2023-09-30-accounts - The Nurture Group Network Limited

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nurture uk

Annual Report and Financial Statements Every child able to learn

October 2022 – September 2023

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Contents
A note from the Chair 3
A message from the CEO 4
Our mission and vision 5
Why is nurture needed? 6
The year at a glance 9
Developing the Boxall Profile [®] Online 10
Raising our voice 12
Nurturing Kent Programme 14
Inclusive and Nurturing Schools Programme 16
Becoming a National Nurturing School 18
Investing in nurturing education 20
Looking to the future 21
Financial summary 22
Reserves Policy 23
Additional information 24
Annual accounts 30
Independent auditor’s report 43
Administrative information 48
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Children and young people are struggling with social, emotional and mental health issues like never before. But there’s something we can do.

The nurturing approach to education is changing lives...

“[We had 34 children attend ]

nurture. Before nurture they often showed behaviour of anger, frustration, emotional outbursts, hurting themselves and others. No child has been excluded since ” attending nurture. London school teacher, 2023

“[In the first 2 weeks [of attending ] nurture provision] I instantly saw a change in behaviour from my son, before it was a struggle to get him to school and he did not want to go, but now when I mention it’s time for Nurture he is the first one in the shower ready to go. On weekends he cannot wait to start school on Monday as he said in his words, ‘mummy I love school, I like learning’.”

Parent of child attending nurture provision, London, 2023

“[I genuinely believe that if we ] hadn’t done this [the nurtureuk programme], at least two of my boys would be in prison right now, because that’s where they were at before this. They had their court dates set. I genuinely believe nurture has changed the outcomes for those children.” Kent school teacher, 2023

A note from the Chair, Alan Leaman

Almost everyone has noticed the problems.

We also continued to recruit outstanding new members of staff to develop the organisation and our impact. Our wonderful CEO Arti Sharma leads a growing and highly professional team.

Increased absence from school, pupil anxiety reflected in difficult behaviour and rising exclusions are three of the most profound issues that education is grappling with today.

We now have a platform for further growth and rising influence, reaching more schools and increasing our visibility.

More and more people have also found a solution.

As a board, we know that this is a critical moment for education and for nurtureuk. We see each day the benefits of nurture in the lived experience of children and their teachers. We also hear from parents and carers about the benefits for them and their families.

The Six Principles of Nurture, backed up by the high-quality products, training and services of nurtureuk, are deepening children’s attachment to school, improving their relationships with education professionals and sustaining their ability to flourish and to learn.

At a time of conflict and concern in the world, a nurturing approach is proving to be more valuable than ever. This is no soft option; it is based on clear evidence and experience.

This annual report provides an account of the second year of nurtureuk’s current strategy. It was a year of consolidation and investment.

I am very grateful to all those teachers, school and local authority leaders, fellow trustees and nurtureuk staff who are making nurture a reality today.

We made deliberate use of our funds to build on key areas of work. We also invested in our flagship product Boxall Profile[®] Online, upgrading its capabilities and improving its performance. We refreshed our brand and broke new ground in public affairs and policy work.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

A message from CEO, Arti Sharma

Although the pandemic seems like a lifetime ago, we are still seeing the ripples of its impact reverberating across our schools, children and young people, as well as families and the wider communities.

making #nurturethenorm. The quality of our nurture training remains at the forefront of our work, and this year we were pleased to receive CPD accreditation for the Theory and Practice of Boxall Profile[®] course. Our Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups training also continues to be accredited by SQA, and we remain a Department for Education (DfE) approved provider for Senior Mental Health Leads training.

The years 2022–2023 were characterised by the continued mental health and anxiety crisis of children and young people resulting in rising absenteeism and escalating exclusions, and schools dealing with a tidal wave of teachers leaving the profession.

Through further investment in the Boxall Profile[®] Online, we were able to enhance the teacher experience with an array of new developments and features they had directly asked for (see page 10). We also launched new and revised publications to meet the needs of school staff in the current climate.

It became clear that we needed nurture in our education system more than ever. We know that nurture is making a difference in thousands of schools across the country, successfully addressing some of these challenges. Nurture has been proven to improve behaviour, attendance and attainment, and reduce exclusions, but also has a positive knock on effect on school staff too.

Seeing the impact of our Nurturing Kent Programme, now in its second year of delivery, has been delightful! The fully funded programme was commissioned by Kent County Council to support mainstream primary and secondary schools to develop whole-school nurturing strategies. One school shared that “The year groups that have accessed nurture have shown a better ability to access and participate in class, improvement in social skills and confidence, and a decrease in challenging behaviour seen.” There are many more positive experiences shared by schools on page 14.

I was delighted to see this in action in the many schools I visited across the country. It was evident how transformational the nurture approach had been to pupils, staff and parents. In these schools I saw a marked difference in pupils’ sense of achievement and behaviour and in community cohesion. I also heard the phrase “We haven’t had to recruit as staff are nurtured too” on a regular basis.

Although we are reporting a deficit for the first time in two years, this was a planned approach as we made numerous investments across the charity including the Boxall Profile[®] Online, training,

It is because of the challenges facing our education system that we will never stop championing

systems and processes, membership, staffing, and our much-needed public affairs and policy work (see page 12).

and ultimately results in better outcomes for us all.

We believe that nurture is the way to create that system.

The second year of our five-year strategy has seen us reach many positive milestones. We are particularly pleased with the new partnerships, political stakeholders, schools and individuals we have met over the last year who have supported our endeavours to see the change we all want to see across our education system.

Thank you to all our staff, trustees, members and supporters for another strong year for nurturing education and nurtureuk.

I look forward to working with you all to make #nurturethenorm over the next year and see change we all want to see.

An inclusive education system is a vital part of a successful society that allows children and young people to truly flourish

Our mission and vision

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Why is nurture needed?

For many children and young people across the UK, the reality of school is a daily struggle to cope. They are dealing with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties like never before; in many cases exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and its lasting impact.

Pupils facing SEMH challenges can be withdrawn and isolated, or they may display hugely challenging and disruptive behaviour that significantly affects those around them. They may avoid school altogether. During the last academic year, over 22% of pupils in England were classed as ‘persistently absent’ . That’s tens of thousands of children who were regularly missing school, putting them at increased risk of violence and exploitation.

All children need nurture – an approach to learning that prioritises relationships and wellbeing.

What is nurture?

Nurture is a tried and tested way of helping children develop vital social skills, confidence and self-esteem – ensuring they are ready to learn. It is rooted in Attachment Theory and neuroscience, and supports children to build connections and resilience. It is a highly effective and proven way of sustaining improved behaviour and increased attendance in schools, leading to better attainment and fewer exclusions.

The nurture story began in 1969, when educational psychologist Marjorie Boxall first developed the concept of the nurture group. Large numbers of young children were entering primary school in inner London with severe emotional, behavioural and social difficulties, which led to unmanageable rates of referral for placement in special schools or for child guidance treatment.

