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← Notre Dame School Cobham

2024-08-31-accounts

Company Number: 03898262 Registered in England and Wales

Charity Number: 1081875

NOTRE DAME SCHOOL COBHAM ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

Contents Page
Reference and administrative information 1
Annual Report of the Governors
Strategic Report 3
Directors’ Report 7
Statement of Governors’ Responsibilities 15
Independent Auditor’s Report 16
Statement of Financial Activities 20
Balance Sheet 21
Statement of Cash Flows 22
Notes to the Financial Statements 23

Notre Dame School Cobham Reference and administrative information for the year ended 31 August 2024

Reference and administrative information

Notre Dame School Cobham (“the school”) is constituted as a company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. Its company registration number is 03898262 and its charity number is 1081875.

Governors, directors and charity trustees

The Governors of Notre Dame School Cobham (“the school”) are the school’s charity trustees under charity law and the directors of the charitable company. The members of the Governing Body who served in office as Governors during the year and subsequently are as follows:

Mrs Wanda Nash BA MEd (Cantab) (resigned 12/07/2024) Mr Simon Frost (Vice Chair) appointed Chair 13/07/2024 Sr Maria Nieves Escalada, ODN Mr David Gair Sr Anne Gill, ODN Sr Patricia Grady, ODN Mr Russell Granat ACA Mr Gerard Owens Sr Kathy Schneider Ms Emma Appleton (appointed 24/11/2022 & resigned 28/09/2023) Mr Salvatore Nigrelli (appointed 26/09/2024) Mr Duncan Fletcher (appointed 26/09/2024)

Clerk to the Governors

Mrs R Halliday (appointed 13/01/2025)

Officers

The following key senior members of staff (key management personnel) are responsible for the day-to-day management of the charity:

Heads of School Mrs A King MA (Cantab) M.Ed PGCE FRGS Mrs A Morgan MA BA (Hons) PGCE

Head of Senior School Head of Preparatory School

Bursar Mrs M Jackson MA

From September 2024

Company Secretary Mrs M Jackson MA

From September 2024

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Notre Dame School Cobham Reference and administrative information for the year ended 31 August 2024

Principal address and registered office

Notre Dame School, Burwood House, Burwood Park, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 1HA

Auditors

TC Group, The Courtyard, Shoreham Road, Upper Beeding, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3TN

Bankers

Barclays Bank PLC, 8-12 Church Street, Walton on Thames KT12 2YW

Solicitors

Veale Wasborough Vizards, Narrow Quay House, Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA

Website

www.notredame.co.uk

Page 2

Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

The Governors present their report and the financial statements of Notre Dame School Cobham for the year ended 31 August 2024 under the Charities Act 2011, including the Directors’ and Strategic Report under the Companies Act 2006 together with the audited financial statements for the year.

STRATEGIC REPORT

Review of achievements and performance

This year, the pupil numbers remained very strong with three Year 6 classes and four forms from year 7 to 11. We remain committed to girls only education from Reception onwards with a broad intake, which we believe creates a richer learning environment for students of all abilities. Notre Dame School’s girls are stretched but not stressed. Our focus has been on the continued achievement of the highest standards of academic performance, enhancing sport and enrichment opportunities and continuing to be a leading light in student and staff wellbeing.

In 2023/24, we continued to encourage students to take a more expansive look at a concept or topic beyond the classroom. From school trips to competitions, training and lectures, our programme of rounded, culturally rich opportunities was a fundamental part of developing our engaged, enriched and empowered young women. The academic enrichment programme included amongst others, trips to Hampton Court, Geography Field trips, Henley Fort’s immersive WW2 experience, visits to Watts Gallery, a trip to Dorset, Ufton Court, Jersey, Berlin, ski trip to Italy and a physics trip to CERN. Our year 7 and 8 students competed in a Maths Challenge gaining 2 Gold, 14 Silver and 22 Bronze Certificates.

At Notre Dame, our outstanding sports education offers choice and opportunity across all abilities and year groups, to instil a lifelong love of sport and exercise. In November 2023 we opened our new Fitness Suite which enhances the sport provision for our students and elite sportswomen.

Our Prep School girls competed in numerous competitions across the year. The highlights include our Biathlon teams which were all placed in the top 10 schools at the National Schools Biathlon. 12 girls qualified for the IAPS National Swimming Finals with one winning a Bronze medal in 50m Freestyle. Our freestyle swimming team missed the podium by 11 thousandths of a second at the ESSA National Swimming Championships; our athletes were placed 12[th] , 7[th] and 5[th] in the National Prep School Athletics in U12 jump, U12 hurdles and U14 shot nationally.

Sporting highlights for Senior School girls include a Gold medal in 100m backstroke, Silver in the intermediate girls 200m IM and 100m backstroke, Silver in the Junior 100m freestyle and Bronze in the 100m backstroke at Surrey Schools Swimming Gala. Our U12s Hockey Team finished 4[th] in the Surrey County tournament, U15 were Finalists at the Tormead Tournament; U13 were Plate Winners and U12s Finalists on Penalty Flicks.

Our Chelsea Football Club Coaching partnership began in January 24 with girls enjoying taster sessions with the coaches. Our charity football tournament raising money for the Girls United Scheme was a huge success

During the Summer term we made the most of our extensive grounds and sports facilities, with Sports Days, Feast Days and Induction events for new pupils.

The students continued to enjoy an extensive array of music clubs, choirs, orchestras and lessons with over 320 individual memberships of around 30 rehearsing musical groups providing for all abilities, offering bespoke music in choirs, ensembles, bands and groups from Pre-Prep to beyond Grade 8. The students produced a distinguished set of both ABRSM and LAMDA examination results.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Our talented students once again took to the stage of the Montaigne Theatre; they dazzled the audiences with plenty of music, drama, dancing, recitals and more. Years 3 and 4 performed their version of The Bee Musical; whilst Year 5 girls presented their Performing Arts Showcase, which was a celebration of dance, drama and music. The theme of the showcase for 2024 was “The Sea” and included an abridged version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Year 6’s transported the audience to the Hilltop Farm with their version of the “Let’s Rock” musical.

