2023-06-30-accounts

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Annual Report 2022/2023

Registered Charity number: 1119819 Registered Company number: 06280108

There are currently in excess of 2.2 million people in the UK with speech, language and communication difficulties and over 400,000 people supporting this community by using Makaton.

The Makaton Charity aims to ensure that as many people as possible have access to Makaton, to achieve our goal of a truly inclusive society.

The Makaton Charity’s Mission Statement

To improve lives by enabling everyone to communicate successfully by using solutions that are effective and appropriate for them.

Our Vision

By 2025 to double the number of people we support, building a community of members, accessing innovative and life changing services.

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|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |CEO Report|x|Our Community|x| |About Makaton|x|Case Study:|Riu’s Story|x| |Impact|x|Tutor and Trainer Team|x| |Our Values|x|Workplace Training|x| |2023/24 Roadmap|x|Ambassadors|x| |Online Reach|x|Case Study:|Kris’ Story|x| |Free Resources|x|Trustees’ Report|x| |Case Study:|Makaton Insights|x|Auditors Report|x| |Partnerships|x|Finance|x|

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Annual Report • Chair and CEO’s Report

Chair and CEO’s Report

Stephen Hall Chief Executive

Rob Douglas CBE DL Chair of Trustees

Reflections on the Past Year

It’s official, 2022/23 has been Makaton’s best year ever. Coming in our golden centenary, we’ve managed to double the size of the Charity, from the number of people we support (around 100,000 Children and Adults), the income the Charity receives, now around £2m and our social media environment, where the Charity now has over 150,000 followers reaching 6m people through interconnections and have achieved over 1m downloads since the launch of the Makaton Library.

Training Delivery and Expansion

Our growth has been supported by some wonderful new additions to the Makaton toolkit of support resources, we’ve seen significant growth in our training for organisations, with over 307 training sessions, delivered by over 60 Makaton Tutors nationwide. This supported 2,762 employees from across the Schools, NHS and Care sectors. The year has also seen the Charity work with the NHS, developing a new online learning solution aimed at raising awareness about Makaton to all new nurses joining the NHS, together with working with 3 large NHS Trusts to pilot a new training offer, called Frontline aimed at truly embedding tailored Makaton skills within all levels of the NHS.

Tutor Network

Over the year, we’ve seen good movement towards our goal of creating a truly inspirational Social Franchise approach, one that builds a professional twoway partnership between the Tutor network and the Charity. The first step in this journey has been working in partnership with BookWhen, a leader in eBooking systems, to develop and deploy a new advertising and booking tool for our network, where individual members of the public can see what courses are on offer and for the first time book and make

payment, with funds going directly to the Tutor.

Membership

We’ve been working on making our services and products better for our members! We’ve made our membership simpler, and now all memberships include the full package of 40,000 signs, symbols, video tutorials, and support materials. This helps us meet the needs of our community better. We’ve also grown our Group membership, so now not just families, but also big teams, employers, and communities can get great value access to the Makaton Library and our app, MakaChat. We’ve held 50% more Member Events and MakaChat Live webinars than last year, where members can ask our Tutors questions and see how Makaton is making a difference for people, young and old, in the UK and abroad.

A Special Thanks to our Team and Supporters

Making this happen is a Team effort, and we would like to say a special thank you to all the hardworking Trustees, Staff Team, our Senior Tutors and Ambassadors and all the Tutor Network, who have pulled together in such a magnificent way this past year. This year has also seen some staffing milestones, with a long service award, for Alison Barron our Finance Controller, reaching 25 years of service,

as well as some departures and new starters, with the Charity’s employee base growing to 26. For those who have left, we wish them well in their new careers or retirement, and for those joining, we look forward to working with you to develop Makaton to new heights.

We would like to express our gratitude to our retiring Trustees, Lori Cunningham and Juliet Armstrong. After six remarkable years of supporting the Charity, during which they have steered us towards a new digital and social enterprise approach, both are stepping down. We are also pleased to welcome our three new Trustees, Dr Rebecca Khanna, Paul Moore, and Karen Donnelly, who bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge.

Lastly, we wish to extend our thanks to all those who have supported and contributed to the Charity. A special mention to Sky PLC for their generous donation of £11k worth of free recording studios, to our partners Makaton Kuwait for their financial support, to our Patrons Singing Hands for their ongoing backing, and to everyone who participated in our MakaHikes. These hikes have seen tremendous engagement and have raised over £30k in donations for the Charity.

Advancing the Journey: Makaton’s Vision for the Upcoming Year

Makaton never stands still, we continue to strive to improve and deepen the service we offer. A key principle we hold, is to ensure that no one is left behind on our journey. Over the past 5 years the Makaton Charity has been on its own journey, this year’s results, and the strengthening reserves that we hold, mean that we can start a new

pathway to reducing barriers that Makaton Users may face.

Over the coming years, the objective is to establish a Makaton Foundation, with an emphasis on harnessing funds. This initiative aims not only to provide financial assistance to those unable to bear the costs associated with the social enterprise approach but also to initiate and support new research into the ways Makaton can enhance and broaden its aid for our community. The journey has commenced with the initiation of two distinct research projects. The first seeks to evaluate how Makaton services are benefiting our existing community, thereby establishing a baseline of our impact for the first time. The second project aims to comprehend the perspectives we might be missing, particularly those from individuals with diverse ethnic backgrounds and those in deprived circumstances. Collectively, these projects will guide and shape the strategy of our foundation.

The strength of Makaton lies in its simplicity; its unique combination of speech, signs, and symbols has been proven to assist those with learning and communication needs. However, at times, the learning process itself can pose challenges, with the vocabulary taught being potentially irrelevant and not as beneficial to participants. Additionally, the duration of workshops can be a limiting factor for professionals engaging in learning Makaton. To address this, Makaton is introducing a new Trainer pathway. This innovative pathway has been developed to assist schools, the NHS, emergency services, and community spaces such as churches. The new provision enables professionals and those within their sector to learn a more concise subset of essential concepts. For the first

time, with the support of the Tutor network, there is an opportunity to integrate smaller, relevant and more impactful vocabulary sets at a sector specific/community level. We anticipate this to be a transformative step, embedding crucial Makaton knowledge within both large and small organisations, aligning with our Member services, and integrating with our Makaton Friendly accreditation.

Makaton’s success is significantly attributed to its strategy of blending products and services, delivered by our skilled freelance team of Tutors, supported by a robust digital infrastructure. While substantial progress has been made in generating added value for our members, we recognise the necessity for further enhancement.

We are delighted to announce the acquisition of an educationcentred app solution called Special iApps which is designed to facilitate language development. This purchase of the intellectual property will act as a catalyst, initiating the Charity’s own app development programme. The objective is to cultivate a variety of Makaton membership-linked offerings, including games, concept search, and additional support apps, accessible anytime, anywhere.

This year marked the commencement of our app development journey with the launch of the new MakaChat Community App, available to paid members across all platforms. We anticipate the relaunch of the enhanced educational app provision in 2024.

Makaton is constantly evolving. To discover more about our exciting journey, please visit our website at makaton.org.

Annual Report • About Makaton

About Makaton

The Makaton Charity exists to ensure that everyone living with learning or communication difficulties has the tools and resources they need to understand and be understood.

The Charity aims to ensure that as many people as possible have access to Makaton, to achieve our goal of a truly inclusive society. Our community needs Makaton and we work to ensure we can support society’s needs and encourage the learning of Makaton, to achieve our vision ‘by 2025 to double the number of people we support, building a community of members accessing innovative and life changing services’.

Makaton is a communication programme that uses speech,

signs and symbols. These elements are what provide the multiple ways for someone to communicate. The use of signs can help people who have no speech or whose speech is unclear and using symbols can help people who have limited speech and those who cannot, or prefer not to sign. Makaton is proven to overcome the frustrations often caused by learning and communication difficulties.

There are currently in excess of 2.2 million people in the UK with speech, language and communication difficulties and over 400,000 people supporting this community by using Makaton.. The Makaton Charity uses a blend of innovative approaches to reach our Users. Building upon our traditional licence model, we are also providing a growing membership facility where families and Users can find the signs, symbols and resources they need.

This sustainable approach ensures the maximum number of people can benefit from using Makaton.

We work towards this through our activities:

providing training to families, carers, and professionals
developing and producing printed and electronic resources
working with others to make their information accessible
providing advice and support for families and professionals
working in partnership to influence society and empower people
providing a membership which offers 24/7 access to signs, symbols and video tutorials. Plus MakaChat, a vibrant online community.

Impact

Tutor Expansion:

Successfully trained and licensed 99 distinguished Tutors to extend Makaton services within our communities.

Training Initiatives:

Throughout this year, The Makaton Charity has empowered 2,787 professionals within workplace environments, thereby amplifying awareness of learning disabilities, communication needs, and introducing actionable strategies for enhanced communication support

Membership Evolution:

In response to invaluable community feedback, we’ve transitioned away from our standard membership tier. All paid memberships now offer an enhanced package granting comprehensive access to an extensive collection of 40,000 signs, symbols, video tutorials, and indispensable resources

with awareness days and noteworthy events. Moreover, the incorporation of 300 daily activities has propelled our free account registrations to a remarkable 136,484.

Engagement Metrics:

Our ‘Sign of the Week’ videos gathered over 250,000 views in the past year, amplifying Makaton visibility across a variety of audiences.

Interactive Webinars:

Our bespoke member webinars served as a useful platform for education, collaboration, and the exchange of experiences. This year saw the delivery of three complimentary member events, drawing an engaged audience of over 400 delegates.