Boxall understood that the difficulties presented by most of these children were a result of impoverished early nurturing, meaning they were not able to make trusting relationships with adults or to respond appropriately to other children.

The remedy was to place them in nurture groups – classes of six to 12 children with a teacher and an assistant, whose brief was to engage with the children at the developmental stage they had reached and to support them in meeting learning goals step by step. As the children felt accepted and valued, their confidence grew and they began to learn, with 80% returning to their base class full-time.

Following the success of Marjorie Boxall’s pilot, the nurture movement grew steadily over the following decades and gained wider recognition.

have developed a range of interventions and support to help children and young people be the very best they can be. Everything we do is guided by the Six Principles of Nurture.

At nurtureuk, we have spent over 50 years building our evidence-based approach and we are proud of our strong reputation for supporting schools to deliver expert nurturing practice. We

The Six Principles of Nurture

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Our Graduated Approach to Nurture

Our graduated approach to nurture ensures that every child has the opportunity to flourish, by having access to the support they need, when they need it. Whether they enter the education system with early childhood trauma, or suffer adverse experiences during their time at school, we work to measure and support the social, emotional and mental health of all children, so that no child falls through the cracks.

The graduated approach begins with using the Boxall Profile[®] to identify early indications of any social, emotional, behavioural and/or mental health concerns amongst the children and young people. The whole-school nurture approach is then applied, with nurturing intervention strategies put in place to help children and young people develop social and emotional skills. The final stage of the graduated approach is the implementation of Boxall Nurture Groups[®] for the most vulnerable children and young people.

Nurture Plus For the most vulnerable children and young

Nurture Groups Boxall Nurture Group[®] classic

Nurturing Interventions Strategies to support children and young people to develop social and emotional skills

Whole School Nurture Approach Boxall Profile[®] for all children and The Boxall Profile[®] young people and Early identification nurture principles of potential are embedded social, emotional, behavioural and/ or mental health concerns

The year at a glance:

385 211,000 2,650 3,800 training pupils practitioners schools sessions reached supported engaged delivered

® Online Boxall Profile

We estimate that over 142,000 children and young people were impacted by the Boxall Profile[®] Online from November 2022 to October 2023, with around 2,300 schools subscribing to the product.

“[Boxall has now helped us to ] assess need for a wider cohort rather than just specific SEN children. Group analysis has helped us to identify common strands of need and we have been able to adapt the provision approach to meet this need.” Primary School from the Nurturing Kent Programme Cohort 5

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Developing the Boxall Profile[®] Online

Q&A with Joanne Davies, Senior Digital Product Manager

The Boxall Profile[®] Online supports educators to assess the social, emotional and mental development of children and young people. The tool provides practical strategies to help improve behaviour that results from hidden or unmet social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs, so that pupils can fully engage with their learning.

How do you ensure the voice of educators remains at the forefront Online of any Boxall Profile[®] development?

Jo joined nurtureuk in November 2022 to manage the Boxall Profile[®] Online. As an advocate for the nurturing approach in schools, she is passionate about the real difference it can make to the lives of children and young people across the country, and beyond!

One of the most important parts of a product manager’s role is to understand the user and their experience of using a product. At nurtureuk we do this by conducting termly user group sessions, using surveys and online tools to analyse user behaviour and collecting feedback received directly from users via the tool.

What were the main updates you Online? made to the Boxall Profile[®]

When I started at nurtureuk, one of my first tasks was to review the assessment tool, understand the user experience, and identify what development was required. After conducting user group sessions and a thorough audit of the tool, we then set about a series of improvements including:

Once we have the user insights we review the data, identify trends and then prioritise and plan development. We have a development roadmap and all proposed development has the user and the children and young people they look after in mind.

l New branding and website
l New product layout making it easier to navigate and access pupil data
l New and improved functionality including class, school and group views; searching, filtering and sorting of pupil data; end of year migration; exporting data and reporting.

What does the future look like for Online? the Boxall Profile[®]

The future is bright for the Boxall Profile[®] Online! In the Autumn Term of 2023 we will be launching several new updates and improving the payment process. We will continue to work hard to improve the Boxall Profile[®] Online and look forward to sharing those updates with you soon on our ‘What’s New’ blog series.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Raising our voice

This year we embarked on a new area of investment for nurtureuk – public affairs and policy work. We are determined to use our voice to create positive change for children and young people. While still in the early stages of this work, we are gaining momentum and policy makers are showing increased interest in our work. This year we met with MPs, attended round table discussions, met with Ofsted, and took DfE and key stakeholders to our schools to showcase the benefits of nurture in action. Here are just some of the highlights.

Demonstrating nurture for the Department for Education

We were delighted to take staff from the Department for Education (DfE) to visit Van Gogh Primary School in Stockwell, to see nurture in action. The school was part of our Nurturing London VRU programme which concluded in the summer of 2022.

When we arrived at Van Gogh, the impact of nurture was immediately evident. Headteacher Nadine put the huge improvement in pupils’ social, emotional and mental health down to the nurturing journey the school has been on. As part of the Nurturing London VRU programme, Van Gogh used the Boxall Profile[®] to identify children’s needs, and embedded nurture throughout the school culture through our National Nurturing Schools Programme. Staff also ran nurture groups for children with a high level of need.

Meg Hillier MP visits Daubeney Primary School in Hackney to open their new nurture group.

Anneleise Dodds MP visits St Frideswide Church of England School in Oxford to present their National Nurturing Schools Award.

She shared some impressive data on improvements in behaviour and attendance, and told powerful stories about the achievements of children who had suffered traumas including domestic violence, bereavement and separation from their loved ones. But the children, and the positive energy they exuded, showed us the results for themselves.

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nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Nurturing Kent Programme

The Nurturing Kent Programme is a fully-funded programme commissioned by Kent County Council that supports mainstream primary and secondary schools to develop whole-school nurturing strategies.

We are delighted that the programme, now in its second year of delivery, has reached 99% of the sign up target of 300 schools.

Once enrolled onto the programme, each school gains access to the Theory and Practice of the Boxall Profile[®] , the National Nurturing Schools Programme, and the Theory and Practice of Nurture Groups courses. They receive a two-year subscription to the Boxall Profile[®] Online, 400 credits that can be exchanged for consultancy support, further training or publications, and access to networking events.

An independent research report on the programme from Kingston University found that school staff “recognised [the programme’s] potential to improve the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people with SEND, especially those with SEMH needs.” Of the schools

included in the research report, 86% said they had observed positive changes in pupils following the programme, including “improved settling-in periods, increased student calmness, enhanced expressiveness, and greater emotional awareness.”