Our Nursery continues to offer an excellent pre-school education following the EYFS curriculum, with additional specialist teaching in PE, music, dance and swimming as well as weekly visits to our Forest School and Prep Library. The flexibility offered to attend term time only or up to 48 weeks of the year with wrap around care from 7.30am until 6pm, has proved to be popular. Topics are planned for each holiday period to enhance the term time curriculum, including art projects, cooking, sport and trips to the Forest School. Older students can also enjoy Forest School Club and Senior Students have enjoyed Reflection Days in the woodland setting.

Examinations and Curriculum

At Notre Dame we continue to provide a range of dynamic and innovative strategies which together assure the delivery of a highly personalised education for each individual student. All staff are encouraged and supported in continually striving to improve and enrich the academic experience.

At GCSE, one in five students were awarded at least eight grades 9-7 (A/A equivalent). This is above the national average for independent schools, which shows that 48% achieved GCSE grades of 9-7. 30% of girls achieved grades 9/8 (A equivalent). Almost 99% of students were awarded grades 9-4 (A*- C equivalent). The value added was +0.5 for the cohort, which is higher than the previous year (0.45). We were delighted when many of these top students chose to stay at Notre Dame for Sixth Form, forming a larger cohort than last year.

At Notre Dame, we have been placed in the top 14% of schools nationally for our ‘value added’ at GCSE, according to the data from the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring and at A-Level Notre Dame is in the top 12% of Sixth Form centres nationally.

At A Level, 39% of the cohort were awarded A /A grades and 72% were awarded A- B grades. Overall, 95% of students were awarded A - C grade. The value added at A Level is +0.32. All our A Level students were accepted onto their first-choice places at university to study a diverse range of courses – including Natural Sciences, Bio-veterinary Sciences, Ancient History, Mathematics & Physics and Theology. 15 of the 25 students in Year 13 went to Russell Group Universities. Our Head Girl successfully gained a place at Cambridge University to read Engineering, having gained 4 As at A Level.

We were incredibly proud of all our GCSE and A Level students.

Our Senior co-curricular programme includes sport and exercise, academic clubs and creative clubs. Academic activities include STEM programmes, subject clinics, maths, science and computing competitions, MFL workshops and competitions, creative writing and journalism and careers focussed sessions related to a range of careers. One of our academic programmes involved students making and coding a satellite in a tin can and attending its launch.

Creativity is embedded in the teaching of all subjects and art, music, drama and sport offer scope for personal expression, exploration, inspiration and growth. We were delighted to be able to present our GCSE and A Level Art and Art Textiles work to parents, families and friends at our Summer Exhibition.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Notre Dame provides an all-round education with both extra and co-curricular activities designed to build resilience, leadership skills, teamwork and experiences that will enhance the girls’ future lives. There are a huge range of opportunities across the school which include day trips, residential trips and expeditions, masterclasses and lectures, visiting experts and authors and from Year 10 the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme. There is specialist co-curricular provision in the Sixth Form including Model UN, Young Enterprise and a bespoke sport and exercise programme.

Financial review

Financial results of activities and events

The financial results of the charity’s activities for the year ended 31 August 2024 are set out in the Statement of Financial Activities on page 20, and the Statement of Cash Flows on page 22.

This year the school made an operating surplus of £20,000 (2023: £738,000) and had an inflow of cash from operating activities of £3,074,000 (2023: £364,000).

Reserves Policy

The school’s total reserves at the year-end (note 17) were £12,894,000 (2023: £12,874,000). Included within these reserves were £23,000 of unspent restricted income (2023: £24,000) and £12,371,000 of designated funds (2023: £12,350,000).

As a company limited by guarantee, the school cannot distribute surpluses and reinvests any surpluses made to benefit current and future beneficiaries.

The current students benefit from past investment into the estate and the designated fixed asset fund of £12,104,000 (2023: £9,539,000) reflects the carrying value of all the fixed assets in use as at 31 August 2024.

The school is situated on a private road and is partly responsible for the upkeep of the lane. Burhill Group Limited, an independent company, are responsible for commissioning repair works. The designated Convent Lane repairs fund balance of £110,000 (2023: £110,000) represents an estimate of the funds that would be required to restore the northern part of the lane given its current condition.

As the fees are paid in advance, the governors have retained the level of the general reserve at £500,000. This represents the School’s free reserves.

The designated future capital projects reserve is £157,000 (2023: £2,701,000). Innovation Centre project was completed in November 2024, which resulted in the reduction of the reserves by £2,544,000.

Future Strategy

Our aim is to remain unashamedly holistic, with our students at the centre of everything we do.

However, we recognise that we will need to invest and adapt to remain competitive and to ensure that the next generation of students have the same opportunities as our current students to benefit from St Jeanne’s legacy.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Our future strategy focuses on incremental improvements, including to the following:

Going Concern

The school monitors very closely the economic and political changes in order to consider their impact on the school’s cost base, affordability of fees as well as attitude to the independent schools. The impact of the introduction of VAT on school fees, removal of mandatory business rates relief as well as the increased taxation burden on employment costs remains uncertain. The School remains committed to offering outstanding education to girls empowering them to excel in every area of the school life. The opening of the Innovation Centre in November 2024 showcases our ongoing investment in STEM across the school. Combined with the ongoing infrastructure projects, extensive transport routes and excellent teaching, as confirmed by ISI during the inspection in April 2024, Notre Dame School is well positioned to face the challenges ahead.

In light of the extensive work done on cost control, systems and analysis, the Governors are confident that the school has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and that there are no material uncertainties that call into doubt the school’s ability to continue. The financial statements have therefore been prepared on the basis that the school is a going concern.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

DIRECTORS’ REPORT

Structure, governance and management

Status and history

Notre Dame School is an independent Roman Catholic day school for approximately 700 girls aged from two to eighteen years and boys aged from two to four years, and was founded by the Order of The Company of Mary Our Lady, which is the oldest recognised educational order devoted to the teaching of girls; founded on the belief that women have a unique contribution to make to society.

Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac, who founded the Order of The Company of Mary Our Lady in 1607, said “we are all educators accompanying young people in their efforts to build their lives for today and tomorrow” an approach that still looks fresh and modern 400 years later.

Notre Dame School Cobham is a registered charity, and a company limited by guarantee, not having share capital. Every member undertakes to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of the charity being wound-up during the period of membership, or within one year thereafter.

The management of Notre Dame School is the responsibility of the Board of Governors of Notre Dame School Cobham, which was incorporated on 22 December 1999, and became a registered charity on 7 August 2000.

Notre Dame School Cobham is governed by the rules and regulations set down in its Company Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Organisational Structure

The overall strategic direction and evaluation of risk of the school is determined by the Governors, who make all the key policy decisions, and supervise and control the authority delegated to the Executive Team, comprising the Head of Notre Dame Senior School, the Head of Notre Dame Preparatory School and the Bursar. The Executive Team, as the key management personnel, are responsible for the day-to-day operations of Notre Dame School Cobham.

The Board of Governors meets at least four times per year. All meetings are also attended by the Executive Team, who report to the Governors on all matters of significance in relation to the affairs of the school.

The remuneration of key management personnel is set by the Board, with the objective of providing appropriate incentives to encourage enhanced performance and of rewarding them fairly and responsibly for their individual contributions to the Company’s success.

The appropriateness and relevance of the remuneration policy is reviewed annually, including reference to comparisons with other Independent schools to ensure that the School remains sensitive to the broader issues of pay and employment conditions elsewhere.

The aim is to recruit, subject to experience, at the lower to medium point within a band, providing scope for rewarding excellence as staff costs are the largest single element of the school’s charitable expenditure. Governors receive no remuneration for their services to the school either as trustees of the charity or as directors of the Company.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Committees

The Governors organise themselves into the following committees (all of which meet at least three times per year) to assist them in the process of the governance of the school. All committees have at least one Governor representative with the balance of the committee comprising staff and / or co-opted members, as appropriate.

The Finance and Business Committee is responsible for monitoring income and expenditure, approving the annual budget and setting the fees. The Committee also ensures that the annual audited financial statements and regulatory returns are prepared in accordance with relevant legislation. The following Governors are members of the Finance and Business Committee :

Mr Russell Granat (Chair) Mr Simon Frost Mr Duncan Fletcher Sr Anne Gill ODN Mr Salvatore Nigrelli

The Education and Staffing Committee is responsible for monitoring the school curriculum and its links with the school Development Plan. The Committee reviews staffing requirements, staffing issues and monitors staff performance/salaries. It also advises the Finance and Business Committee on facilities requirements in terms of the curriculum.

The following Governors are members of the Education and Staffing Committee :

Mr Gerard Owens (Chair) Mr David Gair Sr Anne Gill ODN

The Lestonnac Committee is responsible for considering the work of the school in light of its mission. The Committee reviews all preparations for religious services and celebrations, including anniversary celebrations. It also ensures the teachings and mission of Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac are central to the education offered by the school.

The following Governors are members of the Lestonnac Committee:

Sr Anne Gill ODN (Chair) Sr Patricia Grady ODN

In addition to the above committees, the Governors have oversight of the following two committees and receive regular updates on their activities.

The Friends of Notre Dame (FoND) Committee , the parents’ association, operates under the auspices of the school. FoND arranges social events and fundraising activities. The FoND Committee consists of representatives of the parent body, staff at the school and a Governor.

The Health and Safety Committee is a staff committee with no Governor attendance. It is responsible for monitoring and advising on safety aspects for the whole school site in terms of Health and Safety legislation as it pertains to pupils, staff and visitors to the school. The Committee reports its findings and risks to the Finance and Business Committee on a termly or ad hoc basis.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Method of Recruitment, Appointment, Election, Induction & Training of Governors

Recruitment

The school’s Governors are recruited based on eligibility, personal competence, specialist skills and local availability.

Appointment and Election

The majority of the Board of Governors are appointed by the Mother General of the Order of The Company of Mary Our Lady and are known as SG Governors. The remainder are known as AGM Governors, being elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) or co-opted onto the board to hold office until the following AGM. Elections to the board are on the basis of a simple majority of the votes of the Governors.

Induction and Training

Newly appointed or elected Governors are inducted into the workings of the school, including being briefed on board policy and procedures, at an induction meeting with key fellow Governors and the Executive Team. Copies of key documents are provided.

Governors are also briefed on governance issues at regular board meetings and are kept informed about training opportunities via regular e-mail correspondence. Regulation, legislation and governance best practice updates are provided in the board packs for information purposes, and various opportunities for meeting socially, incorporating talks on the school’s mission, are arranged throughout the year.

A Governors’ portal (GovernorHub) is used to create a resource and reference base for Governors. The portal provides Governors with easy access to reference materials, meeting minutes and policies.

Governors are invited to attend the biennial pilgrimage to Bordeaux to follow in the footsteps of the Foundress, Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac, in order to understand and experience the Charism and educational mission of the Order of The Company of Mary Our Lady.

The Charity Governance Code

The Charity Governance Code is endorsed by the Charity Commission and was updated in December 2020. The Code is designed as a tool to support continuous improvement and all charity trustees are encouraged to meet the principles and outcomes of the Code by either applying the recommended practice or explaining what they have done instead or why they have not applied it. The school has used the code to assess its current practice against the Charity Governance Code’s seven principles and recommended practice. The main areas where the school’s practice differs from recommended practice relate to the recruitment of Governors and the diversity of the members of the Board. Our governing document requires the majority of the Board of Governors to be appointed by the Mother General of the Order of The Company of Mary Our Lady to ensure the continuation of the ethos of the school and all governors must be sympathetic to this ethos. We recruit AGM governors using a variety of means, including seeking applications from former students and parents, and through nominations from governors and the executive team.

Investment Policy and performance

Under the rules of the governing document of the charity, the Governors have wide ranging powers to invest the funds of the charity as they see fit within the scope of the laws and regulations applying in the United Kingdom. In practice, the Governors have continued to accumulate their free reserves and hold them as liquid assets, removable without charge at minimum notice.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

The Governors would not knowingly invest in anything that they consider to be socially, environmentally or ethically unsound.

