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 con￿rn
{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