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2024-08-31-accounts

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 06730193 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1127260

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] August 2024 FOR GLOUCESTER SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP

Raising the attainment and improving the life chances of all pupils in our partnership schools.

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CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Page Report of the Trustees 5-9 Statement of Trustee Responsibilities 10-11 Independent Examiner’s Report 12 Income Statement 13 Statement of Financial Position 14-16 Notes to the Financial Statements 17-19

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

The Trustees present their reports and independently examined financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2024

Introduction

GSP is a group of 39 Primary Schools in Gloucestershire, committed to effective challenge and support in order to provide the highest quality provision to raise the attainment, aspirations, and life chances of the pupils in the Partnership.

We continually review our aims, objectives, and activities, looking at how we achieve outcomes from the projects we undertake. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on “Public Benefit” when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities

Originally founded in October 2008, the Gloucester Schools' Partnership (GSP) is a group of 39 primary schools in Gloucester City that are committed to mutual challenge and support, in order to deliver the highest quality of primary provision. The GSP recognises that every member school is unique, but the principle upon which the alliance was founded, is that they will all share many of the same challenges and can learn from each other, at every level.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company Number

06730193

Registered Charity Number 1127260

Registered Office

Meadowside Primary School Elmore Lane East Quedegely Gloucestershire GL2 4LX

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

REFERENCE AND ADMINSTRATIVE DETAILS Trustees

The persons below were selected from the Board of Trustees to be appointed directors.

Miss G Brogan Miss S Thomas

The Board of Trustees

The board of Trustees is made up of one Head Teacher representative from each member school- in accordance with the Articles of Association.

Company Secretary

Gloucester Schools Partnership

Independent Examiner

Pi Accountancy 40a London Road Gloucester Gloucestershire GL1 3NU

Bankers

The Co-operative Bank PO Box 250 Skelmersdale WN8 6WT

Solicitors

Davies & Partners 135 Aztec West Bristol BS32 4UB

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SUMMARY REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2024 THE SCALE AND SCOPE OF THE GSP

The Scale and Scope of the GSP

In 2023/24, the Gloucester Schools’ Partnership comprised 44 Infant, Junior and Primary schools in the city of Gloucester, totalling more than 12,500 children. Since its inception in 2008, the Partnership has provided a supportive framework for its members, facilitating collaboration and networking, as well as delivering CPD and exciting pupil events. Everything that the GSP does is rooted in its mission of raising the attainment and improving the life chances of all pupils in the partnership schools, continually creating opportunities and experiences for the children.

Together we make schools’ budgets work harder

The Gloucester Schools’ Partnership (GSP) recognises that every member school is unique, but the alliance was founded on the principle that each school – whether a standalone Infant, Junior or Primary, or one that is part of an Academy – will share many of the same challenges. Sixteen years on from its launch, there is still an unswerving commitment to evolving to meet the challenges of the local and national education landscape, together with the impacts of external forces, such as diminishing budgets, recruitment challenges and changing needs of communities.

Membership enables schools to benefit from the economies of scale that are afforded through collaboration, together with the irrefutable benefits of quality-assured CPD for staff and the sharing of best and next pedagogical practice, which are all instrumental in helping schools to achieve the objectives on their own School Development Plans, all the while, enriching the lives of children.

Our Strategic Approach

The GSP is directed by its Strategy Group, which meets seven times per academic year and is made up of the Leads from each Steering Group, the Chair of the Partnership Board and a representative from GAPH (Gloucestershire Association of Primary Headteachers).

Based on the needs identified by member Headteachers, the Strategy Group determines the activity, CPD and events for the year. Meeting regularly and with an outward-facing stance, the GSP can be dynamic in its response, to changing needs and situations, answering with targeted CPD and initiatives for pupils. Six times per year, the Steering Group leads share an update with the Partnership Board, which comprises every Headteacher from the GSP’s member schools.

The Strategy Group for 2023/24 comprised:

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Making an impact with a partnership approach:

The GSP reviews its Steering Groups annually, to ensure that they remain relevant to the educational landscape, as well as the contextual challenges faced by schools, school staff and the communities that they serve. For 2023/24 the Steering Groups were:

Through strategic vision, the unstinting time-commitment from its Headteachers and the buy-in from school staff at all levels, the impacts achieved by the GSP are far-reaching. This Annual Report aims to present a reflection of the successes achieved this year for our stakeholders, as well as demonstrate the value that the Partnership continues to deliver for the schools in Gloucester.