During the year significant investment was made in the School’s fixed assets. This included:

For the year ended 31 August 2024, the school’s unrestricted reserves (held principally as cash and fixed assets) remained broadly unchanged; the school achieved an average income return on total cash deposits of 4.36% (2023: 3.57%). This is in line with expectations.

Fundraising

All fundraising activities for the school are carried out by the Friends of Notre Dame (FoND) and are focussed around fundraising events such as the Christmas Fair and an annual Quiz Night. In addition, FoND coordinate the Nearly New Uniform shop which allows parents to buy and sell items of school uniform from and to other parents.

These activities serve to raise funds for the school, but also to generate a sense of community within the parent body. The school does not use professional fundraisers or have any commercial participators. All fundraising activities are managed by FoND, with overall oversight by the FoND committee.

No complaints relating to fundraising activities have been received by the school during this financial period. However, the school has in place procedures that would be followed in the event of a complaint being received with the initial response being the responsibility of the Executive Team. Any continuing issues would then be dealt with in line with our Complaints Policy.

The school does not currently subscribe to any specific fundraising standards or schemes for fundraising regulation but considers that it has set appropriate standards for the operation and management of its fundraising activities. In particular, the school considers that its processes and controls should ensure that vulnerable people and other members of the public are protected from any unreasonable intrusion on a person’s privacy and that no fundraising activities would be unreasonably persistent or place undue pressure on a person to give money or other property.

Risk and corporate governance

The school has taken out a public liability insurance policy that provides professional indemnity cover for the Governors and Staff of the school.

The Governors keep under regular review the principal areas of the school’s operations, and consider the major risks faced by the school in each of those areas. The management team undertakes a regular review and update of the risks and action is taken to assess and improve procedures to mitigate the negative impact of risk. This is reviewed by the Governing Body.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Risks are identified and assessed, and then appropriate controls established to be monitored and tested throughout the annual cycle. The main risks facing the charity are a reduction in pupil numbers, arising principally from economic circumstances and from the strong competition from Independent and State schools in the area and co-educational sixth forms in local boys independent schools.

The Governors also consider externally mandated increases to the school’s cost base for example from changes to legislation to the affordability of fees by parents across the independent sector to be the principal risk faced by the school.

These risks are being mitigated by ensuring that the fee levels are maintained at reasonably affordable levels, without compromising the quality of the education; rigorous credit control; constant internal and external marketing and a rolling review of the educational experience.

The school is also investing in high quality staff and facilities and continues to improve its IT infrastructure to support the technology needs of the curriculum.

The Education Committee monitors and reviews all the major risk areas. It conducts annual formal reviews of the school’s child protection policies and procedures, and of the efficiency with which the related duties have been discharged, and then the findings are reported to the board of Governors.

The key controls used by the school include:

Through the risk management processes established for the charity, the Governors are satisfied that the major risks have been identified and have been adequately managed where necessary. It is recognised that systems can only provide reasonable but not absolute assurance that major risks have been adequately managed.

Objects, public benefit aims and objectives

Charitable Objectives

The charitable objectives for which the charity was established are “to advance the Roman Catholic religion by the conduct of a Roman Catholic school or schools” and as a Company of Mary Our Lady school, we do this in the spirit of our foundress, St Jeanne de Lestonnac, a progressive and dedicated educator of women of all faiths and none. Notre Dame continues to build on this legacy by accompanying young people in their efforts to build their lives for today and tomorrow.

We provide a Roman Catholic education but are open to and respect the faiths and cultures of all members of our community. Pupils and staff of other denominations and faiths are welcomed and encouraged to make an active contribution to the spiritual life of the school.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Aims, Intended Impact and Grant making policy

Notre Dame is an unashamedly holistic school. Our students from 2-18 are placed at the centre of everything and their physical and mental wellbeing is as important as their excellent academic, sporting and artistic achievements. Pastoral Care is at the heart of school life at Notre Dame but is not at the expense of academic rigour. It forms the bedrock on which academic excellence is built - happy, comfortable and secure children and young women make confident and successful learners, who feel safe to venture beyond their comfort zone and try new approaches, and who understand that mistakes and failure are an important step in learning.

In particular, the school’s aims are:

  1. To develop a secure and stimulating environment in which pupils are encouraged and challenged to fulfil their potential, both academically and physically and gain an understanding and appreciation of the wider world in which they live.

  2. To develop in pupils a responsible and independent attitude towards work and their roles in society and a desire to reach out a helping hand and contribute to the wider community.

  3. To ensure that the school atmosphere is such that all pupils learn to appreciate diversity, respect each other’s views and beliefs and build a reasoned set of attitudes, values and beliefs based on Christian principles which will enable them to make a positive difference in the world.

  4. To respect each pupil as a valued individual who can choose her own individual path through the school and in turn grow self-esteem, confidence and independence and live an authentic life.

  5. To work with parents and families as part of a wider Notre Dame community.

  6. To prepare, support and guide each pupil for the next stage of their education, whatever that might be.

The charity’s immediate beneficiaries are the girls who attend the school, but the local community (with whom the school fosters strong links across a wide range of activities) also benefits from what the school does and from access to school facilities. In the opinion of the Governors, the general public is the ultimate beneficiary of the high-quality education and the greater awareness of social values that the school provides to its pupils.

The charity makes available scholarships, means tested bursaries and awards out of unrestricted funds. The charity’s policy, in line with other independent school operators, is to make awards on the basis of an individual’s educational potential and bursaries are offered where the pupil’s education and future prospects would otherwise be at risk. To widen access further, the school also facilitates putting families in touch with other potential funding sources. The school provided scholarships, bursaries and discounts to 242 pupils (2023: 264 pupils) amounting to £1,012,000 (2023: £1,113,000) all provided from the unrestricted funds of the charity. Means tested bursaries of £394,000 (2023: £517,000) are included in this total.