“[Students who are SEMH and ] in our nurture provision have developed their social skills, communication and have far

“[A child who has experienced ] trauma and had no school experience is now in school full time, by following a nurturing approach. He began on an hour a day. He is engaging with his class and his social and emotional skills have developed well. He has built strong relationships with adults.” Primary School in Cohort 3

less melt downs than they had previously.” Secondary School in Cohort 5

“[Children are more confident to seek help from ] adults as they know they will get a consistent response no matter who they talk to. There is planned provision in school now to support the emotional needs of the pupils so we are more confident in how to respond to things as they pop up. Attendance for many of our pupils has increased but especially for those with school anxiety.” Primary School in Cohort 1

“[There have been less suspensions ] and the amount of behaviour incidents has reduced. I feel this is partly down to the staff being more curious about the function of the behaviour and ‘filling the child’s cup’ if they are connection seeking.” Primary School in Cohort 1

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Inclusive and Nurturing Schools Programme

In 2022, nurtureuk were commissioned along with charity partners Tender to deliver the London Violence Reduction Unit’s Inclusive and Nurturing Schools (INS) Programme. The transformational new programme aims to keep children safe, supported, and thriving in school, tackle exclusions, and ensure children and young people have healthy relationship behaviours and attitudes.

resources, activities and enrichment days to support training or to use with young people in the classroom. There will also be expert-led networking opportunities, and bespoke consultancy made available to meet the needs of each individual school.

During the programme’s first year, all onboarded schools began their training through the inclusion strand. Feedback from the interim survey demonstrates the positive impact already being made:

The programme, which consists of two delivery strands, is being rolled out across 70 schools in seven London Boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Enfield, Croydon, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham and Islington. These boroughs have been selected based on rates of suspension, absence, persistent absenteeism and pupils with special educational needs (SEN) support, as well as wider measures such as rates of Children in Need and domestic abuse incidents. Nurtureuk are leading on the inclusion strand, whilst Tender, who specialise in the prevention of genderbased violence and the promotion of healthy relationships, are leading the healthy relationships strand.

“It has given us the starting point to drive forward with plans to make nurturing approaches more widespread rather than a separate provision.”

“We are able to better support our vulnerable children.”

“It has given our school a concrete foundation to begin addressing the needs of our students. It has made us begin to evaluate what we do well with regards to nurture as well as highlighting what still needs to be done.”

The inclusion strand aims to reduce persistent absence and school exclusions by taking a whole-school approach to improving children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Schools taking part in this strand will receive training on a range of subjects including the Boxall Profile[®] Online, as well as access to

“A new perspective on how to approach managing student behaviour.”

“All schools in the borough should buy into this programme.”

Lib Peck visits INS Programme school

To see first-hand the impact nurture has on the lives of children, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) Lib Peck visited Norbury Manor School in Croydon. The school began their journey with nurtureuk in 2020 through the Nurturing London Programme, and recently joined the INS Programme to build on the fantastic work they had started. Lib was joined by film crews from the BBC and ITV to promote a recent funding announcement, and shared with journalists the importance of early intervention to help reduce exclusions.

with their emotions… We can’t expect children to learn all these different things we’re asking them to learn, and catch up after a huge pandemic, and deal with bereavements that a lot of children have dealt with, if we haven’t given them the toolkits to deal with their emotions, which is why nurtureuk’s resources and the support they’ve given my staff has meant so much to us and made such a huge impact.”

Headteacher Sonia Potter also

highlighted the impact nurture has had on her staff and pupils: “I haven’t had to exclude any children because they are learning there are other ways of dealing

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Success Story

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Success Story
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Becoming a National Nurturing School

Interview with Clare Williams from Penygarn Community Primary School in Wales

Why did you decide to become a more nurturing school?

How have you applied the Six Principles of Nurture to your setting?

Our children do not come from a place of safety and security, and we needed to be their safe place in order for them to be able to learn. When we heard about the National Nurturing Schools Award, it was a way of consolidating and embedding our practice into an approach that fits and works for everyone. It was a lightbulb moment of “we’re already doing a lot of this to help our community and our children, now we can formalise it”. Our school has to have a nurturing approach first and foremost, and at the heart of everything we do. Our children will not and cannot learn if we do not look to their emotional wellbeing first, and what they are showing us, or trying to tell us via their behaviour.

We are all Emotionally Available Adults for our learners. The adult is our most important and most valuable and effective resource at our disposal. We need to be the safety and security for our learners, and our learning environments support us to do this through consistency.

We build everything around relationships. Relationships with the children, with the families, and with each other as staff. We are very positive, nurturing, warm and we know each child and family individually, and know what they need from us and how we can support them to grow.

We know behaviour is always telling us something. Staff are very skilled at being able to discreetly “catch them before they fall”. We are proactive and adaptable to whatever arises, and we move adult resources to where the need is highest. We ensure the emotional wellbeing of all learners is paramount in all that we do.

How has the nurturing approach positively impacted an individual or cohort of pupils?

We had to set up a nurture class for a group of Y6 pupils really struggling to access mainstream. Our nurture staff worked with them daily, focusing on their social skills and emotional and mental health. They undertook projects like gardening, and had special sessions with therapy dogs and our play therapist. Each week the extreme and difficult behaviours decreased, and the children’s self-esteem, and positive relationships with peers, staff and parents increased.

By the end of the year, one of these pupils was acting as a helper on a daily basis in nursery and was the most wonderful help to the staff, and a fantastic role model to the children. He was thoroughly engaged and the children absolutely adored him.

Exclusions for the other pupils had greatly decreased, and the modified days had also increased to full time for most of them.

How has becoming a nurturing school impacted your relationship with parents and your community work?

We have the word Community in our school title, yet it is only since becoming a nurturing school that we feel we are properly a Community school. We give back to the community, and they come to us more. We use the school as more of

“[Each week the extreme and difficult behaviours ] decreased, and the children’s self-esteem, and positive relationships with peers, staff and parents increased. ”

a centrepiece in the community now as opposed to it just being a place children go to school. We have a food and uniform bank, and parents and families know they can come to us for support - they want and need the help we are offering. The relationships between the school and the families are much improved, and they know they can speak to any member of staff and they will be met with warmth and support, and no judgement.

What advice would you give to other schools looking to embed a wholeschool approach to nurture?

Your staff need to be on board. Our staff are intrinsically nurturing, warm, flexible and adaptable as they have to be to work in a school like ours that has such a high level of need. Get the staff to understand why it is needed, and the benefits, and it will all fall into place.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Investing in nurturing education

By 2026 our goal is to see:

Every child’s education and development embracing nurture The Boxall Profile[®] integrated into every school’s nurturing activities The UK governments adopt nurture for all children

We want to ensure that schools across the UK understand the theory and practice of nurture, and the benefits of nurture accreditation from nurtureuk. This includes our aim to work with Ofsted to endorse schools who implement the whole-school approach to nurture.

recognised in regulatory frameworks and guidance as crucial to address behaviour, attendance and exclusions. We also aim to unlock funding for schools who implement the whole-school approach to nurture.