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Partnership Working in 2023/2024

During 2023/2024, the GSP Steering Groups co-ordinated a busy year of projects and initiatives, which included:

For full details of the work and the impacts made during the year, please see the full Annual Report.

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Budgets & Finance

GSP Financial Summary 2023/24

The GSP membership fee for schools was increased from £1 to £3 per pupil, for 2023/24, as agreed by the Partnership Board, based on the spending plans for the year.

This increase was a move back towards the typical per pupil membership rate of £5, which had been standard until Covid 19 had inhibited the activity – and therefore the expenditure – of the GSP in 2020 and 2021. Where there was a surplus budget, the rate had been reduced for 2022/23, to save cost to schools and to avoid unnecessarily holding more funds than could reasonably be used for the benefit of the children within its schools.

Each Steering Group / workstream has a budget for the year, against which the activity for the year is planned. Some workstreams also have their own income stream, which offsets some of the costs. This enables the membership monies to offer as broad an offer as possible during the year, including another Really Wild Reading Festival, which had a direct benefit for the children in the Partnership, who each had the opportunity to see an author.

Ringfenced project funds:

There are certain workstreams which have their own income and cost structures, so these are not included in the budget available for wider Partnership work:

▪ School Improvement Programme (see page 21)

The GSP School Improvement Programme is cost-neutral, with schools’ subscription to the programme being ringfenced to fund the visits invoiced by the School Improvement Advisors. For 2023/24, not all the scheduled visits were able to go ahead and consequently the outstanding subscription monies were re-funded to the schools in question.

▪ Emotion Coaching (GSPEC) (see pages 9-11)

Of the £71,000 granted by GCC for the GSPEC project in 2019/20, £35,212 was still available at the start of the year, with just a further £1,918 being spent during the year. For 2024/25, GSP has agreed with GCC that the scope of Inclusion initiatives for which the funds can be used, can been widened.

▪ Words Unite (see page 8-9)

Gloucestershire Education Forum (GEF) awarded £20,000 funding to the GSP for its communication and language project, ‘Words Unite’. The GSP agreed to match-fund this amount to a total of £40,000 available for the project. During 2023/24, 75% of the GCC monies were spent, but the remaining 25%, plus the total GSP funded amount remain available for further project work in 2024/25.

Looking ahead to 2024/25:

Following a planning and budgeting exercise with the Partnership Board, membership has been increased from £3 to £6 per pupil for 2024/25. The membership income gives the GSP the necessary funds to meet its objectives and operate efficiently. Budgets are set, assuming a further ring-fenced amount of £50,000, which has been agreed as necessary by the Partnership.

The Strategy Group believes that membership of the GSP continues to represent excellent value for money for schools, through the economies of scale that the Partnership delivers; including access to cost-effective, high quality CPD programmes, Headteacher networking and a calendar of diverse pupil events, which are open to all member schools.

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GSP 2023/24 - Actual v Budget

Cash in Bank
Start Year Actual £168,700
End Year Actual £112,846
End Year Budget £54,768
Income 2023/24 Actual Budget
MembershipFees £39,107 £39,327
Events and Activities £1,795 £1,100
School to School Support £6,250 £4,190
School Improvement Programme £15,625 £26,125
CPD,Leadership £7,116 £4,000
GEF Words Unite £20,000 £20,000
Interest £2,822 £2,822
Income total £92,715 £97,564
Direct Costs 2023/24 Actual Budget
CPD,Leadership £14,378 £14,585
School Improvement Programme £19,750 £30,000
Events and Activities £806 £1,200
GSPEC £1,918 £35,212
Inclusion £4,020 £5,000
ReadingFestival & Pupil Books £12,203 £15,000
School to School Support £19,938 £13,958
Best Practice Networks and Action Research £3,422 £4,300
GEF - Words Unite(GSP match funding) £0 £20,000
GEF Words Unite(spend of GCC funds) £15,577 £20,000
22/23pupil books -St.Paul's & Kingsway £1,267 £1,267
Sub-total £93,279 £160,522
Overhead Costs 2023/24 Actual Budget
Salaries and Administration £47,726 £43,411
Subscriptions for GAPH £4,715 £4,715
Sub-total £52,441 £48,126
Costs total £145,720 £208,648
VAT -£2,848 -£2,848

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ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

…………………………………

Trustee

…………………………………

Trustee

Date …………………………….

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STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

The trustees (who are also the directors of the Gloucester Schools Partnership for the purposes of company law) are responsible for producing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practise).

