Charity Registration No. 01076456 Company Registration No. 03779971 (England and Wales) ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED DIRECTORS, REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED CONTENTS Page Company information Directors, report (incorporating the Strategic report) Independent auditor's report 24 Financial statements of the group 28 ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED COMPANY INFORMATION DIRECTORS AND ADVISORS Directors J Martin (Chair) J Adams C Baty S Bradshaw V Cameron S L Champkin G W Dixon L Flynn D Foster G Holmes F Kempf R Martin F Nuttall Company Secretary S Koziarski Charity No. 01076456 Company No. 03779971 Principal Address and Registered Office Ardingly College College Road Ardingly Haywards Heath West Sussex RH17 6SQ Key Management Personnel Head Chief Operating Officer B A Figgis T Scully Auditor Moore Kingston Smith LLP 6th Floor 9 Appold Street London EC2A 2AP Bankers Lloyds Bank plc 99-101 South Road Haywards Heath West Sussex RH16 4ND ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED COMPANY INFORMATION Principal Solicitors Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP Narrow Quay House Narrow Quay Bristol BS14QA Insurance Brokers Marsh Limited 1 Tower Place West Tower Place London EC3R 5BU ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST2024 The directors present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31st August 2024 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, including the Directors, and Strategic Reports, under the Companies Act 2006. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION The charity was formed in 1858 and is registered with the Charity Commission as charity number 01076456. The charity is a limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of The Woodard Corporation (charity number 01096270). The charitable company is incorporated in the United Kingdom. Directors of the Company are also Fellows (members) of the Woodard Corporation and participate in the election of its board of management and are committed to its charitable objects. Note 31 provides details of connected charities. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing Document The Company is governed by Articles of Association as adopted by Special Resolution dated 20th March 2013, replacing those dated 6 July 2005 amended by Special Resolution dated 25 January 2006. They permit funds to be managed in such a manner as the directors see fit, provided that such powers are only exercised for the purposes of attaining the objects and in a manner which is legally charitable. TheArticles ofAssociation forbid the distribution of any property orfunds. which are to be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the company. Governing Body The Governors are the directors and charitable trustees of the company and comprise the governing body of Ardingly College and are elected to hold office forterms offive years. The College is governed by the governing body which operates using a number of committees. Membership of each committee is outlined on page 21. The governing body met five times during the year. Recruitment and Training of Governor3 All Governors are Corporate Fellows of the Woodard Corporation. Corporate Fellows are responsible for electing the Woodard Corporation Board. Governors are recruited on the basis of nominations from College contacts and from selection when a post becomes available. The governing body looks to ensure a mix of skills and selects new governors on the basis of background. competence, specialist skills and, in the case of Fellows. Christian ¢ommilment. Governors are provided with induction training by the Head and Clerk to the Governors and a wider programme of training events is organised by the Woodard Corporation. The College also encourages governors to attend events run by the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS). Where possible the Governors consider that the skills and experien￿ of the Council should comprise the following.. accountancy, financial management, risk management. investments, marketing, PRladvertising, HRltraining, IT strategy. education, charity governance, insurance, fundraising, planning. construction, health & safety, legal, safeguarding and knowledge of the sector. A Governor may have one or more of these skills. Volunteers Govemors are volunteers providing their time for free to support the governance of the College_ The College also relies on a number of others to undertake volunteer roles including Friends Association members., Work Experience,. classroom support and Solar Car assistance. ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS. REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Organisational Management The College is governed by the governing body (Council) which delegates work to a number of committees. The Governors. who are also the directors, determine the general policy of the company. Education and Pastoral Committee the Education and Pastoral Committee takes delegated responsibility on behalf of the Governing Body to monilor and review the agreed academic, curricular and pastoral provision of the College and make recommendations as appropriate to the Council. The Committee met three times during the year. Finance Committee- the Finance Committee takes delegated responsibility on behalf ofthe Governing Body for overseeing all financial aspects ofthe College, working alongside the Chief Operating Officer (COO) so as to ensure the College's short and long-term viability and makes recommendations to Council for approval. The Committee met four times during the year. Risk and Safeguarding Committee The Risk and Safeguarding Committee takes delegated responsibility on behalf of the Governing Body to ensure that the implementation of the College's strategy, values and mission is underpinned by sound safeguarding and risk management arrangements. The Committee met three limes during the year. People and cultu￿ Committee- The People and Culture Committee takes delegated responsibiltty on behalf of the Governing Body to ensure that the implementation of the College's strategy. values and mission is underpinned by a sound People and Culture strategy. The Committee also monitor staff pay and reward and make pay award recommendations to the Finance Committee. The Committee met twice during the year. Estates Committee- the Estates Committee takes delegated responsibility on behalf of the Governing Body for maintaining and developing the College's buildings, plant and vehicles, grounds, gardens. roadways and security and makes recommendations to Council for approval. The Committee met three times during the year. Nominations and Govemance Committee- The Nominations & Governance Committee has delegated responsibility on behalf of the Goveming Body for ensuring the members of College Council have the skill set and experience required to ensure appropriate governance of all College activities. It also makes recommendations to Council for any changes to the governance approach. The Committee meets as required but at least annually. Due to an appointment of a new Chair from 1st September 2024, the Nominations and Governance Committee met three times in the year. In addition to the Committee structure, individual Governors are allocated key areas of responsibility: including Safeguarding, Health & Safety, Boarding, Prep, Mental Health & Wellbeing, IB, and Enterprise and Employability. The key managementpersonnel are defined as the Head of the College and the Chiefoperating Officer. The day-to-day management of the company is delegated to the key management personnel, along with the Head of Prep and the Senior Deputy Head of the Senior School, overseeing educational, pastoral and administrative functions in consultation with the senior staff. The day-to-day administration is undertaken within the policies and procedures approved by the Governors which provide for only significant expendtture decisions and major capital projects being referred to the Governors for prior approval. The Head oversees the recruitment of all educational staff. whilst under delegated authority the Chief Operating Officer oversees the recruitment of administrative and non-teaching operations staff. The remuneration of key management personnel (noted on page 1) is set by Council. with the policy objective of rewarding them fairly and responsibly for their individual contributions to the College's success. The appropriateness and relevance ofthe remuneration policy is reviewed annually, including referen to comparisons with other independent schools to ensure that the College remains sensitive to the broader issues of pay and employment conditions elsewhere. ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 The College aims to recruit the best staff and is also keen to target newly qualified graduates and trainees to support through their career development. Delivery of the College's charitable vision and purpose is primarily dependent on our key management personnel and staff costs are the largest single element of our charitable expenditure. Group Structure and Relationshlps The College has two wholly owned non-charitable subsidiaries.. Ardingly Projects Limited and Ardingly College International Limited. The activities and trading of which are described below. Note 31 provides details of connected charities. The principal activity of Ardingly Projects Limited is letting College premises and facilities. and retailing. The principal activity of Ardingly College International Limited is providing educational consultancy services to foreign clients and developing English-speaking schools outside of the UK. The College has developed links with a wide range of organisations to ensure the widest possible access to our facilities and education. Through membership of HMC, IAPS, AGBIS and ISBA and through ne￿O￿ling with peer groups we ensure that we are able to attain the highest standards of quality and performance. We encourage our pupils to develop an awareness of the social context of the all-round education they receive at the College, and they are engaged in a number of activities to enhance their understanding. We aim for the College's relationship with its alumni (Old Ardinians) to be a strong and positive lifelong partnership. We achieve this through a dedicated communications programme. a wide range ofevents, and positive opportunities to get involved with the life of the College today and inspire the next generation of Old Ardinians. An Agreement of Co-operalion has been signed be￿een the College and the Old Ardinians Society, which provides the framework for partnership and delineates the responsibilities of the College and the Society to each other for the benefit of the alumni community. CHARITABLE OBJECTS, AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Charitable Objects The charity's objects, as set out in the Articles of Association. are to promote and extend education (including spiritual. moral, social, cultural and physical education} in accordance with the doctrines and principles of the Church. The Church is defined as being the Church of England and churches in full communion with the See of Canterbury. Aims and mission Our mission is to empower children to transform their lives through a World Ready education. Intended Impact Our education encourages children to become engaged and resilient students with a we114eveloped understanding of themselves and how they relate to the world. Equal OpportunitieslEmployment Policy Ardingly College is committed to greater awareness of, and concerted action around, the need for increased diversity, equity and inclusion in our college community. We recognise that, both here and in the wider world, power structures and noms are rapidly becoming outmoded or inadequate to reflect our changing society and the drive for greater equality. The College, led by the EDI department, continues to demonstrate its commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI}, building on the successes of last year through continued auditing, staff training, engagement and organisation of EDI cultural and educational events. The College continues to seek feedback from the College community and the 2024 Staff Survey was updated to include a specific ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 section relating to belonging and inclusion which will enable annual review and benchmarking of our work in this area. The Head of EDI is collaborating with the HR Director to implement the suggested action points overthe coming year. and the results ofthe previous EDI staff experience audit. focusing especially on areas around identity, equity, inclusion etc. have informed the conversations and action points we are now forming. We have also continued our own in-house EDI slaff training, including Senior School Teaching staff training on Neurodiversity Inclusion, Unconscious Bias and Understanding the impact of racial bias in educalion, as well as our Gender Exploration Guidance to ensure all staff understand how to respond, and how we support students and parents. Staff have also had the opportunity to engage and create positive change through supporting with the organisation of EDI College events and our EDI Staff Working Groups, such as the working groups for our Diversity Focus events on Cultural Diversity which included an 'Ardingly Voices Project, to centre the lived experience and culture of our commLrnity, or our focus on recognising and celebrating the importance of Neurodiversity in our community this month in which Prep School Learning Support and the EDI Dept collaborated closely. The EDI department continues to encourage student-led societies such as our long-standing New Era Feminist Society, our Anti-Racism Society. We were chosen as one of ten schools in the UK to launch The Female Lead Ambassador Programme. and staff have opportunities to get involved in putting our values into action in such engagement with students. Investment Policy and Objectives The Company's Memorandum and Articles ofAssociation permit funds to be invested in such manner as the directors see fit, providing that advice has been obtained from a financial expert and providing that such powers of investment consider the suitability of investments and the need for diversification. The College currently holds investments with Hargreaves Lansdown, which originate from a legacy gifted in 2019. The investments fall under the stewardship ofthe College's Finance Committee, which is seeking to continue to grow the overall fund to generate income to fund bursarles. The investment policy is currently under review to broaden the scope of the investments and more actively manage the portfolio. The investment policy also sets out the ethical and sustainability ethos and whilst it currently does not impose an ethical investment target, it is expected that the ethos will develop over time. Wherever possible, investments will not be made in equities or funds which involve the following industries.. Arms. Tobacco,. Gambling- Child exploitation., Adult entertainment,. and investments will be made so as not lo breach the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. Cash funds from donations and legacies have also been placed in a number of term deposits and charitable deposit funds in order to benefit from the current high interest rates. STRATEGIC REPORT Primary objectives The College launched a strategic plan in September 2023 that defines the purposes of World Ready education and identifies enablers to support our ambitious plans. The primary objectives of the strategy are to develop the six strands of Wortd Ready.. Care and Wellbeing- ensuring that every child is safeguarded, valued and is able to develop with confidence at school. Enquiry & Evaluation ensuring that the curriculum, teaching and academiG supportlextension enables every child to explore their academic interests to the full and fulfil their academic potential. Enrichment & Enjoyment- ensuring that students benefrt from a wide-ranging and engaging co- curricular programme that enables them to develop their non-academic talents. ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST2024 Society & Me-this is an Ardingly-specific programme developed by ourteachers to help students understand social attitudes, develop informed opinion and navigate their social relationships with confidence and sensitivity. International Women's Day and Black History month were celebrated to focus the community on important issues of equality, equity and diversity. Enterprise & Employability - this programme ensures that all students at Ardingly develop knowledge about the rapidly changing world of work. and develop their skills towards the requirements of their future careers. Local & Global partnerships Ardingly plays a role in educational provision beyond its gates, through partnerships with local schools and with our franchise schools currently in China and Kazakhstan. The details below highlight the key activities towards meeting these objectives. Independent Schools Inspection During the summer term 2024 the College was visited for the formal inspeclion cycle ofthe Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). The ISI inspection now avoids one-word judgements and instead provides objective assessment of educational provision according to the statutory regulations and qualitative descriptions. The College was found to be compliant with all slatutory regulations. The processes for safeguarding pupils were found to be professional and thorough, and school leadership and governance ensure that a strong culture of safeguarding, care and wellbeing of pupils is maintained consistently across the College. The College was found to have a 'signifi¢anl strength, in its boarding provision. This is rarely awarded and demonstrates the high quality of pastoral care that runs through the College, in this case in our boarding houses. Other findings of the inspection report include.. 'pupils speak warmly of the individual care that they receive.. 'pupil wellbeing and positive mental health are prioritised and valued, and there is extensive support available for all pupils.. 'pupils experience a broad curriculum and achieve well due to the high quality teaching they receive.. 'teachers regularly give pupils work to stretch and extend their understanding.. 'GCSE, A Level and IB resufis, compared with baseline data. show that pupils make very good progress.. 'boarders feel secure and happy in their houses and they consequently develop notably high levels of self-knowledge, self-understanding and self-esteem.. 'leaders provide a wide-ranging and high-quality activities programme throughout the school. The programme is well designed and provide5 diverse and enjoyable experience for pupils.. 'there are abundant opportunities for pupils to be creative.. 'many pupils achieve highly in a range of team and individual sports.. 'leaders balance compelition at an elite level in sport and their desire to maintsin inclusivity which means that the￿ is something for every pupil to enjoy.. "the world ready programme provides pupi15 Wlth a range of age-appropriate opportunities and activities to prepare themselves for life after school. "pupils say that the school goes a long way to preparing them for lrfe.. 