Innovations in

Training Pathways:

Throughout 2022/23, we’ve been diligently preparing for the upcoming debut of three innovative training pathways: Frontline, Know and Grow, and MakaTots. These newly curated workshops and sessions offer a versatile Makaton learning journey, with vocabulary tailored specifically to align with various audiences and groups.

Vocabulary Enhancement: This year, we’ve enriched the Makaton Vocabulary by incorporating over 500 new sign demonstration videos, thereby broadening access to our communication programme. This ensures that Makaton Users have greater inclusion when using the vocabulary collection for their everyday needs.

Free Resource:

We have significantly elevated both the quantity and quality of our complimentary resources. This includes the introduction of 30 valuable resources aligned

Annual Report • Our Values

Our Values

Our values define who we are as an organisation. They are more than simply words, they are driving principles we all strive to uphold.

Respect

We give everyone a voice We value each other’s contributions

We behave respectfully towards each other and encourage a sense of belonging

Excellence

We strive to improve lives We put the Makaton Family at the heart of everything

We deliver outstanding service

Collaboration

We work collaboratively to build effective solutions

We engage with others to share ideas and approaches We create strong and successful working relationships

Integrity

o boundaries e seemingly s possible

We are fair and transparent in all that we do We are responsible and accountable for our actions We work with people who share our values

Annual Report • Delivering the Strategy

Delivering the Strategy

The Makaton Charity has a clear vision of where it wants to grow. By 2025, we aim to double the number of people we support, building a community of members, accessing innovative and life changing sevices. Here’s how we intend to do that!

As we create our plans and goals for the next year, our Charity starts by looking at our mission and vision, set out in our detailed 5-year plan. Making a clear 12-month plan is crucial. It helps us highlight and grow our successes, products, and services from the past year, and pushes us towards achieving our overall charitable mission. In this plan, all senior leaders, with their own specific duties, sets the main Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) for their department. Then, they work with their teams to break these down into focused tasks for the team, ensuring that every effort is a well-planned move towards our key charity aims, linking everyday work with our long-term targets.

As we approach the culmination of our current 5-year plan in 2024, a dynamic collaboration is underway between our Trustees, CEO, senior leaders, staff, and wider stakeholders, crafting the pathway for Makaton’s future. This exciting process provides a vibrant opportunity to explore, envision, and design Makaton’s forthcoming chapter in supporting individuals with learning and communication needs.

1. Grow Deeper

By building deeper relationships and knowledge of our customers, core users and wider stakeholders.

2. Grow Wider

By expanding our provision and horizons, supporting more users and people.

3. Grow Newer

By harnessing new technology to broaden our offer, making it more accessible.

4. Grow Stronger

By strengthening our resource base to better impact the lives of those with learning or communication difficulties.

1. Grow Deeper

Strengthening Our Relationships with Users
1.1 Building lifetime member value by offering a comprehensive approach to our members, bundling products and services for a fuller experience.
1.2 Enhancing Makaton User interaction with our membership products and services.
1.3 Broadening partnerships and services by collaborating with commercial partners to develop innovative, valueadded cross-membership offerings.

2. Grow Wider

Broadening Our Reach and Vision
2.1 Expanding our Social Franchise initiatives by elevating our Tutor and Trainer Networks and enriching the selection and quality of training they provide.
2.2 Improving the Makaton Library by introducing new resources, curating materials, and developing

fresh Signs and Symbols to diversify the tools and support materials we provide to our community.

2.3 Maximise Makaton’s presence and impact by actively working to extend the influence and awareness of Makaton across the UK and on international platforms.

3. Grow Newer

Evolving technology to enhance the breadth and depth of our services.
3.1 Broadening Makaton’s outreach by tailoring and bundling our products, meeting User requirements, optimising impact, and ensuring that Makaton becomes an integral tool for its Users.
3.2 Elevating the digital User experience, through transitioning to cloudbased solutions focusing on delivering a quicker, more intuitive User journey across all our digital interfaces.
3.3 Proactively seeking expansion opportunities and actively seeking innovative prospects by understanding

emerging markets. Launching pilot schemes to evaluate and adapt to fresh ideas.

4. Grow Stronger

Amplifying Our Commitment to Individuals with Learning and Communication Challenges:
4.1 Establishing a resilient business model by focusing on not only on suplus but also has a strong emphasis on social responsibility and User impact, directly benefiting those we serve.
4.2 Building out efficient business and information automation by harnessing the latest in automation technologies, we aim to streamline our operations and deliver information more effectively, ensuring both responsiveness and reliability.
4.3 Develop a high quality operational framework that not only offers a superior level of efficiency but also adheres strictly to compliance standards, ensuring that our clients receive the best, most trustworthy service possible.

Annual Report • Digital Enhancements

Makaton’s Digital Evolution

Reaching for the Sky: From Servers to Clouds

In today’s digital age, it’s paramount for enterprises like Makaton to remain ahead of the technological curve. The decision to transition from a server-based platform to an enhanced cloud-based service is not merely a choice but a necessity. The digital landscape is evolving rapidly, and organisations that don’t invest in upgrades risk obsolescence.

Firstly, the virtue of digital maintenance cannot be understated. Outdated systems can become susceptible to security vulnerabilities and performance issues. By migrating to the cloud, Makaton not only ensures consistent digital upkeep but also capitalises on improved efficiencies. Cloud platforms are designed to seamlessly adapt to increasing workloads, ensuring optimal performance at all times.

Furthermore, aligning with digital advancements ensures that Makaton remains competitive. A cloud-based service offers a more user-friendly experience, which is pivotal in retaining and attracting a broader user base. It facilitates smoother integrations, innovations, and enhanced capabilities, setting the stage for future expansions and adaptability.

The breadth of the project, impacting every team and encompassing the organisation’s entire digital functionality, speaks to its significance. Nine months of meticulous planning and preparation is a testament to Makaton’s commitment to excellence and foresight. Every process, from operations to client interactions, will benefit from this digital rejuvenation.

As Makaton prepares to complete this migration in November 2023, the move signifies more than just a technological upgrade. It embodies the organisation’s vision for the future - one that is innovative, efficient, and in tune with the digital pulse of the 21st century.

Investment in digital advancements ensures that Makaton remains competitive, innovative, efficient, and in tune with the digital pulse of the 21st century.

Annual Report • Online Reach

Online Reach

Website

Over the last year our website has attracted over 550,000 users, which is a 25% increase on the previous year. A key focus has been to develop and optimise our website for search engines. Organic (nonpaid) Google searches account for over 50% of the visits to our website. As a charity, we can use up to $10,000/ month in grant funded advertising with Google AdWords and we also run Google Remarketing ads to reach new audiences. The ad campaigns direct users to the Training, Shop, and Membership areas and generated 40,000 visits this year.

Search Engine Optimisation

Our Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) commitment places us as industry leaders, proudly ranking first on Google. Our approach centres on continuously developing and optimising our

website to align with search engine algorithms. Over 50% of our website traffic originates from organic (non-paid) Google searches, highlighting the significance of our SEO efforts. To retain this position and stay updated with industry trends, we work closely with experienced SEO consultants. Using Google Analytics, we actively monitor and adapt to website changes, ensuring our optimisation strategies remain unparalleled.

in 2022, marking a substantial growth from 1.2 million in the previous year. This was a result of our consistent posting strategy, collaborations, and successful campaigns such as Sign of the Week, Makaton Insights, and Countdown to Christmas. The Hootsuite software proved to be an effective tool for scheduling and monitoring our social media presence, contributing to our successful engagement with our communities. This year the number of people following our Facebook page has grown by 6% to over 82,500 our Instagram audience has grown by 10% to tally over 27,600 and Twitter has grown steadily by 2% to 26,300. TikTok which was launched last year has grown by 60% to 2,750.

Social Media

We use social media scheduling and monitoring software Hootsuite for campaign management and analytics. Our 2022 Hootsuite report indicates that our social media efforts have generated impressive results. Our reach has expanded to 6 million people

82,500 Facebook followers (+6% YOY)

400k

website users via TikTok followers Google searches (+60% YOY)

400k digital ad reach on Google & Facebook

Annual Report • Free Resources

Free Resources

Impact of our Free Resources

As part of our ongoing commitment to making Makaton more accessible and improving communication, The Makaton Charity is delighted to enhance our range of free resources and benefits this year, all aimed at educating, inspiring, and connecting our growing community.

New Free Resources:

This year, we’ve developed over 30 new free resources dedicated to topical awareness days and events, such as resources for King Charles III’s coronation, the Commonwealth Games, and Pride. To ensure comprehensive support, we’ve established a cross-team Product and Services Committee responsible for identifying key calendar events and creating relevant resources.

Top Downloaded Free Resources:

Talk PANTS Makaton Prompt Cards (Collaboration with NSPCC) - 971 views
Coronation Vocabulary – 921 views
Sign of the Week – Happy – 812 views

Makaton Insights:

In 2022, Makaton successfully launched the Makaton Insights campaign, offering daily themed Makaton content accessible to all, resulting in high engagement across diverse groups. Website visits, Makaton Library downloads, and free account sign-ups significantly increased. The impact of Makaton Insights has been remarkable, with over 300 daily activities added for free, positive feedback, and increased registration for free accounts. Future plans include further skill development and Makaton User contributions to showcase Makaton’s adaptability.

