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← Royal Grammar School Worcester

2024-08-31-accounts

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ANNUAL REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDING AUGUST 2024

The Royal Grammar School Worcester A private company, limited by guarantee Registered No. 6251081 Charity No. 1120644

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER

A private company, limited by guarantee

Registered No. 6251081 Charity No. 1120644

ANNUAL REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

31 AUGUST 2024

Index Page
Governors’ Report 1 - 4
Strategic Report 5 - 22
Auditor’s Report 23 -25
Statement of Financial Activities 26 - 27
Balance Sheet 28
Cash Flow Statement 29
Accounting Policies 30 - 32
Notes to the Accounts 33 - 46

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER GOVERNORS’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

  1. The Name of the Company is The Royal Grammar School Worcester (“the School”).

  2. The Address of the Company is The Royal Grammar School Worcester, Upper Tything, Worcester, WR1 1HP.

  3. The School was incorporated on 17 May 2007, but continued to operate as an unincorporated charity until 31 August 2007. It began active operations as a limited company on merging with The Alice Ottley School on 1 September 2007. There were no trading activities prior to this date.

  4. The School operates on four sites; RGS Worcester offering co-education for pupils aged 11–18, located in The Tything, Worcester; RGS Springfield offering co-education for pupils aged 2–11, located in Britannia Square, Worcester; RGS The Grange offering co-education for pupils aged 2–11, located in Claines, Worcester; and RGS Dodderhill, offering co-education for pupils aged 2–11 and girls only education for pupils from 11-16 located in Droitwich.

  5. Status. The Company is registered at Companies House, Cardiff, as a private company, limited by guarantee, registered number 6251081. The Company is also registered as a charity, number 1120644. The Company is the trustee of Charity 527527 which holds in trust the Permanent Endowments of the School under a Charity Commission Scheme sealed on 2 July 2007 and altered by a further scheme sealed on 15 January 2008. The Scheme contains a Uniting Direction that the Charity and associated funds shall be treated as forming part of the Company for the purposes of Part 6 (accounting) of the Charities Act 2011. On 30 April 2019 Dodderhill School, company number 00576888 and registered charity number 527599, donated all of its assets and liabilities to The Royal Grammar School Worcester. RGSW Holdings Limited Company number 12364724 was incorporated in December 2019 to facilitate the establishment and operation of Worcester International Hockey Club Limited, a limited liability company, number 12366802 which was also incorporated in December 2019.

  6. Directors of the Company. The Directors of the Company are also the Governors of the School and the Trustees of the Charity. Those who have served during the year and up to the date of signing as Directors are listed below:-

Mr A Greenway Chair of Governors (appointed 6 December 2023)
Mr J Q S Poole Chair of Governors (resigned 6 December 2023)
Mrs R F Ham Vice Chair of Governors, Chair of NC, EC
Dr N Canchi-Murali EC
Mrs L Cook EC, NC, Staff Liaison at RGS Worcester and Governor with special interest for
Learning Development
Mrs M J Cross F&GP, RGS Dodderhill Sub-Committee
Mr N Fairlie F&GP, Chair RGS Springfield Sub-Committee, NC
Mr S Flutter Chair of EC
Mr H Kimberley Chair of F&GP
Ms K Meredith EC, NC
Mrs S Mills EC and Lead Governor for Safeguarding
Mr B W Radford F&GP and Governor with special interest for Health and Safety
Dr E Robinson EC
Mrs K M Wormington Chair of RGS Dodderhill Sub Committee, Staff Liaison at RGS Dodderhill, NC
Mrs R Wyatt EC, Governor with special interest for the Foundation Stage and RGS
Springfield Staff Liaison and RGS The Grange Staff Liaison
Mr Mark Beardmore F&GP (appointed 26 June 2024)
Mrs N Parry EC (appointed 13 March 2024)
Mr Gary Rouse F&GP (appointed 13 March 2024)
Mr Tim Curtis EC, RGS Dodderhill Sub-Committee (appointed 13 March 2024)

Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GP), Education Committee (EC), Nominations Committee (NC)

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER GOVERNORS’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

  1. The Principal Officers of the Charity during the year were:-

Mr J D Pitt Headmaster, RGS Worcester and Executive Head of The RGS Worcester Family of Schools Mr G W Hughes Headmaster, RGS The Grange Mrs L Brown Headmistress, RGS Springfield Mr T Banyard Headmaster, RGS Dodderhill (appointed 1 September 2023) Mr B R Edwards Director of Finance and Operations, Clerk to the Governors and Company Secretary

  1. Advisers to the School:-

Bankers & Lloyds Bank plc Investment Managers 4, The Cross, Worcester, WR1 3PY Auditors Crowe U.K. LLP 4[th] Floor, St James House, St James’ Square, Cheltenham, GL50 3PR Solicitors Stallard March and Edwards (SME Solicitors) 8, Sansome Walk, Worcester, WR1 1LW Insurance Brokers Hettle Andrews & Associates Limited Eleven Brindley Place 2 Brunswick Square Birmingham B1 2LP

  1. Governing Document . Memorandum and Articles of Association adopted on incorporation on 17 May 2007 as amended by Special Resolution dated 27 June 2013.

  2. Governing Body . The Governors are listed on page 1 of this Report.

  3. Recruitment and Training of Governors . New Governors are normally appointed at termly meetings on the basis of nominations from a committee of Governors. All nominations are made on the basis of eligibility, personal competence, specialist skills and availability. New Governors undertake a formal induction process under the guidance of a fellow Governor which covers the workings of the Charity, including Policies, Procedures, Finances, the Clerk to the Governors and Governance.

  4. Liability Insurance. Governor and Individual Liability insurance is provided with a cover of £5m.

  5. Organisational Management . The School Charity is organised and managed in accordance with Articles of Governance, produced by the Governors, to control the general educational character of the School. The Governing Body meets at least once per term. The Board’s policies are generally implemented by two main committees; the Finance and General Purposes Committee (F&GP) and the Education Committee (EC), both of which meet termly. Individual Governors are nominated to take a special interest in Safeguarding, Health and Safety, the Foundation Stage at each of the Prep Schools, Learning Development, GDPR, Teacher Training provision for Early Careers Teachers (ECTs), CCF and for staff liaison in each school. The Governors directly appoint the Heads and the Director of Finance and Operations. The Head of RGS Dodderhill reports to the Executive Headmaster and The Heads of RGS The Grange and RGS Springfield are responsible to the Governors for the overall management of their school and the direction of teaching within the general policy and the delegated financial limits approved from time to time by the Governors. The Director of Finance and Operations is responsible directly to the Governors for the management of the grounds, buildings, plant, computing and IT, administration and finances of the School, and to support the Heads in the day to day running of their schools.

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER GOVERNORS’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

  1. Employee Involvement and Equal Opportunities. Employees have been consulted on issues of concern to them by means of regular consultative committee and staff meetings and have been kept informed on specific matters directly by management. The School carries out exit interviews for all staff leaving the organisation and has adopted a procedure of upward feedback for senior management and the Governors. The School has implemented a number of detailed policies in relation to all aspects of personnel matters including:

  2. a. Equal Opportunities Policy

  3. b. Health & Safety Policy

In accordance with the School’s Equal Opportunities Policy, the School has long established fair employment practices in the recruitment, selection, retention and training of disabled staff. Full details of these policies are available from the School’s offices.

  1. Availability of Assets to Fulfil Obligations. It is the opinion of the Governors that the School is well placed to meet in full its current obligations.

Statement of Governors’ Responsibilities

  1. The Companies Act 2006 requires the Governors, as Trustees of the Charity, to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the surplus or deficit of income over expenditure for that period.

  2. In preparing these financial statements, the Governors should follow best practice and are required to:

  3. a. select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

  4. b. observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

  5. c. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

  6. d. state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

  7. e. prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation.

  8. The Governors are responsible for keeping accounting records which are such as to disclose, with reasonable accuracy, the financial position of the Charity at any time, and to enable them as Trustees, to ensure that the accounts comply with charity law. The Governors are also responsible for safeguarding the Charity’s assets and ensuring their proper application and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of error, fraud and other irregularities.

  9. The Governors delegated authority to the Nominations Committee (NC) to assess the Board’s adherence to the charity governance code issued in July 2017. Following a review of the seven principles underpinning the code the NC concluded that the RGSW Board is adhering to all of the principles. The Board unanimously endorsed this assessment at the December 2023 Board meeting.

  10. The Charity had no fundraising activities requiring disclosure under S162A of the Charities Act 2011.

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER GOVERNORS’ REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

  1. Statement as to Disclosure of Information to Auditors. The Governors who were in office on the date of approval of these financial statements have confirmed, as far as they are aware, that there is no relevant audit information of which the auditors are unaware. Each of the Directors have confirmed that they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as Directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that it has been communicated to the auditor.

Auditors

  1. Crowe U.K. LLP has indicated its willingness to be reappointed as statutory auditor. Approved by the Board on 23 April 2025, and signed on its behalf by:-

Mr Andrew Greenway Chair of Governors

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER STRATEGIC REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

STRATEGIC REPORT Objectives and Activities

1. Charitable Objects. The objects of the School are the provision and conduct, in or near the City of Worcester, of a day or day and boarding school for boys and girls and ancillary or incidental educational activities and other associated activities for the benefit of the community.

2. Aim and Intended Impact . It is the General Policy of the Governors to provide for the pupils of the School a challenging and stimulating intellectual atmosphere while making full provision for physical, cultural and moral development.

3. Objectives for the Year. The primary objectives of the academic year 2024-25 are:

4. Strategies to achieve the Objectives .

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER STRATEGIC REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

5. Principal Activities of the Year. The Charity principally provides education in or near the City of Worcester and Droitwich at its four sites to boys and girls aged 2-18. There were, on average, 1,632 (2023: 1,625), pupils attending the School during the year, which provides Governors with confidence that the School is continuing to fulfil its objective of providing value for money in the provision of a first-class independent education.

6. RGS Dodderhill. After Mr Banyard joined in September 2023 RGS Dodderhill has gathered a huge amount of feedback in the form of surveys, meetings, focus groups and The RGS Worcester Family of Schools’ survey. This has highlighted the strengths of the School: small class sizes, pastorally minded and dedicated staff and a positive and nurturing atmosphere within the School. To support the growth the SLT has been restructured with additional middle leadership being added to support the data and tracking, the co-curricular provision and the Early Years. The School has benefitted from a focussed estates review, with a decoration and lighting upgrade being put in place alongside the addition of a senior library, upgraded lighting in key locations, refurbishment of Hillcourt House and the Nursery. These means that the School has the staff and facilities to continue to support students to achieve their best from ages 2-16.

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER STRATEGIC REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Grant Making Policy

7. Bursary Policy. The Governors wish to ensure that the opportunity for children to benefit from the education offered by the School is not unreasonably restricted by parents’ ability to pay fees. Means-tested bursaries are made available in the form of a remission of up to 100% of the tuition fees payable, depending on the financial, compassionate or other pertinent circumstances of applicants. To ensure that people in genuine poverty are not excluded, as well as covering tuition fees, bursaries may be extended to cover or contribute towards the costs of such additional items as school lunches, uniform, travel costs, examination fees, equipment required for educational, sports or co-curricular activities and foreign exchange and other educationally important trips.

