Staff costs & Administration Dance studio rental Equipment Insurance Events/Shows Professional Fees Web development Out of School services IT & Social Media Uniform& costumes Sundry expenses Total resources expended	2024 27,978 17,040 2,500 - - 16,880 - 500 64,698 61,313 126,011 33,994 32,532 18,488 218 155 18,003 - - 13,424 5,628 2,043 1,420 125,905	2023 4,432 9,500 500 - 20,000 13,500 - -
		47,932 55,372
		103,304 26,733 31,536 16,826 288 129 4,546 4,200 - 7,326 12,154 407 1,441
		105,584

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