Sign of the Week:

Our Sign of the Week initiative continues to be a fundamental part of learning and engagement. Every week, we introduce a new sign and symbol, along with video tutorials and educational materials. This initiative has not only expanded the Makaton vocabulary but has also enhanced the learning experience, making it more interactive and enjoyable. Sign of the Week videos were viewed over 250,000 times last year and Sign of the Week downloads consistently rank among our most popular free resources in the Makaton Library.

Makaton Magazine:

The Makaton Magazine remains a source of inspiration and knowledge with over 16,500 subscribers. Each themed issue covers all aspects of the Charity, featuring articles, news, and success stories. The magazine offers a comprehensive view of the world of Makaton. Additionally, each issue includes exclusive free Makaton games and activities, enhancing the reader’s engagement and learning experience.

Free Member Events:

Our exclusive member events have provided a platform for learning, networking, and sharing experiences. These events have brought together Makaton Users, experts, and learners. This year, we hosted three free member events: “Diary of a Makaton User Part I,” “Diary of a Makaton User Part II,” and “What’s it like Living with Autism,” all of which were resounding successes with over 1200 attendees. The engagement and feedback received have been invaluable in shaping our future initiatives and enhancing the Makaton experience.

Makaton Insights: A Journey of Engagement & Learning

Key Achievements:

The successful roll-out of our dynamic Makaton Insights campaign in 2022 saw daily themed Makaton content free to access for all.

Unprecedented engagement on social media from a diverse group - from families and schools to workplaces and community hubs. A significant spike in website visits, Makaton Library downloads, and sign-ups for free accounts.

Challenges:

Our main challenge was finding a way to involve Makaton Users in activities that would both enhance their skills and expand their knowledge. The Makaton Charity was keen to offer more free content to its active community. We aimed to provide frequent content tied closely to current events, seasonal happenings, news, and special awareness days. This would help keep Makaton Users informed and more connected to the world. Moreover, we wanted these insights to be engaging, fun, and accessible to all, whether they used Makaton or not.

Solution:

Through collaboration and creative brainstorming, we launched themed insights for each day of the week.

Introducing:

‘Topic Tuesday’
‘Which Wednesday’
‘Thesaurus Thursday’
‘Fun Friday’
‘Symbol Saturday’
‘Solve it Sunday’

Every day highlights a different aspect of Makaton, from signing and understanding symbols to solving puzzles and engaging in activities that connect Makaton Users to the world around them. We crafted these activities to be interactive, engaging, and to deepen understanding and awareness of Makaton. You can find these insights on social media and in the Makaton Library, with additional insights reserved just for members.

Impact:

Since introducing Makaton Insights, we’ve added over 300 daily activities, all available at no cost. The 2022/23 Makaton Insights received encouraging feedback and saw participation from a range of audiences like schools, workplaces, and local groups. Thanks to the campaign’s success on social media, 560 individuals have registered for a free account, granting them access to even more resources. As we develop insights for 2024, we are committed to further enhancing Makaton skills, knowledge, and sign/symbol recognition. The involvement of our Tutor network, with thanks to Jess McQueen, Jemma Sagar, Samantha Harper, Kris Campell Caldwell and Nicola Pike, is key to our success. Looking ahead, we’re planning for new contributions from our Makaton Users, showcasing Makaton’s adaptability to individual needs.

Annual Report • Partnerships

Partnerships

Makaton Featured on Sky Q

We are thrilled to share our collaborative effort with Sky, resulting in the launch of a dedicated Makaton-friendly page on Sky Q. This bespoke page curates a selection of shows and films influenced by the recommendations of the nationwide Makaton community. Not only does it feature muchloved regular content, but it also showcases a wide choice of films and a diverse category selection. Each category is complemented with Makaton symbols to ensure intuitive navigation.

To dive into this Makaton-rich experience, simply use your Sky Q voice remote and say commands like ‘Makaton’,‘Makaton friendly’, ‘Makaton area’, or ‘Makaton shows’.

Makaton Featured in Primark’s New Campaign

When Primark envisioned an inclusive back-to-school campaign, they sought the expertise of our esteemed Makaton Tutor, Katie Durrell. Collaborating closely with The Makaton Charity, they ensured that the signs featured in the campaign videos met our quality assurance standards.

This venture marked Primark’s pioneering attempt at such an inclusion-driven campaign. Amplifying the campaign’s impact, we also introduced a complimentary downloadable resource, available via The Makaton Library.

A testament to the campaign’s success, the videos attracted a staggering audience of over 1 million views.

Bridging Communication Gaps in Nursing: A Makaton Initiative

In January 2023, England’s Chief Nursing Officer engaged with The Makaton Charity, exploring the potential to craft a pilot programme aimed at equipping all student nurses with basic Makaton awareness. Just months later, the NHS and The Makaton Charity united to enhance their knowledge and proficiency in delivering care to patients needing additional communication support. The mission? To devise a bespoke 45-minute e-learning module for student nurses that offers a fundamental understanding of the challenges people encounter in healthcare situations and offers them supportive, alternative communication solutions

Phase One: Inclusive Communication in Healthcare

Efficient communication is the keystone of effective healthcare training and delivery. It empowers healthcare professionals to

Aspiring for More: Transitioning to Phase Two

fully connect with patients and their families, ensuring they enjoy inclusive and authentic participation in their care journey.

Whilst conventional training introduces student nurses to active listening and basic non-verbal cue recognition, a noticeable gap exists. Both students and qualified professionals have observed an absence of training focused on specific non-verbal communication skills, with little opportunities for post-qualification enhancement.

Inspired by the success of the initial 45-minute Makaton introduction, an exciting subsequent step is emerging. The ambition is to establish a comprehensive, sustainable blended learning pathway, which includes e-learning and live practical skill demonstrations. This integration of Makaton into healthcare teams ensures that these vital communication skills become ingrained and continually beneficial.

Rolling Out E-Learning: Assessing the Impact

The e-learning module is now live on the NHS learning hub, welcoming student nurses to commence their Makaton training. The initiative gives them an accessible, introductory Makaton training programme, designed to be both educational and pragmatic. Moreover, it strategically raises awareness of learning and communication needs at a fundamental level. Incorporating Makaton, especially to empower patients with particular communication needs, has proven to be crucial, ensuring patients’ voices are heard.

What’s Ahead?

Progressing from the introductory session, the plan is to delve deeper with a more thorough, certified Makaton course. An additional 45-minute e-learning theory module will be developed, deepening nurses’ understanding of communication needs in challenging situations, reflective of scenarios they might face professionally. This will be coupled with a 2-hour online practical session focused on signing and symbol use.

The Workshop intends to standardise and integrate 36 everyday and 46 specialist Makaton signs and symbols into everyday healthcare communication.

Project Sustainability

The project will conclude with the nurturing of student nurses into licensed Frontline Trainers, enabling them to distribute the freshly devised e-learning and practical sessions throughout their respective departments and services. These proficiently trained nurses will evolve into in-house Makaton Trainers, becoming a training resource that can pioneer a culture of inclusive communication within their departments. This ensures not only sustainability and cost-effectiveness for the NHS but can profoundly influence patientnurse interactions on a broad scale.

In a world progressively steering towards inclusion, it’s vital our healthcare system keeps pace, ensuring every patient interaction becomes a genuine connection. This initiative doesn’t just teach signs and symbols; it shapes a future where every patient is heard, every voice is significant, and no one is left behind in healthcare conversations.

Annual Report • Our Community

Our Community

MakaChat Live

Membership Stats

136,000 free members

3530

paid individual members allowing

5163

users to access membership services

60 large group memberships

7,000 free membership trials over the past 12 months

24/7 Access with Premium Membership

Premium Membership gives subscribers 24/7 digital access to over 40,000 symbols and signs within the Makaton Vocabulary. With video tutorials, the support of a vibrant online community, and the ability to download favourite content for easy offline access, Premium Membership is the essential partner for the Makaton journey. Premium Membership supports users beyond the everyday situations, empowering communication across a broad range of settings.

MakaChat Stats

2000+ threads and chats across the platform

4282 MakaChat members in communities

10%

of members participating in conversations.

1205

MakaChat Tutors in communities

Member Events

Building on the success of Member Event in previous years, we have had over 3000 members attend these events throughout the past year, and they have been rewatched for a further 4500 views within the MakaChat Library. We have found that access to the recoded Events encourages members to discuss and debate the webinar after the online event has been delivered elevating member engagement.

MakaChat Live is the virtual realtime adaptation of our community space, uniting our members from diverse backgrounds. We have launched these sessions, hosted by our Ambassadors, to field questions live and offer practice in signs and symbols, along with practical tips to get started. Having piloted several sessions to overwhelmingly positive feedback, we will continue to hold these events, integrating them into our Member Event Calendar.

New App Now Available: MakaChat Mobile

This is our newest feature to MakaChat making it even easier for our members to ask questions on the go from out MakaChat Mobile app. All paid members are able to download this feature for free at no additional charge to ensure they can get #MakaChatting at a time and place convenient for them.

“Great morning, really enjoyed it. lovely to meet some other people who have the same passion as you”

Makaton Trainer

Continual Improvements

“Really informative session - great that it is available in the library too. Very succinct which made it easy to attend around work”

Parent Premium Member

Makaton Friendly

More than 200 organisations have earned Makaton Friendly status, each meeting precise Makaton criteria to adeptly support their respective communities in various sectors such as health and social care, education, and the broader community. These organisations commit to either a Bronze or Silver standard, adhering to the training and environmental guidelines set out by the Charity. To enhance this model, we aim to refine our Makaton Friendly services, making access to content and community support more streamlined and simplifying the joining process.