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

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Independent Examiner

Following the decision of the current independent examiner to retire post completion of 2020-21 accounts and submissions, the Board have appointed Pi Accountancy Ltd to complete the Independent Examiners Report.

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF GLOUCESTER SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31[st] August 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of the report

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the charities’ accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

  1. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or

  2. the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or

  3. the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Mr M Marshall FCCA Pi Accountancy

…………………………………

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INCOME STATEMENT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Income from:
Activities for generating funds
2
Interest
Total Income
Resources Expanded:
Direct costs
3
Charitable Activities
4
Total Resources Expanded
Net income/(expenditure) and net
movements in funds for year
Reconciliation of Funds
Total Funds Brought Forward at
01/09/2023
Total Funds Carried Forward at
31/08/2024		 2024
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
£
£
£
97,948
(39,999)
57,949
2,822
-
2,822
100,770
(39,999)
60,771
8,986
8,986
133,840
133,840
142,826
-
142,826
(42,056)
(39,999)
(82,055)
100,009
21,745
121,754
57,953
(18,254)
39,699		 2023
Total
£
51,869
1,187
53,056
29,267
110,235
139,502
(86,446)
208,200
121,754

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

AT 31 AUGUST 2024

2024 2023 £ £ Notes FIXED ASSETS Intangible Assets - - Tangible Assets - - ----- ---- - CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 6 3,431 914 Cash at bank 112,847 168,700 ---------- -------116,278 169,614 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 7 1,367 12,647 --------- --------- NET CURRENT ASSETS 114,911 156,967 -------- --------- NET ASSETS 114,911 156,967 ====== ====== FUNDS Unrestricted Funds 39,699 121,754 Restricted Funds 75,212 35,213 ---------- ---------- TOTAL FUNDS 114,911 156,967 ====== =======

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION-CONTINUED

AT 31 AUGUST 2024

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 August 2024

The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2022 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies and with the Financial Reporting Standard 102.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on ............................ and were signed on its behalf by:

................................................. Trustee

.................................................. Trustee

The notes form part of these financial statements

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard FRS 102 (effective January 2016), the Companies Act 2006 and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

Exemption from preparing a cash flow statement

Exemption has been taken from preparing a cash flow statement on the grounds that the charitable company qualifies as a small charitable company.

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be qualified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to categories of income.

Voluntary income is received by way of grants, donations and gifts and is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.

Investment income is included when receivable.

Incoming resources from grants are recognised in full in the statement of financial activities in the year in which they are received subject to grant pre-conditions and consideration by performance.

Other incoming resources are included when receivable.

Resources Expended

Expenditure is included on an accrual basis as the liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be recovered and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for the beneficiaries.

Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the independent examiners fees and costs linked with the strategic management of the company.

Resources are expended are allocated to the activity where the cost relates directly to that activity (direct method).

Website

The website is amortised, on a straight-line basis, over its estimated useful life of three years.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over 3 years.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS-CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES-continued

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund Activity

Unrestricted funds are incoming resources receivable or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.

Restricted funds are to be used for the specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of management and support costs where applicable.

Funds transfers to support restricted funded projects via additional funding from unrestricted funds as agreed by the directors.

2. ACTIVITIES FOR GENERATING FUNDS

2024 2023 £ £ Membership Fees/Charitable Resources 100,770 41,790 ====== ======

3. NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES

2024 2023 £ £ Independent Examiners Fees 859 720 === ===

4. TRUSTEES REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees’ remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 August 2023.

5. STAFF COSTS

The charity does not have its own payroll, it seconds labour from member schools as requiredreimbursing schools accordingly. No Directors/Trustees, from member schools, have received personal payment.

Such secondments include Directors/Trustees, from member schools, in the provision of their services across various projects.

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS-CONTINUED FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

6. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2024 2023
£ £
Trade Debtors 80 -
VAT Refundable 3,351 914
--------- ---------
3,431 914
7. CREDITORS:AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
2024 2023
£ £
Trade Creditors 567 3,232
Accruals
 800 1,440
Deferred Income
----------- ----------
1,367 4,672
======= ======

8. CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

There were no known contingent liabilities at the Balance Sheet date.

9. CAPITAL COMMITMENTS

There were no capital commitments at the balance sheet date.

10. ULTIMATE CONTROLLING PARTY

The charity is ultimately controlled by the Board of trust

11. Restricted Funds

As at the 1 September 2024, Restricted Funding from GCC of £35,213 was carried forward into the current year. During the year, GCC funding specifically for the Emotion Coaching Project spent £39,999 leaving a balance of £75,212

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