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Clans
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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period Period start date Period end date
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Section A
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## Reference and administration details
Charity name |St Albans and Harpenden Christian Education Project
Registered charity number (if any) |1091290
7 Brick Knoll Park
St Albans
## Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
y whole year to appoint trustee (if an
- 2 [Richard Clarke a 4|GrehamGeke | |CdSOCSC~CSSCSY 5 | Hannah Goatly esee es eer GO Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
- [NameCatt’ acted if not for whole year
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
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- of adviser Name
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## Address
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Director: Mr Christopher Birch-Evans
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## Section B Structure, governance and management
## Description of the charity’s trusts
## Type of governing document] Trust Deed
## Trustee selection methods| Selected and appointed by existing trustees
## Additional governance issues (Optional information)
- You may choose to include The induction of new trustees is arranged according to the familiarity they additional information, where already have with Step and the role they are expected to play. To the relevant, about: extent that relevant ground had not already been covered in preliminary 7 contacts, it would include briefings by the Chair of Trustees and the
- e policies and procedures Director. adopted for the induction and oo, , training of trustees; Training is undertaken as necessary to maintain the up to date knowledge os
- e and skills needed for the effective management of the charity. the charity's organisational Ln —— structure and any wider Step’s basic organisational structure remains fit for purpose and was network with which the charity unchanged, with the trustees exercising strategic oversight and the works: Director, assisted by the Associate Director, responsible for managing the , charity on a day to day basis.
- 5 saricelationshipIpwithwit any Telated Step’s wider. network in. the communityepincluded active: connectionsP with , 47 local churches, of which 33 provided at least one volunteer to help
- e trustees’ consideration of deliver services to the schools. et ae ee ee) The major risks identified by the trustees fall into two main areas: finance or, g andare safeguarding.clear processesFinancialfor approvalrisk isof managedindividual atitems a numberof expenditure of levels; there according to the sum involved and, more strategically, the Treasurer circulates regular reports to trustees and management giving a graphical, month by month summary of income and expenditure and, in particular, cash in hand.
Step’s safeguarding obligations are fulfilled by the practical application of a suite of relevant policies and procedures, in particular the Safeguarding Policy. This is designed to ensure that all members of the Step team who have contact with young people are made clearly aware of their obligations and the appropriate responses in a range of contexts.
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Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the | Step aims to promote the Christian faith, teach Christian truth and uphold
charity set out in its Christian standards in secondary schools in the district of St Albans and
governing document Harpenden.
In the course of the year Step worked in 15 of the 17 secondary schools
in the district, contributing to their life through both formal education -
typically teaching individual lessons and running half and whole-day
retreats and interactive seminars - and also less formal, non-teaching
activities, typically clubs, courses and mentoring.
Step continued to teach topics ranging from insights into Christian belief
and practice to contemporary lifestyle issues and moral, cultural and
social questions. In light of the current mental health challenges facing
young people, our work has developed to involve equipping them with tools,
values and beliefs that promote emotional resilience and hope. This is woven
Suminisry ‘ into lessons and presentations but more explicitly delivered through informal
activities Of the main education and support including one-to-one mentoring, encouraging
public benefitundertakenIn relati f o nr t ohe student-led Christianmee Unions,: leading: courses on leadership,.; loss, anxiety.
these objects (include within and Christianity, and a wide range of other lunchtime activities.
oehe fact ive In addition, Step engaged with 14 local primary schools, offering 105
had regard to the guidance Step Up’ sessions to year 6 students transitioning to secondary schools.
Sami on Gani Step also continued its mental health work, giving away 1,073 iMatter
benefit) P journals to students seeking further ways to develop resilience and self-
worth.
The charity continued to take an active part in external initiatives where
these complemented the work in schools, for example the “Verso Care”
programme. This not only benefited those in particular areas of need in
the wider community but also provided valuable learning experiences for
the students, in particular opportunities to put into practice the Christian
values of awareness and concern for others.
The Trustees confirm that in planning and implementing, these activities
had due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity
Commission.
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## Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
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|||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|You|may choose|to|include|The|charity|did|not make|grants|to|any|other organisations|or|individuals.|
|further|statements,|where|
|relevant,|about:|The|Charity|invests|in|equipment|not|only to|run|the|operation|as|
|:|efficiently|as|possible|but|also|to|facilitate|lesson|delivery,|for example|
|policy on|grantmaking;|use|of hand-held|devices|and|laptops,|as|needs|arise and|as funds|allow.|
|e|policy|programme|related|
|investment:|Step’s|body|of 63|schools|work|volunteers|have|continued;|to|play|a|
|e|a|critically|important|role|in the|delivery|of the|Charity’s|programme;|39 of|
|contribution|made|by|these were|involved|in|10|or more|activities.|In|addition,|there|are a|
|volunteers.|further 8|volunteers who|assist|with|administrative|tasks.|
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|Section D|Achievements and performance|
|---|---|
|Summary ofthe main|Step’s achievement during the yearcan besummed up as seeing steady|
|achievements ofthe charity|demand in the scope and numberof activities run in local schools. As an|
|duringtheyear|indicatorofthe scale ofStep’s operation, the totalnumber ofactivities
delivered for2024/25 was 2,382. The biggest single category of activity|
||was 1,156 lessons and workshops delivered alongside other activities as|
||described in Section C above. Step has strategically sought to increase|
||its delivery ofcourses, mentoring and lunchtime clubs, with a total of977|
||sessions throughout the year.|
||We also ran a Leadership Conference for 16-18 year olds, which|
||complimented our Leadership Foundations course. In addition, we|
||coached a number ofsixth formers from the Alban Learning Partnership
(a sixth form consortium) to delivera conference fortheir peers, which we|
||hosted.|
||On an average term timeweek, Step engaged schools in 61 activities|
||involving roughly 1,200 students usually in an hour long context.|
||As seen by Step and the schools concerned, the programme has seen|
||young lives changed forthe betterand theireducation enriched.|
|Section E|Financial review|
|Briefstatement ofthe
charity’s policyon reserves|The key indicatorused bythetrusteestomonitorthe charity’s financial
health is the period oftime overwhich essential expenditure could be
maintained while drawing on the cash in hand — the “cash cover”. The|
||targeted status is cover of at least three months; if it were to be less than|
||this, the situation would be progressively more closely monitored as|
||coverdrops. Asearch forcost savings and/or furthersources ofincome|
||would be correspondingly ramped up.|
|Details of any funds materially||
|in deficit||
|Further financial review details|(Optional information)|
|Youmaychooseto include
additional information, where
.