'pupils look forward with confidence to the next stage of their life and value not only the contribution they make currently but also how they will add to society in future.. ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS. REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Student and College achievements Independent School of the Year for Student Careers 2024 - this is recognition of the ground- breaking Enterprise and Employability programme the forms part of the College's World Ready mission. Ardingty's outstanding Enterprise and Employability programme was also recognised by The Week's awards as the UK schools offering the bestpreparation for life. Micmsoft Showcase School Incubator programme - the incubator path is the first step to achieve full Microsoft Showcase School status and is a recognition of innovative use of technology in education. Dr Andrew Spiers was awarded the prestigious Tatler Lifetime Achievement Award for his leadership of the Ardingly-lfield Solar Car project over 12 years. Dr Spiers's achievements include creating the Ardingly-lfield STEM partnership that was recognised by TES as the best STEM schools partnership in 2020. The College achieved the Boarding School Mental Health Silver Award from the Camegie Centre of Excellence. The Carnegie Centre of Excellence provides criteria against which school can bejudged by objective professional standards. and thus confirms the quality of care provided by all our staff, led by Ihe Care & Wellbeing team and the pastoral teams in Houses. Academic Results Ardingly students once again achieved outstanding outcomes in the 2024 examinations. Both the GCSE and Sixth Form candidates are to be highly commended, achieving among the College's best ever results, with record numbers achieving the top grades. GCSE highlights.. 720/ts of entries were graded 9-7 (the equivalent of A. or A grade). up from 680/0 in 2023 Average grade of 7.30. the highest ever average 52 % of all grades were graded 9s or 8s 100 % ofthe GCSE cohort qualified for continuation into the Sixth Form A-Level and IB Diploma highlights= IB Diploma average of 38.9, the highest ever score and placing the College in the top 10 nationally 89% of entries achieved A'_B or the IB equivalent 7-5 (90% in 2024). 63 % of results were awarded the top two grades of A"_A (A-Level) and 7-6 (IB) BTEC highlights.. 18 entries in Business Studies and Sports Management 61 /0 of entries were awarded a Distinction. (equivalent to an A. at A Level) 100 % of entries awarded Distinction. or Distinction (equivalent A"IA at A Level). Ardingly College uses added value as a measure of educational progress. Added value measures the difference between the expected gradefrom a pupil's baseline assessment SCO￿ at the beginning oftheir course and the grade they actually achieved. Ardingly College has demonstrated exceptional value-added perfomiance across both A Level and GCSE, reflecting its commitment to academic excellence. At A Level, the value-added score places the College in the top 100/0 nationally. This indicates that students are making significantly better progress than their prior attainment would predict, with many exceeding their expected grades by approximately a third of a grade or more. At GCSE. the value-added score places the College in the top 10/0 of schools nationally, with students, on average, achieving one grade higher than their expected grade. This con51Stent track record across both key stages highlights the effectiveness of teaching and leaming strategie5, as well as the strong support provided to students, enabling them to achieve beyond expectations. ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST2024 Academic activity National Cyber Security Centre's First Glrls Competition- the aim of the competition is to find the next generation of cyber professionals who will keep the country safe. Year 8 girls achieved well in the competition and were encouraged to develop their knowledge of cyber security. Lockheed Martin Code Quest- Ardingly's team of three achieved third place in this Engineering and Software task set by engineers from Lockheed. Geography Association Quality Mark- recognition of outstanding teaching and learning in this subject. Note that only 13 such awards were made to schools in 2024. The submission and assessment for the award is rigorous and demonstrates the highest quality secondary subject teaching in this subject. The Biology department again hosted an inspiring Biology Week, and visited the Gene & Stem Cell therapy day at Oxford University. University admission We enjoyed another fairly calm results day, with only a couple of students not being accepted by their firm or insurance universities. By the end ofthe day, all students who wanted to go to university this year had found places, including some who used Clearing to upgrade to higher calibre universities including Durham and UCL. The most popular university this year was Wa￿iCk (13), followed by Newcastle (11), Exeter and Bristol (8), and Durham and Edinburgh (6). We had one successful applicant at Oxford (Italian and Philosophy), one at Cambridge {TRPR) and 3 at Imperial. Thirteen of our students from this cohort have been accepted at overseas universities- seven are off to a wide variety of US universities {including the Universities of California, Boston Universtty and Penn) and others will be attending universities in Germany, Canada, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland. A very large number of students have elected to take a gap year with some holding deferred offers and others intending to apply to university during their gap year. Students are pursuing a very broad range of courses, from Fine Art to Finance and Electrical Engineering to English Literature. 570h of students applied to Humanrties courses and 430/0 applied to STEM related courses. Sport Swimming success continued, winning the Sussex Cup and swimmers qualifying for the ESSA National Finals at the Olympic pool. Ardingly's boys. freestyle 50-metre relay team won silver medal at the ESSA national finals. In hockey, the 151 Xl girls were unbeaten outside the national cup, wtth girls representing England age- group hockey. The 1$1 Xl Boys. Hockey team won the Tier 2 National Cup, rounding off a hugely successful season for hockey at Ardingly. In football, the 1st Xl Girls. Football team reached the National Cup Quarter Finals. The Boys. 1st Xl Football team continued to achieve success with victory in the London Cup and 4th place in the national HUDL league the comprises the top independent football schools in the country. In netball, the 1st Girls, Netball won 2nd place in the SISNA Sussex Schools Netball Tournament. In fencing students achieved top ten placings at the national fencing championships. In Basketball, the Boys, 1 st team achieved national cup qualification competed in the top 32 SGhool teams nationally. Music. Drama. Dance and Creative Arts Music-making continued to be vibrant with numerous recita15, the annual highlight of the choir. orchestra and concerto soloists performing in St John's Smith Square. ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT {incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Ten students achieved grade 8 and one student achieved a Distinction in the ABRSM Diploma for the violin. The latter is a rare and exceptional achievement for a studenl studying at a non-specialist music college. The Chapel Choirtoured Normandy. performing in a range ofvenues, and other musical highlights included the chamber ensembles performing in the Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival and an inspired performance of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite in the Chapel. In Drama, Years 7&8 provided a joyous performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the Middle School tackled the more political theme of Animal Farm, complete with a home-made windmill rising from the stage to provide a suitable visual reminder of the play's warnings. The Sixth Form production tackled the complex metre of Moliere's Tartuffe, giving a plafform for actors, comic talents. 400+ students took regular instrumental or singing lessons and participated in the early or final rounds of Young Musician of the Year at intermediate or advanced level. The third year of the dance show Lost in Motion provided an excellent showcase of mixed dance forms. Partnerships and community The Ardingly-lfield Solar Car projects continued to provide opportunities for students from both schools to develop their skills in design and building a solar vehicle. The SUV construction was completed, with hand-over to our partners school in Kenya anticipated later in 2024. Community engagement involved over 500/0 of students in the school. Every Year 12 student was involved in providing a stimulating day of lessons and educational activities for 280 primary school children on Inspiring Young Minds day in June. During the regular weekly timetable, over a hundred students participated regularly in community activities. such as the EAL programme for non-native students studying at local state schools. In this imaginative programme, our international students share their experiences and knowledge with other children who are not from the UK orwho are studying English from a non-native background. Ardingly College Prep School For the academic year 2023-2024, we continued to work towards six targets via our School Development Plan. Towards 2025. and using the signposts as evidenced below. we can see we have had a productive, purposeful and prosperous year of endeavour. and achievement, wilh much to be proud of.. 1. To be One School in Two locations." The main