Aurora Education Foundation (UK)
Registered charity number: 1137493
Unaudited Receipts and Payments Account
for the year ended 31st May 2023
Wenn Townsend
Chartered Accountants
Oxford
Aurora Education Foundation (UK)
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31st May 2023
Officers and advisers
Trustees:
Registered Address:
Registered Charity number:
Independent Examiner:
Leila Smith (Chair) Elleke Boehmer Matthew Albert Nikolas Kirby Jolyon Welsh
c/o Prof Elleke Boehmer, Faculty of English, St Cross Building, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ
1137493
Mr LJ Baker FCA Partner Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants 30 St Giles’ Oxford OX1 3LE
Aurora Education Foundation (UK)
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31st May 2023
Structure, governance and management
The charity, constituted as a Charitable Trust, is governed by a Trust Deed dated 2 May 2010, and a Supplemental Trust Deed dated 8 February 2016.
The Trust Deed requires the number of Trustees to be a minimum of three and a maximum of nine. At least one Trustee is required to be a resident of Australia. Trustees are appointed for terms of office of three years by resolution of the Trustees, and retiring Trustees may be re-appointed at the end of their term of office. Trustees are required to meet at least twice each year.
The Trustees work in collaboration with Aurora Education Foundation in Australia (Aurora Australia), an Indigenous organisation that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to realise their full educational and employment potential from high school through to university and the workplace.
The Trust has no employees and administrative and financial support provided by Aurora Australia. Aurora Australia contracts an Aurora Fellow who is based in the UK to provide on-the-ground support to Indigenous Australian students in the UK who are scholarship recipients of the Charlie Perkins Scholarship or Roberta Sykes Scholarships (the Scholarships).
Aurora Australia has an agreement with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (the FCDO) acting through the British High Commission in Canberra, Australia, to contribute partial funds to the Scholarships as part of the Chevening Programme. The partnership began in 2016 and was renewed in 2023. It increased from £65,000 to £80,000 per annum as a commitment to partial funding of the Scholarships and will continue for a period of three years.
The purpose of the scheme is to enable outstanding Australian Indigenous students who demonstrate the potential to become leaders and decision-makers to pursue postgraduate study at universities in the UK. Aurora Australia administers the funds to cover costs associated with university tuition fees, an annual stipend for living expenses, and a travel allowance.
Objectives and activities
The objects of the charity as set out in the Trust Deed dated 2 May 2010 are the advancement of education for the benefit of the public, in particular by:
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The establishment, implementation, administration and promotion of scholarships for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to undertake tertiary studies; and
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Supporting scholarship recipients to succeed in their chosen studies.
The primary focus of the UK Trust has been to provide opportunities or pathways for Aurora Australia to develop connections with universities and other organisations to develop partnerships for financial and other support for the Scholarships and scholars. The Trust also supports Aurora Australia to provide pastoral care to students awarded Scholarships for postgraduate study in the UK.
Regular meetings between the UK Trustees and staff of Aurora Australia enable discussion leading to actions to support current scholars, the annual International UK Study Tour, and financial support for the continuation of the Scholarships.
The Trustees have, in making decisions about the purpose and activities of the charity, had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
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Aurora Education Foundation (UK)
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31st May 2023 (continued)
Achievements and performance
The main achievements for the period have included:
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Aurora Australia awarded scholarships to 6 Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to undertake tertiary studies in the UK
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28% of students who participated in the 2022 or 2023 UK Study Tour will apply for international study in 2024. Other applicants participated in Study Tours held pre-covid.
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42 applications were received for the UK 2023 and 2024 Study Tour
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Due to the success of the 2022 and 2023 tours, Aurora Australia redesigned the Study Tour as separate UK and US tours. The Trust supports Aurora Australia to establish relationships with UK universities and colleges and supports students to explore postgraduate study pathways.
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Jordan English was onboarded as the new UK Aurora Fellow to support UK-based students.
Financial review
Aurora Australia provides financial and in-kind support to the Trust and is building its own reserves, investment governance framework and investment policy. Aurora Australia’s reserves and policy development negates the practical need for the Trust to hold reserves at this time.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on ………………..and signed on its behalf by:
………………….
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Aurora Education Foundation (UK)
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Human Story Theatre
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 May 2023 which are set out on pages 4 to 5.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
Lee Baker FCA Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor Oxford
……………………. 2024
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Aurora Education Foundation (UK)
Receipts and payments account for the year ended 31st May 2023
| Unrestricted £ Receipts Interest Earned 18 Donations (Pennington SC) 120 Programme - _ Total receipts 138 ═════ Payments Hiscox insurance 167 Administration Fee - Bank Charges 60 _ Total payments 227 _ Net receipts/(payments) (89) ═════ Cash funds at 1st June 2022 3,128 ___ _ Cash funds at 31st May 2023 3,039 ═════ |
Restricted £ - - 65,000 _ 65,000 ═════ - - - _ - _ 65,000 ═════ - _ 65,000 ═════ |
Total Total 2023 2022 Unrestricted £ £ 18 1 120 120 65,000 - _ _ 65,138 121 ═════ ═════ 167 164 - 700 60 30 _ _ 227 894 _ _ 64,911 (773) ═════ ═════ 3,128 3,901 _ _ 68,039 3,128 ═════ ═════ |
|---|---|---|
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Aurora Education Foundation (UK)
Statement of Assets and Liabilities 31st May 2023
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cash funds | ||||
| Bank balances | ||||
| Current accounts | 3,039 | 65,000 | 68,039 | 3,128 |
| ═════ | ═════ | ═════ | ═════ |
………………………………….. For and on behalf of the Trustees
………………… 2024
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