In order to achieve these goals, we will be focusing on four key areas for the next year:

We are committed to making the Boxall Profile[®] the national standard tool to assess the social, emotional, and behavioural needs of pupils, and for schools to receive funding from their local authorities to implement its use schoolwide.

l Our impact and evidence l Our quality and community l Our profile and influence

l Our service and delivery

In order to understand our impact and reach within the nurture community, we will continue to improve our data collection and digital platforms, including our website, CRM system, and the Boxall Profile[®] Online.

We want nurture to be included as part of teacher training and CPD, and we are campaigning for nurture to be

We will be using targeted communications and increased stakeholder engagement to widen the understanding and influence of nurture in education, whilst also creating an influential nurture community through our customer service and support. We will continue to maintain and develop our high quality suite of products and services for existing nurture audiences.

Kent school teacher, 2023

Looking to the future

As we look to the year ahead, we will continue working to make nurture the norm .

Our members can look forward to new events, resources and networking opportunities to support them with the challenges they face in their setting. We have new publications and products in the pipeline including the Boxall Profile[®] Handbook, which will be available on Kindle for the first time.

We will continue to develop the Boxall Profile[®] Online, with updates including a

Through our strategic goals, we want to:

Provide the leading training, publications, resources and consultancy on nurture in education to the education community.

Be at the forefront of sharing and promoting research and evidence on the best practice of nurture in education.

Be the advocate and lead campaigner on behalf of our members for nurture in education.

Provide a forum for our members to debate and investigate nurture in education.

Support all practitioners through networks and information exchange opportunities to further champion nurture in education.

new data import function, archiving pupil data feature, and additional subscription elements being launched in the next academic year. In addition, we’ll be introducing a 30-day free trial to help schools experience the product before purchasing.

We also have exciting plans to build on our policy and public affairs work; kicking off with a workshop at the Labour Party Conference in October focusing on attendance.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Reserves Policy

Nurtureuk holds all its reserves as unrestricted funds; split between designated funds and general funds (free reserves). It is the policy of the charity that free reserves should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six months’ routine expenditure. Above the maximum general reserves level, reserves have been designated for specific purposes to ensure the charity is not holding high cash balances that could instead be enhancing our impact on beneficiaries.

In light of the planned in-year deficit our reserves decreased from £928,012 to £826,263, of which £173,138 is designated funds and £653,485 is general funds. This general funds balance remains within the range of our target

reserves of £430,000 to £860,000 as outlined above.

Using the designated reserves, the charity has continued with investments in priority areas that include enhancing our products to support adults working with children and young people, digital and content development for Boxall Profile[®] Online, improvements to digital infrastructure and processes, and implementing phase 2 of the public affairs strategy. We also ensured we were investing in our staff by introducing a new staff training and development plan. As the charity moves into the REACH phase of its strategy we will utilise any available free reserves above our target threshold to invest back into key projects that enable us to deliver on our mission.

Financial summary

In 2022–23, we embarked on the second year of our five-year plan and, despite the challenging economic climate and school market, we committed to making some considerable investments across the charity to support the next stage of the plan. This resulted in an in-year deficit of £101,389 (2022 – surplus of £207,531) and a closing year-end reserves position of £826,623 (2022 – £928,012).

We saw nurtureuk finish the year with total income of £1,830,449 (2022 – £1,833,179). Our income has mainly been static over the last year but we saw an increase of expenditure as a result of the increase in staff costs and designated projects needed to meet our strategic and charitable goals. Total expenditure

for the year increased to £1,931,838 (2022 – £1,625,648) and £200,753 (2022 – £39,765) of this spend was investment in the designated projects described in Note 17 in the financial statements, which accounts for much of the increase.

The year-end balance sheet includes trade debtors of £563,602 (2022 – £748,866) comprising a large volume of small balances. During the year and since the year-end, the nurtureuk team have reviewed and improved invoicing and customer payment systems and controls. During the year 2023/2024, nurtureuk has significantly reduced the aged debtor position as a result of the above interventions. We will share the final position in our next year end accounts.

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nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Additional information

Risk management

Trustees fully recognise their responsibility for the management of risk and determine this duty at two levels, the Finance, Audit and Risk (FAR) Committee, and at Board level. The FAR Committee is charged with identifying, assessing and minimising the major risks (based on likelihood of occurrence and potential impact) to which the charity is exposed.

The FAR Committee regularly reviews and assesses the impact of external market conditions (education/schools), wider economy, as well as staffing and operational, governance, regulatory and compliance risks that may impact on charities’ ability to deliver against its strategic and charitable goals. The charity closely monitors budget and forecasts and reviews business plans and activities to ensure contingencies are in place to manage a fall in demand.

The charity is a member of various charity membership organisations to ensure it keeps abreast of latest developments for charity compliance and good governance.

This group consists of a minimum of two trustees and the Chief Executive. The risk policy is also reviewed by this group annually. In line with the existing Risk Policy, the FAR Committee reviewed the full Risk Register at each meeting with a discussion held on each risk and evaluation of the existing risk score. Timeframes for mitigating actions are discussed and recorded to provide a residual risk score. Through this process new and emerging risks are also considered for addition to the risk register.

At each board meeting the highest scoring risks are discussed (amber and red), alongside the mitigations, providing risk management and reporting at the highest governance level. This promotes transparency and accountability for mitigating actions, and all trustees are invited to add and discuss new and emerging risks during the meeting, or at any point in the year directly with the Chief Executive.

The board considers the system of internal controls that govern its finances and operations to be well established and provide reasonable assurance against any major risks.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Risk	Mitigations
Inappropriate/unauthorised use of nurtureuk’s brand or name, contacts and IP could hamper nurtureuk’s ability to promote its services, or see its policy positions and campaigns compromised.	lWe conduct regular horizon scanning to ensure we are up to date with where and how our brand is used. lUpdated contracts for employees and associates highlighting IP and nurtureuk ownership of business data and contacts. lWe will be reviewing the IP for Boxall Profle®Online and Nurture Group training to ensure further protection
Unfavourable economic environment and unfunded pay increases result in overstretched school budgets, leading to falling demand for services from schools	lWe ensure close monitoring of fnancial performance and demand and review budget and forecasts if demand falls sharply lWe engage in focused marketing campaigns backed by evidence to drive interest and engagement of products and services
Failure to meet fnancial targets for the year – Year-end potential defcit results in drain on reserves. Failure to diversify income streams.	lWe have a robust business plan now in phase 3 and are able to monitor fnancial performance on a daily basis
Unexpected loss of income due to external factors beyond nurtureuk control – fnancial downturn, austerity measures etc: lack of funds to achieve strategic objectives or specifc projects.	lMonthly budget planning with SLT and quarterly with FAR Committee lMonitoring of real-time fnancial information and management accounts. lClose monthly review and planning of OKRs. lUpdating of forecasts at least quarterly
Sharply increasing costs and reduced margins due to infation in wider economy	lMajority of cost base fxed annually (staff pay and contractor pay rates, long-term contracts), while other costs to run programmes and standard products designed to be not as susceptible to infation. lMargins across our product portfolio is healthy,
Staff wellbeing and capacity. Risk of illness, stress and demotivation impact on day to day delivery of the charity’s mission	lRegular check-ins by managers, monitoring of workload & morale. lCreate opportunities for informal connection. lEnsure staff have ergonomic equipment they need. lEnsure policies re sick pay and isolating are clear. Budget to ensure have suffcient staffng for work.
Lack of skills and capability in-house to achieve strategic plans and reach goals	lRevised competency framework and targeted training for staff lRegular review of outsourced services to assess balance of in-house and outsourced provision