8. Priorities . A number of factors will be considered when making the judgement as to the justification for support, and the extent of such support. In the main, a child’s suitability for the School is the first consideration in granting a bursary. In assessing a child’s suitability, attention will be given to their academic assessment, but potential will also be considered as well as actual achievement. Each applicant must meet the School’s normal academic requirements and any pupil to whom support is offered must, in the opinion of the Head, be likely to make sound academic progress following admission and possess the potential to develop the quality of his or her work. A considerable degree of commitment and effort will be required and a good record of effort and behaviour in previous schools will be essential. Since The RGS Worcester Family of Schools are of high academic standards it will normally follow that those achieving the highest results in the entrance examination will be deemed most suitable. Consideration will also be given to how a pupil might benefit from participation in the wider, co-curricular activities on offer at the School.

9. Assessment . Although the priority in making an award will be suitability, the amount will be based on financial need. Each case will be assessed on its own merits and awards are made accordingly, subject to available funding and the level of demand. It is recognised that judgements about what sacrifices a family should make to pay school fees will be personal and the scale of awards is therefore not rigid. However, the School has a duty to ensure that all bursary grants are well-focussed and so, as well as current earnings, other assets and lifestyle factors will be considered in determining the appropriate level of grant.

10. Grants . The Governors’ grant-making policy is tempered by there being no significant endowment funds available to provide additional financial support; bursaries therefore must be provided out of fee income. The grant-making policy has been subject to ongoing review in recent years with a view to increasing the number and value of means-tested awards. The Governors feel a certain dilemma in this respect since they have attempted over the years to keep fees as low as possible, whilst at the same time ensuring the School has the means to provide an excellent education. This is manifest in the School’s fees continuing to be lower than similar independent schools in or around Worcester, and below the national average for comparable schools. The Governors consider increases in fees to fund further bursaries to be unreasonable in that they would place further hardship on the many parents who already make significant sacrifices to pay for the advantages of an independent school education for their children.

11. Awards . Scholarships, bursaries and other concessions totalling £2,978,707 (2023: £2,512,589) have been awarded during the year to a total of 649 (2023: 590) pupils. These awards included means-tested bursary awards to the value of £996,392 (2023: £809,518) distributed among 103 (2023: 94) pupils, 13 (2023: 3) of whom received 100%+ remission.

12. Prizes. The School has a Prize Fund, invested in the COIF Charities Investment Fund with a value at 31 August 2024 of £35,298 (2023: £32,630) which provides prizes under the Mytton and Blasson Legacies. All other prizes are funded from the School’s unrestricted funds.

13. Public Benefit. In setting objectives and planning activities the Governors have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on Public Benefit. The Governors achieve this through providing use of the School’s facilities for a wide range of community events and activities and through outreach and partnerships provision for pupils from local state schools.

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER STRATEGIC REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

We continue to grow the number of local organisations who have used the facilities for activities and these include those listed below:

Allen Sport Limited Pauline Quirk Academy Badminton Club Perdiswell Colts 2 Dads v Dads Rounders league Delsport Scottish Rugby Droitwich Archery Society Translucent Dance Studio Droitwich Cricket Junior Division Walking Football Droitwich Spa Vets Worcester County Cricket Club -Junior Division Droitwich Table Tennis Worcester County Football Club – Walking England Netball Football Fencing Club Worcester Bridge Association Leagues 4 You Worcester City Youth Football Little Kickers Worcester Hockey Club Mum 2 Mum Worcestershire Worcester Netball Club Net First 4 Sport CIC Worcester Raiders Vets FC OE Cricket Worcester Warriors Community Foundation Oldbury Park Tigers Worcestershire County Cricket Club

14. Outreach and Partnerships activities include assistance to local schools by sending RGS staff and pupils to support specific subjects and inviting pupils into the four Schools for academic and co-curricular events and activities.

a. RGS Worcester. During the academic year from September 2023 to July 2024, RGS Worcester hosted over 36 events. We also attended a number of local schools for assemblies and fairs and helped to support their curriculum and learning. Over 1,400 pupils across 32 schools benefitted from the outreach programme, ranging from MFL, Science and Arts specific events, to hosting Worcester Primary Schools in a ‘Let's Sing’ event and a Lower Sixth pupil playing the Last Post for a local Primary School at their Remembrance Service. State school pupils were also invited to the RGS Careers & Higher Education Fair.

b. RGS The Grange. Outreach and partnerships included several events last academic year. In March, local schools brought their pupils to enjoy events such as coding, Teambuilding, French and Music and a number of Sporting events. As an Apple Regional Training Centre, running The Digital Leadership Academy attracted leaders from all over the UK. Focusing on a range of topics from Hybrid Learning, How are you handling it to Artificial Intelligence in Education, there was a great deal of interest with over 300 staff signing up during the year.

c. Holiday Club. This year’s Summer Holiday Club (Summer 2024) provision has been very successful and we managed to increase numbers across all 3 sections. We received 3,550 bookings, which is almost 1,000 more than the 2,598 bookings the previous year. This includes an increase of external children attending, with 1,276 external bookings this year compared to 958 last summer.

We have therefore increased our revenue for this summer by almost £20,000. This makes this summer our most successful summer holiday club to date. We hadn’t changed daily prices this year, but have increased additional charges for trips, as well as being more consistent when charging parents late fees and additional wrap around for our Sharks children. We have also stuck to using the school minibuses for trip transport, as much as possible, rather than booking coaches, which has significantly reduced some of the costs over the summer. These changes have helped provide additional income/profits alongside the increase in bookings across all sections.

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER STRATEGIC REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

d. RGS Springfield. Mother and Toddler groups happen each week with attendees from the local community Links with the University of Worcester have provided opportunities for local students to carry out teaching observations and gain face to face school experience, conduct research and placements. There was also a programme supported by staff to deliver training to BEd students from the University of Worcester. The local ‘Britannia Square Residents Association’ Community Group held their annual Celebration picnic in our grounds in June. A toddlers languages day was also held in March.

e. RGS Dodderhill. A large number of local primary schools joined RGS Dodderhill for the School production of ‘Mary Poppins’. In the summer term, RGS Dodderhill pupils hosted and led a language event for local Primary Schools as well as hosting a cooking event and science outreach activity for local schools.

15. Review of Achievements and Performance for the Year

a. Performance. RGS Worcester, RGS Springfield and RGS The Grange were inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in March 2022 with a full Educational Quality and Focused Compliance Inspection, and were judged to be ‘Excellent’ in all areas (this is the highest grade). RGS Dodderhill was inspected by Ofsted in October 2021, and the overall effectiveness of education was classed as ‘Good’, with two categories within this judged as ‘Outstanding’.

b. RGS Worcester Academic Achievements. At A Level, students attained 61.9% A-A and 90.1% A-B, marking a 10% improvement from 2023. The results in BTEC and CTEC subjects were equally impressive, with 94% of all grades awarded at Distinction*-Distinction, the highest available. Once again, RGS achieved its best-ever Value-Added results since modern records began, with each student, on average, exceeding their statistical expectations by +0.4 of a grade across all qualifications. Post-18 pathways were exceptionally successful, with over 95% of students securing their first-choice university or degree apprenticeship placements. All four pupils with Oxbridge offers met the required grades for both Oxford and Cambridge. Additionally, all applicants to Medicine (five students), Dentistry (one student), and Veterinary Science (three students) successfully secured their places for this September. Several students progressed to degree apprenticeships, including placements in Law (Weightmans) and Mechanical Engineering (BAE Systems). The excellent performance extended to GCSE level, where 40.2% of all grades were awarded at the highest levels (9-8), and 98.4% of grades were between 9 and 4. Notably, the most common grade achieved was a 9, with 305 of the 1,374 examinations resulting in this top grade. Furthermore, 78 pupils (51.3% of the cohort) achieved at least one grade 9, demonstrating that high performance was not confined to a small group of students.

c. RGS Dodderhill, Academic Achievements. 21 pupils sat GCSE examinations in Summer 2024. 29% of Grades were 9-7; 95% of all Grades were 9 – 4 which was above the independent school average and the national average of 67%. One student achieved straight 9 grades as well as the highest grade in Additional Mathematics. Most pupils achieved their first choice Sixth Form place; 5 pupils transferred to RGS Worcester for Sixth Form.

16. Cultural Activities

a. RGS Worcester.

Music. The School enjoyed its first foreign Music Tour since 2010. 48 pupils travelled to Normandy in February Half Term to perform three concerts, including two performing alongside French young musicians. These were coupled with some sightseeing and a fabulous Jazz Night on the closing evening where pupils jammed with a French Accordion Jazz Trio.

Two other highlights of the year came in April with two major concerts in Worcester Cathedral in the same week. ‘Sing Sing Sing’ was this year’s RGS Schools’ Concert, seeing all four RGS Schools, plus a visiting choir from Vermont, celebrate singing together in an uplifting and unforgettable occasion. The evening culminated in a fifteen-minute ABBA medley with its encore seeing the whole Cathedral audience standing and singing along to ‘Dancing Queen’. A Lower Sixth student’s orchestral arrangement of the jazz standard,

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which gave the concert its title and raised the roof. Later in the same week, forty senior singers performed Will Todd’s ‘Mass in Blue’ in the Cathedral as part of an international youth choir, conducted by BBC Symphony Chorus Conductor Neil Ferris. This concert was the culmination of eighteen months of work, including several Saturday rehearsals, and the product was a high-quality, professional concert for all to enjoy.

Perrins Hall has, as ever, presented several major school concerts this year, including two Autumn Concerts and the Spring Ensembles Concert as well as the normal jazz offerings of ‘Christmas with the Big Band’ and ‘Cabaret’. In September, Main Hall showcased ‘RGS Live’, a new concert where pupils from brand new Year Sevens to seasoned Sixth Formers performed pop, rock and contemporary music. With sold out tickets and a super array of bar snacks on offer, this new venture showed that RGS Pupils can turn their hand ably to pop and rock music as well as jazz and more classical repertoire.

With more ensembles rehearsing each week than ever before and further performances at Creative Arts Evening, the Commemoration Service, the Carol Service and the Worcester Competitive Arts Festival (where RGS Pupils this year won several trophies), RGS musicians have enjoyed a sonorous and successful year.

Drama. The highlight of the year kicked off in November with the mesmerizing Senior Production of ‘Miss Saigon’. Audiences were transported to the streets of war-torn Vietnam as the talented cast and crew delivered a breathtaking performance that left hearts pounding and eyes moist with emotion. Following hot on its heels was the Junior Scholars' enchanting rendition of ‘A Christmas Carol’, spreading festive cheer and capturing the essence of Dickens' timeless tale. March saw the Year Nine and Ten Pupils take the stage in the thrilling whodunnit, ‘Clue’, featuring two casts to ensure every actor had their moment to shine. This was swiftly followed by the Senior Scholars' bold interpretation of Aristophanes' classic comedy, ‘The Frogs’, leaving audiences in stitches with its witty satire and impeccable comic timing.

The drama staff themselves took centre stage with a riveting two-night run of Jim Cartwright's poignant masterpiece, ‘Two’, raising funds for two deserving charities and showcasing their own acting ability. In June, the School’s younger talents shone in the Year Seven and Eight production of Treasure Island, transporting audiences to a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. The year rounded off with a flourish as the Drama Spotlight Club treated audiences to two compelling short plays from the National Theatre collection, proving that great theatre knows no age limits.