focus of the year was to prepare the sites for 2024-25, which has been achieved.. Year 3 has been relocated to the Famihouse site.. the Farmhouse building has been renovated to house the new Nursery,. the Pigsty has been repurposed to accommodate a wellbeing room, staff room and Reception classroom. The Cowshed was also reconfigured to house one class for Year 1 and Year 2. two Year 3 classrooms. an art room and a music room. Additionally. Year 4, 5 and 6 were moved into the same School House corridor to provide a more coherent and inclusive Prep corridor on the College site. 2. To deliver a balanced andp￿￿OSefUl curriculum 2023-24 saw the launch of the Readwritelnc phonics programme, which has impacted literacy levels across the school. We fully embedded Sonar assessment tracking software across the curriculum for formative and summative assessment, complemented by half-temily pupil progress meetings across all key stages. including Learning Support staff. Additional teachers were introduced in literacy, maths, speech and language; reading and spelling programmes Nessy and Toe by Toe were introduced.. guided reading groups, writing booster and maths booster groups were introduced as well as multisensory spelling groups and pre-teaching vocabulary development interventions. In School House. a new maths curriculum was delivered by specialist maths teachers,- homework 10 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS. REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 was increased in Years 5 & 6. Atom Learning was launched for homework.. lessons were shortened to 45-minute periods and form time increased to 30 minutes. We were particularly pleased with the performance of our Year 6 cohort who outperformed external candidates in the 11+ internal assessment and were awarded 83/0 ofArdingly College scholarships into Year 7. In the Farmhouse. Language Link, Clever Fingers and additional phonics and booster groups were introduced. 3. To embed creativity and discovery in the cumculum Children have had numerous opportunities for creativity, discovery and enrichment in their learning throughout the year: Heritage projects.. children encouraged to produce a document researching their family Poetry Declamation-. children learnt a poem and performed in class and Chapel Stone Age and Roman Workshops.. Year 3 and 4 were treated to an external expert Year 5 and Year 6 residential trips to Bowles. Kent and France respectively Music.. three termly infonnal concerts. termly formal concerts, and enrichment opportunities with professional musicians. There were opportunities for children to play in the Senior School ensembles and take part in the annual St John Smith's Square concert Year 6 Flamenco workshop Year 6 geography field trip to Pulborough Brook Weekly Forest School lessons for younger years and a club for Years 3-6 Whole School Art Exhibition Drama.. form plays, LAMDA exams, two London Theatre trips, Year 6 German theatre workshop, Christmas production for Years 3 and 4, and Year 5 and 6 production of Oliver. Sport.. Five Country Champions in U9110 County Athletics Championships and five bronze and silver medallists., Two medallist in U11 National Championships atAlexandra Stadium., IAPS Runners up U11 Girls Football,. National Schools Biathlon gold and bronze medal winners in Year 4 and 5 respectively and ￿0 top ten finishers,. Year4 team gold and silver winners and individual bronze medal in National Schools Championships, with fourtop ten finishes,. Second place individual in Year 5 IAPS National Schools Triathlon. 4. To have a °support for all" approach to leaming The use of Universal Toolboxes has been embedded throughout the school. All KS1 children have a Learning Support Assistant assigned to their class for all core subjects, while KS2 children have access to three LSAS across the eight classes who run interventions and support within lessons. The Deputy Director of Learning Support has created a strong team of skilled LSAS who are able to run highly impactful inteNentions, both supporting pupils and extending the most able. Numerous intervention groups for literacy, maths and speech and language were introduced, as well as a sensory motor skills programme and a social emotional group focusing on communication and team building. 5. To deliver an outstanding values, charnGteristics and human skills programme We continued to provide individual education throughout the year with various programmes in place to facilitate this.. Weekly Shaping My World lessons covering a range of topics from careers advice, First Aid, Mental Health, Manners. Public Speaking, Strategy Games, and small talk amongst a range of 20 other topics ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Discovering and Shaping My World weeks Weekly PSHE lessons taught by Head of PSHE across whole Prep. Team building day in first week of new term. 6. To become the most generous school in and out of the school environs We continue toteach all ourchildren thevalue and importance ofgenerosity in our college community and away from school. We celebratethe actions ofthe children in ourweekly Celebration Assemblies with public rewards for children displaying such behaviour with Golden Generous badges, and awards of the coveted Hargreaves and Neal Shields and the Cole Cup. PSHE and Discovering My Worldlshaping My World topics covers generosity likewise and 'Generous' is arguably our most important value amongst four values of Generous, Adventurous, Ingenious and Curious. In Michaelmas term 2023, we have added an additional weekly assembly to allow more impact for discussion on the four values and curriculum matters. During 'Shaping my World Week, Year 4 children visited a care home to play games and read to elderly members of the community. Our MFL lead continues to deliver French to pupils at Balcombe primary and we are planning further initiatives to develop our outreach and partnership work in 2024-25. Responding to External Pressures The independent schools. sector. including Woodard independent schools, stood up well to the problems created by the cost-of-living crisis but independent schools remained concerned, and many were planning for pressure on pupil numbers, particularly once the new Labour Government confirmed the introduction of VAT on school fees from 151 January 2025. The increases in the cost of living impacted all areas of cost for independent schools, particularly in staff costs. The more recent return to long term rales of inflation has lessened this impact. but schools have all faced an issue in recovering their costs through fee rises. This will continue with the introduction of VAT. Pupil numbers 202312024 202212023 Senior School Prep School 821 199 (311 boarders) {0 boarders) 814 225 (329 boarders) (O boarders) Total 202312024 Boys Girls 439 382 106 94 202212023 Boys Girls 437 377 120 105 Senior School Prep School Total Pupil numbers 8re presented excluding Pre-Nursery and NU￿ery pupils and also now retlect the Prep school unification, wrfh the previously-reported Pre-Prep pupilnumbers now included with the Prep school. Bursaries The Govemors of Ardingly College are committed to broadening access to education at the College by offering to eligible parentslguardians means-tested financial support with the payment of college fees. The College runs bursarial schemes- Means-tested and Transformational. Transfomational bursaries are specifically for talented and ambitious young people who have experienced significant disadvantage or who have been displaced. All bursaries are usually awarded as a percentage of fee5, 12 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 deducted from tuition fees, and is dependent on the financial circumstances of applicants. The discount awarded ranges from 5/0 to 100 /0 oftuition fees. The bursarial fund comes from legacies from alumni, donations from parents and supporters of the College. The College is extremely grateful to all those who contribute to supporting bursary pupils to access and enjoy the educational opportunities provided by the College. The College is mindful thal it must ensure a balance be￿een fee-paying parents, many of whom make considerable personal sacrifices to fund their child's education, and those benefiting from the awards. Therefore, the College has a duty to make sure that bursaries are awarded to families with demonstrable need. Bursary Administration Limited is the College's appointed independent assessor. The College also sets aside an annual hardship fund, for cases of sudden unforeseen need or where applications meriting bursary assistance are received out of the normal calendar cycle for bursary submission, scrutiny and award. The sum varies year to year and is set within budgetary constraints. Information about fee assistance through bursaries is provided to all applying to the College. Further details regarding bursaries are available on request. In 2023-24, the College funded a total of sixteen students on means-tested bursaries and seven students on transformational bursaries. A total of nine pupils received full remission of fees. The value of means tested bursaries totalled £368,117 and the value ofother bursaries, includingthoseforwhom support is provided via the Royal National Children's Springboard Foundation totslled £101.134. We continue to work alongside the Royal National Children's Springboard Foundation specifically for our transformational bursaries and have awarded 2 fully-funded boarding places to date. We continue to work towards having one Springboard pupil in each year of our senior school. PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES The independent sector as a whole is