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Structure, governance and management

Structure: The Nurture Group Network Limited (also known as nurtureuk) is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, updated in 2016.

The Board of Trustees are the directors of the company for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006. The trustees set the strategy, policy and financial framework for the charity, have the responsibility for its overall direction and control, and ensuring it acts in the best interests of its beneficiaries. Authority for the day-to-day management of operations is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer.

The Board of Trustees meets as a body four times a year. There are three standing subcommittees of the Board:

l Remuneration Committee
l Finance, Audit & Risk (FAR)

l Research, Evidence & Ethics (replaced by Research and Policy Committee in 2023)

These committees facilitate the overall governance of the organisation by both allowing trustees to better use their skills and experience in more targeted ways, as well as allowing more time at meetings of the full Board to discuss the overall strategy and direction of the charity.

We welcome the inclusion of volunteers (other than trustees) to add their expertise to the committees and are actively seeking volunteers for these roles which we feel could bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the committee structure.

Governance and management: Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, trustees are elected initially for a three-year term and can be re-elected for up to two further periods of three years by the board, with ratification at the next Annual General Meeting following re-election. As such, nine years is the maximum a trustee can serve on the board.

Trustees are required to register their interests with the Chief Executive Officer. Any new interest and interests relevant to agenda items must be declared at the start of every board meeting. An annual declaration of interests is completed in order to keep the register up to date.

Fundraising Activities

As reflected in the Statement of Financial Activities and in Note 1 to the financial statements, nurtureuk income is almost wholly trading in nature via local authority contracts and direct to school sales, and as a result the organisation is not reliant on fundraising income. No proactive fundraising was undertaken during the year and we do not contract with any third parties to fundraise on our behalf.

Trustee Recruitment and Training

New trustees are recruited and co-opted by the existing trustees, in accordance

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

with the governing documents. Trustee vacancies are advertised externally, including directly to members, with the desired areas of expertise explicitly stated. Applications are reviewed and interviews are conducted by a panel of board members along with the CEO, the make-up of which is dependent upon the expertise being sought.

An induction programme has been implemented, alongside a trustee handbook. New trustees are given a ‘buddy’ in the first few months to assist with integrating into the board and the organisation. Relevant papers and guidance are provided in order that trustees are able to fulfil their duties. As part of the induction programme, newly appointed trustees are encouraged to meet staff, and wherever possible, visit a nurture group in their area to gain an in-depth appreciation of the work that the charity supports and promotes.

Training opportunities are circulated to all board members, who are encouraged to attend any relevant courses as appropriate. A budget is provided for this purpose within the annual budget setting process. Nurtureuk is a member of CFG and NCVO and utilises both organisation’s resources and networks to maintain current sector finance and governance knowledge.

Key Management Personnel

The key management personnel are the trustees, who are not paid for their work, the CEO, the Director of Operations and Head of Marketing and Communications. The trustees delegate responsibility for the day to day running of the charity to the CEO.

Remuneration policy

The annual pay review of the CEO is performed by the Remuneration Committee, comprising a minimum of the Chair of Trustees, Treasurer and Secretary. Other trustees may be invited by the Chair to attend, as required. The committee review the annual appraisal of the CEO, which is performed by the Chair. Nurtureuk remuneration policy states that “we aim to pay competitively in order to attract and retain high quality employees. The reward package for the Chief Executive is regularly benchmarked against other comparable organisations, aims to reflect the knowledge skills, responsibility and competencies and is based upon affordability, performance and other internal and external factors”. The policy also contains a pay ratio cap for the CEO of five times the lowest paid FTE salary. The annual appraisals and salary review for the rest of the staff is carried out by the CEO and line managers, and any pay increase awarded must be approved by the board.

Public benefit

The trustees have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission in setting the aims and objectives of the charity and its future plans. Nurtureuk is fully committed to providing public benefit across its full range of research data, in

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

developing quality publications, providing quality training and in seeking to influence education policy.

The Quality Mark Award for schools endorsing effective practice in nurture groups is widely sought. It is operated at a deficit, funded by surpluses in other activities, but made worthwhile by helping to set, encourage and maintain quality standards within establishments with nurture groups. Publications such as our International Journal of Nurture in Education, newsletters and leaflets are freely available to read online.

Nurture groups have been in operation for over 50 years, with numerous evaluations evidencing their success. Pupils, parents, teachers and support assistants refer to nurture groups as an effective intervention strategy. Several government papers and reports have endorsed nurture group provision, including the Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools Report in 2014 and Estyn’s Attendance in Secondary Schools report, also published in 2014. In addition, Queen’s University Belfast in a study funded by the Department for Education for Northern Ireland in 2016 found nurture groups highly successful in improving outcomes for children and as having the potential to result in significant savings to the education system and even greater to society.

Thanks

Nurtureuk has enjoyed another important year of growth in pursuing its objectives and the trustees wish to express their thanks to the staff and nurture consultants for their continued hard work and commitment. The trustees also wish to extend their gratitude to all our members and supporters for their continued loyalty to nurtureuk.