Makaton Library Improvements

The Makaton Library is always evolving. Over the past year, we’ve refined its search capabilities to yield more accurate results. Our community members have played an active role in testing these enhancements, and their ongoing feedback is invaluable to us. We remain committed to continuous improvement, and plan to further enhance the search features in the coming year.

Annual Report • Case Study

Case Study: Empowering Rui: A Journey with Makaton

Key Achievements:

Through dedication and formal training, Rui’s family, along with his key workers at nursery, mastered Level 1 and Level 2 of Makaton, ensuring a consistent and enriching environment for Rui to learn and communicate.

Rui successfully learned to sign critical words, expressing his desires and emotions, which marked a crucial turning point in his journey with Global Developmental Delay (GDD).

The launch of a parents group on Instagram has provided a valuable support network, aiming to enhance awareness and inclusivity for individuals utilising Makaton.

Challenge:

Diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay (GDD), Rui experienced significant delays in reaching developmental milestones, most notably in speech. His inability to verbally communicate resulted in isolation from peer interactions and frequent emotional distress, pressing the need for an alternative communication method.

Solution:

To address Rui’s unique communication challenges, his family adopted Makaton, integrating speech, signs and symbols to foster connection and understanding. The initial focus on five essential signs evolved into a comprehensive approach, as the family, along with Rui’s caregivers and educators, completed Makaton courses. This collective effort enabled Rui to steadily expand his vocabulary and express himself more effectively, bridging the communication gap.

Impact:

Improved Communication and Emotional Well-being: Rui’s newfound ability to use Makaton has alleviated his frustrations, enabling him to articulate his needs and emotions, thereby reducing challenging behaviours and fostering a happier, more inclusive environment.
Remarkable Intellectual

Progress: Rui has demonstrated significant intellectual growth, exhibiting attempts at new sounds and showcasing advancements in his overall development and understanding.

3. Widespread Community

Outreach and Awareness: The family’s Instagram account has become a beacon of knowledge and support, contributing to a greater understanding and appreciation for Makaton, and offering assistance to families in similar situations.

Enhanced Inclusivity and Understanding: Through their advocacy and sharing of Rui’s story, the family has played a pivotal role in fostering a more inclusive society, where learning differences are recognised and embraced.

Conclusion:

Rui’s transformative journey with Makaton illuminates the profound impact of adaptive communication methods. Through unwavering commitment, community engagement, and advocacy, Rui’s family has facilitated his personal development and has been instrumental in promoting inclusivity and diverse communication needs awareness. Rui’s story underscores the necessity of tailoring teaching methods to individual learning styles, ensuring every child feels heard, understood, and valued in their uniqueness.

“Rui’s story underscores the necessity of tailoring teaching methods to individual learning styles, ensuring every child feels heard, understood, and valued in their uniqueness.”

Annual Report • Tutor Support & Development

Tutor Support and Development

1,017 Tutors

Tutor Development:

7 Tutors have completed their Ambassador training, which brings us to a total of 22 Makaton Ambassador Tutors and 6 Senior Tutors.

newly qualified and licenced Tutors from 1st July 2022 – 30th June 2023

148 Trainers

Our fresh training pathways empower our Tutors and Trainers to broaden their offerings, reach new audiences, and access diverse settings...

New Training Opportunities

Frontline

For the first time, The Makaton Charity has introduced an innovative product aimed specifically at specialist environments. Our new Frontline Workshops will maintain a consistent format where participants will learn ‘Everyday Vocabulary’ that remains the same throughout the Frontline training courses. Additionally, there will be a ‘Bespoke Vocabulary’ tailored to specific settings or job roles. The initial workshops to be rolled out include Frontline: Emergency Services and Frontline: General Wellbeing, set for release by Autumn 2023. This will be followed by specific vocabulary for dentistry, district nursing, and learning disability nursing in 2024.

These fresh training pathways empower our Tutors to broaden their offerings, reach new audiences, and access diverse settings. Furthermore, these innovations underline Makaton’s commitment to fostering inclusivity, bringing us steps closer to achieving wider societal

understanding and support for people with learning and communication needs.

Frontline: Emergency Services is tailored to provide participants with the expertise to use Makaton efficiently during intense and crisis moments.

Frontline: General Wellbeing equips participants to use Makaton effectively in addressing general wellbeing, facilitating Makaton Users in expressing their mental health, feelings, and wishes.

Know and Grow

Know and Grow Makaton has been crafted in collaboration with Christian accessibility charity Count Everyone In, to bridge the world of Makaton with the principles of the Christian faith. Know and Grow Makaton will equip community groups with everyday Makaton but also the specific vocabulary associated with Christianity, and facilitate signing in church settings. Know and Grow Makaton will launch with its first Train the Tutor course in November 2023.

Annual Report • Workplace Training

Workplace Training

----- Start of picture text -----
July 22 - June 23 No. of workshops Est. learners (85% attendance)
Taster 44 570
Level 1 238 2004
Level 2 23 193
Level 3 2 9
Level 4 2 11
Total 309 2787
----- End of picture text -----

Expanding our Tutor delivery team allows us to enrich our training cohort with varied knowledge and experiences, which can significantly enhance the quality and scope of our training offerings.

NHS Trust Project

We have successfully secured a contract worth £35,000 to deliver a workplace pilot series of Frontline training aimed at identifying nurses to become qualified Frontline Makaton Trainers. Upon completion, these individuals will be licensed to deliver Frontline training within the NHS Trust. The three areas that we are focusing on are; District Nursing, Dentistry and Learning Disability Nursing.

The delivery is scheduled to start in Autumn 2023 with three Level 1 Workshops, followed by the delivery of Level 2 Workshops and finally, the first delivery of our highly anticipated Frontline training sessions is scheduled for November and December.

This timeline ensures a structured and progressive approach to the training, allowing participants to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to feel confident and rolling out the Frontline vocabulary to their colleagues within the NHS. We are excited to embark on this journey and make

a significant impact in developing capable Frontline Trainers across the NHS Trust.

New Video Campaign for Workshops

Set to launch in 2023/24, we are delighted to introduce a fresh video campaign tailored to drive progression through the Makaton Workshop Levels. These videos will provide an engaging narrative guided by two of our dedicated Makaton Tutors. They will inspire participants to understand the significance of each level. We will integrate QR codes into the Participant’s Manuals which will instantly take users to the relevant video. Our aim is that through these videos, participants are motivated to journey through all the levels and truly harness the power of Makaton.

Capacity Building within our Workplace Training Delivery Team

For the upcoming year of 2023/24, we are setting a clear and strategic ambition to onboard 10 additional Makaton Tutors for our Workplace training delivery. Our objective behind this expansion is two-fold. Firstly, it allows us to enrich our training cohort with varied knowledge and experiences, which can significantly enhance the quality and scope of our training offerings. Secondly, by expanding our pool of Tutors, we aim to broaden our geographical coverage across the UK, thereby meeting the increasing demand for our services more effectively. This concerted effort will ensure that we continue our legacy of delivering top-qualityMakaton training to workplaces across the UK.

Annual Report • Ambassadors

Senior Tutors and Ambassadors

The role of an Ambassador:

Ambassadors are Makaton Tutors with specialised Makaton skillsets and proven commitment within The Makaton Community. They promote Makaton awareness, advocacy, and development of the Makaton vocabulary. Ambassadors support the Senior Tutors to provide training for Trainee Tutors, support at network Revision Sessions and provide expert advice within the online MakaChat community.

Ambassadors

Ambassadors
Helen Hayhoe	Jemma Sagar	Linda Bates
Nic Pike	Holly Rankin	Julie Tarn
Ami Davies	Kris Campbell Caldwel	Tracey Fillan
Amanda Glennon	Prit Chouhan	Mike Carlin
Kerry Halkett	Helene Elia	Saskia Dady
Richard Fish	Sarah Laszlo	Gareth Smith
Becky George	Holly Cannon Taylor	Debby Auvache

Senior Tutors

Senior Tutors are Makaton Tutors with extensive experience, who have continually supported in teaching Makaton and maintaining the high quality of the communcation programme. Senior Tutors have attended up to two years of further training, assessment and development of signing, symbol and translation skills, as well as specific project work to achieve the accolade.

Mike Harris

Tracy Clark

Julie Hawkins

Shelina Mitha Sarah Norman Zanna Finnerty

Senior Tutors and Ambassadors offer 200 volunteer hours throughout the year. The Makaton Charity would like to thank all the Senior Tutors and Ambassadors for their commitment and dedication to the Makaton community, and the crucial support they provide.

In Loving Memory of Andy McLoughlin

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our Ambassador, Andy McLoughlin. Andy was an inspiration and a tremendous support to us all. His loyalty, dedication, and beautiful soul made him a cherished member of the Makaton community. We were incredibly fortunate to have him work on behalf of The Makaton Charity, and he will be greatly missed.

The whole Makaton community: individuals that use Makaton, families, colleagues, Tutors, Ambassadors, and the whole team at The Makaton Charity have been devastated by the news of Andy’s sudden and sad death. Rest easy Andy, we will remember you always.