currently subject to increased political risk following confirmation by the Government that they will remove tax concessions for charitable independent schools. adding VAT and removing business rates relief. There is a significant risk to the independent sector as adding VAT to school fees from 1 $1 January 2025 may make the fees unaffordable for a proportion of parents, potentially affecting school income. The full effect will not be known until all details of the policy are announced and schools and parents are able to assess the impact on affordability. The Governors of Ardingly College have taken steps to mitigate the potential attrition of pupil numbers by seeking to share the VAT burden across the College community. A two-year fee strategy has been developed and communicated to parents, which divides the net VAT impact between the College and parents. Gross fees have been increased by 5% in January 2025, and a further 5 % in September 2025, alongside the usual inflationary increase. The College has committed to absorbing the residual through a series of cost saving initiatives, without impacting the educational offering. The governing body is responsible for the identification and management of risks. Council is supported by the College Executive in reviewing risks faced by the College. Risks (including other regulatory and operational) are identified and assessed by means of a Risk Register and controls monitored and updated throughout the year. The key controls used by the charity include: Articles for the Board and detailed terms of reference for all Board commFttees Formal agendas for all committee and Board meetings Comprehensive budgeting and management accounting Review and approval at College Executive and governor level of key policies Safeguarding and vetting procedures as required by law for the protection of the vulnerable Regular consideration of the Risk Register. The principal risks and uncertainties for the College and the mitigation strategies in place include the following: 13 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST2024 Pupil demand The introduction of VAT and general fee affordability conlinues to remain a dominant risk facing the College, as is the signal that birth rates continue to fall across the South-East. With the appointment of a new Marketing and Communications Director, Ardingly is better able to monitor and analyse demand at each entry point and put in place appropriate mitigation steps where early indicators may suggest a reduced year cohort. Parental interest in the College is high however, it is recognised that conversion rates can be improved, which fomis a fundamental element of the new marketing strategy. Regulatory non•compliance The Management Compliance Committee meets termly throughout the year according to a prescribed agenda to monitor all aspects of regulatory compliance and reports termly to the Risk and Safeguarding Governor Committee. Key policies are reviewed annually by the College Executive and Governor Committees approve significant changes. Safeguarding and Child Protection, Health & Safety and Anti- Bullying policies are reviewed and signed off annually by Council. Health and Safety and Data controls Health and Safety is always a significant area for risk management. The risks range from fire and damage to infrastructure. to personal risks (most notably when away from the campus on Irips and expeditions.) The level and breadth of activity of the school is impressive and the risks associated wilh all activities are minimised by thorough planning and risk assessment. Board and committee composition Council regularly reviews the skills matrix to identify potential experience or skill gaps. Conflicts of interest are declared and monitored and required checks are made on prospective governors prior to appointment. The Nominations & Governance Committee is tasked with overseeing the composition and process by which governors are introduced, vetted and approved. Funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of othe Ardingly College does not hold funds or act as custodian trustee on behalf of others. FINANCIAL REVIEW Results forthe Year Total income for the year amounted to £31.5m, of which the operating surplus on all College activities, including the subsidiary businesses, increased to£2,365.083from lastyear's surplusof£1.940,300. This surplus has been achieved with average fee increases below inflation and against a background of rapidly increasing operating costs. Gross fee income for the year increased by 4.5 % from last year, with an increase of seven Senior school pupils counteracting the reduction in Prep school numbers and overall pupil numbers falling by nineteen. Total fee remissions reduced to 8.0% of gross fees from 9.1 % last year. reflecting our efforts to limit the total value of scholarships awarded in favour of more impactful means-tested bursaries. The subsidiary companies returned combined profits of £522,268 in the year, in line with £511,481 in the previous year. These profits were sufficient to overturn the brought forward losses and return a ￿venant payment to the College of £87,000. Investments also increased in value by £162,742 this year, compared with £28,811 in the year to 31 August 2023. Ardingly Projects Limited had a very successbjl year, generating its highest ever overall trading income with total turnover of £1,759,213- a 4% improvement on the previous yearfs turnover of £1,689,974. The company generated a profit of £380.411, sufficient to overturn the brought forward loss of £365,035 and pay a covenant of £15.000 to the College., the first time since 2019 that the company has been able to do so. The cashflow generated in the year meant that Ardingly Projects Limited was able to repay the £387,778 intercompany balance owed to the College and to pay a further £252,535 towards the current yearfs recharges. The balance owed at the year-end was £576,457. The Board has reviewed the forecasts and wrth agreements in place forthe 2025 booking periods, considers that the business should be viewed as a going concern. Ardingly College International Ltd, the College's subsidiary company developing partner schools overseas, also had its most successful year to date, generating total income of £448,820, the bulk of which was from the service fee received from Ardingly College Zhongshan and prewoperational fees for 14 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST2024 the next partner school in Astana, Kazakhstan. The company generated a profit of £141,857 and was able to pay a £72,000 covenant to the College after making good the brought forward loss of £69,527. The Board has reviewed the forecasts and with Ardingly College Astana opening in September 2024, considers that the business should be viewed as a going concern. Group total funds increased by £2,365,083 for the year. The DB pension scheme has continued in surplus this year and, as last year, it has been agreed not to reflect this asset in the SOFA due to the long-term nature of the liabilities and the volatility of discount rates. The parents of our pupils often make significant sacrifices to pay the fees. In doing sothey help to relieve the state of the financial burden of educating 873 UK-based children. The saving is estimated to have a value in the last year of £6,713,370. The College is currently unable to recover the VAT on purchases it makes. During the past year, Ardingly College Ltd has paid an estimated £1,335,931 in VAT on goods and services. In addition to the very substantial benefits our College brings to our pupils, the local community and society through the education we offer, our bursary and outreach programmes create a social asset without cost to the Exchequer. Reserves Level and Policy. and Financial Viability It continues to be the College's policy to utilise funds to ensure that high quality, modern facilities are provided for the benefit of pupils. The aim is to budget in order to provide sufficient working capital to meet the present needs and cover any unexpected revenue shortfall. The balance Sheet contains a number of cash and longer-temi liabilities. Unrestricted funds increased by £2,234.672 to total £22.296,302, as shown in note 23. The College plans to fund longer-term capital expenditure and meet long term liabilities through Careful management of resources and investments and through building reserves through operations and trading. The company's unrestricted reserves are primarily invested in tangible fixed assets which are all used for its direct charitable activities. The College does not have, and cannot therefore rely on, permanent endowments. In common with most independent schools, and due to the need to fund their own capital investment plans. free reserves are at a negative balance, illustrating the exient of the inveslment in our college. The school's total reserves of £23.5m at the year-end included £275k of endowed funds, £919k of restricted fund5 and £22.3m of unrestricted funds, of which £2.17m are designated funds. The College's financial viability does not depend on income reserves but in its ability to continue to trade at a surplus on an annual basis, and on the substantial portfolio of fixed assets held for operational use. Engagement with Suppliers, Customers and Others in a Buslness Relationship with Ardingly College Ardingly College seeks to engage actively and positively with all stakeholders in the local community and in the wider educational landscape. Collaborative relationships with suppliers, parents, educational partners and community leaders are seen as key enablers to achieving success in all of the group's operations. During the year the group has further promoted this engagement though specific initiatives including.. Regular communication and engagement with parents and prospective parents of pupils attending Ardingly College to enhance the understanding of the provision to each pupil and to fully coordinate support to pupils from parents and schools. Engagement with other educational organisations and partners at local and national levels to share best practice and to provide peer support. Seeking regular communication with all suppliers and ensuring good commercial practices of prompt payment and clear communication to optimise arrangements for supply of goods and services to Ardingly College. Promoting and encouraging pupil and staff opportunities to engage in local voluntary and other projects to support the community. 