Auditors

Auditors Sayer Vincent LLP were appointed in December 2022. They were deemed to be appointable in accordance with section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

The trustees (who are also directors of The Nurture Group Network Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, comprising FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” and applicable law (UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. Under Company Law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that the requirement is met. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

l Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
l Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP
l Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
l State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
l Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that 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, Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. 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.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

l There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware
l The trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. This report and financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions available to small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees Annual Report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime with part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements were approved by the trustees and authorised for issue on: 14 June 2024

…………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………. Alan Leaman Claire Hersey Chair Treasurer

The Nurture Group Network Limited Company registration number 05562426

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Annual accounts

The Nurture Group Network Limited

Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 30 September 2023

Note Income from: Donations and legacies 2 Charitable activities Nurture Delivery 3 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds 4 Charitable activities Nurture Delivery 4 Policy and public affairs 4 Research 4 Impact 4 Other 4 Total expenditure Net (expenditure) / income for the year 5 Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	2023 Total £ 29,054 1,801,395 1,830,449 282,053 1,388,134 158,603 12,011 40,170 50,867 1,931,838 (101,389) (101,389) 928,012 826,623	2022 Total £
		40,720 1,792,459
		1,833,179
		259,947 1,090,921 65,620 15,700 20,888 172,572
		1,625,648
		207,531
		207,531
		720,481
		928,012

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. All income in the current and previous years is unrestricted. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 17.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

The Nurture Group Network Limited: Balance Sheet

As at 30 September 2023
Note £ Intangible assets 10 Tangible assets 11 Current assets: Stock 20,604 Debtors 12 563,602 Cash at bank and in hand 733,987 1,318,193 Liabilities: Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 13 (499,450) Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due after one year 15 Total net assets The funds of the charity: 16 Unrestricted income funds: Designated funds 173,138 General funds 653,485 Total unrestricted funds Total charity funds Approved by the trustees on 14 June 2024 and signed on their behalf by …………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………… Alan Leaman Claire Hersey Chair Treasurer	£ 20,604 563,602 733,987	2023 £ 3,299 4,581	£ 22,221 803,781 689,669	2022 £ 20,535 4,122
		7,880 818,743		24,657 926,380
	1,318,193		1,515,671

	(499,450)		(589,291)
	173,138 653,485		262,795 665,217
		826,623 -		951,037 (23,025)
		826,623		928,012
		826,623		928,012

			….
		826,623		928,012
		………………………………

The Nurture Group Network Limited Company registration number 05562426

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

The Nurture Group Network Limited: Cash Flow Statement

For the year ended 30 September 2023

For the year ended 30 September 2023
Cash fows from operating activities Net (expenditure) / income for the reporting period (as per the statement of fnancial activities) Depreciation and amortisation charges Loan interest paid Loss on the disposal of fxed assets Decrease in stocks Decrease / (increase) in debtors (Decrease) in creditors Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities Cash fows from investing activities: Proceeds from the sale of tangible fxed assets Purchase of tangible fxed assets Purchase of intangible fxed assets Net cash (used in) investing activities Cash fows from fnancing activities: Repayments of loans Interest paid Net cash (used in) fnancing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year	2023 £ £ (101,389) 18,382 2,422 - 1,618 221,756 (68,409) 74,380 - (1,604) - (1,604) (26,036) (2,422) (28,458) 44,318 689,669 733,987	2022
	£ (101,389) 18,382 2,422 - 1,618 221,756 (68,409) - (1,604) - (26,036) (2,422)	£ 207,531 22,903 4,056 12,185 14,321 (247,198) (48,498) 5,800 (14,001) (1,103) (24,401) (4,056)	£
			(34,700) (9,304) (28,457) (72,461) 762,130
			689,669

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

The Nurture Group Network Limited: Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 30 September 2023

1 Accounting policies

a) Statutory information

The Nurture Group Network Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in England and Wales.

The registered office address is Insight House, Riverside Business Park, Stansted Mountfitchet, CM24 8PL.

b) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: 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 (FRS 102) - (Charities SORP FRS 102), The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

In applying the financial reporting framework, the trustees have made a number of subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. 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. The nature of the estimation means the actual outcomes could differ from those estimates. Any significant estimates and judgements affecting these financial statements are detailed within the relevant accounting policy below.

c) Public benefit entity

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

d) Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Although the charity has made a deficit in 2022–23, this relates to planned investment, using designated reserves, in priority projects to grow and develop the charity in line with the current 5-year plan. The charity made a surplus of £99,364 on ‘routine’ operations, and the charity is budgeting a routine surplus for 2023- 24; the first two quarters of the year have performed well. The charity holds significant cash balances and manages cashflow carefully, meaning it is able to pay its liabilities as and when they fall due, and operational and financial risks are monitored regularly by the senior management team so mitigating actions can be taken as appropriate.

Following due consideration of the trading performance and market conditions the trustees have concluded that there is a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate reserves and cash flow to operate for the foreseeable future and, accordingly, the charity has continued to prepare its accounts as a going concern.

e) Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably. Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

f) Donations of gifts, services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item or received the service, any conditions associated with the donation have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised so refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.

On receipt, donated gifts, professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

g) Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

h) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable purposes. Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.

i) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

l Costs of raising funds relate to the costs incurred by the charity in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose
l Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of the four main activities of the charity, namely nurture delivery, policy and public affairs, research, impact, and other charitable activities, undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs
l Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

j) Allocation of support costs

Resources expended are allocated to the particular activity where the cost relates directly to that activity. However, the cost of overall direction and administration of each activity, comprising the salary and overhead costs of the central function, is apportioned on the basis of an estimate of staff time.

Where information about the aims, objectives and projects of the charity is provided to potential beneficiaries, the costs associated with this publicity are allocated to charitable expenditure.

Where such information about the aims, objectives and projects of the charity is also provided to potential donors, activity costs are apportioned between fundraising and charitable activities on the basis of area of literature occupied by each activity.

Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity. These costs are associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and include any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities.

k) Operating leases

Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

l) Intangible fixed assets

Intangible fixed assets are recorded at cost less accumulated amortisation. Amortisation is calculated and charged to the SoFA using the straight line method. Intangible assets such as software will be reviewed periodically, so that any technological advancement which may give rise to impairment can be judged. Costs associated with maintenance of the software or website are recognised in the SoFA as costs are incurred.

Amortisation is calculated at the following rate:

IT/software: 25% straight line

m) Tangible fixed assets

Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £1,000. Depreciation costs are allocated to activities on the basis of the use of the related assets in those activities. Assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use.

Where fixed assets have been revalued, any excess between the revalued amount and the historic cost of the asset will be shown as a revaluation reserve in the balance sheet.

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:

l Fixtures and fittings

5 years

n) Stocks

Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. In general, cost is determined on a first in first out basis and includes transport and handling costs. Provision is made where necessary for obsolete, slow moving and defective stocks. Donated items of stock, held for distribution or resale, are recognised at fair value which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay for the items on the open market.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

o) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

p) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

q) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting 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 normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

r) Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

s) Pensions

From 1 February 2017 the charity implemented a new workplace pension scheme and continues to comply with all autoenrolment regulations.