Annual Report • Case Study

Case Study: Kris Campbell Caldwell: An Advocate for Makaton

Key Achievements:

Extensive Training in Makaton: Kris successfully completed all Levels of Makaton, enabling effective communication and teaching in a specialised educational environment.
Influential Educator and Advocate: Kris’s role as a Principal Teacher in a Makaton Friendly school and later as a Makaton Tutor and Ambassador, has been pivotal in promoting an inclusive environment for students with diverse needs.
Community Engagement and Training: Kris has been instrumental in ensuring comprehensive Makaton training for all school staff and delivering impactful sessions for parents and carers, thereby promoting an inclusive communication culture.
Continuous Learning and Development: Kris’s commitment to ongoing learning and active involvement in the development of the Makaton Vocabulary exemplify a dedication to enhancing communication and inclusivity.

Challenge:

When Kris embarked on the journey with Makaton in 2013, there were limited local training opportunities, necessitating self-teaching and learning from colleagues and available resources. Ensuring comprehensive Makaton training for all stakeholders in the school community posed an initial challenge.

Solution:

To overcome these challenges, Kris immersed in self-study, utilising resources like Singing Hands and Something Special, and learned from experienced colleagues and pupils. The completion of formal Makaton training and subsequent achievements as a Tutor and Ambassador enabled Kris to spearhead initiatives to ensure inclusive communication within the school and the broader community.

Impact:

Widespread Training and Awareness: Kris’s initiatives have led to widespread training of school staff, parents, and carers, fostering a Makaton-

friendly environment and enhancing the lives of students with diverse needs.

Development of Makaton Resources: As part of the Signing Team, Kris contributes to the development of new concepts for the Makaton Vocabulary, supporting continuous improvement and adaptation of the communication tool.
Mentorship and Community Building: Kris’s role as a mentor for new Ambassadors and active participation in the Makaton community have helped strengthen the network of advocates and users, ensuring support and shared learning.

Conclusion:

Kris Campbell Caldwell’s journey with Makaton is a testament to the power of dedication, continuous learning, and community engagement. Kris’s achievements as an educator, Tutor, Ambassador, and advocate have had a transformative impact on the lives of many, showcasing the potential of inclusive communication in fostering understanding and connection.

Annual Report • Trustees’ Report

Trustees’ Report

Financial Review

The trustees present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 23rd June 2023. Reference and administrative information set out on pages 33-38 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102. This trustees’ annual report includes a directors’ report as required by company law.

Surplus

We report a Surplus for the year of £248,297 (2022: Surplus of £54,471). Of that Surplus there was no change in the level of restricted funds held for purposes prescribed by the donors.

Incoming resources

Incoming resources from unrestricted funds increased by 30% this year, totalling £1,916,580 (2022: £1,483,957). The charity generated its income from various sources, notably from course fees related to its charitable activities, membership subscriptions, and sales of workshop manuals. Revenue increased due to several new initiatives, including a substantial rise in income from organizational training, increased earnings from Tutor Licences, our membership programme, and heightened overall network activity. Despite facing challenges from the prevailing economic conditions, the charity successfully navigated

through by diversifying its income sources. This strategy has not only offset the economic hurdles but also enabled the charity to achieve substantial and, sustainable growth.

Expenditure

Total expenditure during the year increased to £1,668,283 (2022: £1,435,152) or 16%, which is in line and reflects the growth in the Charity’s operation. A significant shift in expenditures has arisen due to the introduction of new digital services and the expansion of our mid-level leadership, membership, and Tutor and Workplace Training initiatives. The Charity is consistently improving its digital and resource base to allow users remote access to a full catalog of 40,000 sign, symbol, video tutorial and resource assets. As the Charity diversifies its income streams, there is a continuous realignment in charitable cost allocation compared to the distributions in prior years.

Reserves

Each year the Trustees review the purpose of any reserves the Charity holds and determines the level they consider necessary to fulfil its legal and commercial obligations and in setting aside any funds earmarked for investment in specific projects. The Trustees determined that a minimum level of £300,000 should be held to ensure the Charity can meet its contractual obligations. Additionally, the Trustees designate an amount of the general fund equal to the value of fixed assets to provide for their replacement. At the end of the year the balance on the Unrestricted Funds was £816,333 (2022: £568,037), some £516,333 above the minimum requirement. During the coming year, the Trustees shall be reviewing the development needs and strategic objectives of the Charity with a view to ensuring that any reserves held are justified for the delivery of the charitable objectives. At the end of the year the Charity held £3,888 in restricted reserves (2022: £3,888).

Fundraising Activities

During the year, the Trustees and Senior Management reviewed fundraising practices to ensure that best practice is followed. The Charity continues to be registered with the Fundraising Regulator and ensures that it complies with the Code of Fundraising Practice. The Charity does not work with external agencies to carry out fundraising activities nor do we share any sensitive personal data with other organisations. We provide guidance for any people voluntarily undertaking fundraising activities for the Charity’s benefit, including a responsible approach to protecting the interests of vulnerable people.

We have not received any complaints during the year either directly or from the Fundraising Regulator but would take any such reports extremely seriously. We have put in place systems to respond to any enquiries made under the General Data Protection Regulation and to deal with any personal data created or received in a manner consistent with the spirit of those regulations.

----- Start of picture text -----
Income Total: £1,916,580
Worldwide promotion
of Makaton
£1,633
Investments
£5,783
Sales of manuals
Other
£773,636
£16,093
Grants and donations
£50,783
Tutor licences
Translation
and membership £58,869
Workshops £296,171
and courses Royalties
£503,667 £68,071
Publications
and resources
£141,874
Expenditure Total £1,668,283
Raising funds
£26,462
Worldwide
promotion
Publications of Makaton
and other £40,441
resources
£439,045 Translation
services
£113,372
Tutor licence/
Other training
membership
projects and
schemes
Provision of Services
£433,592
workshop and £113,814
courses
£361,248 Workshop
manual printing/
production
£140,309
----- End of picture text -----

Annual Report • Trustees’ Report

Risk Management

The Trustees hold the

responsibility for overseeing the management of risks within the Charity. This duty has been delegated to the CEO, who actively manages this process. A risk matrix approach is utilised to address risks, where each risk is assessed and graded based on its likelihood and potential impact on the Charity. Each identified risk is attributed to a designated senior manager, and regular reports and updates are provided to the Trustees. The Trustees are confident that the primary risks have been identified, and appropriate measures have been put in place to address them. The following are the key risks that the Trustees have identified for the Charity:

Enhancing the Charity’s Sustainable Growth

The fiscal year 2022/23 witnessed the most rapid expansion in the Charity’s activities since its establishment 50 years ago, exhibiting a growth of over 35% in just 12 months. This surge was underpinned by an increase in all operational sectors, with new markets emerging faster than anticipated and established markets exceeding expectations. This increase in activity led to an extended phase where the Charity was stretched beyond its immediate capacities. Consequently, there

was a deliberate pause in new innovations. This approach allowed the Charity to stabilise and gain a clearer understanding of long-term trends in established markets. In the long term, our mitigation will involve improved capacity, planning tools, and enhancing our middle and senior leadership capacity. However, navigating this successfully is essential to stay ahead of the curve without compromising the objective of attaining a sustainable operating surplus.

Sustaining Momentum in a Complex Operating Landscape

Acknowledging that the strategies which brought us to this point may not necessarily guide us to our future goals, it becomes clear that a new plan and approach are essential. Our mitigation and forward strategy involves pivoting towards a more delegative and decentralised leadership model, fostering a flatter and more empowered organisational structure. The aim is to assist leaders throughout the organisation in becoming more adaptable to change and innovation whilst also cultivating an environment where team members feel encouraged and secure to take initiative. This will create a space where individuals feel empowered to either achieve success or learn from less successful endeavours.

Developing an Efficient Decision-Making and Implementation Model

With our growth comes expanding ideas and features, strengthened by our innovation and commitment to making a meaningful impact on our Users. The allocation of resources to deliver these initiatives requires careful consideration from the entire team. Determining which elements to implement, the timing, sequence, and ensuring that all ideas are centred around the needs of the Makaton User present a tangible and evolving challenge. Our mitigations will involve embracing the practice of piloting ideas, adopting more Agile-based project management methodologies, and incorporating new decisionmaking tools that promote cross-team visibility will be instrumental in our future success.

Scanning the Horizon for Future Opportunities

With the organisation’s continuous growth, there’s an inherent tendency for leadership to concentrate on operational matters. However, preserving time and space for horizon scanning— exploring new markets, forging partnerships, and generating innovative ideas—will be pivotal for Makaton’s prosperity.

For instance, ChatGPT, a language

processing tool driven by artificial intelligence technology, was not on our radar nine months ago. This tool is now a common feature which we utilise to enhance our business development, marketing collateral, system programming, and governance development.

Exploring cutting-edge capabilities, such as augmented reality to instantaneously convert speech into sign, represents another facet of innovation. Furthermore, initiating collaborations with major corporations like Sky to integrate signing gestures for navigating menus and search functionalities on their platforms unveils thrilling prospects.

The emerging technological landscape is exhilarating, and it is crucial for Makaton to maintain a pioneering position to avoid being left behind. Advancements in technology are bridging distances, rendering the world more interconnected and unveiling unprecedented opportunities for international collaborations and partnerships. The fast-changing landscape will require an agile approach to mitigations, with a focus on developing our longer-term PESTLE and strategic risk matrix, providing both Trustees and the management team with enhanced visibility to ensure we are ready to seize opportunities and effectively mitigate operational risks.

Annual Report • Trustees’ Report

Trustees’ Report

Structure, Governance and Management

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 14 June 2007, and registered as a Charity on 25 June 2007. It has no subsidiaries, nor did it have any transactions with any related parties during the year.