15 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 HOW THE BOARD COMPLIES WITH SECTION 172 OF THE COMPANIES ACT Promoting the success of the chantable group Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 requires the directors to act in the way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the charitable group to achieve its charitable purposes. The Act states that in doing so, the directors should have regard, amongst other matters, to: The likely consequence of any decision in the long temi Ardingly College makes all key decisions through reference to its long-term strategic plan and after projecting the timing and impact of such decisions. This strategy is primarily designed around the objective to improve the educational outcome for pupils. Every decision and strategy or policy adopted is regularly reviewed for its impact on stakeholders, and the need for any change is identified and implemented. The interests of the chan'table group s employees Our employees are vital to Ardingly College and we regard ongoing, regular engagement with them as a top priority. In 2024 Ardingly College established an employee representative forum. 'Staff Voice., which is made up of fourteen appointed employee representatives each representing a different constituency of the College workforce. The purpose of Staff Voice is to facilitate the exchange of views and establishment of dialogue be￿een the College leadership and staff, to enable us to work collaboratively to get the best outcomes for us all, ensuring that everyone is well informed and can have their voice heard. The College also seeks employee engagement through regular feedback and meetings, including formal appraisals as well as our annual Staff Survey. We address any issues raised by our employees as quickly as possible and communicate back to them what we have done. Staff are offered access to support, and all parts of Ardingly College seek to ensure that staff welfare is actively considered and addressed. Through application of up-to-date health and safety policies, and regLrlar meetings and consultations, we also actively seek to ensure that the working environment meets necessary high standards of safety and security. The need to foster the charitable group s business relationships with supplie￿. customers, and others Our relationships with partners and suppliers are key to our effectiveness. Ardingly College actively seeks to engage in service reviews with key suppliers, and the Woodard procurement manager assists in this process for business-critical activities. These reviews are focused on a ￿0-WaY relationship wilh Ardingly College based with an aim of helping one another to achieve an optimum service as efficiently as possible, achieving best value for money. Where Ardingly College has procured outsourced services. we seek to ensure that staff and management from that contractor are supported as an equal member of the College community, and as stakeholders. The impact of the chan"table group's operations on the community and the environment We recognise our responsibility to care for the environment and aim to minimise our environmental impact in all our activities. As well as covering environmental issues in our college curriculums, Ardingly College encourages staff and pupils to participate in initiatives to reduce negative environmental impacts. The College promotes recycling of waste and is involved in actions to maximise efficiency in energy consumption. The desirability of the group maintaining a reputation for high standards of business Gonduct Our reputation and public trust in Ardingly College are fundamental to ourfuture success. Our ethos and values are a fundamental part of employee recruttment and training to ensure that we maintain high standards- the same basis is used in appraisal processes. We apply similar values and procedures in choosing school partners and suppliers both in the UK and abroad. As set out on page 5 within 'Group StruGture and Relationships. the College has developed links with a wide range of organisations to ensure the widest possible access to our facilities and education. Through membership of HMC, IAPS. AGBIS and ISBA and by ne￿OrkIng with peer groups we ensure that we are able to attain the highest standard5 of quality and perfomiance. Details of how the College has engaged with employees and had regard to employee interests can be found within the employment policy on page 5 and employee consultation on page 20, details of volunteer 16 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS. REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 engagement can be found on page 3. The Directors can demonstrate the promotion and success of the charity for the benefit of the stakeholders through the review of achievements and performance for the year, included within this Strategic Report. The College has continued to provide access to high quality academic education a5 well as pastoral and social support throughout the year. The College also plays an important role in providing activities for local community groups and access to its facilities. The Directors are responsible for strategic planning and policymaking for the College and, accordingly, all key decisions, the current performance and future longer-term plans of the charity and stakeholders are referred to and taken by the Council. The College is governed by the goveming body (Council) which delegates work to a number of committees. Membership of each committee is outlined on page 21. The Governors, who are also the directors. determine the general policy of the company. Further information can be found in our Strategic Report and the detailed review of achievements and performance for the year. 17 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS. REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Group Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting 2024 2023 Energy consumption used to calculate emissions (kwh) Energy consumption break down {kWh>'. Natural Gas Heating Oil UK Grid Electricity Supply Biomass Transport Fuels Scope 1 emissions in metric tonnes C02e Natural Gas Heating Oil Biomass Owned transport- plant & machinery Total Scope 1 Scope 2 emissions in metric lonnes C02e UK Grid Electricity Supply Scope 3 emissions in metric tonnes C02e Business travel in employee-owned vehicles Total gross emissions in metric tonnes C02e Before Offset 8,165,297 7.382,598 4,238,128 118.381 2,680,183 671.010 457,595 4.178,871 33,825 1,983,787 499,400 686,715 782 29 763 109 161 937 927 555 411 1,484 1,352 Intensity ratio Tonnes C02e per pupil Before Offset Out of Scope Emissions in metric Tonnes of C02e Biomass Combustion Engine Fuels 235 175 Offset Emissions in metric Tonnes of C02e Biomass UK Grid Electricity Supply Business Travel Land Renewable Eledricity Generation Total gross emissions in metric tonnes C02e After Offset 235 540 175 410 945 767 Intenslty ratio Tonnes C02e per pupil After Offset Group reporting requires us to include all subsidiaries and related companies that qualify. The numbers above include all qualifying subsidiaries and related companies, being Ardingly College Limited, Ardingly Projects Limited and Ardingly College International Limited. Quantification and reporting methodology We have followed the 2019 HM Government Environmental Reporting Guidelines. We have also used the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting Protocol - Corporate Standard and the 2023 UK Government's Conversion Factors for Company Reporting. Intensity measurement The chosen intensity measurement ratio is total gross emissions in metriG tonnes C02e per pupil. MeaSU￿S taken to impn?ve efficiency During the year, school implemented a number of initiatives to improve the efficiency of energy use. These included-. Reviews of light fitting5 across the campus to seek alternatives, and installation of LED lighting where possible. 