relevant about:
Fie
eeeideaacd
e
the charity's principal
Se
(including
any fundraising);|The principal sources offunding were:
:
ah
F
e
pledged fundingfrom local churches and individualssympathetic to
S**e**r
eee
ae
sale
ee
the Charity’s principles and objectives;
e
one-off giftsfrom thesamesources, generallydesignated forspecific
purposesortomeet particularneedsmadeknown bythecharity;and
e
grantsfrom charitable foundations, which significantly increased this|
|e
how expenditure has|year.|
|supported the key objectives||
|ofthe charity;|Regular income from individuals and churches grew this year. The|
|.
e
investment policy and|Charity normally undertakes at leastone majorfundraising eventa year.|
|objectives including any
ethical investment policy
adopted.|All expenditurewason the running costs oftheCharity in pursuit of its
objectives, with a majorityon staffsalaries.|
||Step holds surplus funds in savings accounts with institutions that are|
||protectedbytheFinancialServicesCompensationScheme.|
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## Section F
## Other optional information
## Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
||a
oe|‘|
|---|---|---|
|Fullname(s):|PhilipNicholasloannou|oe|
|Date:|14Ockher2075||
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**Charity Name No (if any) ST ALBANS AND HARPENDEN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION P1091290 Receipts and payments accounts For the period** Period start date Period end date **To from** 9/1/2024 8/31/2025
**CC16a**
|**Section A Receipts and payments**|**Section A Receipts and payments**|**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
**funds**||**Restricted**
**funds**||**Endowment**
**funds**||**Total funds**||**Last year**|
|||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**|
|**A1 Receipts**|||||||||||
|Bank interest||**6,665**||**-**||**-**||**6,665**||**9,553**|
|Designated income||**-**||**18,658**||**-**||**18,658**||**6,705**|
|Gift Aid tax received||**14,481**||**-**||**-**||**14,481**||**11,174**|
|Undesignatedgift income||**186,430**||**-**||**-**||**186,430**||**157,879**|
|Furloughgrant received||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|Covid statutorysickpay||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_||**207,576**
_(Gross income for AR)_||**18,658**||**-**||**226,234**||**185,311**|
|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Total receipts_ 207,576**
**18,658**
**-**
**226,234**
**185,311**
**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**
~~—————~~|||||||||||
|**A3 Payments**|||||||||||
|Salaries and NI||**218,251**||**14,245**||**-**||**232,496**||**213,353**|
|Rent||**8,100**||**-**||**-**||**8,100**||**7,200**|
|Insurance||**1,420**||**-**||**-**||**1,420**||**1,104**|
|Team development and training||**3,550**||**526**||**-**||**4,076**||**5,207**|
|Office expenses||**5,897**||**-**||**-**||**5,897**||**6,535**|
|Work at schools||**11,403**||**334**||**-**||**11,737**||**14,198**|
|Communication||**3,622**||**-**||**-**||**3,622**||**2,799**|
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **||**252,243**||**15,105**||**-**||**267,348**||**250,396**|
|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Total payments_ 252,243**
**15,105**
**-**
**267,348**
**250,396**
**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**
~~—————~~|||||||||||
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_ **
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_ **||**- 44,667**
**3,553**
**-**
**- 41,114**
**- 65,085**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**186,640**
**4,121**
**-**
**190,761**
**255,846**
**141,973**
**7,674**
**-**
**149,647**
**190,761**
~~===>~~|||||||||
|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees|**Details**
Business Reserve Account
Current Account
Deposit Account
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Signature
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))|**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**2,260**
**7,674**
**139,713**
**-**
**141,973**
**7,674**
OK
OK
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**|**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
|||||
|||||
Independent examiner's report on the accounts a A
## Section A
## Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ . ; members of | !he St Albans and Harpenden Christian Education Project On accounts for the year | 31/08/2025 Charity no | 1091290 ended (if any) Respective The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. responsibilities of The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year trustees and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
- It is my responsibility to: e examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, e to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
- e to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
- Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given examiner’s statement by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
- Independent /n connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- examiner's statement 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: e to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
- e to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act
- have not been met; or
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: Date: | 11 11 September Name: | lan Michael LaRiviere
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body | BSc, BA, MSc, DMS. (if any):
Address: | 141 Park Street Lane, Park Street, St Albans, Herts. AL2 2AX
Date: | 11 11 September 2025
IER
1
March 2012
| | Give here brief details of | any items that the i examiner wishes to disclose.
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.
IER
2
March 2012