Hearts of Oak- Annual Report 2024/25 Summary The financial year has been another successful one for our Charity. We have been fortunate in obtaining many donations incl udi ng some individually large restricted donations towa rd specific projects, totall ing over £43,000. l. Structure Governanc d Management tion Hearts of Oak- The Oak Lodge School Foundation Trust was first registered as a charity in July 2006 with the Charity Commissioners under No. 1115755. The charity provides services under the working name of "Hearts of Oak" There is a written constitution, approved by the Cha rities Commission i n 2006, which provides the rules a nd sta ndards under which the charity operates. It sets out details of the Trustees and instructs them on a structure for the management of the charity. Charitable O e and Mission The Aim ofthe Trust is to advance the education of pupils attending Oak Lodge School, London N2 Eng13 nd, together with the students at the 19-25 year old provision, Oak Bridge, by the allocation of facilities and equipment not normally provided by statutory authorities. Additionally, in 2024, a new Autism specialist school called The Windmill joined the Multi Academy Trust IMATI and it was unanimously decided to extend our fundraising aims to incorporate the students from this school too. Its Mission is to provide the financial support for the staff to provide the optimum education for the pupils. Its Vision is a world where al I schools for pupils with learning diff iculties have adequate resources he Management ofthe Charity The management and control of the charity is vested in Trustees who manage the charity via a management committee. The management committee consists of.. Chairman-julian Cole Treasurer- David Craven Administrator- Lynda Walker IHead Teacher and also a Trustee) Fundraisers - Teresa Ell is, Richa rd Weisfeld ITrusteel and Sally Adams ITrusteel All members ofthe management committee are unpaid, but reimbursement of reasonable expenses is made available, although yet again, no expenses were charged in this financial year.
The committee met 4 times during the year. Its meetings are regulated by a previously circulated agenda, and the minutes kept in writing by the Administrator. The committee discusses related strategic and pol itica I matters as well as overseei ng the day to day administration of the charity. Governance The charity follows closely the standards set by the Charity Com missioners for England and their Guida nce for Registered Charities, with pa rticula r regard to the auditing of the accounts. The charity has a Chi Id Protection Policy esta bl ished i n October 2006 and an Equal Opportunities Policy established in November 2006. 2. Strategic Aims and Communication The Work ofthe Charity The main work of the charity is fund-raising. There are two main arms to this: Applying to Charitable Funds for support: there a re ma ny funds both national and local whose remit is to fund educational opportunities and equipment for disabled children and young adults. The fundraiser's main task is making applications to these bodies. Applying to commercial enterprises with active Corporate Social Responsibi lity schemes for support.. there are many companies both national and local who have supported us significantly during the year. Supporting others who wish to raise funds either by conducting f und-ra ising events e.g. bazaa rs, Christmas sta Ils, etc or by getting sponsorship for participation i n activities e.g. London Marathon. Strategic Matters Projects At inception of Hearts of Oak, the school had a wish-list of ideas that it had for the improvement of the school. Hearts of Oak a Iso sepa rately rea lised that it was important to provide a wide range of Possible projects to i nterest different donors. After much discussion, in consultation with the senior management team from the school, a strategy was devised in orderto produce a list of approved Projects. Th is l 1st is reviewed at every Trustee meeti ng, where short-term and longer-term projects are considered. Small Events Strategy The management committee understood early in its consideration of the direction of the charity's strategy that it would not be possible for the committee members themselves to undertake the organisation of many small event5 as these could easily take over the time needed for other matters. Nevertheless, the committee wanted to encourage those willing to run events for the benefit of the charity. A'small Events Strategy" document was therefore agreed. Essentially this document seeks
to encourage those wishing to help in this way by the provision of various resources, whilst ensuring that committee members allow others to manage the event. Communications Good comm Ljnications are an essentia I feature of a successful charity. Hearts of Oak has two main ways of communicating with the public, and in particular its donors and friends. The Hearts of Oak Website Our website Iwww.hearts-of-oak.or l is the focal point for i nforming stakeholders and recruiting donors for our cha rity and is regularly updated. It provides contact i nformation, a donation page and updates of donations and successes that the charity have achieved. Of Political Matters The Trustees are committed to the advancement of services for pupils with learning difficulties not only at Oak Lodge School, but also across the nation. In particular, the Trustees actively promote the principle of specialist provision of education for pupils who are unlikeSy to cope well in normal secondary school. 