18 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Encouraging staff, through communication and signage, to turn off lights and ensure windows and doors are closed when exiting rooms or installing motion sensors so that lighting is only on when rooms are being used. Replacement of old inefficient gas boilers with more efficient condensing boilers and air source heat pumps. Adjusting timers on lighting and heating systems to minimise the energy demand when not required or to minimise the time delays on switch off timers to minimum practical levels. Initiatives through reviews of school travel plans and bus routes to encourage pupils to travel from home to school provided transport and encouraging staff to car-share. Extending the scope and encouraging use of the bus routes to reduce the number of pupils travelling to school by car. Encouraging staff to change their travel patterns to signrficantly reduce their travel to and from work by car or public transport. Urging measures such as the use of bicycles and walking as an alternative mode of travel as well as the continuous promotion of the cycle to work scheme. Installation of electric vehicle charging points in car parks and the introduction of an electric vehicle leasing scheme for staff. Initiating new salary exchange schemes for leasing electric vehicles. Replacement of diesel-powered maintenance vehicles and minibuses with fully electri¢ vehicles. Commissioning energy audit reports allowing review of current installations and assessment of ways to improve energy usage moving forward. Publication of Sustainability Strategies Including energy efficiency as a high priority item construction project design and build with underfloor heating, energy controls, PV panels and air source heat pumps. Encouraging staff, through communication, to turn down radiatois. Further reinforcement of groups established to promote sustainability thinking and action. Undertaking suNeys to identify significant modifications to ensure buildings are safe and in good condition and then undertaking remedial work to increase insulation and energy efficiency. Going forward the school is engaging in a number of projects to improve energy efficiency in future years as follows.. Engagement with the Energy Saving Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) to identify possible areas for energy saving. Creation of long-term energy efficiency plans. Including energy efficiency as a high priority item in construction of new buildings with consideration of undethoor heating, energy controls, solar panels and battery storage. Ongoing review of settings and the operation of building management systems to ensure that energy use is minimised according to the need of pupils and staff. Installation of campus-wide building management systems to optimise energy usage. Replacement of diesel-powered equipment with electric items. Encouraging staff to use school provided transport, public transport and bicycles as an alternative mode of transport including promotion of Cycle to Work schemes. Encouraging staff to minimise travel and promoting the use of technology for meetings and other communications. Creation of sustainability groups and appointment of sustsinability champions in departments and houses. Staff and student awareness training on energy management. Seek to identify opportunities for solar power generation at the school sites. Financlal risk management objectives and policies The College uses financial instruments, comprising loans, cash and other liquid resources and olher items such as trade debtors and credttors that arise directly from operations. The main issues arising from the group's financial instruments are liquidity risk and interest rate risk. The College's Directors adopt policies for managing each of the risks and these are summarised below.. Liquidity risk-the College seeks to manage financial risk by ensuring sufficient liquidity is available to meet foreseeable needs by negotiating adequate facilities from banks and other lenders. Interest rate risk- the College has mitigated its risk to interest rate fluctuations by maintaining one 19 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 fixed rate loan. early repayment of the variable rate loan in full, and through active treasury management of cash balances. GOING CONCERN The College continues to operate at a surplus, with total net income of £2.37m in the year to 31 August 2024 and total funds of £23.5m. The subsidiary companies have also returned a profit, each at a level which overturns the brought forward losses and returns a payment to the College. Responding to parents, concern over the introduction of VAT on fees, the College communicated its fee strategy over Easter 2024 and committed to sharing the VAT burden with parents. This early commitment was very well-received. Pupil numbers are therefore encouraging and, although total numbers have reduced by nineteen year-on year. demand remains buoyant. Having considered all factors and reviewing the available evidence, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the group will be able to continue operating for the foreseeable future and the financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. Further details related to the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the accounting policies on page 32. EMPLOYEE CONSULTATION In February 2024 Ardingly College established an employee consultative committee, 'Staff Voice, to facilitate the exchange of views and establishment of dialogue be￿een the College leadership and staff. Staff Voice consists of fourteen elected employee representatives, each of whom represents a different area of the College. The purpose of Staff Voice is to enable us to work collaboratively to get the best outcomes for us all, ensuring that everyone is well informed and can have their voice heard. Staff Voice aims to provide a forum that: enables all staff to identrfy & contribute ideas to resolve issues affecting the employees of Ardingly College and facilitates an effective dialogue between staff and Senior Management. enables effective communication of information within Ardingly College, both horizontally and vertically. acts as a reference group for Senior Management, providing feedback on proposals and issues which affect staff and their working environment (e.g., policies, procedures, terms and conditions, working practices and other relevant employee issues). staff Voice is not a decision-making body but is engaged to assist the decision-making process by providing management and staff representatives with sufficient infomialion to allow each other to prepare, formulate an opinion, and receive feedback on that opinion. Stsff Voice meetings take place once every half term and the minutes are shared with all staff. Ardingly College seeks feedback from staff through an annual staff survey. The results of the survey are shared with all staff and an action plan is then formulated in collaboration with Staff Voice and Senior Leadership to address key priorities. The Head of the College and other rnembers of the College leadership team meets with all staff prior to the start of each term to provide information on matters of interesuconcern, including the academic and financial performance of the College and major capital projects being undertaken. The College is keen to encourage employee participation in communication of matters of concem to them. On aweekly basis each ofthe schools hosts a meeting with staff from that school to discuss issues affecting staff and pupils. The Operations Staff team also meets for a coffee break meeting every fortnight where key messages are shared. Where there is any major development affecting the terms and conditions of members of staff, the College holds consultation meetings with affected employees in advance of any major change strategy in line with the communication and consuttation policy. 20 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 FUTURE PLANS Future plans are determined by the College's new strategic plan published in January 2024. Future plans will also be determined by the changing political and economic context in which the College operates. On 301h August 2024 after several months of discussions, a merger deed was signed be￿een the College and Great Walstead School, a local Prep School with whom the College has a long-standing close relationship. The schools share a very similar ethos to provide outstanding all-round education, with pastoral care. excellent teaching and excitement in learning at the heart of everything they do. This exciting new partnership provides stability and maintains a choice of outstanding local independent education. Great Walstead will benefit from the scale and operational specialism of a larger school. whilst Ardingly will benefit from a symbiosis with its most local prep school. The merger takes effect on 1 $1 November 2024. DIRECTORS The directors who served during the year. and the committees of which they were members during the year. are. R Haynes Brown (Chairl J Adams Resigned 31 August 2024 Finance., Eststes; Education," Risk & Safeguarding., Nominations & Governance ppointed 1 September 2024 C Baty Education & Pastoral,. Risk & Safeguarding. People & Culture- Nominations & Governance Education & Pastoral- Risk & Safeguarding. (Deputy Safe uardin Governor . Finance, Estates Risk & Safeguarding Risk & Safeguarding,. Estates- Finance- Nominations & Governance. (Health & Safety Governor and Boarding Governor) Education (Prep Governor) Education,. Risk & Safeguarding (Safeguarding Governor) Finance; Risk & Safeguarding Education,. People & Culture S Bradshaw V Cameron S Champkin G Dixon ppointed 16 November 2023 L Flynn D Foster ppointed 16 November 2023 SHay G Holmes Resigned 20 June 2024 SKay F Kempf L Lindsay esigned 11 September 2023 ppointed 16 November 2023 Resigned 30 June 2024 (IB Governor) Finance Education., Finance., Nominations & Governance. (Safeguarding Governor) J Martin ppointed Chair from 1 eptember 2024 Finance., People & Culture: Education & Pastoral. (Mental Health & Wellbeing Governor) Estates- Finance- Nominations & Governance Education.. People & Culture Enter rise & Em abilit Governor R Martin F Nuttall ppointed 16 November 2023 C Zanna Resigned 2 July 2024 None of the directors has any beneficial interest in the company. Ardingly College purchases trustees and officers, insurance on behalf of the directors. 