The Governors also aim to widen access further for new pupils joining the school who would benefit from a Notre Dame education, but whose families are unable to afford the full fees and who have no substantial capital assets, by offering up to full fee assistance in key year groups for a limited number of places each year. This support is also available to scholarship candidates.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

The school continued to ensure that both current and new initiatives were considered in light of the guidelines identified from The Company of Mary Our Lady (COMOL) Educational Project strategy meeting held in June 2011. These guidelines set out the key elements which all COMOL schools and educational projects have in common including:

Objectives for the year

The principal objectives to fulfil the aims set out above fall into three broad categories:

Thinking Space

Growing Space

Breathing Space

Relationships with Related Parties

The school continues to maintain a strong relationship with the Order of the Company of Mary Our Lady (COMOL).

Public Benefit and links with local schools and the wider community

The Governors have given due consideration to the Charity Commission’s published guidance on the Public Benefit requirements under the Charities Act 2011. As an educational charity and, in meeting the objectives of the charity, the school’s aim is to benefit the public through the advancement of education within the Roman Catholic ethos of educating children and young persons.

In addition to providing £394,000 of means-tested assistance to 36 pupils (2023: £517,000 to 39 pupils), wider access to the facilities available at the school was promoted this year through numerous hockey, swimming and netball clubs using our facilities in the evenings and at weekends.

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

We have continued to work with local schools in the area sharing knowledge, skills, expertise and experience. The Senior School has worked with a local school on a project to improve the quality of teaching and learning for pupils and also provides regular support for other secondary schools sharing advice, support and resources. This includes streaming free video lessons and revision sessions and establishing subject guided principles for procurement of resources.

The Prep School have hosted Cross Country events for Elmbridge and Runneymede Schools Association (ERPSSA).

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Notre Dame School Cobham Annual Report of the Governors for the year ended 31 August 2024

Statement of Governors’ Responsibilities

The members of the Governing Body (who are also directors of Notre Dame School Cobham for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Governors’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards), including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard in the UK and Republic of Ireland’.

Under company law the Governing Body members 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 of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The members of the Governing Body are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions, disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 and the provisions of the charity’s constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Disclosure of information to auditors

So far as each of the Governors is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which they are aware that is relevant to the audit, but of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware. Each of the Governors has taken all the steps that he or she ought to have taken as a Governor in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company’s auditors are aware of that information.

This Annual Report, prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006, was approved by the Board of Governors on 20[th] March 2025, including in their capacity as company directors approving the Directors’ and Strategic Reports contained therein, and is signed as authorised on its behalf by:

Governor Mr S Frost 20th March 2025

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Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Notre Dame School Cobham

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Notre Dame School Cobham (‘the charitable company’) for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the 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 trustee's 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 charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements 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 information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the governors’ report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. 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 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 performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Page 16

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Notre Dame School Cobham

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, 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 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 charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as 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 the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Page 17

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Notre Dame School Cobham

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

The objectives of our audit, in respect to fraud, are: to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement 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; and to respond appropriately to fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both those charged with governance of the entity and its management.

Our approach was as follows:

Based on this understanding we designed our audit procedures to identify non-compliance with such laws and regulations. Where the risk was considered to be higher, we performed audit procedures to address each identified fraud risk. These procedures included: testing manual journals; reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation; performing analytical procedures; and enquiring of management and were designed to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements were free from fraud or error.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed noncompliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

Page 18

Independent Auditor’s Report to the members of Notre Dame School Cobham

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

at

Mark Cummins FCCA Senior Statutory Auditor For and on behalf of TC Group Statutory Auditors

Office: Steyning, West Sussex

Page 19

Notre Dame School Cobham Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 August 2024

Notes
Income from:
Donations
4
Charitable activities
5
Investments
6
Other income
7
Total Income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
8
Charitable activities
9
Total Expenditure
Net income
Transfers between
funds
17
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought
forward
Total funds carried
forward
17		 Unrestricted
funds
£’000
-
13,029
228
-
13,257
-
13,266
13,266
(9)
30
21
12,850
12,871		 Restricted
funds
£’000
36
-
-
-
36
7
-
7
29
(30)
(1)
24
23		 2024
Total
£’000
36
13,029
228
-
13,293
7
13,266
13,273
20
-
20
12,874
12,894		 2023
Total
£’000
38
12,876
210
8
13,132
13
12,381
12,394
738
-
738
12,136
12,874

This Statement of Financial Activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.

There are no recognised gains or losses other than those reported on the Statement of Financial Activities.

All activities are classed as continuing.

The notes on pages 23 to 38 form part of these financial statements.

Page 20

Notre Dame School Cobham Balance Sheet as at 31 August 2024

Notes 2024 2023
£’000 £’000
Fixed assets:
Tangible assets 12 12,104 9,539
Total fixed assets 12,104 9,539
Current assets:
Debtors 13 453 452
Cash at bank and in hand 5,271 5,197
Total current assets 5,724 5,649
Liabilities:
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 14 (3,735) (2,115)
Net current assets 1,989 3,534
Total assets less current liabilities 14,093 13,073
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year 15 (1,199) (199)
Total net assets 12,894 12,874
The funds of the school:
Restricted income funds 17 23 24
Unrestricted funds 17 12,871 12,850
Total school funds 12,894 12,874

These financial statements were approved by the Governing Body on 20[th] March 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

……………………………..

Governor Mr S Frost

Company Number: 03898262

The notes on pages 23 to 38 form part of these financial statements.

Page 21

Notre Dame School Cobham Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 August 2024

Notes
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by operating activities
25
Cash flows from investing activities:
Interest from investments
6
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
12
Net cash used in investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Reclassification of investments into current assets cash
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
26		 2024
£’000
3,074
228
(3,228)
(3,000)
74
-		 2023
£’000
364
210
(1,932)
(1,722)
(1,358)
3,239
74
5,197
5,271		 1,881
3,316
5,197

The notes on pages 23 to 38 form part of these financial statements

Page 22

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

1. Statutory information

Notre Dame School Cobham is a private charitable company, limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales. The charitable company’s registered number and registered office address can be found on the legal and administrative information page.

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), the Companies Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102).

The charitable company meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. The accounts are drawn up on the historical cost basis of accounting, as modified by the revaluation of other investments.