Trustees’ role

The Charity’s Memorandum and Articles of Association set out the objects and powers of the Charity and govern its administration. The Trustees are responsible for overall governance and direction of the Charity. A minimum of three trustees are required, with a maximum permitted of 11. On June 30, 2023, there were nine Trustees. The Trustees delegate operational responsibility to the Chief Executive Officer to achieve the objectives set by the Board, who is in turn supported by the Senior Management Team (SMT) and staff.

The Trustees review the aims, objectives and activities of the Charity each year to ensure public benefit. Trustees refer to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in planning its future activities.

The Trustees consider planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

The Board

The Board meets quarterly and in addition aims to hold a range of ‘Deep Dive’ sessions where it can interrogate strategic areas in more detail, together with an annual strategic planning day, which feeds into the annual Business Planning and OKR (Objective and Key Results) setting process. Detailed oversight of performance in specific areas of the Charity’s work is undertaken in sub-committees of the Board who report back in summary to the full Board, where any significant decisions are made in accordance with the Articles of Association.

The Board through its People & Governance sub-committee annually reviews the Charity’s structure and governance model, feeding back recommendations to the main Trustee Board. The Charity has three standing subcommittees made up of Finance & Digital, Quality & Standards and People & Governance, where each Committee meets a minimum of three times during the year.

The appointment and remuneration of senior staff (SMT) is discussed with the Chair of the Board, Treasurer, and the People & Governance Committee (which reviews salary benchmarks). In some cases, the full Board will be involved in such decisions. The Charity adopts and maintains a policy of equal opportunities for all in organisational policies as well as ensuring that products and services are presented in a positive and sensitive way for people of all faiths, cultures, disabilities, genders, and sexual orientation. The Charity is commencing a review of its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy, which when complete will support strategy and operational decision making.

Impact of environmental factors

In the period March-June 2023, the Board supported by the Senior Management Team, continued to review, and develop the Charity’s business model, both in relation of its significant operational growth and the wider operational environment. Trustees have supported the team in their progress of both digital and wider business transformation, which

has seen the Charity significantly grow its income and engagement levels, doubling its activity when set against 2018 levels. The current trading conditions continue to be unstable, with individuals and organisations adapting to the unfamiliar environment. Initial results from the first 4 months of trading in 2023/24 remain on track and encouraging, with income levels at or around that expected.

The Charity’s Membership, Tutor Training and Workplace Training continue to perform strongly, with new Trainer packages to support professionals within the NHS, Emergency services and community space launch in Q2 of 2023/24. The year will also see the launch of a new initiative supporting language acquisition in babies, called MakaTots. The Charity’s network is developing well, with Tutor numbers continuing to grow, together with growth in Membership and wider network training numbers.

Trustees’ commitment

All Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the Charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the Charity are

set out in note 5 to the accounts. The Charity provides induction and training to new Trustees and training of Trustees is supported by regular presentations by the Senior Management Team. Trustees also attend external training and networking events. Trustees will serve in office for a period of three years but thereafter may be reappointed for a further term provided threequarters of the Trustees consent to such reappointment. Following an amendment to the Articles of Association, the maximum number of Trustees was expanded to 11, with the additional option, in exceptional circumstances, to ask a Trustee to remain in post for a further one year. During the year, two Trustees, Juliet Armstrong, and Lori Cunningham, opted for retirement, and the Board wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude for their dedicated six years of service. Their guidance and support were instrumental as the charity navigated a period of innovation and exciting expansion. We have had the pleasure of welcoming three new Trustees to the Board – Dr. Rebecca Khanna, Paul Moore, and Karen Donnelly. They bring with them a diverse array of experience and knowledge.

Going concern

The Trustees have carefully examined the charity’s financial stability and are confident that there are no significant uncertainties about its ability to sustain operations. The last twelve months have marked a notable growth phase for the charity, leading to a substantial increase in reserves. The results and management accounts after the year-end indicate sustained demand and consistent cost management. The Trustees are optimistic that the strategies in place will foster a stable and growing foundation for the charity’s operations.

Currently, the charity’s trading situation seems stable, with significant prospects for future growth. There are no additional key decisions made by the Charity that significantly affect the financial statements. Additionally, the Trustees are not aware of any uncertainties at the time of reporting that pose a significant risk of causing material changes to the values of assets and liabilities in the upcoming reporting period.

Annual Report • Trustees’ Report

Trustees’ Report

Trustee Responsibilities

The Trustees (who are also Directors of The Makaton Charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 5 to the accounts.

The Trustees understand and recognise there duties under section 172 (1) (a)-(f) of the Companies Act 2006, and confirm that individually and collectively, they have acted in good faith, promoted the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole, and in doing so have regard (amongst other matters) to:

the likely consequences of any decision in the long term,
the interests of the company’s employees,
the need to foster the
company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others,
the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment,
the desirability of the company to maintain a reputation for high standards of business conduct and the need to act fairly as between members of the company.

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company, and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period. The Trustees are required to:

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

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the 36 charitable company and enable

them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. Trustees are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the Trustees are aware:

There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware.
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.

Members of the Charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the Charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees on the 23rd of June 2023 was 9 (guarantees in 2022 were 11). The trustees are members of the charity, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

The trustees’ annual report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

The Trustees Report has been approved by the Trustees on 7th of December 2023 and signed on their behalf by the Chair, Rob Douglas CBE DL.

Chair, Rob Douglas CBE DL.

Annual Report • Auditor’s Report

Auditor’s Report

Basis for opinion

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Makaton Charity (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 30 June 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).

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

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 30 June 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended

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.

Have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions

Have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006

that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on The Makaton Charity’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:

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
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 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
The financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
Certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
We have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
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.

Annual Report • Auditor’s Report

Auditor’s Report

Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities

Auditor’s

responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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:

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.

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;

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.

The internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.
We inspected the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.
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.
We communicated applicable laws and regulations throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We reviewed any reports made to regulators.
We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and tested these to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.
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 noncompliance 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 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. 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.

Jonathan Orchard

(Senior statutory auditor)

Date: 7th December 2023

for and on behalf of Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor Invicta House, 108-114 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TL

Annual Report • Statement of Financial Activities & Balance Sheet

Statement of Financial Activities

(incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 30 June 2023

	Note	Unrestricted	Restricted 2023	Unrestricted	Restricted	2022
		Funds	Funds Total	Funds	Funds	Total
Income from:		£	£ £	£	£	£
Grants and donations	2	48,613	2,170 50,783	24,988	5,666	30,654
Charitable activities
Fees for workshops and courses		503,667	- 503,667	363,501	-	363,501
Sale of workshop manuals		773,636	- 773,636	596,587	-	596,587
Tutor Licences and memberships schemes		296,171	- 296,171	226,342	-	226,342
Sales of publications and other resources		141,874	- 141,874	179,484	-	179,484
Royalties for the use of Makaton worldwide		68,071	- 68,071	39,927	-	39,927
Worldwide promotion of Makaton		1,633	- 1,633	2,099	-	2,099
Translation services		58,869	- 58,869	32,733	-	32,733
Investments		5,783	- 5,783	1,193	-	1,193
Other		16,093	- 16,093	17,103	-	17,103
Total Income		1,914,410	2,170 1,916,580	1,483,957	5,666	1,489,623
Expenditure on:
Raising funds		26,462	- 26,462	21,876	-	21,876
Charitable activities
Provision of workshop and courses		359,078	2,170 361,248	386,490	-	386,490
Printing and production of workshop manuals		140,309	- 140,309	163,271	-	163,271
Tutor licence and memberships schemes		433,592	- 433,592	316,813	-	316,813
Other training projects and services		113,814	- 113,814	126,915	-	126,915
Publications and other resources		439,045	- 439,045	325,002	15,166	340,168
Worldwide promotion of Makaton		40,441	- 40,441	34,847	1,182	36,029
Translation services		113,372	- 113,372	43,590	-	43,590
Total expenditure	3	1,666,113	2,170 1,668,283	1,418,804	16,348	1,435,152
Net expenditure and net movement in funds	4	248,297	- 248,297	65,153	(10,682)	54,471
Net income / (expenditure) for the year	4	248,297	- 248,297	65,153	(10,682)	54,471
and net movements in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward		568,037	3,888 571,925	502,884	14,570	517,454
Total funds carried forward		816,334	3,888 820,222	568,037	3,888	571,925

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movement in funds are disclosed in note 16 to the financial statements.

Balance Sheet

As at 30 June 2023


s at 30 June 2023 Note Fixed assets: Intangible assets 9 Tangible assets 10 Current assets: Stock 11 Debtors 12 Cash at bank and in hand Liabilities: Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 13 Net current assets Total net assets The funds of the charity: 15 Restricted funds Unrestricted income funds: Designated funds General funds Total unrestricted funds Total charity funds	£ 29,899 275,148 878,027		£ 2022 £ 43,906 135,323 179,229 33,013 200,722 638,526 872,261 (479,565) 392,696 571,925 3,888 179,229 388,808 568,037 571,925 Company number: 06280108
		2023 £

		57,507
		134,997
		192,504		179,229 392,696




	1,183,074 (555,356)		872,261 (479,565)


	192,504 623,830		179,229 388,808
		627,718

		820,222		571,925
				3,888 568,037

		3,888




		816,334
		820,222		571,925

Approved by the trustees on 7th December 2023 and signed on their behalf by

Ian Newman Treasurer

Annual Report • Statement of Cashflows & Financial Notes

Statement of Cashflows

For the year ended 30 June 2022

For the year ended 30 June 2022
Note Cash fows from operating activities Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities 17 Cash fows from investing activities: Interest from investments Purchase of fxed assets (tangible and intangible) Net cash provided by / (used in) investing 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		2022
	£ 5,783 (69,516)	£	£ 1,193 (67,021)	£ 100,073 (65,828)


		303,234





		(63,733)
				34,245 604,281

		239,501

		638,526
				638,526
		878,027

Financial Notes

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2023

1. Accounting policies

a) Statutory information

The Makaton Charity is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in the United Kingdom. The registered office address is 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LH and the principal place of business is Westmead House, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7LP.