2 Income from donations and legacies

Income from donations and legacies
Membership subscriptions Other donations Income from charitable activities	Unrestricted £ 24,506 4,548 29,054	2023 Total £ 24,506 4,548 29,054		Unrestricted £ 27,546 13,174 40,720	2022 Total £ 27,546 13,174 40,720
Nurture Delivery Total income from charitable activities		Unrestricted £ 1,801,395 1,801,395	2023 Total £ 1,801,395	Unrestricted £ 1,792,459 1,792,459	2022 Total £ 1,792,459 1,792,459
			1,801,395

3 Income from charitable activities

4a Analysis of expenditure (current year)

Raising funds £ Staff costs (Note 6) 163,338 Other direct costs 24,526 Professional fees -	Charitable activities Nurture Delivery £ Policy and public affairs Research Impact Other charitable activities Governance costs £ Support costs £ 2023 Total £ 2022 Total £ 421,070 43,074 5,015 26,756 32,262 16,575 295,308 1,003,398 822,258 503,515 62,566 2,985 - 1,619 - - 595,211 448,150 - - - - - 9,750 119,401 129,151 90,513

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

- - -	- - -	- - -	- - -	- - -	- - -	553 3,735 23,883	11,208 105,839 58,860	11,761 109,574 82,743	28,527 72,715 163,485
187,864 86,232 7,957	924,585 424,391 39,158	105,640 48,489 4,474	8,000 3,672 339	26,756 12,281 1,133	33,881 15,551 1,435	54,496 - (54,496)	590,616 (590,616)	1,931,838 - -	1,625,648 - -
282,053	1,388,134	158,603	12,011	40,170	50,867	-	-	1,931,838
259,947	1,090,921	65,620	15,700	20,888	172,572	-	-		1,625,648

4b Analysis of expenditure (prior year)

	Charitable activities	Charitable activities	Charitable activities	Other charitable activities 89,869 - - - - - 89,869 77,223 5,480	2022 Total £ 822,258 448,150 90,513 28,527 72,715 163,485
Nurture Delivery £ 345,904 406,954 - - - - 752,858 315,664 22,399 1,090,921	Policy and public affairs 23,279 22,080 - - - - 45,359 18,919 1,342 65,620	Research 6,961 1,707 - - - -	Impact 12,804 - - - - - 12,804 7,548 536 20,888
		8,668 6,566 466			1,625,648 - -
		15,700		172,572	1,625,648

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

5 Net (expenditure) / income for the year

This is stated after charging / (crediting): Depreciation and amortisation Trustee expenses Operating lease rentals payable: Property Auditor’s remuneration (excluding VAT): Current year audit Under accrual in respect of previous year	2023 £ 18,382 4,695 5,220 10,400 -	2022 £ 22,903 4,113 26,224 9,750 1,925

6 Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel

Staff costs were as follows: Salaries and wages Social security costs Employer’s contribution to defned contribution pension schemes Temporary and other staff costs	2023 £ 869,045 92,327 42,026 -	2022 £ 712,566 78,590 29,533 1,569
	1,003,398	822,258

One employee received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs and employer’s national insurance) during the year between £70,000 – £79,999 (2022: 1)

The total employee benefits (including pension contributions and employer’s national insurance) of the key management personnel were £275,713 (2022: £197,324).

The charity trustees were neither paid nor received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year (2022: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2022: £nil). Trustees’ expenses represents the payment or reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs totalling £4,695 (2022: £4,113) incurred by 8 (2022: 10) members relating to attendance at meetings of the trustees.

Trustees are encouraged to be members of NUK. During the year £nil membership fees were paid by trustees (2022: £nil).

7 Staff numbers

The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was 24 (2022: 20.5).

Staff are split across the activities of the charity as follows (average monthly number of employees): Raising funds Training and standards Policy and public affairs Support Other charitable activities	2023 No. 3.0 9.5 1.0 8.5 2.0	2022 No. 2.5 7.0 - 7.5 3.5 20.5
	24.0

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

8 Related party transactions

There are no related party transactions to disclose for this financial year (2022: none).

There are no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business and no restricted donations from related parties.

9 Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

10 Intangible fixed assets

Intangible fxed assets
Cost At the start of the year Additions in year Disposals in year At the end of the year Amortisation At the start of the year Charge for the year Eliminated on disposal At the end of the year Net book value At the end of the year At the start of the year	IT software £ 84,430 - -	Total £ 84,430 - -
	84,430	84,430
	63,895 17,236 -	63,895 17,236 -
	81,131	81,131
	3,299	3,299
	20,535	20,535

11 Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fxed assets
Cost At the start of the year Additions in year Disposals in year At the end of the year Depreciation At the start of the year Charge for the year Eliminated on disposal At the end of the year Net book value At the end of the year At the start of the year All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.	Fixtures and fttings £ 5,838 1,605 -	Total £ 5,838 1,605 -
	7,443	7,443
	1,716 1,146 -	1,716 1,146 -
	2,862	2,862
	4,581	4,581
	4,122	4,122

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

12 Debtors

Debtors
Trade debtors Prepayments	2023 £ 540,957 22,645	2022 £ 748,866 54,915
	563,602	803,781

13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Creditors: amounts falling due within oneyear
Loans payable Trade creditors Other creditors Accruals Deferred income (note 14)	2023 £ 23,025 40,446 44,136 22,969 368,874	2022 £ 26,034 62,277 63,203 44,967 392,810
	499,450	589,291

Loans payable includes £23,025 (2022: £26,034) relating to a loan repayable to the Charities Aid Foundation.

14 Deferred income

Deferred income comprises member and income received in advance for project delivery work with schools and local authorities.

Balance at the beginning of the year Amount released to income in the year Amount deferred in the year Balance at the end of the year	2023 £ 392,810 (392,810) 368,874	2022 £ 433,854 (433,854) 392,810
	368,874	392,810

15 Creditors: amounts falling due after one year

Creditors: amounts falling due after oneyear
Loans payable	2023 £ -	2022 £ 23,025
	-	23,025

Loans payable includes £0 (2022: £23,025) relating to a loan repayable to the Charities Aid

Foundation. Interest is charged at 6.5% and monthly capital and interest payments have been made since August 2020. Capital repayments are due as follows:

		2023	2022
		£	£
0–1	years	23,025	26,034
1–2	years	-	23,025
		23,025	49,059

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

16a Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)

Analysis of net assets between funds (currentyear)
Fixed assets Net current assets Long term liabilities Net assets at 30 September 2023	General unrestricted £ - 653,485 -	Designated £ 7,880 165,258 -	Restricted £ - - -	Total funds £ 7,880 818,743 -
	653,485	173,138	-	826,623

16b Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)

Fixed assets Net current assets Long term liabilities Net assets at 30 September 2022	General unrestricted £ - 688,242 (23,025)	Designated £ 24,657 238,138 -	Restricted £ - - -	Total funds £ 24,657 926,380 (23,025)
	665,217	262,795	-	928,012

17a Movements in funds (current year)

Movements in funds (currentyear)
Unrestricted funds: Designated funds: BPO Data accessibility and insights Digital marketing Iplicit integration Training & Development Public Affairs Cost of Living Fixed assets fund Total designated funds General funds Total unrestricted funds Total funds	At 1 October 2022 £ 63,138 20,000 15,000 20,000 20,000 78,000 22,000 24,657	Income & gains £ - - - - - - - -	Expenditure & losses £ (70,367) (16,126) - (3,000) (9,885) (60,994) (22,000) (18,381)	Transfers £ 44,000 - - - 15,500 49,992 - 1,604	At 30 September 2023 £ 36,771 3,874 15,000 17,000 25,615 66,998 - 7,880
	262,795	-	(200,753)	111,096	173,138
	665,217	1,830,449	(1,731,085)	(111,096)	653,485
	928,012	1,830,449	(1,931,838)	-	826,623
	928,012	1,830,449	(1,931,838)	-	826,623

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

The narrative to explain the purpose of each fund is given at the foot of the note below.

17b Movements in funds (prior year)

At 1 October 2021 £ - - - - - - - 50,441	Income & gains £ - - - - - - - -	Expenditure & losses £ (16,862) - - - - - - (22,903)	Transfers £ 80,000 20,000 15,000 20,000 20,000 78,000 22,000 (2,881)	At 30 September 2022 £ 63,138 20,000 15,000 20,000 20,000 78,000 22,000 24,657
50,441	-	(39,765)	252,119	262,795
670,040	1,833,179	(1,585,883)	(252,119)	665,217
720,481	1,833,179	(1,625,648)	-	928,012
720,481	1,833,179	(1,625,648)	-	928,012

Purposes of designated funds

With a strong financial performance and increased reserves in 2020/21 the board approved designated funds for key projects to support the strategic growth of the charity and ensure it is enabled to achieve its three long term goals by 2026;

Every child’s education and development embraces nurture
Boxall Profile[®] integrated into every school’s nurturing activities
UK government adopt nurture for all children

Impact and Evaluation

Boxall Profile[®] Online platform investment – The board approved an additional £44,000 investment to improve the functionality, language, cybersecurity, reporting, user interface and integration into internal systems to ensure education professionals can get the best out of the the tool to support children and young people appropriately
Data analysis and insights – There is a £20,000 investment for cleansing data and developing solutions that enable the charity to analyse, extract and transform data, and generate insights on our reach,and the impact of our work.

Profile and Influence

Public Affairs – there is an additional £49,992 investment in external public affairs support to achieve our ambitious goal of UK governments adopting nurture for all children through coordination of policy research projects and reports, engaging constituency MPs and Councillors in programme of local school visits, building awareness of importance of nurture with policy makers by engaging with relevant Ministers and further external profiling and influencing activities.
Digital Marketing – The board approved £15,000 to enhance presence and extend the reach and influence of nurture in education across digital platforms to ensure education professionals are able to access our resources more efficiently.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Service and Delivery

Iplicit integration – To improve the charity’s customer experience, in the prior year a £20,000 investment was made to integrate internal CRM system, website and financial platforms to increase efficiency and reduce invoicing errors and debtor balances. Due to staffing capacity, the integration project was delayed so £17,000 of this designated fund was carried forward into the next financial year.

Performance and Standards

Training and development – The charity’s biggest asset is its staff and the board approved an investment of £15,500 for staff training and development package that will provide them with the key skills and competencies they need to be a high performing team who have the confidence, ability and knowledge to independently understand how they can drive the growth of the charity.

Cost of Living:

With the growing cost of living and being a fully remote charity we are aware of the personal impact the rising inflation has on our staff’s personal lives. The board approved a one-off cost of living allowance of £1,000 (per staff member) to show how valued their contributions are to the charity.

Fixed Asset Fund:

To identify net funds held as fixed assets used in the organisation’s operations, which are not therefore available for working capital.

Transfers between Funds:

£111,096 (2022: £252,119) was moved from general funds to designated funds to support investment in development of the Boxall Profile[®] Online tool, staff training and development, as well as increased public affairs engagement. In the previous year, in addition to the aforementioned designations, further funds were designated to data analysis and integration, and digital marketing, as well as a one-off payment to employees as support during the cost of living crisis.

18 Operating lease commitments payable as a lessee

The charity’s total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases is as follows for each of the following periods

Less than one year One to fve years Over fve years	Property	Property	Equipment	Equipment
	2023 £ 7,581 - -	2022 £ 7,251 - -	2023 £ - - -	2022 £ - - -
	7,581	7,251	-	-

19 Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Independent auditor’s report to the members of The Nurture Group Network Limited

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Nurture Group Network Limited (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 30 September 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, 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 FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

l Give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 30 September 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended
l Have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
l Have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended)

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 trustees’ 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

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on The Nurture Group Network Limited’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 other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. 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 course of 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.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

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

l The information given in the trustees’ annual report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
l The trustees’ annual report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ annual report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

l Adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

l The financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
l Certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
l We have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
l The directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ annual report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities set out in the trustees’ annual report, 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

We have been appointed as auditor under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and under the Companies Act 2006 and report in accordance with regulations made under those Acts.

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. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are set out below.

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:

l We enquired of management, which included obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the charity’s policies and procedures relating to:
Identifying, evaluating, and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected, or alleged fraud;
The internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or noncompliance with laws and regulations.
l We inspected the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.
l We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, focusing on those laws and regulations that had a material effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the charity from our professional and sector experience.
l We communicated applicable laws and regulations throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.
l We reviewed any reports made to regulators.
l We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and tested these to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
l We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.
l In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments, assessed whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias and tested significant transactions that are unusual or those outside the normal course of business.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities . This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

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 and section 44(1) (c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. 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.

Noelia Serrano (Senior statutory auditor)

25 June 2024

for and on behalf of Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor 110 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TG

Sayer Vincent LLP is eligible to act as auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

The Nurture Group Network Limited: Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Registrations:

The Nurture Group Network (NGN)

Company Registration No. (England & Wales): 05562426 Registered Charity No. (England & Wales): 1115972 Registered Charity No. (Scotland): SC042703

Life President:

Mark Turner

Chief Executive Officer:

Arti Sharma

Registered Office:

Insight House

Riverside Business Park Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8PL

Auditors:

Sayer Vincent LLP 110 Golden Lane LONDON EC1Y 0TL

Principal Office:

Insight House Riverside Business Park Stansted Mountfitchet CM24 8PL

Principal Bankers:

Metro Bank Plc One Southampton Row London WC1B 5HA

Board of Trustees:

Alan Leaman (Chair)

Alison Betts Michael Clifford (resigned December 2023)

Chris Dean

Euan Fraser (resigned September 2023) Claire Hersey (Hon. Treasurer) Bridget Robson (Vice-Chair) Mehak Dawood Tejani Stuart Beattie Fungisai Agnes Muchenje

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023

For more information

@nurtureuktweets /nurtureuk /nurtureuk /nurtureuk nurtureuk info@nurtureuk.org nurtureuk.org

nurture uk

National Office

Insight House, Riverside Business Park, Stoney Common Road, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8PL

UK registered charity number: 1115972 Scottish registered charity number: SC042703 AH

nurture uk Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022 – 2023