The functional currency of the school is considered to the GBP because that is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the school operates.

Having considered a number of different models and forecasts covering a range of different scenarios, the Governors are satisfied that their budgets and forecasts reflect the most likely scenarios and that it contains enough flexibility to account for future uncertainties. In light of these projections, the funding facilities available to the school, the expected ongoing demand for places and the school’s future projected cash flows, the Governors have a reasonable expectation that the school has adequate resources to continue its activities for the foreseeable future and consider that there were no material uncertainties over the school’s financial viability. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements as outlined in the Statement of Governors’ Responsibilities on page 15.

Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

In the opinion of the Governors, no assumptions concerning the future or estimation certainty affecting assets and liabilities at the balance sheet date are likely to result in material adjustment to their carrying amounts in the next financial year.

Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In the application of accounting policies, Governors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from the estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects current and future periods.

In the view of the Governors, no assumptions concerning the future or estimation uncertainty affecting assets or liabilities at the balance sheet date are likely to result in a material adjustment to their carrying amounts in the next financial year.

Page 23

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

The following accounting policies have been applied consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the school’s financial statements.

2.2 Fees and similar earned income

Fees receivable and charges for services and use of the premises, less any allowances, scholarships and bursaries granted by the school against those fees are accounted for in the period in which the service is provided.

2.3 Investment income

Investment income is accounted for on an accruals basis.

2.4 Donations and other voluntary income

Voluntary income is accounted for as and when entitlement arises, the amount can be reliably quantified and the economic benefit to the school is considered probable. Voluntary income for the school’s general purposes is accounted for as unrestricted and is credited to the General Reserve. Where the donor or an appeal has imposed trust law restrictions, voluntary income is credited to the relevant restricted fund.

2.5 Government grants

Government grants are recognised on the performance model, when the school has complied with any conditions attaching to the grant and the grant will be received. The grant in connection to the job retention scheme has been recognised in the period to which the underlying furloughed staff costs relate.

2.6 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised in the period in which it is incurred, with liabilities being recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to pay. Expenditure is allocated to the school’s principal activity where the costs can be identified as being directly related to that activity. All costs that cannot be identified as relating directly to the school’s principal activity are categorised as either support costs or governance costs. Any costs that cannot be specifically categorised are allocated in proportions based upon a suitable ratio applicable to the nature of the cost involved. The irrecoverable element of VAT is included with the item of expense to which it relates.

Governance costs comprise the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements, such as the costs of Governing Body and committee meetings and satisfying public accountability.

All costs are allocated between expenditure categories and departments on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly.

2.7 Operating leases

Rentals under operating leases are charged on a straight-line basis over the lease term, even if the payments are not made on such a basis. Benefits received and receivable as an incentive to sign an operating lease are similarly spread on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Page 24

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

2.8 Tangible fixed assets

All tangible assets purchased that have an expected useful economic life that exceeds one year are capitalised and classified as fixed assets. Fixed assets other than freehold land and assets under construction are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation.

Freehold land and assets under construction are stated at historic cost.

Items costing less than £1,000 are written off as an expense as acquired.

2.9 Depreciation

Depreciation is provided to write off the cost of all relevant tangible fixed assets less estimated residual value based on current market prices, in equal annual instalments over their expected useful economic lives as follows:

Freehold land Not depreciated Assets under construction Not depreciated Freehold buildings 50 years Freehold Improvements over 10 to 25 years Vehicles, equipment, fixtures and fittings over 4 to 10 years

2.10 Fund accounting

The charitable trust funds of the school are accounted for as unrestricted or restricted income in accordance with the terms of trust imposed by the donors or any appeal to which they may have responded.

Unrestricted income belongs to the school’s general reserves, spendable at the discretion of the Governors either to further the schools Objects or to benefit the school itself. Where the Governors decide to set aside any part of these funds to be used in future for some specific purpose, this is accounted for by transfer to the appropriate designated fund.

Restricted income comprises gifts where there is no capital retention obligation or power but only a trust law restriction to some specific purpose intended by the donor.

2.11 Pension costs

Retirement benefits to employees of the school are provided through two defined contribution pension schemes, Notre Dame School Group Personal Pension (a defined contributions group personal pension plan) and APTIS (a defined contributions master trust scheme). The pension costs charged in the Statement of Financial Activities for both schemes are charged in the period in which the salaries to which they relate are payable.

2.12 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash in hand, short term highly liquid investments with original maturity dates of the months or less, and bank overdrafts.

2.13 Debtors

Fees and extras receivable and accrued income are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.

Page 25

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

2.14 Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charitable company has a present obligation arising from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at their settlement amount.

2.15 Fees in advance

Amounts received under the school’s Fees in Advance Scheme contracts for education not yet utilised to settle school fees are recorded as deferred income. They are allocated as current liabilities where the education will be provided within 12 months of the reporting date and as long-term liabilities where the education will be provided in subsequent years.

2.16 Financial instruments

The charitable company only has financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments which are recognised at transaction value and subsequently at their settlement value.

3 Taxation

The charitable company is registered as a charity and all of its income falls within the exemptions under Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010.

4 Income from donations

Friends of Notre Dame
Total		 2024
Total
£’000
36
36		 2023
Total
£’000
38
38

Friends of Notre Dame (FoND) donations are restricted. More information on donations from FoND can be found in Note 17.

5 Income from charitable activities

Fees receivable for tuition
Less: bursaries, discounts and allowances
Other charitable income
Total		 2024
£’000
12,317
(1,012)
11,305
1,724
13,029		 2023
£’000
12,343
(1,113)
11,230
1,646
12,876

All income from charitable activities is unrestricted.

Page 26

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

Breakdown of Other charitable income:

Lettings income
Learning support income
Coach income
Extras
Other charitable income
Total
6
Investment income
Bank interest received
Total
7
Other income
Other income
Total
8
Expenditure on raising funds
Fund raising expenses
Total		 2024
£’000
70
79
466
1071
38
1,724
2024
£’000
228
228
2024
£’000
-
-
2024
£’000
7
7		 2023
£’000
80
107
426
1025
8
1,646
2023
£’000
210
210
2023
£’000
8
8
2023
£’000
13
13

All expenditure on raising funds is restricted and relates to FoND.