21 ARDINGLY COLLEGE DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Exemptions from disclosure Ardingly College has not taken advantage of any exemption from disclosure in relation to trustee details. AUDITOR Following a competitive tender process, Moore Kingston Smith LLP were appointed as the company's external auditors at the Annual General Meeting held on 23rd May 2024, for the year to 31 August 2024 onwards. As a consequence, RSM UK Audit LLP did not offer themselves for reappointment under section 487 (2) of the Companies Act 2006. The Board would like to express its appreciation to RSM for their services over the past seven years. ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED DIRECTORS, REPORT (incorporating the Strategic Report) YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 DIRECTORS RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT The directors are responsible for preparing the director's report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice {United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law) including FRS 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Under company law the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company and group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to.. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102)., makejudgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent., state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements. and, prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company and group will continue in business. The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company's and group's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and group and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and group and hence fortsking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The directors confirm that.. so far as each director is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditor is unaware., and the directors have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company's auditor is aware of that information. The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. Approved by the Board of Directors of Ardingly College Limited on 28th November 2024 including. in their capacity as company directors, approving the Directors. and Strategic Reports contained therein, and signed on its behalf by- Jenny Martin CHAIR ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 Opinlon We have audiled the financial statements of Ardingly College (the 'parent charitable company,) and its subsidiaries (the 'group') for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise the Consolidated and Charity Statements of Financial Activities {incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account), the Consolidated and Company Balance Sheets, the Consolidated Cash Flow Statements and notes to the financial statements. including significant a￿oUntIng policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion the financial statements.. give a true and fair view of the state of the group's and the parent charitable company's affairs as at 31 August 2024 and of the group's incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended., have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice., and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011. Basis for opinion We have been appointed auditors under the Companies Act 2006 and section 151 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with those Acts. We conducted our audit in accordance with Intefnational Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAS (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditorfs responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group and parent charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK. including the FRC'S Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements_ We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. Conclusions relating to going concern In auditing the financial statements. we have concluded that the trustees. use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively. may cast significant doubt on the group's or parent charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least ￿e1ve rnonths from when the financial ststements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report. Other infomiation The other information comprises the information included in the Directors. report (incorporating the strategic Report) other than the financial statements and our auditor'5 report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other infomiation contained within the Directors, report (incorporating the Strategic Report) Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have 24 ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST2024 performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other infomation, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard. Oplnlons on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit.. the information given in the Directors, Report which includes the Directors, Report and the Strategic Report prepared for the purposes of company law. for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is Consistent with the financial statements,. and the Directors, Report and the Strategic Report, included within the Directors, Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Matters on which we a￿ required to report by exception In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the parent charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Directors. Report or the Strategic Report included within the Directors, Report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion- adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent charitable company. or retums adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us: or the parent charitable company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns. or certain disclosures of trustees, remuneration specified by law are not made., or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit. Responsibilities of trustees As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees. responsibilities set out on page 21, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group's and parent charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. Audltor's responslbilities forthe audit of the financial statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements a5 a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAS (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. As part of an audit in accordance with ISAS (UK) we exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also.. Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perfomi audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a malerial misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error. as fraud ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the trustees. Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees, use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast signrficant doubt on the group and parent charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists. we are required to draw attention in our auditor's report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, rfsuch disclosures are inadequate. to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditorfs report. However. future events or conditions may cause the group or parent charitable company to cease to continue as a going concem. Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation. Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or business activities within the group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, supervision and perfomiance of the group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit report. We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit. The extentto which the auditwas considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud Irregularities, including fraud. are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which OLrr prO￿dureS are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below. The objectives of our audit in respect of fraud, are, to identify and assess the risks of material mi5Statement of the financial statements due to fraud,. to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud, through designing and implementing appropriate responses to those assessed risks; and to respond appropriately to instances of fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both management and those charged with governance of the charitable company. Our approach was as follows.. We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the charitable company and considered that the most significant are the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the Charity SORP. and UK financial reporting standards as issued by the Financial Reporting Council. We obtained an understanding of how the charitable company complies with these requirements by discussions with management and those charged with governance. We assessed the risk of material misstatement of the financial slatements, including the risk of material misstatement due to fraud and how it might occur, by holding discussions with management and those charged with governance. We inquired of management and those charged with governance as to any known instances of non- compliance or suspected non-compliance with law5 and regulations. Based on this understsnding, we designed spectfic appropriate audit procedures to identify instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. Thi5 included making enquiries of management 8nd those charged with governance and obtaining additional corroborative evidence as required. 26 ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF ARDINGLY COLLEGE LIMITED YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non