||**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|**Trustees' Annual Report for theperiod**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**From**|Period start date|||**To**|Period end date|||
|||1st|April|2022||31st|March|2023|
## Section A Reference and administration details
**Charity name** THE DOWNS SCHOOL TRUST
## **Registered charity number (if any)** 1094239
**Charity's principal address**
The Downs School Compton Newbury Berkshire **Postcode RG20 6AD**
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Mr C.Prosser||||||
||Mr P Clark||||||
||Mr A Tow||||||
|**Sectio**|**n B Structure, governance and management**||||||
## **Description of the charity’s trusts**
Trust Deed Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) Trust How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Appointed by governing board of The Downs School Trustee selection methods (eg. appointed by, elected by)
## **Section C Objectives and activities**
The main activity of the charity is fundraising for the benefit of educational objectives. **Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document** _Please note that all policies in place at The Downs School extend across the activities of The Downs School Trust._ **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public** Funds are raised in several ways including an annual Sponsored Walk **benefit in relation to these** and also a general appeal to parents for funds. This year specific
1
fundraising was started for a site improvements including tarmac to areas around the field that has been an ongoing H&S concerns. The Trust also fundraises via the West Berkshire lottery, and this has produced a steady income stream. We have introduced some new fundraising events namely – The colour run, the pamper evening, a golf event, Bags2School and a **objects (include within this** Christmas pottery painting event, drinks at events and shows, golf days **section the statutory** which have all been successful. Gift Aid is recovered from the Inland **declaration that trustees have** Revenue on donations where possible. This year all such funds have **had regard to the guidance** been distributed for the benefit of students at The Downs School. **issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)** The charitable status of the trust also enables it to make applications to a variety of grant making bodies when specific projects are identified. There has been 1 application for grant funding this year – Greenham Common Trust for improvements to our café 6 and sixth form common room)
## Section D Achievements and performance
The grants we supply to The Downs School support the educational **Summary of the main** objectives of the school. The grants have supported the school in **achievements of the charity** engaging students and with projects that would otherwise not have been **during the year** possible.
## **Section E Financial review**
Reserves are minimal, unless funds are restricted in which case reserves **Brief statement of the** are held until the project is undertaken. **charity’s policy on reserves Details of any funds materially** None **in deficit**
## **Section F Other optional information**
## None
## **Section G Declaration**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
> **Signature(s)** _Rebecca Brophy_ **Full name(s)** Rebecca Brophy
**Position (eg Secretary, Chair,** SECRETARY **etc) Date** 21/6/2023
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DRAFT Report
## **West Berkshire Council – Internal Audit**
## **Independent Examiners Report – The Downs School Trust Accounts 2022/23 (registered charity number 1094239)**
## **1. Introduction**
- 1.1 Internal Audit was commissioned by the Trustees of The Downs School Trust to undertake an Independent Examination of the Trust’s accounts for the year 2022/23.
- 1.2 The examination took place between the 9[th] May and 11[th] May 2023. The scope was agreed before the work commenced, and the assurance provided was to be limited to confirming the accuracy of reported payments and receipts to the Trust, and the Trust balance at year end.
- 1.3 The examination was undertaken with regard to the good practice recommendations set out in the Charity Commission’s guidance on Independent examination of charity accounts: Directions and guidance for examiners (CC32).
- 1.4 We would like to thank the School Business Manager (SBM) and Finance staff for their help and hospitality shown to us. The audit was undertaken by Jen Brunning, Principal Auditor.
- 1.5 Where we have made a recommendation we have used the following to categorise the significance.
||**Category of weakness**
Fundament
al
May result in a complete
breakdown of the service and or
fraud or other irregularity
Signifcant
May result in a breakdown in the
service and or fraud or other
irregularity
Moderate
May result in some impact on the
service
Minor
Limited impact on the service||
|---|---|---|
In addition, we may raise Points to Note (PTN) where:-
- a) the control(s) in place is satisfactory, but during our sample checks we identified an occasion/a couple of
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DRAFT Report
occasions where the control was not being complied with; and/or
- b) we wish to make an advisory point which does not relate to a control weakness.
In these circumstances we consider it sufficient to bring these points to your attention for information/future reference without making a recommendation.
## **2. Approach and Findings**
- 2.1. The Downs Trust is a charitable organisation established by the School to receive money raised from sponsored events in order that advantage can be taken of the Gift Aid tax refund scheme. Income is also received from other activities including West Berkshire lottery and community funds. The money raised is then distributed as grant funding to the main Downs School account.
- 2.2. The Trust’s accounts are maintained by the SBM and her staff at The Downs School using FMS ledgers. The Trust accounts are maintained on the Downs School ledger (fund 95) under separate ledger codes. We confirmed the accuracy of the figures on the Ledger Code Summary report.
- 2.3. We confirmed the continuity of the Trust’s bank statements throughout the year and that they followed from the previous year end reconciliations. The monthly reconciliations as undertaken by The Downs School’s finance team had been completed by reconciling the bank statement balance with the Unreconciled Items reports from FMS. This gave us assurance that the transactions in FMS matched those made through the bank account.
- 2.4. We selected and reviewed samples of income receipts, tracing monies received by direct credit, or via SchoolGateway (provided by SchoolComms) through to the Trust’s bank account, verifying the source of the income and confirming that appropriate entries had been made in the ledgers for the relevant activity.
- 2.5. We reviewed payments from the Trust, comprising the grant made to the main school as set out in the Trustees Annual report, transaction fees to SchoolComms, and other payments made in relation to hosting events. We confirmed that payments were correctly approved and reported.
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- 2.6. Accounts are presented on a receipts and payments basis which is allowable under the applicable reporting guidelines. Therefore there was no examination required for accruals.
## **3. Conclusion**
- 3.1. We conclude that the reported opening and closing balances, and payments and receipts are correctly stated in the statement of accounts.
- 3.2. The Downs Trust accumulated opening balance at 31[st] March 2022 was £8,930. Gross income was £74,732. The expenditure in the year was £73,425 primarily comprising funds distributed to the main school of £69,345. The closing balance at 31[st] March 2023 was £10,237, which was confirmed as the balance held in the bank account.
_Jen Brunning, Principal Auditor Julie Gillhespey, Audit Manager July 2023_
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