Page 27

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

9 Expenditure on charitable activities

Staff
costs
Depreciation
£’000
£’000
Teaching
6,883
-
Welfare
242
-
Premises
420
-
Support
1,082
663
Total
8,627
663
Analysis of other support and governance costs:
Governance costs:
Remuneration for statutory audit
Total governance costs
Other support costs:
Legal fees
Licences and subscriptions
Website costs
Advertising
Books and equipment
Other support costs
Total support costs		 Other
cost
2024
Total
£’000
£’000
842
7,725
915
1,157
1,527
1,947
692
2,437
3,976
13,266
2024
£’000
22
22
99
216
79
50
48
200
692		 Other
cost
2024
Total
£’000
£’000
842
7,725
915
1,157
1,527
1,947
692
2,437
3,976
13,266
2024
£’000
22
22
99
216
79
50
48
200
692		 2023
Total
£’000
7,303
1,072
1,709
2,297
12,381
2023
£’000
22
22
130
144
-
6
202
262
744

10 Staff costs

The average monthly number of persons employed by the school (excluding Governors) during the year was 198 (2023: 197).

The staff costs for the above persons were as follows:

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs - APTIS
Total		 2024
£’000
6,988
613
1,026
8,627		 2023
£’000
6,199
620
1,201
8,020

Page 28

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

10 Staff costs (continued)

Included in staff costs this year are redundancy and termination costs of £135,891 (2023: £17,376) of which £Nil was unpaid at the year-end (2023: £Nil).

The key management personnel of the school (as detailed on page 1) received salary and benefits, including employer’s pension and national insurance, to the value of £435,268 (2023: £396,294).

The number of employees whose total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) for the period were more than £60,000 were:

£60,000 to £69,999
£70,000 to £79,999
£80,000 to £89,999
£90,000 to £99,999
£100,000 to £109,999
£120,000 to £129,999
£130,000 to £139,999
Total		 2024
Number
9
1
-
1
1
-
1
13		 2023
Number
6
-
1
1
-
1
-
9

Employer pension contributions of £147,119 (2023: £90,056) were made in respect of the above.

Page 29

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

11 Statement of Financial Activities – comparative figures by fund type

Year ended 31 August 2023

Notes
Income from:
Donations
4
Charitable activities
5
Investments
6
Other income
7
Total
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
8
Charitable activities
9
Total
Net income
Transfers between funds
17
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
17		 Unrestricted
funds
£’000
-
12,876
210
8
13,094
-
12,380
12,380
714
25
739
12,111		 Restricted
funds
£’000
38
-
-
-
38
13
1
14
24
(25)
(1)
25		 2023
Total
£’000
38
12,876
210
8
13,132
13
12,381
12,394
738
-
738
12,136
12,850 24 12,874

Page 30

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

12 Tangible fixed assets

Cost
At 1 September 2023
Additions
Transfer
At 31 August 2024
Depreciation
At 1 September 2023
Charge for the year
At 31 August 2024
Net book value
At 31 August 2024
At 31 August 2023		 Freehold
Land
£’000
848
-
-
848
-
-
-
848
848		 Freehold
buildings
£’000
6,468
-
685
7,153
1,820
129
1,949
5,204
4,648		 Assets
under
construction
£’000
1,130
2,974
(685)
3,419
-
-
-
3,419
1,130		 Vehicles,
equipment,
fixtures and
fittings
£’000
4,554
254
-
4,808
1,641
534
2,175
2,633

2,913
 Total
£’000
13,000
3,228
-
16,228
3,461
663
4,124
12,104
9,539

The school has some long-held historic assets used in the course of the school’s educational activities. These include the tabernacle, chalices and candlesticks provided by the Order and used by the school for its masses. Due to their age, reliable historical cost information is not available for these assets and could not be obtained except at disproportionate expense. However, in the opinion of the Governors, the depreciated historical cost of these assets would now be immaterial.

13 Debtors

Fees receivable for tuition
Other debtors
Prepayments
Total		 2024
£’000
64
33
356
453		 2023
£’000
45
40
367
452

All debtors are due within one year.

Page 31

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

14 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Deposits from parents
Trade creditors
Other taxes and social security costs
Other creditors
Accruals
Deferred income
Fees received from parents in advance of term
Fees in advance scheme
Total		 2024
£’000
426
371
155
16
208
103
2,362
94
3,735		 2023
£’000
432
359
149
19
210
166
647
133
2,115

15 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

Fees in advance scheme
Other creditors		 2024
£’000
1,199
-
1,199		 2023
£’000
185
14
199

16 Fees in advance scheme

Parents may enter into a contract to pay the school in advance for fixed contributions towards the tuition fees for up to five years. The money may be returned subject to specific conditions on the receipt of notice. Assuming pupils will remain in the school, fees in advance will be applied as follows:

Within two to five years
Within one to two years
Within one year
Total		 2024
£’000
-
1,199
1,199
2,456
3,655		 2023
£’000
72
113
185
133
318

Page 32

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

16 Fees in advance scheme (continued)

Summary of movements in liability

Balance at 1 September 2023
New contracts
Amounts used to pay fees
Balance at 31 August 2024		 £’000
318
3,470
(133)
3,655

17 The funds of the school

Restricted funds
Prayer Garden
FoND
Total restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Fixed assets
Convent Lane repairs
Future capital projects
Total designated funds
General fund
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds		 31
August
2023
£’000
1
23
24
9,539
110
2,701
12,350
500
12,850
12,874		 Income
£’000
-
36
36
-
-
-
-
13,257
13,257
13,293		 Expenditure
£’000
-
(7)
(7)
-
-
-
-
(13,266)
(13,266)
(13,273)		 Transfers
between
funds
£’000
-
(30)
(30)
2,565
-
(2,544)
21
9
30
-		 31
August
2024
£’000
1
22
23
12,104
110
157
12,371
500
12,871
12,894

The parents’ association, Friends of Notre Dame (FoND) operates as a committee under the auspices of the school. The FoND committee’s remit is to raise funds for the school from the current parents and friends of the school and to determine which projects / requests from the school will be supported. The FoND fund comprises amounts raised by the committee which have not yet been spent. The transfer from FoND to the general fund represents FoND’s contribution towards equipment for the new Innovation Hub and prep stage and year 5 activities.