Exam Pupils were treated to unforgettable experiences, travelling to the Royal Shakespeare Company to witness ‘The Empress’ and to the Cheltenham Everyman to enjoy ‘Sister Act: The Musical.’ Additionally, the department hosted two esteemed West End veterans who led a full-day workshop with the cast of ‘Miss Saigon’, providing invaluable insights and inspiration.

Debating. The Debating Society finished another successful year strongly, with notable team and individual performances across various prestigious competitions as well as within the Society. The senior debaters have continued to train the next generation of RGS debaters in the Middles and Juniors respectively.

The School once again built on its excellent record in the Oxford and Cambridge Schools competitions, achieving several 1[st] and 2[nd] place finishes across several rounds of debating. The School’s debaters were unfazed by a challenging range of motions; from complex constitutional arguments around the US presidential election, to the direction of environmental campaigning. The debating teams secured 9[th] and 13[th] on the speakers’ table of the Cambridge Schools regional qualifier out of a field of hundreds.

RGS also advanced to the Regional Final of the ESU Schools’ Mace competition in Cardiff. Year Eleven Pupils held their own against many experienced debaters and were commended for their immaculate speeches, engaging speaking style, and strong listening and response skills.

There were also several strong performances in the House Debating competition, the ESU Public Speaking competition, and various national and international British Parliamentary and Mace competitions.

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER STRATEGIC REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Design Technology. Each year it seems that the department cannot be busier and fuller than the last; this year being no exception. The projects undertaken also seem to grow in complexity as the pupils push and test design boundaries to the limit.

The Upper Sixth have very much led by example throughout the year designing and making some exceptional pieces. These have included an extending dining table, folding camping unit as well as a device used to move upwards of 50 litres of water around an equestrian yard. The group have been outstanding with some of the portfolios produced nearing degree standard. Most of the group are going onto further study in Engineering or Design.

Year Eleven Engineers were tasked with the brief of aiding an ageing population in everyday situations. This led to some excellent conceptual thinking with working prototypes produced solving everything from grabbing devices to dispensing the right pills at the right time. Year Eleven Resistant Materials pupils designed and made a plethora of everyday items found around the home and garden. Both groups demonstrated real creativity, enthusiasm and dedication.

Lower and Middle School pupils used more and more CAD and CAM, especially 3D printing with two new printers regularly running throughout the day, and real in-roads have been made with developing our 3D printing capabilities.

We had some excellent trips and speakers to broaden the horizon of our pupils over the course of the year. These included a trip to F1 Williams, Oxford, where pupils were able to see arguably the largest private collection of F1 cars in the world. They had opportunities to race on simulators as well as code autonomous vehicles. Pupils were also fortunate enough to listen to talks given by engineers from the Thrust SSC Land speed record attempt and Mercedes Petronas engine development.

Greenpower continued to enthuse the next generation of budding engineers. The culmination of the season saw the team finish 20[th] out of almost 100 cars at the international final. A Lower Sixth student was successful in gaining a prestigious Arkwright Scholarship: a highly competitive national programme with only the top engineers gaining one.

Art. When a member of the public stated how proud they were to be a citizen of Worcester having viewed the Sixth Form Art Exhibition in Worcester Cathedral in February, it was praise indeed. The ideas and inspiration for the wonderful artwork on display stemmed from our annual site visit to the city at the start of the Michaelmas Term. The culmination was our largest exhibition to date and with the kind permission of the Dean and Chapter, we were able to show our talented pupils’ work in the Chapter House. Work on display varied in scale and media and, as always, illustrated the individuality of our artists as well as their bravery in showing their work publicly.

Also looking for inspiration in a beautiful city were the Year Eleven artists when they visited Oxford in preparation for their GCSE examination. The Ashmolean Museum, the Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museum all provided photographic and sketching opportunities of cultural and natural artefacts.

January marked our Art Week. As well as welcoming sixty pupils from visiting Primary Schools for a mixedmedia activity, the department also ran a ceramic workshop for our Year Ten pupils. Inspired by the work of The Arts and Crafts Movement, the pupils created beautiful tiles based on birds and fish. We also organised a print-making workshop for parents and several left the studio having rediscovered their creative side. A whole school art installation for Central Hall was also created by pupils and staff constructed of over 1,500 origami butterflies flying over the atrium.

In the Lent Term, pupils in Year Ten created a collaborative artwork to mark Holocaust Memorial Day to be exhibited in the city’s Guildhall. This year’s theme was ‘The Fragility of Freedom’ and pupils used the delicacy of tissue paper to create a three-dimensional work based on shoes to signify the indiscriminate nature of genocide.

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The School was selected to take part in St Richard’s Hospice’s fund-raising campaign and the Lower School pupils designed a penguin chick for ‘The Waddle of Worcester’. Our younger artists took inspiration from mindful colouring pages and designed ‘Vesta’ named after the famous Worcester actress, including symbols of the city hidden in the design.

Textiles. Once again, the School hosted the regional final for the Young Fashion Designer UK Competition, with the focus being on sustainability in fashion and textiles. In June, we welcomed talented pupils from across the region to take part in an experience day that included a workshop and portfolio presentation from previous winners who have gone on to develop successful careers in the fashion industry. A Lower Sixth student won the Design Category and was Runner-Up with her upcycled creation, and a Year Seven pupil won the Junior competition, with another receiving a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate.

In March, a Lower Sixth student was selected as a Finalist in the Fashion Icon National Competition and won first prize. The theme ‘For the Love of Vivienne’ provided inspiration for the pupils to research, develop and present a final design idea inspired by the life works of Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Pupils in Year Ten enjoyed a visit to The Hive where they took photographs and produced a range of sketches of the modern architecture. Their research provided further inspiration for their own fashion designs and practical pieces, produced as part of the GCSE coursework.

Lower Sixth students enjoyed a trip to London to gather research and inspiration for their forthcoming Personal Investigations. The ‘Unravel’ exhibition at The Barbican and the behind-the-scenes tour at The Royal Opera House were highlights. The ‘Fashion City’ historical fashion collection at The Docklands Museum also helped develop an understanding of garment silhouette, fabrics and the history of fashion design.

All the pupils enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their work on the catwalk as part of the Creative Arts Evening. With a wide variety of pieces from Year Nine, GCSE and A Level Pupils, they produced a colourful display as well as showing a broad range of complex skills in pattern cutting, fabric manipulation, pattern and print.

b. RGS The Grange. February’s Performing Arts Week engaged students from across the school in drama, music, and dance, with Year Five once again captivating us with their ever-popular Play in a Day based on Roald Dahl’s work. The Chamber Choir had another proud moment when they reached the finals of the Barnardo’s National Choir of the Year competition, held at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. April brought yet more success, as the Chamber Choir, under the direction of Mr. Soman, delivered a stunning performance at the joint RGS Worcester concert held in The Cathedral.

The year culminated with our Summer Production of ‘Scheherazade’, performed twice to enthusiastic audiences. The production featured all Year Six students either on stage, costumes, lighting and/or props. Our ABRSM and LAMDA results were once again outstanding, reflecting the dedication and talent of our students.

Despite the busyness of the Trinity term, we closed the year with a final concert that showcased the songs performed by individual year groups throughout 2023-2024, offering a fitting and celebratory conclusion to a remarkable year.

c. RGS Springfield. Pupils participated in plays and performances. Examples include: outdoor Nativities, Carol Services celebrations, concerts and performances throughout the year with all children participating at least once. A highlight was the production of ‘a Midsummer Nights’ Dream’ in March for those in our Years Three to Six. Selected children also performed in the Worcester Festival of Performing Arts in both drama and musical categories winning several. Children undertook Music and Theatre exams as well as LAMDA exams throughout the year. The school allows Duke of Edinburgh students to undertake volunteering in After School Care or to help with Sports Clubs.

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d. RGS Dodderhill. There was a plethora of trips and visits to supplement and enrich the curriculum learning throughout this year. This continues to be a focus of RGS Dodderhill to show how much is on offer from a small school that punches above its weight. As well as termly Recitals and Concerts showcasing the musical talent running throughout the school, we added a Prep Creative Creations show to highlight the performing arts for the younger children and a senior performing arts evening. The students performed ‘The Little Christmas Tree’ in Nursery and Prep to impress audiences at Christmas. We also reinstated the RGS Dodderhill’s Got Talent competition which had dance, song, magic and storytelling. Year Eight pupils were given the opportunity to take part in the Faraday Challenge at RGS Worcester which focuses on Science and STEM creativity to solve problems. Senior pupils were enabled to support younger linguists when we hosted a Language morning focused on French Phonics.

17. Trips and Expeditions

a. RGS Worcester.

Duke of Edinburgh Award. The early expedition season in September started in earnest with Gold and Silver trips near Anglesey and Snowdonia, North Wales and the Long Mynd Shropshire, respectively.

This training weekend provided vital knowledge, experience and confidence to all pupils as they progressed onto greater challenges.

With the Easter weekend falling earlier in the calendar this year our traditional field weekend was moved into the start of the Trinity term. Very wet and windy weather had battered the country leading up to our expeditions testing the skills and resilience of all pupils. A small Gold canoe group journeyed from Hereford to Monmouth, while the large Silver group conquered a large area of the Black Mountains. Our Year Nine cohort of nearly 100 pupils applied their training very effectively in the countryside South East of Malvern. This also included cooking and camping overnight for the first time.

Our expedition season was completed successfully with our Year Ten Silver groups beginning and completing their journeys in the glorious grounds of Chatsworth House and Ilam House in Derbyshire. A small Gold canoe group paddled from Hereford to Monmouth on the River Wye, and our Year Nine pupils completed their assessment in and around Malvern and the south Worcestershire countryside. Many have subsequently enrolled creating a record number at Silver level. In September, a second slightly larger Gold group canoed down the River Severn to Bewdley to complete their Expedition Section.

CCF: Royal Navy Section. The April Field Day visit to the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth was a highlight of the year. It was great to see the Section visit HMS Victory as well as boarding a real RN Landing craft used in the Falklands Conflict, in addition to getting up close and personal to the ships on a harbour tour.

The Section also visited the Helicopter Underwater Escape Trainer in Southampton where cadets learnt the manoeuvres necessary to escape from a submerged helicopter. From initially being strapped in on the inside to the helicopter to being fully submerged to finally escaping was an experience for all. Cadets then attempted to secure safety in an inflatable survival pod after a 20ft drop and simulated storm conditions, which the staff enjoyed creating.

The July trip to Newquay in the Trinity Term saw the Section enjoy water-based activities such as surfing and coasteering as well as a tour of RNAS Culdrose, where they visited the BCU and Merlin simulators and were shown around a Merlin helicopter.

CCF: RAF Section. The first Field trip of the year combined adventurous activities and camping with a visit to the RAF Museum at Cosford. In October, cadets competed in a range of mini-competitions, which included climbing, watersports, archery and orienteering at Top Adventures. This trip provided an excellent opportunity for the Section to develop teamwork and leadership skills which they embraced fully. The following day, an engaging guided tour of the exhibits related to the origins of the Royal Air Force in the early twentieth century was undertaken.

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In April, the Field Residential Trip to a working RAF station provided cadets with the opportunity to understand the variety of roles required in the modern service. Excellent presentations by the University of Birmingham Air Squadron and from a serving fighter jet pilot were notable highlights, although the unique tour of the cyber training facilities at RAF Cosford, coupled with invaluable insights from staff, topped the presentations. The trip culminated in a fun laser tag team event that pitted cadets against one other in a capture-the-flag tournament.