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.

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.

c) Public benefit entity

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

d) Going concern

The Trustees have carefully examined the Charity’s financial stability and are confident that there are no significant uncertainties about its ability to sustain operations. The last twelve months have marked a notable growth phase for the Charity, leading to a substantial increase in reserves. The results and management accounts after the year-end indicate sustained demand and consistent cost management. The Trustees are optimistic that the strategies in place will foster a stable and growing foundation for the charity’s operations.

Currently, the Charity’s trading situation seems stable, with

significant prospects for future growth. There are no additional key decisions made by the Charity that significantly affect the financial statements. Additionally, the Trustees are not aware of any uncertainties at the time of reporting that pose a significant risk of causing material changes to the values of assets and liabilities in the

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.

All income arising from trading activities is permissible within the Charity’s objects and is stated net of value added tax. The Charity does not undertake any trading outside the scope of its objects.

Income arising from activities is deferred to the extent that the service or goods to which it relates have not been provided at the end of the financial year.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

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.

f) Donations of gifts, services and facilities

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 or fixed assets as appropriate in the period of receipt.

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

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund.

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:

Costs of raising funds relate to the costs incurred by the charitable company in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose.
‘Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of delivering products and

services, developing and maintaining the Makaton vocabulary and associated resources, and other costs undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs. Expenditure also includes attributable VAT which cannot be recovered.

Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading.

j) Allocation of support costs

Expenditure is 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 following basis which are an estimate, based on staff time, of the amount attributable to each activity.

Support and governance costs are re-allocated to each of the activities being supported based on whether or not they are directly attributable or based on salaries. Governance costs are re-allocated based on charitable activities income.

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.

Intangible fixed assets

Research costs are written off as incurred. Development costs are initially capitalised and allocated to a Resource for publication or the library of signs. These costs are then written off over their estimated useful life as follows:

Signs and symbols

10% on cost p.a. from the month following publication

• General publications 10% on cost p.a. from the month following publication

• Database resources 20% on cost p.a. from the month following publication

Training courses 20% on costs p.a. from the month following completion of the course preparation

The amortisation for that asset is charged to the general fund. In cases where there is little possibility of the value of development costs being realised, the development costs are written off.

m) Tangible fixed assets

Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £500. 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.

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:

Computers and related equipment 33% of cost
Accounting Software 20% of cost
Website and online dictionary 20% of cost
Office furnishings 20% of cost

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.

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

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

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

The scheme is a defined contribution scheme. The employer’s contributions to this scheme are charged to expenditure in the period to which they relate.

2. Income from grants and donations

Donations: Gift Aid & Other income Grants: First time employment National Lottery Community Fund-Growing Up and Womens Health Resources	Unrestricted £ Restricted £ 2023 Total £ Unrestricted £ Restricted £ 2022 Total £ 48,613 - 48,613 24,988 - 24,988 - 2,170 2,170 - - 5,666 - - - - 9,500 -
	48,613 2,170 50,783 24,988 9,500 30,654

----- Start of picture text -----
2022 Total 723,489 314,185 38,373 12,650 14,975 259,436 56,912 15,132 1,435,152 - - 1,435,152
2023 Total 846,003 374,702 42,915 17,427 15,841 305,745 42,799 22,851 1,668,283 - - 1,668,283
Support costs 444,579 177,305 20,736 - 7,655 147,731 32,214 22,851 853,071 (853,071) - - -
----- End of picture text -----

	Support costs	444,579	177,305	20,736	-	7,655	147,731	32,214	22,851	853,071	(853,071)	-	-	-
	Governance costs	69,095	18,710	2,188	17,427	807	15,589	7,440	-	131,255	-	(131,255)	-	-
	Translations	31,737	10,531	1,232	-	455	8,775	-	-	52,729	52,556	8,086	113,372	43,590
	Worldwide promotion of Makaton	10,756	3,829	448	-	165	3,191	-	-	18,389	19,111	2,941	40,441	36,029
	Publications and other resources	86,038	46,056	5,262	-	1,943	37,491	3,145	-	179,936	224,558	34,551	439,045	340,168
Charitable activities	Cost of raising funds Provision of workshops and courses Printing and production of workshop manuals Tutor Licences and membership schemes Other Training projects and services	Staff costs (Note 5) 4,693 53,068 29,721 92,829 23,485	Other direct costs 2,808 39,756 20,094 43,959 11,653	Amortisation/depreciation 328 4,649 1,568 5,141 1,363	Audit - - - - -	Irrecoverable VAT 121 1,716 579 1,898 503	Offce costs 2,340 33,125 11,168 36,627 9,709	Professional fees - - - - -	Other costs - - - - -	10,291 132,315 63,129 180,455 46,713	Support costs 14,015 198,405 66,890 219,382 58,153	Governance costs 2,156 30,527 10,292 33,755 8,948	Total expenditure 2023 26,462 361,248 140,309 433,592 113,814	Total expenditure 2022 21,876 386,490 163,271 316,813 126,915

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

----- Start of picture text -----
2022 Total 723,489 314,185 38,373 12,650 14,975 259,436 56,912 15,132 1,435,152 - - 1,435,152
----- End of picture text -----

	Support costs	424,483	147,676	18,455	-	7,203	124,775	43,681	15,132	781,405	(781,405)	-	-
	Governance costs	63,965	15,734	1,966	12,650	766	13,294	5,312	-	113,688	-	(113,688)	-
	Translations	17,022	3,220	402	-	157	2,721	-	-	23,522	17,519	2,549	43,590
	Worldwide promotion of Makaton	9,461	3,220	402	-	157	2,721	-	-	15,962	17,519	2,549	36,029
	Publications and other resources	36,894	36,189	4,467	-	1,743	30,203	7,919	-	117,415	194,460	28,293	340,168
Charitable activities	Cost of raising funds Provision of workshops and courses Printing and production of workshop manuals Tutor Licences and membership schemes Other Training projects and services	Staff costs (Note 5) 3,942 70,701 37,021 37,842 22,159	Other direct costs 2,174 38,277 21,183 33,814 12,698	Amortisation/depreciation 272 4,784 1,811 4,226 1,587	Audit - - - - -	Irrecoverable VAT 106 1,867 707 1,649 619	Offce costs 1,837 32,341 12,245 28,571 10,729	Professional fees - - - - -	Other costs - - - - -	8,330 147,970 72,966 106,102 47,791	Support costs 11,825 208,224 78,835 183,948 69,074	Governance costs 1,720 30,295 11,470 26,763 10,050	Total expenditure 2022 21,876 386,490 163,271 316,813 126,915

4. Net expenditure for the year

This is stated after charging:

Depreciation Loss on disposal of fxed assets Operating lease rentals: Property Other Auditor's remuneration (excluding VAT) Audit	2023 £ 2022 £ 42,915 45,506 5,573 1,200 45,000 43,295 1,274 1,774 14,200 12,350

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

Staff costs were as follows:

taff costs were as follows:
Salaries and wages Non-payrolled members of staff Social security costs Employer’s contribution to defned contribution pension schemes	2023 £ 2022 £ 757,673 651,928 - - 81,210 68,927 25,691 22,823
	864,574 743,679

£18,571 was capitalised for ‘Know and Grow, Signing for Babies and Frontline’ Staff cost (2021: £20,190).

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

The following number of employees received employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (excluding employer pension costs and employer national insurance) during the year between:

£60,000 - £69,999 £70,000 - £79,999	2023 No. 2022 No. 1 -
	1 1

The total employee benefits (including employer pension contributions and employer national insurance) of the key management personnel were £345,474 (2022: £317,415).

No charity trustees were paid or 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 £219 (2022: £43) incurred by 1 (2021: 1) members relating to attendance at meetings of the trustees.

6. Staff numbers

The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was as follows:

ollows:
Training (workshops, Manuals, memberships etc) Publications and other resources Support Governance	2023 No. 2022 No. 7 7 3 2 11 9 1 1
	22 19

7. Related party transactions

Other than those referred to in note 5 there are no related party transactions to disclose for 2023 (2022: none).