3. Projects Notable Projects in 2024/25 Small Projects: Hearts of Oa k dedicates resources Inormally less than £500, although larger grants have been considered and awarded) towards a range of small projects that are specifically ai med at improving the educational experience of children at the school. Recent projects funded under this include horse-riding, art lessons, school trips, flying-trips, Children in Need costumes, cinema and theatre days, and visiting numerous museums, galleries and exhibitions. Day/Residential Trips: Learn ing outside the classroom can i nspire and motivate pupils in new and exciting ways. For children and young adults with learning difficulties Residential trips not only provide "once-in-a-lifeti me" opportunities for pupi Is, but also provide val uable respite time for parents and carers. Hearts of Oak recognizes that trips such as these should be primarily funded by parents and carers. However, compared with mainstream education, the cost of arranging these trips can be prohibitively expensive (due to the requirement for extra teaching support and forthe provision of special facilities). Hearts of Oak makes an annual bursary to the school to be used in subsidising residential trips. Our aspiration is that every child will have the opportunity to participate in at least one residential trip during their time at Oak Lodge School. During the past decade we have been lucky enough to be the recipient of some dedicated funding from the Frank Barnes Educational Trust, who via Oak Lodge's inspirational teacher Sally Adams, have agreed a legacy of £150,000. This money continues to be uti lised to fund day-trips for pu pi Is f rom Oak Bridge, Oa k Lodge and now, The Windmill School. To date this money has allowed pupils to visit places as diverse as The
Cheddar Gorge, The Lake District, sailing in Portsmouth and Catamaran's in Dorset, as well as f lying lessons, and even an overseas trip. Since the Covid pandemic there has been a scale-back of residentia I stays but it was agreed upon in the trustee meeting of June 2025, that the Schools would look to re-introduce these as soon as possi ble. 4. Fundraising Total funds raised this year were £43,345.13. We would like again to thank all the various individuals, businesses and other charitable organisations that have supported Hearts of Oak for another year and created experiences, events and equipment that would be impossible to fund without their incredible generosity. 5. The Future The last few years has seen a change in the way we raise the majority of our income. Attempting to raise money from our own events, has proved challenging. We have therefore decided to concentrate on a pplying for grants for specific projects a nd needs, to sma Iler/medium sized Charities whose remit is to assist schools such as Oak Lodge. Additionally, we are still looking to partner with local businesses that wish to offer voluntary opportunities to their employees. The trustees and management committee remain fully committed to providing pupils of Oak Lodge and Oak Bridge with faci lities a nd equipment not norma Ily provided by statutory authorities. Julian Cole Chair for the Management Committee June 2025 Reserves Policy The trustees ai m to maintain f ree reserves in unrestricted f unds at a level which they feel prudent. The trustees consider that this level will provide sufficient f unds to respond to applications for grants and/or equipment and ensure that there are sufficient funds available to cover support and governar)ce costs. To that end, the trustees feel it would be sensible to work toward maintaining reserves of at least £15,000 and to a maximum of £25,000.
Notwithstanding the above policy, the trustees will a Iways, as a matter of priority, apply reserves for the benefit of children and young persons who attend both Oak Lodge and Oak Bridge Schools whilst maintaining an appropriate level of reserves at any given point in time. Additionally, whilst this is a stated target, there may be times when in the pursuit of funding larger projects, a larger balance will be retai ned. The trustees will a Iways ensure that all donations received are used correctly, with a stated aim of ensuring the best possible outcomes for the students at both schools.
HEARTS OF OAK THE OAK LODGE FOUNDATION TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 INCOME AND EXPENDITURE BREAKDOWN INCOME DESIGNATED DONATIONS 42,569-74 UNRESTRICTED DONATIONS 351-21 CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION DONATIONS 138-73 INTEREST 285-45 43345-13 EXPENDITURE EDUCATIONAL VISITS AND RESOURCES 9,266-00 SHOP RENT 10,150-00 OTHER 74-34 19 490-34 SURPLUSI DEFICIT 23 854-79 CASH AT BANK 31 MARCH 2025 57 37S-23
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Hearts of Oak Foundation Trust On. accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 Charity no (if any) 1115755 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (°the Trust.) for the year ended 31" March 2025 Responsibilities and basls of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under Section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all th8 applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's ststement come to my attention in connection with th8 examination (other than that disclosed below ') which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Slgned: Dats: 0111012025 Name: David Craven Relevant professlonal qualificatlon(s) or body (tf any)= Address: 8 Osborne Court. Park View Road, London W5 2JE IER Oct 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of conrn {see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any Items that the examiner wishes to disclose. None IER Oct 2018