Page 33

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

18 The funds of the school (continued)

The designated fixed assets fund represents unrestricted funds retained to finance the freehold property and fixed assets. The designated Convent Lane repairs fund represents unrestricted funds set aside to cover the costs of maintaining Convent Lane. The designated future capital projects fund represents unrestricted funds earmarked for future capital projects.

At the end of each year, transfers are made between the fixed assets , future capital projects, Convent Lane repairs and general funds to reflect changes in fixed assets during the year and amounts set aside to cover future development plans and repair costs.

The funds of the school for the previous financial year were as follows:

Restricted funds
Prayer Garden
FoND
Total restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
Fixed assets
Convent Lane repairs
Future capital projects
Total designated funds
General fund
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds		 31
August
2022
£’000
1
24
25
8,127
90
3,394
11,611
500
12,111
12,136		 Income

£’000
-
38
38
-
-
-
-
13,094
13,094
13,132		 Expenditure
£’000
-
(14)
(14)
-
-
-
-
(12,380)
(12,380)
(12,394)		 Transfers
between
funds
£’000
-
(25)
(25)
1,412
20
(693)
739
(714)
25
-		 31
August
2023
£’000
1
23
24
9,539
110
2,701
12,350
500
12,850
12,874

Page 34

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

19 Analysis of net assets between funds

At 31 August 2024, the analysis of net assets between funds was as follows:

Restricted funds
Prayer Garden
FoND
Unrestricted funds
Fixed assets
Convent Lane repairs
Future capital projects
General fund
Net assets		 Fixed
assets
£’000
-
-
-
12,104
-
-
-
12,104
12,104		 Net current
assets
£’000
1
22
23
-
110
1,356
500
1,966
1,989		 Long term
liabilities
£’000
-
-
-
-
-
(1,199)
-
(1,199)
(1,199)		 Total
£’000
1
22
23
12,104
110
157
500
12,871
12,894

At 31 August 2023, the analysis of net assets between funds was as follows:

Restricted funds
Prayer Garden
FoND
Unrestricted funds
Fixed assets
Convent Lane repairs
Future capital projects
General fund
Net assets		 Fixed
assets
£’000
-
-
-
9,539
-
-
-
9,539
9,539		 Net current
assets
£’000
1
23
24
-
110
2,900
500
3,510
3,534		 Long term
liabilities
£’000
-
-
-
-
-
(199)
-
(199)
(199)		 Total
£’000
1
23
24
9,539
110
2,701
500
12,850
12,874

Page 35

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

20 Commitments under operating leases

The school is committed to making the following minimum lease payments under non- cancellable operating leases:

Not later than one year 2024
£’000
49
49		 2023
£’000
47
47

Included within the financial statements are operating lease costs of £189,111 (2023: 178,000).

The school leases Burwood House from the Order of the Company of Mary Our Lady. The lease has a term of 999 years from 1 September 2002, and the current annual rental due under the lease is £189,111 (2023: £189,111). The school can cancel the lease at any time by giving the Order three months’ written notice.

21 Commitments under finance leases

The school has the following finance lease commitment with future minimum lease payments of:

Not later than one year
Later than one year and not later than five years		 2024
£’000
13
2
15		 2023
£’000
13
15
28

The school has leased photocopiers for a period of 5 years. The asset carrying value at 31 August 2024 was £6,444.

22 Pension commitments

The pension costs for the year in relation to the two defined contribution pension schemes for teaching and non-teaching staff were £1,026,374 (2023: £1,201,076). As at 31 August 2024, £114,843 (2023: £96,000) was accrued in respect of contributions to these schemes.

23 Related party transactions

None of the Governors received any remuneration for services as a trustee of the charity or as a director of the company during the current or previous year. During the year expenses of £940 (2023: £Nil) were reimbursed to four governors.

The school's main insurance policy now provides professional indemnity cover of £2m for the Governors and staff of the charity.

Page 36

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

23 Related party transactions (continued)

The Order of the Company of Mary Our Lady CIO (Charity Number 1173559) is a related party of Notre Dame School (as detailed in Note 20) and three of its trustees are also trustees of the school.

During the year, the school paid rent of £189,111 to the Order (2023: £178,000). The school was reimbursed for motor and insurance costs of £3,173 (2023: £2,865), with £3,173 (2023: £2,865) outstanding as at the year-end.

Notre Dame School Cobham also leases some school property to The Order of the Company of Mary Our Lady CIO, for which it receives an annual rent of one peppercorn (if demanded).

24 Future capital commitments

At 31 August 2024, the School had future capital commitments totalling £297,773 (2023: £110,911). These relate to the new Innovation Centre built on the school premises. The Innovation Centre was completed shortly after the balance sheet date.

25 Reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities

Net income for the year
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges
Interest from investments
(Increase) in debtors
(Decrease)/Increase in creditors
Net cash provided by operating activities		 2024
£’000
20
663
(228)
(1)
2,620
3,074		 2023
£’000
738
520
(210)
(137)
(547)
364

26 Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

Cash at bank and in hand
Total cash and cash equivalents		 2024
£’000
5,271
5,271		 2023
£’000
5,197
5,197

Page 37

Notre Dame School Cobham Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

27 Ultimate controlling party

The Order of the Company of Mary Our Lady is based in Rome and appoints the SG Governors to the Board of Notre Dame School (which is a foundation of the Company of Mary Our Lady), to ensure that the ethos and educational mission of the Order continues at the school. The school was set up in a separate charity to enable it to operate independently of the Order. As the majority of the Board of the school is comprised of SG Governors, it regards the central government of the Order in Rome to be its Ultimate Controlling Party. Notre Dame School is not included in the group accounts of the said government in Rome, as it does not receive any benefit derived from its control.

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