The Summer Field trip saw cadets attend a four-day camp featuring a series of adventurous activities on the Isle of Man, which included coasteering, abseiling, shooting and a fun assault course. The focus was on teamwork and leadership skill development, with section seniors inspiring younger cadets with aspirations of moving up into the rank structure. The trip culminated in an awe-inspiring presentation by a fighter jet pilot who flew to the island and shared experiences from his illustrious 30-year career in the Royal Air Force.

CCF: Army Section. The October Field Training Weekend saw all adapt, improvise and overcome the late cancellation of the traditional Nesscliff trip due to Operational Exercises taking precedence on the training area. Top Barn (Lakeside Campus) was thankfully able to host and a range of challenging leadership and adventurous activities were undertaken over a two-day exercise. Cadets were challenged to climb to the top of the tower blindfolded amongst afloat activities and archery before a team competition on the final afternoon nearly exhausted everyone.

For the April Training Weekend, after a relatively calm crossing of the Irish Sea, Storm Kathleen then came into play. She tried her best to impact the scheduled activities. Sadly the gorge walking was unable to be attempted with the river swelling to an effective Grade 5. However, the cadets still managed to go coasteering and successfully navigated the high ropes course and zip wire. Other activities included target shooting with an air rifle, abseiling and climbing, axe throwing, archery, the blind-folded confidence course and kayaking, where cadets gained a Paddle Sports UK award. The travel home proved interesting, with ferries cancelled, and then delayed. Eventually, we returned home at 0100hrs, tired but ready for the new (same) day.

At the end of the year, the Army Section visited Warcop Defence Training Establishment for five days of training and competition. After arrival on Tuesday, cadets were briefed on the 36 hours living-in-the-field exercise. With kit checked and ration packs issued, cadets entered the area and undertook training in fire control orders, moving discretely in the field (stalking), range card creation and sentry duty, before setting up their bashas in the field for what was a damp and windy night. Thursday saw the section undertake the stalk assessment, with all cadets passing, and further instruction on navigation and obstacle crossing before all undertook a close-quarter battle paintball lane. Friday saw the section participate in a round-robin of laser shotgun, air rifle, tag archery, command tasks, STEM conundrums and Gun Run training needed for the final day competition.

On the final morning, the Section powered through the Gun Run in a near faultless performance and won by a highly impressive margin of 30 seconds. Also in the final ceremony, an RGS cadet won the laser shotgun event, and the School walked away for the second year running as Best Contingent on Camp.

Several academic departments ran residential trips including: Art & Textiles to London to get inspiration for Pupils’ A Level projects, Sixth Form scientists visited CERN over the February Half term, the Classics department took 48 pupils to Greece and the Geographers went to Iceland and there was a Politics, Economics and Business trip to Washington and New York. The Senior Literary Society again visited London for a Gothic Tour and 56 pupils enjoyed visiting the Christmas Markets in Cologne. There were three language exchanges with schools in France, Germany and Spain, and there was a Watersports trip for 38 Year Seven pupils to near Venice at the start of the Summer holiday. As usual, the Lower Sixth Geography Pupils went to FSC Slapton Sands for their 5-day fieldwork trip in March and the Biologists stayed at FSC Nettlecombe in Devon for their 2-night residential.

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b. RGS The Grange enjoyed taking children on a variety of academic, cultural and residential trips during 2023-2024. Children across all age ranges were taken on trips each term which in most cases led to related work on their return. The trips were extremely varied and included; Warwick Castle, Little Owls Farm Park, Blists Hill, Bishops Wood (Stone Age), RGSW Textiles, Loughbourgh University (STEM), Royal Albert Hall, Smart Trees, Swan Theatre, Think Tank, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Chedworth Roman Villa, Little Big Town, Worcester Woods (Running Club), BETT Show, Go Ape, Black Country Museum, Lego League (Harrogate), Cadbury World, Drayton Manor and the Malvern Hills. The residential trips included Ross on Wye, Mill on the Brue, Bushcraft, Edale and France.

c. RGS Springfield provided as many opportunities as possible for pupils with a French trip in November, for Year Five and Six and then residentials for all of those in Year Three to Six in the Summer term which were widely welcomed by pupils and parents. Local trips continued to support the widest possible educational offering such as Lower Smite Farm, Hartlebury Castle and Botanical Gardens as well as the Think Tank in Birmingham.

d. RGS Dodderhill. As so many of the RGS Dodderhill students are actively involved in the performing arts, theatre trips are a key part of our provision and enjoyed by all. Year Ten and Eleven went to Birmingham to watch ‘Blood Brothers’, their GCSE set work about love, family, betrayal, lies and grief. It was a spellbinding performance from a travelling company fresh from the West End. They also went to the Vaudeville Theatre to watch the powerhouse performance of ‘Six’ the musical as part of their cultural trip to London. Year Six went to see a performance of The Boy at the back of the Class on Wednesday morning at Malvern Theatre. The children have been studying the book in their English lessons so relished the opportunity to see it performed on stage. They also had the wonderful opportunity to visit RGS The Grange and watch a professional Theatre company perform a play in French. Years One and Two visited the Swan Theatre in Worcester to watch a performance of "Jack and the Beanstalk."

Children in Years Three, Four, Five and Six were inspired by the most wonderful playing of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday afternoon at Symphony Hall. Year Five and Six made their inaugural trip to Bushcraft in Boughton Woods, and Year 5 also visited the Thinktank in Birmingham. We also ran a trip to the BETT fair to celebrate our terrific DLP and show off our digital learning.

18. Sports

RGS Worcester. The 1[st] XI Hockey team went undefeated in their first five fixtures and secured a commanding 5-0 victory in their initial National Cup match against Malvern College, but then suffered narrow 1-0 defeat against King’s Worcester in the second round. A week later, against the same opponents, the team fought back to secure a thrilling 3-3 draw in the Severn Shield contest, which proved to be a great advert for hard, competitive hockey as both teams went toe-to-toe in a tense affair that swung back and forth throughout. The U15A team excelled with 7 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw in their 11 fixtures, advancing to the fourth round of the National Cup. On the Boys' side, teams entered the Malvern College Under 13 tournament and the Midlands competition at Rugby School.

Numerous girls distinguished themselves whilst playing in high-level club Hockey and county games, and three were part of the Talent Academy. A recent leaver was selected for the Under 21 England Hockey team in Germany over the summer in the Four Nations competition.

At Senior level, the Rugby programme thrived with substantial participation in the Upper Sixth. There were notable victories against KES Birmingham, KES Stratford, and Collegiate School, however the annual Modus Cup match resulted in a defeat to King’s Worcester. The Under 14As progressed to Round 4 of the National Cup after an impressive victory over Reading Bluecoat School and the Under 12B, Under 13A and Under 13B all enjoyed unbeaten seasons. In particular, the Under 13s grew from game to game, exemplified by confident victories over Monmouth, Bromsgrove, Dean Close, and King’s Worcester.

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In the Rugby Sevens season, the Under 14s won the Shield Trophy at the King’s Worcester Tournament, the Under 16s lifted the Plate Trophy at the Warwick School Competition, and the Under 13s won at the Solihull School Festival. The School again fielded teams across various age groups at the Rosslyn Park Sevens Tournament. The Under 18s and Under 14s showed strong performances, while the Under 18 Girls 1st VII displayed remarkable consistency with 2 good wins, including against the previous year’s RunnersUp.

There were some notable international and regional selections, with 2 Sixth Form students being selected for Scotland Men Under 18s and England Women Under 18s in their Six Nations Festivals, and several pupils were involved with the West Midlands Academy.

A highlight of the Netball term was a Severn Stars Masterclass attended by over 70 pupils who benefited from expert coaching by 3 NSL players. The School also hosted a Year Six Primary Schools Netball tournament, welcoming 9 local schools for an afternoon of competitive Netball. The Under 16 team reached the semi-final of the Plate 'Sisters n Sport' competition and the 1st VII reached the Regional Semi- Finals and secured joint first place in their pool at the Collegiate tournament. They also enjoyed notable victories over Dean Close School, Kingswood School, Bristol Grammar School, and Christ College Brecon. The 'Superball' match, played in front of over 1400 spectators at the University of Worcester Arena, was a standout event where both 1st and 2nd teams secured victories over King’s School. The senior players also toured to Malta during the October Half Term, which saw them take on 3 club sides, including some players who had played internationally for Malta. Several individuals were selected for county and franchise pathways including Severn Stars and Central Warriors.

The new two-term format for winter sports enabled the School’s Footballers to have greater focus on developing team strategies against other well-established two-term football schools such as Malvern, Clifton, Marlborough, and Wrekin Colleges, as well as Shrewsbury School. The senior players benefited from an October tour to Barcelona, which saw three senior teams each play three matches against local club opposition. The players also trained at Barcelona FC’s training ground and had an opportunity to visit the Olympic Stadium and La Sagrada Familia. The 1[st] XI’s fixture card after Christmas was one of the most competitive in the Midlands and Southwest, including notable fixtures against, Princethorpe College, Wycliffe College, King’s School Worcester, Pate's Grammar School, and Cheltenham College. Further down the school, the Under 12s secured an undefeated season and the U15s produced several particularly impressive performances.

Of our standout pathway footballers, one was selected to represent the ISFA at the National Under 14 level and another was offered a contract with Birmingham City. The school was blessed with 3 talented goalkeepers: One was selected to play for the FA England U16 Team against Italy, another for the ISFA U16 National Team, and a Lower Sixth student played in goal for Worcester City Women's victory in the County Cup Final.

The Rowing Club had considerable success in a number of regattas. At the Worcester Small Boats Head, a Lower Sixth student won the Womens’ J17 Single Scull and another won the Open Junior 18 Single Scull. Then, at the British Rowing Indoor Championships, the RGS Worcester team won the Gold Medal in the Mixed Junior Relay event, earning them the title of 2023 British Rowing Indoor Champions. At the National Schools Regatta in May, the Womens’ J16 Double Scull won the C final and the Boys’ J18 Coxless Quadruple Scull placed 5th in their C final. At the Worcester Regatta, RGS boats won the Boys’ J15 Coxed Quadruple Scull event and the Girls’ J17 Single Scull. Further victories followed at the Stratford Upon Avon Junior Regatta.

Two Lower Sixth students produced a number of impressive performances, first at the GB Rowing Under 19 Trials, and then winning the Gold medal at the Junior Sculling Regatta in the Women’s J17 Double Scull event. At the Henley Women's Regatta, they reached the semi-final of the Rayner Challenge Cup and rowed the third fastest time out of a field of 30 crews. They also competed in the British Junior Rowing Championships and won four medals between them. A recent leaver was also selected for Wales at Under 21 Rowing Team.

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The Boys’ 1st XI Cricket team enjoyed a very successful season, having played 23 matches and only losing to one school team, before they travelled to RGS Guildford for the annual RGS Cricket Festival. Victories in the regular season included beating Bromsgrove twice, Warwick and Bedford Schools, and also a nailbiting victory at King’s School Worcester thanks to a heroic last-wicket stand. At the Festival, victories against RGS Colchester and RGS Newcastle saw the team finish in 4[th] place. An impressive win against the MCC, resulted in one player receiving an invitation to Lord’s thanks to his well-crafted century. Another Lower Sixth cricketer was selected from a pool of 2,800 players to represent MCC Schools in a fixture at Lord’s. The U12A team won all their matches except the final of the County Cup.

Girls’ Cricket enjoyed matches and victories in all age groups, although a number of matches fell victim to the weather. The first ever Girls’ 1st XI victory was recorded, and two Year Eight girls were selected for the senior team following strong performances for the Under 13A team. The Under 15 Indoor team reached the semi-final of the Lady Taverners’ competition.

54 RGS athletes competed in the ESAA Track and Field Cup and at the Junior Schools County Championships, individuals won Gold in the Boys’ Shot Put, Silver in the Boys’ Long Jump and Bronze in the Boys’ 100m, Girls’ 800m and Girls’ 1500m. 8 pupils also qualified for the County Schools Athletics Championships at Stourport, where RGS athletes won one Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze medal. Two pupils qualified for the Mason Trophy inter-county meeting at Northwood Stadium in Stoke and, at the Mercia Prep School Championships, a pupil broke the School and the Championship record for Boys 75m Hurdles, going on to win Silver at the National Championships in a time of 12.48 seconds. An Upper Sixth leaver won a Gold Medal at the Under 21 World Athletics Championships in the Mens’ 4 x 400m relay.

Performance Tennis training sessions took place at Pershore Indoor Tennis Centre and Cripplegate courts. The Under 13 Boys’ Tennis team remained undefeated throughout the season, securing decisive victories in league fixtures with 6-0 wins against both Woodrush and Bromsgrove Schools. The Senior Girls’ team progressed to the third round of the national schools Aberdare Cup with a commendable 4-2 victory against St. Edward's School, Cheltenham.

The School’s new Swimming Academy resulted in the Girls’ Inter (Years Nine & Ten) Relay team qualifying again for the National Relay Finals, where they finished 25th in the Freestyle and 13th in the Medley Relay. The School team also won the Worcestershire Secondary Schools Gala for the first time.

the Senior Boys’ and a Year Nine pupil won the Junior Girls’ competitions. They, along with a third RGS runner, were selected to run for the Herefordshire and Worcestershire team in the National Cross-Country Championships.

The Senior Boys’ team reached the National Schools Finals, after coming 2nd in the Regional Finals. The team came 26th overall with the first RGS runner finishing 11th in the country.

The annual RGS Fencing Gala in December saw over 100 fencers from twelve different schools and clubs compete. A Lower Sixth student fenced for the British Cadet team at an international competition in Budapest in October.

At the West Midlands Championships, RGS fencers won Bronze medals in the Under 16 Epee and a Year Seven pupil won 2 Silver medals and Gold in the Under 12 Epee. Seven boys and girls were selected for the British National Youth Championships and six competed in the Public Schools Fencing Championships. After an impressive three days at the Championships, a Year Seven pupil was selected to represent the Under 14 England Fencing in a competition in Switzerland.

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RGS Riders won the 90-95cm competition in a NSEA Eventer Challenge competition, winning and qualifying for the National Schools Final. In addition, a Year Nine pupil helped the Wales and West Midlands Regional Under 18 squad secure 5th place at a 3-day event at Bicton Arena and was also selected for the prestigious British Eventing Spotlight Award. At the National Schools Championships at Hickstead, 3 pupils competed in the Eventers Challenge with one finishing 3rd in the individual dressage, and another delivered a fantastic Show Jumping round to achieve an impressive 6th place.

Two pupils from Years Ten and Eight both achieved Silver Medals at the World Dance Championships, and a Lower Sixth student, having been selected to represent Great Britain in Canoe marathon racing, came 4[th] in an international race in Amsterdam.

a. RGS The Grange . 2023/24 was as busy as any previous year. In a similar manner to 2022/23, both the Head of Boys and Girls Games worked tirelessly to ensure all children received a measured number of sports fixtures against other schools. With over sixty boys in Year Six this meant at times that we had to play against four different schools in an afternoon to enable all children to play.

Sporting achievements were evident across all three terms with children in Years Three to Six having success in both Regional and National competitions. Cross Country was once again a strong area for RGS The Grange, with us winning or coming second in all local events. Unfortunately, the National Event at Malvern College was once again cancelled due to poor weather. During the Lent Term both boys and girls performed particularly well in the Worcestershire Under 11 Primary Football competition with the boys losing in the semi-final and the girls losing in a very exciting and close final 0-2. The Trinity Term crescendo with children performing well at Under 11 County Cricket, Under 11 IAPS Swimming Finals, National Preparatory Athletics Finals and the Malvern Under 11 Aquathlon.

As always, success at Primary School is not measured by success for which our children had their fair share, but by the enthusiasm of our children to get their trainers on and be active which is clearly happening at RGS The Grange.

b. RGS Springfield. A good year of competitive matches and tournaments for boys and girls against a range of local schools as well as being able to participate in local coaching events for sports such as Netball. Swimming continues at Perdiswell with all pupils having the opportunity to develop their Swimming and play games such as Water Polo. The PE curriculum encompasses all the sports as well as Gymnastics, Dance, Badminton, Tennis, Athletics as well as strength and fitness. Other sports such as Stand-Up Paddle Boarding, Riding, Fencing and Climbing have been offered as part of our activity programme and the take up has been excellent.

d. RGS Dodderhill . For a small school the students get an incredibly rich and varied diet of sport and outstanding opportunities to represent the school at matches and fixtures throughout the year. The year started with pre-season netball and a residential trip to Condover. As well as reviewing the fixture schedule to get the right balance for each year group we have also reviewed the sporting clubs to ensure students can do co-curricular sport every day of the week. This means that sport at RGS Dodderhill is wide and varied: from the main sport of netball, hockey, cricket and athletics, to trampolining, sailing, horse riding and much more.

19. Charity Fundraising. The RGS Worcester Family of Schools helped raise more than £22,000 for various charities in the academic year 2023-24.

a. RGS Worcester. The total raised for the academic year for charitable causes was £11,113.39. The School’s two non-uniform days for BBC Children in Need in November 2023 and Comic Relief in March 2024 raised £4,880.53 in total. Some brave members of the teaching staff took part in a Staff Karaoke as part of the fundraising for BBC Children in Need. The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust was again the Sixth Form’s chosen charity this year and a total of £739.22 was raised through a Christmas Jumper Competition and the annual Staff v Sixth Formers’ Netball match. The selling of Poppies for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal raised £655.33, with one of the School’s Ukrainian Pupils selling poppies in all weathers on many occasions. The Drama department produced and performed in the play ‘Two’ by Jim Cartwright to

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raise money for Meningitis Now and Betel UK. A total of £1,458.29 was raised and split between the two charities. Once again, a Year Eleven pupil travelled a marathon distance in a wheelchair with her family and friends to raise funds for Long Covid Kids, finishing with a reception party at the school.

Other charities supported this year included St Richard’s Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Support, Worcester Foodbank, Worcester Snoezelen, Acorns Children’s Hospice, Wooden Spoon and Maggs Day Centre.

b. RGS The Grange. fundraising efforts have been both busy and incredibly productive. The children enthusiastically embraced the challenge of supporting those less fortunate, while also contributing to St Richard’s Hospice, a place that holds special memories for many of our families. Our charity events were generously supported by both children and parents, with a variety of activities such as St Valentine’s Day heart creations, staff versus pupils Gladiator challenges, and cake sales. In addition to raising funds for St Richard’s Hospice, we have proudly supported Children in Need, the Red Nose Day Appeal, and Barnardo’s Children’s Charity. Thanks to the dedication and generosity of our school community, we raised a remarkable total of £5,124.82 this year. Both our children and parents should be extremely proud of their contributions and the positive impact they have made.

c. RGS Springfield. The children and staff have thoroughly enjoyed all their fundraising activities during the year with a variety of fundraising and direct donation events in place. Charities selected were Worcestershire Wildlife trust, Grace Kelly childhood cancer trust as well as Comic Relief and Children in Need. In total £1,047.50 had been raised by events initiated by the children.

d. RGS Dodderhill. As part of our vision to impact our wider community positively, we had another busy year supporting local good causes. The annual Macmillian coffee morning raised over a thousand pounds. We supported a Thai school to build a new playground to support our science technician’s home village. We once again supported Droitwich food bank through the harvest donations and as part of the incredible Giving Day. We also began work with HIPZ (a health charity in Zanzibar) through our inaugural colour run. As well as this individual houses supported charities close to their hearts throughout the year.

20. Financial Position. The Governors consider the School is in a very sound financial position with net assets of £26,013,000 (2023: £25,474,000)

21. Administration Costs. The costs for the administration of the Charity at £179,005 (2023: £187,605), remain at less than 1% of the total net income for the Charity of £24,868,000 (2023: £22,347,000)

22. Reserves Policy. The Free Reserve position remains healthy and shows an increase of £246,000 (2023: £742,000). The Governors’ policy is to manage the finances of the School in such a way as to generate sufficient Free Reserve to meet the current development plans whilst maintaining prudence given the prevailing economic climate. The Governors consider that free reserves in the order of £2.0m, or approximately 2 months’ operating costs would be desirable, subject to the prior demands of further capital expenditure needed to achieve the School’s strategic plan.

Free Reserves, excluding pension deficit 2024 2023
£000 £000
Unrestricted Funds 25,393 25,149
Less Fixed Assets (21,577) (21,654)
Pension deficit (due in more than one year) 93 168
-------- --------
3,909 3,663
===== =====
Restricted Funds total 180 53
===== =====

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23. Investment Policies. The Governors employ a low risk investment strategy.

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

24. Risk management. The Governors continue the examination of the principal areas of the School’s operations, in conjunction with the Strategy Group, reviewing the major risks faced in each of these areas on at least a termly basis. A formal review of the Charity’s risk management processes is undertaken annually. Where appropriate, the Governors allocate resources and establish review systems to allow these risks to be monitored and mitigated to an acceptable level in day-to-day operations of the School.

The main controls include;

The current most significant risks continue to be associated with maintaining sustainability of fee income against a challenging economic backdrop, managing a rising cost base, and the complexity associated with remaining compliant with all relevant requirements.

The Governors consider a significant source of financial risk to be that of the funding requirements of the various pension schemes for teachers and non-teaching staff which are impacted by factors outside the School’s control. In order to mitigate this risk, the current and foreseeable service cost is monitored and periodic actuarial valuations are reviewed to assess the impact of external factors on the scheme liabilities. Strategies are then considered accordingly. At the Budget announcement on 30 October 2024, the Government confirmed that VAT would be applied to school fees from 1 January 2025. It also included an increase to employers’ National Insurance contributions, removal of mandatory Business Rates relief and an increase to the National Living Wage. The School will ensure it takes all possible action including realising efficiency savings and recovering VAT on applicable costs to minimise the impact to our parents.

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Future Developments

25. Objectives. The immediate key objectives within the current Strategic Development Plan are:

26. Worcestershire International Hockey Club Limited. RGS Worcester and Worcester Hockey Club have established a joint venture, Worcester International Hockey Ltd, which was incorporated in December 2019. The project cost is to be financed by way of equal contributions from each of RGS Worcester and Worcester Hockey Club in addition to a long term loan to be provided by Worcester County Council of £2.1m.

27. Key Management Personnel. The Officers of RGS Worcester are the four Heads and the Director of Finance and Operations, collectively referred to as the Strategy Group. Their remuneration is reviewed annually by Governors at their Summer Board meeting. The process of review is led by the Chair of Governors, and is initially conducted in discussion with the three Chairs of the Governors' sub committees. The key inputs to this review are updated benchmarking data from third party sources and annual performance appraisals of each of the Officers.

28. Section 172(1) Statement – Stakeholder Engagement. The Governors have acted in accordance with their duties codified in law, which include their duty to act in the way in which they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the School for the benefit of its members as a whole, having regard to the stakeholders and matters set out in section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006.

Pupils. Pupils benefit from the School’s excellent pastoral provision with staff placing as much importance on pupils’ all-round personal development as they do on academic progress.

Employees. The School recognises that the qualities, skills and commitment of its employees play a major role in the School’s success. Regular briefings keep staff informed of School-wide developments, and wideranging employee benefits enhance their quality of life. Staff wellbeing has been a key focus this year and will be a continued area of attention, along with equality, diversity and inclusion.

Parents. The School recognises the many benefits of engaging with parents and has reimagined its communications with parents over the past 12 months. An historic reliance on written communication has given way to digital innovations such as streaming live and recorded audio-visual events and podcasts.

Community: The School is proud of its place in the local community and conscious that it has a significantly beneficial impact on the local economy and on local cultural life.

29. Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting summary

Summary Data for 1 September to 31 August 2024 2023
Total Energy Use 3,988,096 kwh 3,694,606kwh
TotalGreenhouse GasEmission 750 tC02 695tC02
Totalpupils 1,632 1,625
Intensityratio perpupil 0.46 tC02 per pupil 0.43tC02perpupil

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THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER STRATEGIC REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

UK Energy use covers The Royal Grammar School Worcester’s activities across four schools. RGS Worcester continues to follow the recommendations of the ESOS report of 2024. Following on from the upgraded thermally efficient windows, further insulation has continued and the Schools have a rolling programme to replace all existing lights with LEDs. We have also upgraded nearly all electric distribution boards.

Associated Greenhouse gases have been calculated using the UK Government GHG conversion factors for Company reporting for 2024.

Approved by the Board on 23 April 2025, and signed on its behalf by:-

Mr Andrew Greenway Chair of Governors

22

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Royal Grammar School Worcester (‘the charitable company’) for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement 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 Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustee's use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company'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 trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. 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 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.

23

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion based on the work undertaken during our audit

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors’ report included within the trustees’ 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:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements 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 based on these financial statements.

Details of the extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations are set out below.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We identified and assessed the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements from irregularities, whether due to fraud or error, and discussed these between our audit team members. We then designed and performed audit procedures responsive to those risks, including obtaining audit evidence sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

24

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks within which the charitable company operates, focusing on those laws and regulations that have a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The laws and regulations we considered in this context were the Companies Act 2006, together with the Charities SORP (FRS 102). We assessed the required compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items.

In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the financial statements but compliance with which might be fundamental to the charitable company’s ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty. We also considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company for fraud. The laws and regulations we considered in this context for the UK operations were The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

Auditing standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these laws and regulations to enquiry of the Trustees and other management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

We identified the greatest risk of material impact on the financial statements from irregularities, including fraud, to be within the override of controls by management and bursaries, scholarships and allowances. Our audit procedures to respond to these risks included enquiries of management, and the Finance & General Purposes Committee about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities, sample testing on the posting of journals, designing audit procedures over bursaries, scholarships and allowances, reviewing accounting estimates for biases, reviewing regulatory correspondence with the Charity Commission, Independent Schools Inspectorate, OFSTED and reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing noncompliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

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.

Tara Westcott Partner For and on behalf of Crowe U.K. LLP 4[th] Floor St James House St James’ Square Cheltenham GL50 3PR

Date: 2 May 2025

25

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

(including the Income & Expenditure account)

Note Unrestricted Restricted Endowed 2024 2023
Funds Funds Funds Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000
INCOMING RESOURCES
Income from Charitable Activities
School fees 1. 22,835 - - 22,835 20,584
Other educational activities 2. 21 - - 21 21
Other ancillary activities 2. 1,232 - - 1,232 1,092
Income from other Trading activities 2. 198 - - 198 338
Investment income 2. 155 1 - 156 92
Voluntary income 2. - 429 - 429 220
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Total Incoming Resources 24,441 430 - 24,871 22,347
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
EXPENDITURE ON:
Raising Funds
Fundraising Costs 3. 181 - - 181 214
Charitable Activities:
School 24,016 303 - 24,319 21,610
--------- --------- --------- ------- ---------
Total Expenditure 3. 24,197 303 - 24,500 21,824
--------- --------- --------- ------- ---------
NET INCOMING 244 127 - 371 523
FUNDS FROM OPERATIONS
BEFORE TRANSFERS
Investment gains/(losses) 9. - - 22 22 (5)
--------- --------- --------- ------- ---------
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 244 127 22 393 518
Fund balances at 1 September 25,149 53 272 25,474 24,956
--------- --------- --------- ------- ---------
Fund balances at 31 August 25,393 180 294 25,867 25,474
====== ====== ====== ===== ======
All operations are continuing.

26

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST (PRIOR YEAR)

(including the Income & Expenditure account)

Note Unrestricted Restricted Endowed 2023 2022
Funds Funds Funds Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000
INCOMING RESOURCES
Income from Charitable Activities
School fees 1. 20,584 - - 20,584 18,641
Other educational activities 2. 21 - - 21 19
Other ancillary activities 2. 1,092 - - 1,092 904
Income from other Trading activities 2. 338 - - 338 184
Investment income 2. 91 1 - 92 10
Voluntary income 2. 11 209 - 220 100
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Total Incoming Resources 22,137 210 - 22,347 19,858
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
EXPENDITURE ON:
Raising Funds
Fundraising Costs 3. 214 - - 214 108
Charitable Activities
School 21,412 198 - 21,610 19,172
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Total Expenditure 3. 21,626 198 - 21,824 19,280
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
NET INCOMING 511 12 - 523 578
FUNDS FROM OPERATIONS
BEFORE TRANSFERS
Investment gains/(losses) 9. - - (5) (5) (13)
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 511 12 (5) 518 565
Fund balances at 1 September 24,638 41 277 24,956 24,391
--------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
Fund balances at 31 August 25,149 53 272 25,474 24,956
====== ====== ====== ====== ======
All operations are continuing.

27

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER BALANCE SHEET AT 31 AUGUST COMPANY NUMBER 6251081

Note 2024 2024 2023 2023
£000 £000 £000 £000
FIXED ASSETS
Intangible Assets for Operational Use 5a. - 9
Tangible Assets for Operational Use 5b. 21,577 21,644
Investments – COIF 6a&b. 294 272
Investments in Subsidiary 6c. 1 1
------- -------
21,872 21,926
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors 7a. 3,883 3,673
Stock 25 28
Cash at bank and in hand 7b. 6,164 4,886
Short term deposits 7b. 5,050 1,000
------- -------
15,122 9,587
CREDITORS: Due within one year 8a. (7,641) (3,692)
------- -------
NET CURRENT ASSETS 7,481 5,895
TOTAL ASSETS less NET CURRENT 29,353 27,821
LIABILITIES
CREDITORS: Due after more than one year
Pension deficit funding liability 12c. (93) (168)
Fees received in advance 8b. (3,393) (2,179)
------- -------
(3,486) (2,347)
------- -------
TOTAL NET ASSETS 25,867 25,474
===== =====
Endowed Funds 9. 294 272
Restricted Funds 9. 180 53
Unrestricted Funds 9. 25,393 25,149
------- -------
25,867 25,474
===== =====

Approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Governors, and signed on its behalf by:-

Mr Andrew Greenway Chair of Governors 23 April 2025

The notes on pages 30 to 46 form part of these financial statements

28

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST

2024 2024 2023 2023
£000 £000 £000 £000
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities 6,384 2,627
Cash flows from investing activities
Dividends and interest from investments 156 91
Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets 3 -
Purchase of tangible fixed assets (1,215) (1,020)
------- --------
Net cash used in investing activities (1,056) (929)
------- --------
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period 5,328 1,698
------- --------
Total cash and non-cash movements 5,328 1,698
Cash and cash equivalents at the start of the year 5,886 4,188
------- --------
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period 11,214 5,886
===== =====
A. Reconciliation of cash flows from the operating activities
Net income for the year 393 518
Depreciation and amortisation charges 1,291 1,316
Dividends from investments (156) (91)
Decrease/(increase) in stock 3 (7)
(Increase)/decrease in debtors (210) 47
Increase in creditors 5,164 907
Decrease in pension deficit funding (79) (68)
Investment (gains)/losses (22) 5
------- ------- --------
6,384 2,627
===== =====
Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Cash in hand 6,164 4,886
Short term deposits 5,050 1,000
------- --------
11,214 5,886
===== =====

The notes on pages 30 to 46 form part of these financial statements

29

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES ON ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Legal Status. The Company is registered at Companies House, Cardiff, as a private company, limited by guarantee, registered number 6251081. The Company is also registered as a charity, number 1120644. The Company is the trustee of Charity 527527 which holds in trust the Permanent Endowments of the School under a Charity Commission Scheme sealed on 2 July 2007 and altered by a further scheme sealed on 15 January 2008. The Scheme contains a Uniting Direction that the Charity and associated funds shall be treated as forming part of the Company for the purposes of Part 6 (accounting) of the Charities Act 2011. On 30 April 2019 RGS Dodderhill School, company number 00576888 and registered charity number 527599, donated all of its assets and liabilities to The Royal Grammar School Worcester. RGS Holdings Limited Company number 12364724 was incorporated in December 2019 to facilitate the establishment and operation of Worcester International Hockey Club Limited, a limited liability company, number 12366802 which was also incorporated in December 2019.

The objects of the School are the provision and conduct, in or near the City of Worcester, of a day or day and boarding school for boys and girls.

Accounting Policies. The following accounting policies have been used consistently in dealing with items which are considered material in relation to the School financial statements.

Basis of Preparation. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts. 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) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102), and the Companies Act 2006. The Royal Grammar School Worcester constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

Going Concern. The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis. The Governors have prepared budgets and forecasts that take into account the impact of VAT on school fees, the loss of charitable business rate relief and having reviewed the funding facility available to the School together with the expected ongoing demand for places and the School’s future projected cashflows, the Governors have a reasonable expectation that they have adequate resources to continue its activities for the foreseeable future and consider that there are no material uncertainties over the School’s financial viability. In assessing the going concern, the Governors have been closely monitoring the finances and cashflow position of the School. With this in depth planning and financial resources available to the School, the Governors believe they can continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future.

Accounting Convention. The accounts are prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of investment assets. Fees receivable and charges for services are accounted for in the period in which the service is provided. Fees receivable are stated after deducting allowances, scholarships and other remissions granted by the School.

Freehold Buildings. Cost shown in the Balance Sheet represents only expenditure incurred after the School became independent on 1 September 1983. The following, which are vested in the Official Custodian for Charities, as Scheduled in the 2008 Scheme for Charity 527527, are included at nil cost in the accounts: The Freehold of the School site and buildings, Whiteladies, Priory House and gardens, and Flagge Meadow.

Capitalisation and Depreciation. Purchases of assets costing more than £1,000 and with a useful life of more than one year are capitalised at cost. Depreciation is provided on all tangible and intangible fixed assets, other than freehold land, on a straight line basis at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful economic life as follows:

Freehold buildings - 50 years
Motor vehicles and computers - 5 years
Fixtures, fittings and equipment - 8 years
Intangible assets - 5 years
Land - not depreciated

30

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES ON ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Investments. Investments are included at valuation at the Balance Sheet date. Realised and Unrealised gains and losses on investments are shown on the Statement of Financial Activities.

Investment and Other Income . This is accounted for on a receivable basis.

Donations Receivable. Donations are recognised on a receivable basis (where there are no performance related conditions) where the receipt is probable and the amount can be reliably measured.

Net Tuition Fees Receivable. Fees receivable are accounted for in the period in which the service is provided. They are stated after deducting bursaries, scholarships and other remissions granted by the School.

Resources Expended. Resources expended are accounted for on an accrual basis. Certain expenditure is apportioned to cost categories based on the estimated amount attributable to that activity in the year. Irrecoverable VAT is included with the item of expense to which it relates. Support costs are those costs incurred in the general running of the School. These are allocated between activities on a basis consistent with the use of the resources. Governance costs comprise the costs of running the charity including external audit costs.

Pension Schemes. The School contributes to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (a defined benefit scheme) at rates set up by the Scheme Actuary and advised to the Governors by the Scheme Administrator. For non-teaching staff, the School contributes to The Pensions Trust FRP defined contribution scheme. The School also makes pension AVC contributions at a rate of 2% to the Pension Trust Growth Plan Scheme for 2 (2023: 2) members of staff who were previously members of the CARE 80 defined benefit scheme.

Unrestricted General Funds. These funds can be expended at the Governors’ discretion in accordance with the Charitable Objects. They represent funds which have not been “earmarked” or “restricted” in any way.

Designated Funds. These funds represent funds which have been ring-fenced by the Governors for a specific purpose.

Restricted Funds. These include funds received from alumni and others with specific conditions for their use.

Endowed Funds. There are two Endowed Funds, The Mytton and Blasson Prize Fund and The Permanent Endowment, both held by Charity 527527 and invested in Charity Only Investment Funds.

Taxation. As a registered charity, the School is not generally liable to corporation tax on surpluses. For this reason, no provision for corporation tax has been included in the accounts.

Liquid Resources. Fixed term deposits of less than one year are included in the Cashflow Statement as liquid resources.

Debtors. Short term debtors are measured at the transaction price, less any impairment.

31

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES ON ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Liabilities and provisions. Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the School anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

Financial instruments. The charity only enters into basic financial instrument transactions that result in the recognition of financial assets and liabilities like trade and other accounts receivable and payable.

Intangible assets. Software costs are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, intangible assets are measured at cost less any accumulated amortisation and any accumulated impairment losses. All intangible assets are considered to have a finite useful life. If a reliable estimate of the useful life cannot be made, the useful life shall not exceed ten years. Amortisation of software and website development costs – 5 years.

Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement. The School makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates and assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below:

(i) Pension deficit contribution. The School has entered into a commitment to provide deficit funding to The Pensions’ Trust Care Scheme and The Pensions’ Trust Growth Plan, of which it is a contributing employer. Under FRS 102, the fair value of the commitment is recognised. The calculation of the fair value of the commitment is subject to an assumption of the discount rate. The discount rate is determined by reference to market yields at the reporting date on high quality corporate bonds.

(ii) Recognition of legacies. The School recognises legacies when the economic benefit to the School is considered probable. Legacies can relate to cash or assets. Both require estimation if the legacy has not yet been received. The estimation of legacy income is based on information received from solicitors and a prudent approach is taken based on the information provided.

32

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

1. SCHOOL FEES 2024 2023
£000 £000
Gross Tuition Fees 24,679 22,201
Pupil Lunches 416 375
Other Fees 719 521
------- --------
Gross Fee Income 25,814 23,097
Less: Scholarships, Bursaries and other Remissions (2,979) (2,513)
------- --------
Net Fees 22,835 20,584
===== =====
2024 2023
£000 £000
2. OTHER INCOME
Other educational charitable activities
Registration Fees 21 21
===== =====
Other ancillary activities
RGS The Grange Shuttle Bus 116 81
School Trips 1,111 1,005
Baby and Toddler Groups 5 6
------- --------
1,232 1,092
===== =====
Income from other Trading activities
Counselling recovery 47 43
Lettings 73 82
Sale of Fixed Assets 3 -
Solar FIT 6 10
Miscellaneous 69 203
------- --------
198 338
===== =====
Investment Income
Bank interest 148 84
Permanent Endowment Income 7 7
Mytton and Blasson interest 1 1
------- -------
156 92
===== =====
Voluntary Income
Donations 220 67
Grants from the RGSW & AOS Foundation 209 142
Legacies - 11
------- -------
429 220
===== =====

33

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

3. RESOURCES EXPENDED

. RESOURCES EXPENDED
Staff Other Depreciation & 2024 2023
Costs Amortisation Total Total
£000
£000		 £000 £000 £000
Costs of generating voluntary
income 131 44 6 181 214
-------- -------- -------- ------- --------
Charitable Activities
Teaching Costs 12,974 808 405 14,187 12,599
Welfare 609 942 19 1,570 1,473
Premises 956 1,640 815 3,411 3,583
Support Costs of Schooling 1,450 3,011 40 4,501 3,389
Marketing and Advertising 378 266 6 650 566
-------- -------- -------- ------- --------
16,367 6,667 1,285 24,319 21,610
-------- -------- -------- ------- --------
Total Resources Expended 16,498 6,711 1,291 24,500 21,824
===== ===== ===== ===== =====
Staff Costs 2024 2023
£000 £000
Wages & Salaries 12,461 11,058
Social Security Costs 1,200 1,042
Pension Contributions 2,357 1,989
Training & Expenses 43 32
Other Costs 437 446
------- -------
16,498 14,567
===== =====
The average numbers of full time equivalent employees in the year 2024 2023
were:
Teachers 163 157
Others 158 141
------- -------
321 298
The total headcount was 422 (2023: 392) ===== =====
The number of employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000 were: 2024 2023
£60,001 - £70,000 12 4
£70,001 - £80,000 3 2
£80,001 - £90,000 2 3
£90,001 - £100,000 2 -
£100,001 - £110,000 1 -
£110,001 - £120,000 - -
£120,001 - £130,000 - -
£130,001 - £140,000 - -
£150,001 - £160,000 - 1
£160,001 - £170,000 - -
£170,001 - £180,000 1 -
------- -------
21 10
===== =====

34

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

3. RESOURCES EXPENDED (continued)

RESOURCES EXPENDED (continued)
2024 2023
£000 £000
Remuneration of key personnel including Employer’s National Insurance and
Employer’s pension contributions (considered to be the Governors and
Principal Officers) 734 614
===== =====

During the year there were redundancy or termination payments totalling £8,348 (2023: £13,400).

For the 21 employees (2023: 10) with emoluments greater than £60,000, 14 (2023: 9) were members of the defined benefit schemes with associated employer contributions of £282,060 (2023: £207,679)

Other than those transactions disclosed in Note 14, neither the Governors nor persons connected with them receive any remuneration or other benefits from the School or any connected organisation for their services. Trustee indemnity insurance is included in the School’s insurance cover at no additional cost.

The Governance costs for 2024 are £26,567 (2023: £24,069).

4. AUDITOR’S REMUNERATION

2024 2023
£000 £000
Auditor’s remuneration for audit services 20 18
===== =====

5a. INTANGIBLE ASSETS

INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Software (including
website development)
£000
Cost
At 1 September 2023 334
Additions -
-------
At 31 August 2024 334
=====
Depreciation
At 1 September 2023 325
Charge for year 9
-------
At 31 August 2024 334
=====
Net Book Amount
At 31 August 2024 0
At 1 September 2023 9

35

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

5b. TANGIBLE FIXED Freehold Freehold Fixtures Grounds Total
ASSETS Land Buildings Fittings & Equipment &
Equipment Motor Vehicles
Cost £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
At 1 September 2023 496 28,760 7,850 725 37,831
Additions - 476 716 23 1,215
Disposals - - - (13) (13)
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
At 31 August 2024 496 29,236 8,566 735 39,033
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
Depreciation
At 1 September 2023 - 9,714 5,975 498 16,187
Charge for year - 584 631 67 1,282
Disposals - - - (13) (13)
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
At 31 August 2024 - 10,298 6,606 552 17,456
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
Net Book Amount
At 31 August 2024 496 18,938 1,960 183 21,577
At 1 September 2023 496 19,046 1,875 227 21,644

The freehold buildings had a declared value for insurance purposes of £98m as of 31 August 2024.

36

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

6. FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS (UK Listed)

6a. THE PERMANENT ENDOWMENT FUND 2024 2023
£000 £000
Opening market value 239 244
Net (losses)/gains on revaluation 20 (5)
------- -------
Closing market value at 31 August 259 239
===== =====
Historic cost at 31 August 150 150
===== =====

The above represents the Permanent Endowment for the School Charity 527527 scheduled in the 2007 Scheme. The investments currently comprise COIF Income Units only.

6b. ENDOWED FUNDS 2024 2023
Prize Fund £000 £000
Opening market value 33 33
Net (losses)/gains on revaluation 2 -
------- -------
Closing market value at 31 August 35 33
===== =====
Historic cost at 31 August 20 20
===== =====

The above represents the total of the investments of the legacies to provide for the Mytton and Blasson Prizes. The investments currently comprise COIF Income Units only. These investments are included in the School Charity 527527 scheduled in the 2007 Scheme.

6c. FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS (Unlisted) 2024 2023
£000 £000
RGSW Holdings Limited (100% dormant) 1 1
===== =====

37

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

7a. DEBTORS 2024 2023
£000 £000
Tuition fees and extras 649 434
Sundry debtors 65 68
Amounts due from joint venture 2,424 2,608
Prepayments 745 563
------- -------
3,883 3,673
===== =====
7b. OTHER CURRENT ASSETS 2024 2023
£000 £000
Cash at Bank and in Hand 6,164 4,886
Short Term Deposits 5,050 1,000
------- -------
11,214 5,886
===== =====
8a. CREDITORS: Due within one year 2024 2023
£000 £000
Fees received in advance 5,048 1,946
Registration Deposits 155 159
Trade Creditors 948 793
Social Security & Other Taxes 297 258
Pension deficit funding liability (note 12c) 71 75
Other Creditors 333 389
Deferred Income 523 -
Accruals 266 72
------- -------
7,641 3,692
===== =====

Included in Other Creditors are amounts owing to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme of £234,723 (2023: £182,563), The Pension Trust of £9,093 (2023: £58,039) and Aviva £58,965 (2023: £0)

38

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

8b. CREDITORS: Due after more than one year (excluding pension liability

Accrued liabilities in respect of fees received in advance: 2024 2023
£000 £000
> 5 years 328 223
Within 2 to 5 years 1,497 1,201
Within 1 to 2 years 1,568 755
------- -------
3,393 2,179
Within 1 year 5,048 1,946
------- -------
Balance at 31 August 8,441 4,125
===== =====
The movements during the year were:
Balance at 1 September 4,125 2,990
Net cash movement 8,611 2,867
------- -------
12,736 5,857
Amounts utilised in fee payment (4,295) (1,732)
------- -------
Balance at 31 August 8,441 4,125
===== =====

39

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

9.
RESERVES
Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Investment Balance at 31
Endowment Funds September 2023 Resource Expended Gains August 2024
£000s £000s £000s £000s £000s
The Permanent Endowment 239 - - 20 259
Fund
Prize Funds 33 - - 2 35
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
272 - - 22 294
===== ===== ===== ===== =====
Restricted Funds
Alumni Bursary 8 - - - 8
Alumni support 4 - - - 4
Gardening Club 1 - - - 1
Claines Physics Prize 3 - - - 3
Tennis Sponsorship 5 - 3 - 2
RGSW & AOS Foundation - 209 209 - -
Hardship Fund 2 6 8 - -
RGS PTA Land Rover 1 - - - 1
The Wareing Cup 1 - - - 1
The James Kimberley Prize 1 - - - 1
AO Archives 24 - - - 24
CCF 2 - - - 2
RGS PTA Photography 1 - - - 1
AOEs - 207 82 - 125
RGS Sports Tour - 8 1 - 7
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
53 430 303 - 180
===== ===== ===== ===== =====
Unrestricted Funds ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
General Reserves 25,149 24,441 24,197 - 25,393
===== ===== ===== ===== =====

40

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

9. RESERVES (continued)

Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Investment Balance at 31
September 2023 Resources Expended Gains August 2024
Summary of Funds £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s
Endowment Funds 272 - - 22 294
Restricted Funds 53 430 303 - 180
Unrestricted Funds 25,149 24,441 24,197 - 25,393
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
25,474 24,868 24,500 22 25,867
===== ===== ===== ===== =====

Endowment Funds:

The Endowment Funds represent the invested endowments of the School. The Permanent Endowment is listed in the Scheme for Charity 527527 of which the Company is the Trustee, plus the Mytton & Blasson Prize Fund. The Restricted Funds include monies from alumni for specific projects, including funds received for Bursary support.

Restricted Funds:

Alumni Bursary - Alumni bursary support SME Debating Club Sponsorship

Drawings/Pictures Deposits donated for the commissioning of pictures of the RGS buildings Alumni support - Alumni support for Foundation

Gardening Club- Donation and prize money for the Gardening club Mytton and Blasson - Annual pupil prizes

Claines Physics Prize - Annual Physics award Rugby - Auction proceeds Rugby equipment Tennis Sponsorship - LTA sponsorship RGSW & AOS Foundation – Bursaries Hardship Fund RGS PTA Land Rover – support for DT project The Wareing Cup The James Kimberley Prize AO Archives CCF RGS PTA Photography

41

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

9.
RESERVES (PRIOR		 YEAR)
Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Investment Balance at 31
September Resource Expended losses August 2023
Endowment Funds 2022
£000s £000s £000s £000s £000s
The Permanent Endowment 244 - - (5) 239
Fund
Prize Funds 33 - - - 33
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
277 - - (5) 272
===== ===== ===== ===== =====
Restricted Funds
Alumni Bursary 18 - (10) - 8
Debating 1 - (1) - -
Drawings/Pictures 1 - (1) - -
Alumni support 4 - - - 4
Gardening Club 1 - - - 1
Mytton & Blasson Prize Fund - 1 (1) - -
Claines Physics Prize 3 - - - 3
Rugby Auction 3 - (3) - -
Tennis Sponsorship 5 - - - 5
RGSW & AOS Foundation - 142 (142) - -
Hardship Fund 2 - - - 2
RGS PTA Land Rover 1 - - - 1
The Wareing Cup 1 - - - 1
The James Kimberley Prize 1 - - - 1
AO Archives - 62 (38) - 24
CCF - 4 (2) - 2
RGS PTA Photography - 1 - - 1
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
41 210 198 - 53
===== ===== ===== ===== =====
Unrestricted Funds ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
General Reserves 24,638 22,137 21,626 - 25,149
===== ===== ===== ===== =====

42

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

9. RESERVES (PRIOR YEAR) (continued)

Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Investment Balance at 31
September 2022 Resources Expended losses August 2023
Summary of Funds £000s £000s £000s £000s £000s
Endowment Funds 277 - - (5) 272
Restricted Funds 41 210 198 - 53
Unrestricted Funds 24,638 22,137 21,626 - 25,149
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
24,956 22,347 21,824 (5) 25,474
===== ===== ===== ===== =====

Endowment Funds:

The Endowment Funds represent the invested endowments of the School. The Permanent Endowment is listed in the Scheme for Charity 527527 of which the Company is the Trustee, plus the Mytton & Blasson Prize Fund. The Restricted Funds include monies from alumni for specific projects, including funds received for Bursary support.

Restricted Funds:

Alumni Bursary - Alumni bursary support SME Debating Club Sponsorship

Drawings/Pictures Deposits donated for the commissioning of pictures of the RGS buildings Alumni support - Alumni support for Foundation

Gardening Club- Donation and prize money for the Gardening club Mytton and Blasson - Annual pupil prizes

Claines Physics Prize - Annual Physics award Rugby - Auction proceeds Rugby equipment Tennis Sponsorship - LTA sponsorship RGSW & AOS Foundation – Bursaries Hardship Fund RGS PTA Land Rover – support for DT project The Wareing Cup The James Kimberley Prize AO Archives CCF RGS PTA Photography

43

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

10. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

Tangible Intangible Investments Net current Long term 2024 2023
Fixed Assets Fixed Assets Assets Liabilities Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
The Net Assets
are Funded as
follows:
Unrestricted Funds 21,577 - 1 7,301 (3,486) 25,393 25,149
Restricted Funds - - - 180 - 180 53
Endowment Funds - - 294 - - 294 272
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
21,577 - 295 7,481 (3,486) 25,867 25,474
===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== =====

10. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS (PRIOR YEAR)

Tangible Intangible Investments Net current Long term 2023 2022
Fixed Assets Fixed Assets Assets Liabilities Total Total
£000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000
The Net Assets
are Funded as
follows:
Unrestricted Funds 21,644 9 1 5,842 (2,347) 25,149 24,638
Restricted Funds - - - 53 - 53 41
Endowment Funds - - 272 - - 272 277
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
21,644 9 273 5,895 (2,347) 25,474 24,956
===== ===== ===== ===== ===== ===== =====

11. CAPITAL COMMITMENTS

Capital expenditure of £nil (2023: £nil) has been authorised and contracted for as at 31 August 2024.

12. PENSIONS

12a. Teaching Staff

PENSION SCHEME

The School participates in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (“the TPS”) for its teaching staff. The pension charge for the year includes contributions payable by the School to the TPS of £1,867,870 (2023: £1,608,866) and at the year-end £233,716 (2023: £182,563) was accrued in respect of contributions to this scheme.

The TPS is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefits pension scheme governed by The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations 2010 (as amended) and The Teachers’ Pension Scheme Regulations 2014 (as amended). Members contribute on a “pay as you go” basis with contributions from members and the employer being credited to the Exchequer. Retirement and other pension benefits are paid by public funds provided by Parliament.

44

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

The employer contribution rate is set by the Secretary of State following scheme valuations undertaken by the Government Actuary’s Department. The most recent actuarial valuation of the TPS was prepared as at 31 March 2020 and the Valuation Report was published in October 2023.

Following the McCloud judgement, the remedy proposed that when benefits become payable, eligible members can select to receive them from either the reformed or legacy schemes for the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022. The actuaries have assumed that members are likely to choose the option that provides them with the greater benefits, and in preparing the 2020 valuation has valued the ‘greater value’ benefits for groups of relevant members.

The employer contribution rate for the TPS is 28.6%, and employers are also required to pay a scheme administration levy of 0.08% giving a total employer contribution rate of 28.68%.

12b. Support Staff

The Pensions Trust: The pension cost charge amounting to £303,661 (2023: £381,968) represents the full contribution payable for the period by the School to The Pensions Trust for all pensions provided. At the year-end £9,093 (2023: £58,038) was accrued in respect of contributions to these schemes.

Aviva : The pension cost charge amounting to £252,124 (2023: £0) represents the full contribution payable for the period by the School to AVIVA. At the year-end £58,965 (2023: £0) was accrued in respect of contributions to these schemes.

Both the CARE 80 and the CARE 100 Defined Benefit Schemes and the Growth Plan are multi-employer schemes and the schemes’ actuary has advised that the assets and liabilities are not segregated for each contributing employer. Hence it is not possible to separately identify the assets and liabilities relating to The Royal Grammar School Worcester for the purposes of FRS102.

CARE Defined Benefit Scheme: RGS has been notified by The Pensions Trust, of the estimated employer debt on withdrawal from The CARE Scheme, based on the financial position of the Scheme as at 30 September 2023. At this date the estimated employer debt for RGS was £636,681 (2023: £881,655).

It was agreed that from 1 April 2012, additional annual contributions towards the Scheme’s deficit would be payable by The Royal Grammar School Worcester. This plan was superseded by a revised deficit repayment plan commencing 1 July 2015 covering the period to 30 April 2027. There have since been multiple iterations of this repayment plan and for the year ended 31 August 2024 the total of deficit payments paid was £65,873 (2023: £61,790)

Growth Plan: RGS have been notified by The Pensions Trust of the estimated employer debt on withdrawal from the Growth Plan based on the financial position of the Scheme as at 30 September 2023. At this date the estimated employer debt for RGS was £131,993 (2023: £193,404).

Deficit contributions have been required since April 2016 and will be payable by The Royal Grammar School Worcester for a period of ten years. For the year August 2024 the total of deficit payments paid was £37,810 (2023: £37,357).

45

THE ROYAL GRAMMAR SCHOOL WORCESTER NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

12c. FRS (102) Section 28 Pension Deficit Provisions

2024 2023
£000 £000
CARE Scheme 157 220
Growth Plan 7 24
------- --------
Of the total deficit of £163,860 an amount of £70,285 is due within one year 164 244
===== =====
13. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
2024 2023
£000 £000
Financial assets measured at fair value through the Income and Expenditure account 294 272
===== =====
Financial liabilities measured at fair value through the Income and Expenditure account 164 224
===== =====

Financial liabilities measured at fair value through the Income and Expenditure account comprise the defined benefit pension scheme deficit funding liability.

14. RELATED PARTIES

The RGSW and AOS Foundation made grants to the School in the year totalling £208,506 (2023: £141,613).

Mr P Cross, husband of Board member Mrs M J Cross, was contracted as a Teacher at RGS Dodderhill and received a salary of £44,140 (2023: £36,252); he has been employed since 1 September 2020. Miss M Poole, daughter of the Chairman, Mr JQS Poole (retired December 2023) is employed as Nursery Room Leader at RGS Dodderhill and received a salary of £25,474.

RGS Worcester and Worcester Hockey Club have established a joint venture, Worcester International Hockey Limited, which was incorporated in December 2019. RGS Worcester and Worcester Hockey Club each own 50% of the voting share capital. Worcester International Hockey Limited’s indebtedness to RGS Worcester at 31 August 2024 was £2,724,266 (2023: £2,607,969). Of this, £2,100,000 will be repaid by Worcester International Hockey Limited by way of a loan upon completion of the development.

The investment in Worcester International Hockey Limited is via a wholly-owned subsidiary, RGSW Holdings Limited.

46