8. Taxation

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

9. Intangible fixed assets

9. Intangible fxed assets
Cost At the start of the year Additions in year Disposals in year/write offs At the end of the year Amortisation At the start of the year Charge for the year Eliminated on disposal/write off At the end of the year Net book value At the end of the year At the start of the year	Signs Library £ General Resources £ Database Resources £ Training Courses £ Total £ 49,153 661,925 132,475 109,156 952,709 - - - 21,352 21,352 - - - - -
	49,153 661,925 132,475 130,508 974,061
	49,153 657,067 132,475 70,108 908,803 - 1,060 - 6,691 7,751 - - - - -
	49,153 658,127 132,475 76,799 916,554
	- 3,798 - 53,709 57,507
	- 4,858 - 39,048 43,906

All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

10. Tangible fixed assets

10. 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	Software £ Website and online dictionary £ Furniture & equipment £ Total £ 37,634 165,648 43,413 246,695 4,762 28,634 14,768 48,164 (9,877) (11,158) - (21,035)
	32,519 183,124 58,181 273,824
	32,838 45,727 32,807 111,372 3,160 32,000 7,757 42,917 (8,395) - (7,067) (15,462)
	27,603 77,727 33,497 138,827
	4,916 105,397 24,684 134,997
	4,796 119,921 10,606 135,323

11. Stocks

11. Stocks
Raw materials Finished goods 12. Debtors Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments	2023 £ 2022 £ 12,426 10,396 17,473 22,617
	29,899 33,013
	2023 £ 2022 £ 149,491 85,528 31,133 20,205 94,524 94,989
	275,148 200,722

12. Debtors

13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors Taxation and social security Other creditors Accruals Deferred income (note 14)	2023 £ 2022 £ 60,018 83,365 50,800 45,252 161 1,238 96,773 69,761 347,604 279,949
	555,356 479,565

14. Deferred income

Deferred income comprises income for services such as training, memberships and licenses which are to be provided after the Balance Sheet date.

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	Fees for workshops and courses £ Tutor Licences and Membership Schemes £ Worldwide promotion of Makaton £ 2023 Total £ 2022 Total £ 203,416 71,595 4,938 279,949 247,891 (203,416) (71,595) (4,938) (279,949) (247,891) 110,115 237,369 120 347,604 279,949
	110,115 237,369 120 347,604 279,949

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

15a. Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)

Intangible fxed assets Tangible fxed assets Net current assets Net assets at the end of the year	Restricted £ Designated £ General unestricted £ Total funds £ - 57,507 - 57,507 - 134,997 - 134,997 3,888 - 623,830 627,718
	3,888 192,504 623,830 820,222

15b. Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)

Intangible fxed assets Tangible fxed assets Net current assets Net assets at the end of the year	Restricted £ Designated £ General unestricted £ Total funds £ - 43,906 - 43,906 - 135,323 - 135,323 3,888 - 388,808 392,696
	3,888 179,229 388,808 571,925

16a. Movements in funds (current year)

Restricted funds: Makaton overseas fund Filming Fund Kickstart Scheme Total restricted funds: Unrestricted funds: Designated funds: Intangible assets Tangible fxed assets Total designated funds General funds Total unrestricted funds: Total funds:	At 1 July 2022 £ Income & gains £ Expenditure & losses £ Transfers £ At 30 June 2023 £ 1,119 - - - 1,119 2,769 - - - 2,769 - 2,170 (2,170) - -
	3,888 2,170 (2,170) - 3,888
	43,906 - (7,751) 21,352 57,507 135,323 - (42,917) 42,591 134,997 179,229 - (50,668) 63,943 192,504 388,808 1,914,410 (1,615,445) (63,943) 623,830
	568,037 1,914,410 (1,666,113) - 816,334
	571,925 1,916,580 (1,668,283) - 820,222

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

16b. Movements in funds (prior year)

Restricted funds: Makaton overseas fund Filming Fund Kickstart Scheme National Lottery Community Fund-Growing Up and Women’s Health Resources Total restricted funds: Unrestricted funds: Designated funds: Intangible assets Tangible fxed assets Total designated funds General funds Total unrestricted funds: Total funds:	At 1 July 2021 £ Income & gains £ Expenditure & losses £ Transfers £ At 30 June 2022 £ 2,301 - (1,182) - 1,119 2,769 - - - 2,769 - 5,666 (5,666) - - 9,500 - (9,500) - -
	14,570 5,666 (16,348) - 3,888
	26,599 - (7,133) 24,440 43,906 132,313 - (38,371) 41,381 135,323 158,912 - (45,504) 65,821 179,229 343,972 1,483,957 (1,373,300) (65,821) 388,808
	502,884 1,483,957 (1,418,804) - 568,037
	517,454 1,489,623 (1,435,152) - 571,925

Makaton Overseas Fund	These funds relate to funds received from overseas Makaton organisations
	to be spent at their request in providing translations services, publications
	and training.
Filming Fund	Funds were donated to create a video flming room within The Makaton
	Charity’s offce, and to purchase flm and audio recording equipment to
	create online Makaton support content.
Kick Start Scheme	The Kickstart Scheme provided funding to create new jobs for 16 to 24
	year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment
	programme to help.
National Lottery	A Grant to help support some material development around female puberty,
Community Fund -	safeguarding and consent.
Growing Up and Women’s
Health Resources
Intangible assets	This represents the investment made by the Charity to develop the Resource
	Vocabulary which will then generate future income.
Tangible fxed assets	The designated funds also include tangible fxed assets of the Charity not
	funded by restricted funds.

Annual Report • Financial Notes

Financial Notes

17. Reconciliation of net income to net cash flow from operating activities

Net income/(expenditure) for the reporting period (as per the statement of fnancial activities) Investment income Depreciation and amortisation charges Loss on disposal of tangible assets (Increase)/decrease in stock Increase in debtors Increase in creditors Net cash provided by operating activities	2023 £ 2022 £ 248,297 54,471 (5,783) (1,193) 50,668 45,504 5,573 1,200 3,114 (3,383) (74,426) (63,993) 75,791 67,467
	303,234 100,073

18. Operating lease commitments

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

ach of the following periods:
Less than one year One to fve years	Property Equipment 2023 £ 2022 £ 2023 £ 2022 £ 45,000 45,000 1,274 1,774
	- - 1,055 2,436
	45,000 45,000 2,329 4,210

19. Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to £1.

Contact Us

Head Office

The Makaton Charity Suite 3, Unit 4.3 Frimley 4 Business Park Frimley, Surrey, GU16 7SG Telephone: 01276 606760 Email: help@makaton.org Website: makaton.org

Directors and Trustees

Rob Douglas CBD DL, Chair Ian Newman, Deputy Chair Lady Julia Spencer Pete Donell Stephanie Kogels Carol Riddington Rebecca Khanna Paul Moore Karen Donnelly Lori Cunningham, final term completed June 2023 Juliet Armstrong, final term completed June 2023

Senior Management Team

Stephen Hall Chief Executive Officer

Vicki Partridge Director of Operations

Zanna Finnerty Director of the Makaton Language Programme

Roc Da Silva

Director of Finance and Services

Hannah Anderson Director of Membership and Partnerships

Patrons

Dave Benson-Phillips Children’s Entertainer

Justin Fletcher MBE Children’s TV Presenter

Allan Johnston Children’s TV Producer

Tracy Upton MBE Singing Hands

Suzanne Miell-Ingram MBE Singing Hands

Registered Office

66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LH

Solicitors

Farrer and Co, 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London, WC2A 3LH

Auditor

Sayer Vincent LLP, Invicta House, 108-114 Golden Lane, London, EC1Y 0TL

Bankers

Lloyds plc, PO Box 1000, BX1 1LT

Santander, Bootle, L30 4GB

HSBC plc, 2 Victoria Road, Farnborough, GU14 7HX

United Trust Bank, One Ropemaker Street, London, EC2Y 9AW

Virgin Money, 7-8 North Avenue, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank, G81 2NT

Cambridge & Counties Bank, Charmwood Court, 5B New Walk, Leicester, LE1 6TE

Country of registration England & Wales

Country of incorporation United Kingdom

The Makaton Charity

Suite 3, Unit 4.3, Frimley 4 Business Park, Frimley, Surrey, GU16 7SG Tel: 01276 606760 • Email: help@makaton.org

makaton.org

Registered Charity number: 1119819 • Registered Company number: 06280108

Contents

Chair and CEO’s Report

Stephen Hall Chief Executive

Rob Douglas CBE DL Chair of Trustees

Reflections on the Past Year

Training Delivery and Expansion

Tutor Network

Membership

A Special Thanks to our Team and Supporters

Advancing the Journey: Makaton’s Vision for the Upcoming Year

About Makaton

We work towards this through our activities:

Impact

Tutor Expansion:

Training Initiatives:

Membership Evolution:

Engagement Metrics:

Interactive Webinars:

Innovations in

Training Pathways:

Free Resource:

Our Values

Respect

Excellence

Collaboration

Integrity

Delivering the Strategy

1. Grow Deeper

2. Grow Wider

3. Grow Newer

4. Grow Stronger

1. Grow Deeper

2. Grow Wider

3. Grow Newer

4. Grow Stronger

Makaton’s Digital Evolution

Reaching for the Sky: From Servers to Clouds

Online Reach

Website

Search Engine Optimisation

Social Media

Free Resources

Impact of our Free Resources

New Free Resources:

Top Downloaded Free Resources:

Makaton Insights:

Sign of the Week:

Makaton Magazine:

Free Member Events:

Makaton Insights: A Journey of Engagement & Learning

Key Achievements:

Challenges:

Solution:

Introducing:

Impact:

Partnerships

Makaton Featured on Sky Q

Makaton Featured in Primark’s New Campaign

Bridging Communication Gaps in Nursing: A Makaton Initiative

Phase One: Inclusive Communication in Healthcare

Aspiring for More: Transitioning to Phase Two

Rolling Out E-Learning: Assessing the Impact

What’s Ahead?

Project Sustainability

Our Community

MakaChat Live

Membership Stats

3530

24/7 Access with Premium Membership

MakaChat Stats

Member Events

New App Now Available: MakaChat Mobile

Continual Improvements

Makaton Friendly

Makaton Library Improvements

Case Study: Empowering Rui: A Journey with Makaton

Key Achievements:

Challenge:

Solution: