2024-08-31-accounts

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Action Tutoring Ltd

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st August 2024

Registered charity Number 1147175 Company Number 08105978

Trustees’ Report	3
From the Chair	3
Charitable aims and objectives	5
Delivery of aims and objectives	6
How Action Tutoring’s activity delivers public beneft	7
Summary of activity	8
Advocacy work	10
Impact	12
Funders and supporters	16
Financial review	18
Structure, governance and management	22
Future plans and aims	25
Legal and administrative details as of 31st August 2024	27
Independent Auditors’ Report to the Members of Action Tutoring LTD	29
Opinion	29
Basis for opinion	29
Conclusions relating to going concern	29
Other information	29
Matters on which we are required to report by exception	30
Responsibilities of trustees	30
Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the fnancial statements	30
Use of our report	31
Statement Of Financial Activities (Incorporating Income And Expenditure	Account)
For The Year Ended 31 August 2024	32
Balance Sheet For The Year Ended 31 August 2024	33
Statement Of Cash Flows	33
For The Year Ended 31 August 2024	34
Notes To The Financial Statements For The Year Ended 31 August 2024	35

Trustees’ Report

From the Chair

2023-24 was a year of growth, advocacy and expanding our geographical reach. Our programmes reached pupils located across 11 main cities and areas and tutoring was delivered in person and online by volunteer tutors across England, Scotland and Wales. In total 6,003 pupils received 61,751 tutoring sessions delivered by 1,896 volunteer tutors over the course of the academic year. 716 pupils, around one in ten of those supported, received tutoring in both subjects. We were thrilled to work in partnership with 154 schools.

We established programmes in new locations including Devon, Stockport and Darlington. We were grateful for the networks and multi-academy trusts that helped facilitate this, enabling us to reach pupils and communities who often fly under the radar. While urban areas frequently dominate discussions about educational disadvantage, rural inequality often manifests in hidden disadvantages such as families relying on seasonal employment, more limited access to resources and a smaller choice, and therefore competition, of schools. It’s for exactly these reasons that ‘reach’ is a core pillar of our organisational strategy.

We made great strides in impact and quality. We were delighted that the pupils we supported in Year 6 and Year 11 significantly outperformed the national average for pupils facing disadvantage, by over 11% points at SATs level and 8% points at GCSE level. Success at primary school sets pupils on a strong trajectory for their secondary school progress and achieving strong GCSE grades in maths and English is key to entering further education, employment and training. Additionally, on impact and quality, we published our multi-year study exploring how far the GCSE and SATs results of our pupils differ according to the kind of support they receive on our programmes. This work was completed with the support of a leading independent research organisation, the National Foundation for Educational Research, the study looks into important features of our programme and how these are linked to final test results. We also launched our updated KS4 resources for English and maths tuition and a new learning and development platform for our volunteer tutors. Alongside others in the sector we commissioned the release of research by Public First into the economic impact of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) which highlighted that for every £1 spent on tutoring, there's a benefit to the economy of £6.58.

2023-24 was the proposed final year of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), so our advocacy efforts ahead of the 2024 Spring Budget focused on campaigning for an extension to this vital funding. Activities included securing media coverage featuring prominent education spokespeople, a visit from the treasury to one of our programmes and attending meetings at No. 10. Unfortunately the Government at the time chose not to continue the provision but our advocacy efforts continued, including securing a parliamentary debate on tutoring provision in England and engaging Ministers in the new Government to ensure that tutoring remains on the agenda.

We enjoyed a few celebrations in the year: in November 2023 we received our Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Award at a prestigious reception at the Fishmongers' Hall and in June 2024 we celebrated our 12th anniversary at a special event at the Drapers’ Hall in London, where the hall and refreshments were generously donated by the Drapers’ Company. Finally we continued to benefit from the second year of our partnership with the QBE Foundation which has included strategic funding; QBE employees volunteering on our programmes and team members completing challenging fundraising events. At this crucial time, when government support has ended, we remain incredibly grateful to all our funders for their ongoing commitment to our work.

Peter Baines , Chair of Trustees, October 2024

Charitable aims and objectives

Action Tutoring aims to support pupils facing disadvantaged to achieve a meaningful level of academic attainment, with a view to enabling them to progress to further education, employment or training. It does this by providing high-quality volunteer tutors to work with pupils, increasing their subject knowledge, confidence and study skills.

Action Tutoring seeks to tackle socio-economic disadvantage by making the benefits of tuition more widely accessible, and to enable more young people to reach their potential in life, regardless of their background.

The charity’s aims are to support young people in education through:

The provision of tutors to provide academic support to pupils preparing for exams or transitioning to secondary school;
Partnerships with schools; and
The encouragement of pupils, raising aspirations and confidence in addition to academic support.

Action Tutoring works in partnership with non-selective state primary and secondary schools where a higher than average percentage of pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium funding.

Within those schools, Action Tutoring specifically supports the following groups:

Primary schools

Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium[1] funding or pupils who might otherwise be considered disadvantaged.
Year 5 and Year 6 pupils preparing for their English and maths SATs.
Pupils at risk of leaving school not reaching national standards in either or both subjects.

Secondary schools

Pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding or pupils who might otherwise be considered disadvantaged.
Year 10 and Year 11 pupils preparing for their English and maths GCSEs and Year 7 pupils transitioning from primary school.
Pupils on the grade 4[2] borderline at GCSE who are at risk of leaving school without basic qualifications, especially in English and maths.

Through the provision of tutoring Action Tutoring aims to achieve the following:

Increase the number of pupils leaving primary school reaching national standards in English and maths.
Increase pupils’ confidence, study skills
Increase the number of pupils leaving secondary school with a minimum of five strong GCSEs (grade 4 or 5), including English and maths.

1 This includes all pupils who have been eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) in the last six years.

2 In 2016-17 the GCSE grading system changed to 9-1, with the new standard ‘pass’ grades set at a grade 4.

and aspirations.

Ensure pupils start secondary school on a firm footing and with the best possible chance of going on to achieve in their GCSEs.
Increase the number of pupils going on to further education, employment or training as a result of leaving school with basic GCSE qualifications.
Increase pupils’ confidence, study skills and aspirations.

Delivery of aims and objectives

Action Tutoring’s programmes are delivered in partnership with schools. A ‘block’ of tutoring is composed of 10-20 sessions, usually an hour long, with a high-quality volunteer tutor. The schools are responsible for identifying the pupils to take part in the programme, and the selection is discussed with Action Tutoring to ensure it corresponds with the charity’s guidelines.

Action Tutoring recruits high-quality volunteer tutors, who volunteer for a minimum of an hour a week for a block, at one of the charity’s partner schools or on an online programme. All volunteers attend an online training, prior to beginning their tutoring, and complete a DBS check. Tutors supporting online complete an additional training module. Volunteer tutors come from a wide range of backgrounds, including, but not limited to, university students, corporate employees and retired professionals.

All Action Tutoring volunteers must meet the organisation’s minimum requirements for academic achievements and skills developed: educated to degree level or studying towards a degree, B or above at A Level in the subject they wish to tutor (or a close equivalent), evidence of strong communication skills and some experience of working with young people or a strong understanding of the skills needed to work with young people.

Action Tutoring provides carefully structured resources for volunteer tutors, tailored to the curriculum and the delivery medium, that can be adapted to the needs of individual pupils. Quality assuring the delivery of the tutoring sessions, resources, volunteer training and ongoing support is a key priority for the charity. Alongside this, robust impact measurement and evaluation are paramount. This is done in a number of ways: including carrying out baseline and progress assessments with pupils, which also help to inform key subject areas to focus tutoring on; and data sharing and analysis with partner schools including the grades pupils are currently working at and eventual SAT or GCSE results.

The Senior Leadership Team and Trustees review the aims and activities of the charity each year to ensure that every area of the work it carries out benefits those the charity seeks to help.

The Trustees confirm they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit.

How Action Tutoring’s activity delivers public benefit

Action Tutoring provides the opportunity for young people who are facing disadvantage to benefit from small group tuition, of ideally three pupils or less, to increase their academic performance, study skills and confidence. It aims to equip pupils to leave school with the grades necessary to either excel at secondary school or to go on to further education, employment or training on leaving school, with the intention of breaking the cycle of poverty and enabling them to contribute to society.

Action Tutoring partners with schools with a higher than average percentage of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium funding to ensure that the support is getting to the most disadvantaged young people. Schools are then asked to particularly prioritise giving places on the programme to their Pupil Premium pupils.

Action Tutoring supports pupils by providing them with a volunteer tutor who will work within Action Tutoring’s resources framework to deliver personal tutorials relevant to their pupils’ needs. Pupils referred to Action Tutoring will be at risk of leaving secondary school without basic GCSE qualifications or at risk of leaving primary school without reaching national standards in their SATs and would not otherwise have access to private tutoring to support them in their education.

Summary of activity

In 2023–24, Action Tutoring’s operations supported pupils located across 11 main cities and areas. Tutoring was delivered in person and online by volunteer tutors located across England, Scotland and Wales.

In total 6,003 pupils received 61,751 tutoring sessions delivered by 1,896 volunteer tutors over the course of the academic year. 716 pupils, around one in ten of those supported, received tutoring in both subjects.

Below is a summary of the total number of sessions delivered, pupils supported and tutors volunteering in 2023–24:

Hub	Total active tutors*	Total pupils*	Sessions received by pupils	Sessions delivered by tutors
Birmingham	135	Primary school: 235 Secondary school: 66	Primary school: 3,130 Secondary school: 413	1,410
Bristol	94	Primary school: 69 Secondary school: 182	Primary school: 616 Secondary school: 1,511	1,168
Bromley	24	Secondary school: 54	Secondary school: 443	221
Cheshire	116	Primary school: 107 Secondary school: 115	Primary school: 1,130 Secondary school: 766	889
Coventry	36	Primary school: 70	Primary school: 597	272
London	834	Primary school: 1,515 Secondary school: 493	Primary school: 21,766 Secondary school: 4,557	11,067
Merseyside	113	Primary school: 41 Secondary school: 301	Primary school: 468 Secondary school: 1,488	982
Newcastle	119	Primary school: 310 Secondary school: 34	Primary school: 3,893 Secondary school: 270	1,826
Nottingham	225	Primary school: 97 Secondary school: 491	Primary school: 1,030	2,553

			Secondary school: 4,239
Sheffeld	80	Primary school: 32 Secondary school: 232	Primary school: 186 Secondary school: 2,220	1,111
Sussex	224	Primary school: 302 Secondary school: 233	Primary school: 3,084 Secondary school: 1,649	2,201
Outside these hubs	429	Primary school: 504 Secondary school: 520	Primary school: 4,654 Secondary school: 3,641	3,882
Total	1,896	Primary: 3,282 Secondary: 2,721 Total: 6,003	Primary: 40,554 Secondary: 21,197 Total: 61,751	27,582

*attended/received at least one session this academic year.

Action Tutoring’s programmes are delivered in ‘blocks’ in partnership with schools. A block of tutoring is composed of 10-20 sessions delivered at the same time every week, with each session usually one hour long.

Each block is supported by approximately 8–10 high-quality volunteer tutors working with up to 20 pupils. In 2023–24, most schools opted to run two blocks of tutoring over the course of the year. There have been high levels of pupil absence since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which has impacted schools and Action Tutoring’s programmes, however there was a marginal but impactful improvement on this in 2023–24.

Whilst attracting new volunteers will always need to be a priority, ultimately, the charity wants to encourage people to remain as volunteers, reducing the need for continued recruitment over time. In addition to doing more than one block of tutoring, some volunteers also tutored on more than one programme during the same term. Many of the primary school programmes ran before working hours, providing a viable volunteering option for those who work full time.

Of those pupils supported, 67% were eligible for Pupil Premium funding (have received Free School Meals in the last six years). This is from data returned for 100% of the pupils the charity supported. Action Tutoring works closely with schools to ensure that non-Pupil Premium pupils taking part in the programme would not be benefitting from private tutoring elsewhere. For 2023-24, the charity continued to use its exceptions criterion, introduced in the previous year, to more closely track the reasons pupils would be eligible for tutoring support beyond the Pupil Premium. For those pupils who were not eligible for

Pupil Premium funding, in 96% of cases, the school confirmed that the pupil would not otherwise be able to access tuition if not for Action Tutoring.

Of the primary school pupils supported, 73% were working towards or much lower than the expected standard in their year group. Of the secondary school pupils supported, 75% began the programme working between grades 3 and 4.

Advocacy work

Action Tutoring engages politicians and policy leaders, advocating for cross-party support, to embed tutoring for pupils facing disadvantage, permanently in the education system. By making state-funded tutoring permanent and widely accessible, especially to pupils facing disadvantage, it has the potential to narrow the attainment gap in schools, which is now at its widest in 12 years.

Action Tutoring’s advocacy efforts in the first half of 2023-24 were focused on campaigning for an extension of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), which was due to end in August 2024. The initiative was designed to help pupils, especially those facing disadvantage, to recover from lost learning experienced during the pandemic school closures. Although three years have passed since the pandemic’s height, the impact of it is still being significantly felt by pupils across the country.[3]

These advocacy efforts included attending the Conservative and Labour party conferences in autumn 2023, participating in panel discussions organised by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), to discuss building embedded support for tutoring. These activities were delivered in collaboration with fellow tutoring charities, Get Further and Tutor Trust. The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel DeSouza, joined the panel discussion on fixing educational disparities across the UK at the 2023 Labour Party conference.

In early 2024 Action Tutoring CEO and founder, Susannah Hardyman, and fellow representatives of the Fair Education Alliance presented a petition to Downing Street, signed by over 500 teachers and senior leaders, urging the continuation of vital tutoring funding for schools and colleges. Additionally Action Tutoring engaged various MPs across the country, with some attending the charity’s tutoring sessions in person. These activities gained coverage in the national press, including in TES and The i, and a cross-party op-ed was coordinated, bringing together Lord David Blunket (Former Labour education secretary), Robin Walker (then chair of the Education Select Committee), and Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat education spokesperson).

Alongside peers in the sector, Action Tutoring commissioned the release of powerful research by Public First, in January 2024, on the economic impact of tutoring. It showed that pupils who achieved better grades through tutoring during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 years of the NTP will boost the UK's economy by £4.34 billion. This economic benefit is

3 The COVID-19 pandemic may be a thing of the past - its impact in schools is not

(https://www.ascl.org.uk/ASCL/media/ASCL/News/Press%20releases/The-COVID-19-pandemic-may-be-a-thing-of-the-past.pd f)

captured through pupils improving their grades and, as a result, obtaining higher lifetime earnings. For every £1 spent on tutoring, there's a benefit to the economy of £6.58.

Unfortunately, despite this evidence and the sector’s campaigning efforts the Conservative Government at the time chose not to extend the NTP. However Action Tutoring did not halt its efforts and remains resolutely steadfast, alongside peer charities, in its commitment to supporting pupils facing disadvantage and campaigning for government investment in tutoring.

Shortly after the announcement of the funding ending, Action Tutoring and fellow tutoring charities secured a Westminster Hall Debate on tutoring in England, sponsored by the Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, Munira Wilson. Politicians from across party lines acknowledged the transformative impact of tutoring. They highlighted its ability to close the attainment gap and boost pupil confidence and Action Tutoring was named specifically for its work by MP Paul Howell.

Action Tutoring’s advocacy activities have continued since the spring, engaging the new Government with its work and raising awareness of the value and impact of tutoring. Thanks to the NTP, there is now a greater awareness of the role that tutoring can play, particularly in supporting the attainment of pupils who are facing disadvantage. Action Tutoring strongly believes that state-funded tutoring will return and it continues to advocate for this. Conversations have moved forward significantly, but change won’t happen overnight.

Thanks to Action Tutoring’s fundraising and philanthropy efforts the charity can continue to support schools despite the NTP funding ending. However with school budgets becoming ever tighter more needs to be done to ensure that pupils in receipt of Pupil Premium reap the full benefits of tutoring, to enable them to progress in life.

Impact

This is an initial analysis of Action Tutoring’s activities in 2023-24. A more detailed breakdown of the charity’s work will be available in its Impact Report, which will be released in early 2025.

SAT results 2023–24

In 2024, Action Tutoring pupils were significantly more likely than other pupils facing disadvantage nationally to achieve the expected standard at the end of primary school.

Children facing disadvantage who were supported by Action Tutoring in English almost closed the gap with other children nationally who are not from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Children selected for Action Tutoring’s support are identified by their school as being at particular risk of not meeting this benchmark in their key stage 2 SATs— making their attainment all the more impressive.

These results are provisional. Action Tutoring pass rates are calculated using a sample of 304 SATs results in reading and 318 SATs results in maths. Action Tutoring did not receive SATs results for all the children it supported; SATs data was available for 73% of pupils for maths and for 89% for reading.

Disadvantaged defined as children in receipt of the Pupil Premium grant. National comparison data from gov.uk: key stage 2 attainment.

GCSE results in 2023–24

Young people taking part in Action Tutoring programmes are considered by their school to be at particular risk of missing out on a pass at GCSE.

After ten or more sessions with an Action Tutoring volunteer, 62% of young people facing disadvantage passed their English Language GCSE, while 60% passed maths.

These results are provisional: Action Tutoring has requested information from the Department for Education about Pupil Premium English and maths pass rates nationally, to better understand the impact of its programme. Our Impact Report will publish revised results alongside this national comparison.

As an indicator, in 2023 the national Pupil Premium pass rates at GCSE level were 52% for English Language and 52% for maths.

Action Tutoring pass rates calculated using GCSE results data from 2024 for maths (165 results), and from 2023 and 2024 together for English (132 results). Action Tutoring did not receive GCSE results for all the young people it supported; data was available for 99% of pupils for maths and for 99% for reading.

Disadvantaged defined as children in receipt of the Pupil Premium grant.

Volunteer, pupil and teacher feedback

Pupils

At the end of their tutoring blocks, pupils were asked to answer the statements below with a number where 1 is ‘Definitely not’ and 10 is ‘Yes, definitely’. The average scores, based on 1,680 survey responses across 104 schools, are shown below. Responses came from pupils across all year groups supported (Year 5, Year 6, Year 7, Year 10 and Year 11):

‘My tutor(s) are able to explain the subject to me clearly.’ Average score of 7.8
‘Would you recommend the tutoring sessions to a friend who needs help in English or maths?’ Average score of 7.6

Tutors

After delivering 10 tutoring sessions, tutors were asked to answer the statements below with a number where 1 is ‘Definitely not’ and 10 is ‘Yes, definitely’. From a small sample of 93 responses (which is approximately 9% of tutors that received the survey), the average scores were:

'The Action Tutoring workbooks/online tutoring resources are helping me deliver effective sessions.' Average score of 8.9
'Action Tutoring’s ongoing training and support is helping me develop my tutoring.' Average score of 8.5
'Action Tutoring communicates information and updates clearly.' Average score of 9.2
'Would you recommend volunteering with Action Tutoring to a friend, family member or colleague?' Average score of 9.4
'Volunteering with Action Tutoring is helping me develop new skills or improve existing ones.' Average score of 9.0
'By volunteering with Action Tutoring I feel like I’m making a difference.' Average score of 9.1
'Volunteering with Action Tutoring is having a positive impact on my mental health.' Average score of 8.8

Teachers

Teachers were asked to answer the statements below with a number where 1 is ‘Definitely not’ and 10 is ‘Yes, definitely’. The average scores, based on 69 survey responses (39% of participating schools in 2023-24), are shown below:

‘The Action Tutoring staff leading the delivery of the programme are well organised.’ Average score of 9.4
‘Based on your experience, would you recommend Action Tutoring to another school?’ Average score of 8.7
‘Action Tutoring’s programme offers good value for money.’ Average score of 8.2
‘Action Tutoring has an overall positive impact on our pupils.’ Average score of 8.4
‘Most of the volunteer tutors communicate effectively with pupils during sessions.’ Average score of 8.6
‘Most of the pupils are increasing in confidence from taking part in the tutoring programme.’ Average score of 8.1
‘The Action Tutoring curriculum resources are effective in helping prepare the pupils for exams.’ Average score of 8.3

Volunteer tutor demographics

In 2023-24, volunteer tutors were recruited from a wide range of sources. All tutors are expected to:

Have achieved a grade B or above at A Level (or equivalent qualification) in the subject they wished to tutor or demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the subject.
Be studying for or have earned a degree.
Demonstrate strong communication skills.
Demonstrate experience or interest in working with young people.

Action Tutoring’s active volunteer tutors who delivered one or more sessions in 2023-24 came from the following main groups:

40% employed (working full or part-time).
28% university students (postgrad or undergrad).
14% retired professionals.
18% not currently in employment or selected 'other' under occupation.

Funders and supporters

Grants

Action Tutoring is incredibly grateful to all its fantastic funders who provided grants in 2023-24. All grant funding, whether unrestricted or restricted, enables and empowers Action Tutoring to reach and support more children and young people facing disadvantage. The charity simply couldn’t achieve its mission without the support of fantastic trusts, foundations and corporations. Action Tutoring would like to thank the following funders who provided grants in 2023-24:

Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies
The Considered Ask
DAC Beachcroft
The Drapers’ Company
The Dulverton Trust
The Fidelity Foundation
The Hibbert Family Foundation
Impetus
Inflexion Foundation
J & H Peters Fund (Managed by King Baudouin Foundation)
Livingbridge Foundation
The Swire Charitable Trust
QBE Foundation

Tesco Stronger Starts
Wellington Management Foundation
The Westminster Foundation
The Worshipful Company of Insurers

Donations

Action Tutoring would like to thank the following organisations who provided crucial donations to the organisation in 2023-24, strengthening its ability to reduce the academic attainment gap in England:

Bureau Veritas
Centurion Management Ltd
Dragonfly Consultancy Ltd
Friends4Development
Guy Butler
The Harbour Foundation
KPMG
Lansdowne Partners
Mills Reeve
MyCause UK Festivals
Schroders Giving
Scottish Power

In addition to the support provided by these organisations and businesses, Action Tutoring would also like to thank all of its wonderful individual donors for their support in 2023-24. Their generosity enables and empowers the charity to support more children and young people to open the doors to their futures. In 2023-24 Action Tutoring continued to offer cryptocurrency donations as a route to support the charity.

Individual giving (campaigns and events)

In 2023-24 Action Tutoring secured a variety of charity spaces on various sporting events which, alongside participating in the annual Big Give Christmas Challenge which contributed over £8000. Total income from both individual donors, events and wider supporters totalled £105,921. Action Tutoring is grateful to all of its fundraisers and supporters who took part in these challenges, or supported the charity via its festive fundraising. campaign.

Partnerships and awards

Action Tutoring was delighted to be working in partnership with the QBE Foundation in 2023-24. The QBE Foundation generously committed at least £1.5 million to Action Tutoring over a three-year period starting in 2023-24.

The foundation provided strategic funding and volunteer tutors for the charity’s programmes and also raised additional funding to support Action Tutoring’s cause.

In March 2024, the QBE Foundation’s film, highlighting the partnership with Action Tutoring, was shortlisted in the ‘Corporate Cause’ category of the Smiley Charity Film Awards.

Action Tutoring was delighted to host QBE’s Executive Management Board (EMB) for their volunteering day in June 2024, through which their team provided the charity with valuable insights, approaches and suggestions to help Action Tutoring navigate particular ‘business’ challenges.

Action Tutoring would like to thank the QBE Foundation for all of its support over 2023-24 and look forward to continuing to work alongside them in 2024-25.

Financial review

Income

The total income for the year was £3,417,208. This represents a small decrease in income from 2022-23 by 4%.

Schools were asked to pay a contribution per block of tutoring, which comprised a portion of direct contribution and a portion from the Government’s National Tutoring Programme Grant. In addition, Action Tutoring covered the remaining cost of running the tuition from funding it received from other sources such as grants and donations. Total direct school contribution for the year came to £474,893. Additionally, schools provided a further £928,822 from the funding they passed on from the National Tutoring Programme income they received, making a total income from schools of £1,403,715.

Additionally, grant and foundation income for 2023-24 came to £1,826,351, an increase of £471,935 on the previous year. New funders included The QBE Foundation who gave £500,000 as part of a three-year corporate partnership. £105,821 was received in individual smaller donations, including through participation in mass fundraising events. Additional income totalling £81,321 was generated by investing reserves in short-term interest-bearing deposits.

Breakdown of income (2023-24):

No professional fundraisers were used in 2023-24, and Action Tutoring has not received any complaints regarding its fundraising activities. All fundraising is carried out by the Chief Executive Officer, the Head of Philanthropy, a newly created role of Fundraising Manager, Corporate Partnerships Manager and two Fundraising Coordinators supported by other staff across the organisation. The charity is not signed up to the Fundraising Regulator but follows the Code of Fundraising Practice as donations represented only 3% of income in 2023-24. The question of registering with the Fundraising Regulator is reviewed regularly, especially if the income mix of the charity changes significantly. Action Tutoring takes its responsibility as a fundraiser in terms of safeguarding, data protection and market regulations seriously and does not send unsolicited mail, electronic or otherwise, to individuals. All fundraising takes place through its existing volunteers, contacts and social media campaigns.

Expenditure and overall performance

The total expenditure for the year was £3,319,119, leading to a surplus of £98,089. Of the total expenditure, £2,512,627 represented expenditure allocated directly to tuition and school support, with £596,631 representing support costs and fundraising costs representing £158,409 of total expenditure. Additionally, for the first time this year, the costs relating to advocacy for public funding of tutoring as a needed provision for pupils facing disadvantage have been broken out as a separate charitable activity; this totalled £51,452.

Breakdown of direct costs (2023-24):

Investment policy

Action Tutoring’s cash management approach aims to ensure that the charity has access to cash funds as needed to finance its operations while optimising the blend of credit risk and interest rate returns. The charity has no UK-based assets against which to secure a loan or overdraft, and hence, any short-term facility, if available at all, is likely to be expensive, rapidly wiping out any benefit from interest income; the risk appetite for liquidity issues is therefore very low. Action Tutoring seeks to produce the best financial return within an acceptable level of risk.

Action Tutoring’s assets are held in cash or near cash investments (denominated in sterling) to facilitate quick and easy access and ensure its cash flow is not constrained. The charity holds a minimum of three months of gross expenditure in instant access accounts. This guards against the risk of secured income receipts being delayed. Additionally, cash above this level is held in a mix of short term or notice deposits with a maturity profile such that (subject to total cash levels) the charity has access to funds to cover its forecast gross expenditure.

Reserves policy

Action Tutoring’s reserves policy focuses on free reserves, as these are the available reserves held at the Trustees' discretion. The policy is designed to ensure that the charity’s work is protected from the risk of disruption at short notice due to a lack of funds while at the same time ensuring it does not retain income for longer than required. The reserves policy is kept under regular review, and target levels are adjusted as assessments of risk

and other factors develop or change. Key areas considered by the Trustees in determining target reserve levels include the financial impact of risks, inflationary pressures on the charity’s cost base and required levels of working capital.

The current target range for free reserves is between four and six months of expenditure - equivalent to between £1.2m and £1.8m based on planned expenditure in the next financial year. Action Tutoring’s free reserves at the year-end were £1.3m, equivalent to four months of expenditure. The charity’s free reserves were, therefore, within the target range.

The Trustees have also set aside designated funds. These funds are being held to mitigate the additional risks which now arise from (i) NTP funding not continuing beyond the end of the 2023-24 academic year and (ii) increasing pressure on school budgets, adversely impacting the ability of schools to allocate funding for tutoring. Action Tutoring expects to use some of these designated funds in 2024-25 in order to enable schools to continue to be able to access its tutoring programmes.

Going concern

The trustees have reviewed the reserves position, the income pipeline and planned expenditure. Based on this, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Structure, governance and management

Structure

Action Tutoring is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated in May 2012 and registered as a charity in the same month. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association, which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees which has legal, financial, and managerial responsibility for the charity. The Trustees constitute directors of the charitable company for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006 and Trustees of the charity for the purposes of the Charities Act 2011.

Governance

The Trustee Board meets at least five times a year, with four formal board meetings and an annual away day to discuss wider aspects of the charity's overall strategy. In addition, the Board has two formal sub-committees, each of which meets twice a year. The first is the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee which has particular responsibilities for monitoring the annual audit, scrutinising the risk register in depth and supporting the Senior Leadership Team in setting and scrutinising the charity’s budget. The second is the Human Resources Committee, which assists the Board in matters relating to remuneration policy, talent management and HR policies; sets the CEO’s remuneration; and assists with board nominations and governance.

Trustees keep up-to-date with charity regulation through reports from the Senior Leadership Team, which are presented as part of the main agenda in the quarterly board meetings, as well as attending relevant training, and are expected to share knowledge and best practice at trustee meetings.

Management

Responsibility for day-to-day operations and the leadership of the staff and volunteer team is delegated to the Senior Leadership Team, led by the Chief Executive Officer, and supported by a wider Senior Management Team. The Senior Leadership Team is responsible for all day-to-day decisions affecting the charity. Decisions of a strategic or directional nature, including the employment of the Senior Leadership Team, remain the Trustees' responsibility.

The charity has no subsidiaries, and there were no related party transactions during the year. The Trustees give their time voluntarily.

In 2023-24, the work of Action Tutoring was carried out by 78 paid staff and 1,896 volunteer tutors.

Remuneration Policy

Action Tutoring has a pay policy which sets out how it adopts a fair salary structure which is applied consistently to all its employees. The Trustees are ultimately responsible for setting and approving staff remuneration. Trustees have direct oversight of the Senior Leadership Team's pay and, through the approval of the annual budget, the pay policy and any overall increases in the total pay envelope for the rest of the staff team.

The salary level for all posts in the organisation is calculated based on:

The accountabilities set out in the relevant role profile, including any specific responsibilities and sector benchmarking.
The required knowledge, skills/abilities and qualifications as described in the person specification.

Action Tutoring aims to maintain fair and comparable remuneration levels in the market with other similar organisations in terms of size and operation.

The charity’s decisions around pay are based on the following principles:

Ensuring that the charity maximises its impact by recruiting the best people.
Demonstrate integrity through evidence-based decision-making.
Benchmarking against similar organisations within the sector and making sure the charity’s salaries are fair in comparison.

That charity does not operate a performance-based pay system and does not make bonus payments.

Recruitment and training of trustees

The recruitment of trustees is carried out primarily through external recruitment, including advertising on external sites and using recruitment agencies; nominations from within the current Board and wider recommendations from other stakeholders, including schools and funders. In order to assess their personal competence and independence, a skills audit is conducted to measure their suitability for any vacancies on the Board. Appointments are made with the approval of the existing members, following an interview process and recommendation from the interview panel.

Risk assessment

The Trustees of Action Tutoring have ultimate responsibility for overseeing risk management for the organisation as a whole but recognise that staff are crucial in implementing the risk management process, so consideration of risk is delegated to the Senior Leadership Team. The charity maintains a Strategic Risk Register, which is reviewed monthly by the Senior Leadership Team and is a standing item for review by both the Trustee Board and Audit, Finance and Risk Committee when they meet.

There are currently nine Strategic Risks identified; these and the outline of the mitigation plans are:

plans are:
Risk	Mitigation
Safeguarding(The safeguarding of those pupils that Action Tutoring serve is rightly regarded as a critical priority with the need to have the appropriate systems and procedures in place)	Mandatory training, established code of conduct, policies and procedures, strong pre-employment checks, regular reminders, full annual review of all policies, safer recruitment policy; ensuring a culture of safeguarding across the organiation and a willingness to report and take action.
School budgets and change in delivery model of NTP(Schools budgets are	Controlled budget to ensure no overspend, capacity building in fundraising team, building a school discount

increasingly stretched, and NTP funding has ended)	model, advocacy work with others in the sector, strong credit control and building a clear marketing proposition to schools.
Philanthropy(NTP funding ending places increased reliance on non-school/government funding sources to ensure the viability of tutoring offerings to schools)	Developing a detailed and wide ranging philanthropy strategy, researching and cultivating relationships with new funder leads, investment in developing the philanthropy team, ensuring tight control of programmes, establishing a wider Philanthropy strategy and multiple lines of income to build Action Tutoring’s fnancial base.
Volunteer recruitment(External environment and changes in programme commitment requirements lead to a reduction in volunteer sign-ups.)	Analysis of volunteer sign-ups, cross-organisational approach to volunteer recruitment, making use of targeted recruitment avenues, increased digital marketing.
Staffng(Salary costs are Action Tutoring’s biggest single cost and therefore investment; Action Tutoring’s performance is directly correlated to the quality of its staff)	Detailed metrics gathered, including staff turnover, regular benchmarking of employee proposition, fundraising strategy, building out a Learning and Development strategy, increased use of apprenticeship opportunities.
Financial fraud(Financial fraud and controls are key to ensuring appropriate management of charitable funds)	Robust fnancial procedures, access to systems carefully controlled, dual payment authorisation, clear levels of authorisation, steps in place to clearly identify external emails.
Government policy(Education policy is a rapidly changing environment which impacts both tutoring and, specifcally Action Tutoring)	Advocacy work continues to raise the profle of Action Tutoring and tutoring in general; the Senior Leadership Team and wider Senior Management Team monitor education policy and liaise with key external organisations.
Generative Large Language Model Artifcial Intelligence (AI) Systems (Competitors and schools increase their use of AI instead of tutors resulting in lost business. Action Tutoring does not properly make use of AI in its business processes.)	Engage and keep up with technological advances in generative AI. Begin the process of investigation of using generative AI for increasing internal effciencies (e.g. marking of assessments, generating marketing content and application as subject-support in tutoring itself).
Cyber security(Malware, phishing and other cyber attacks are an increasingly signifcant threat to all organisations)	Use of managed hardware for Action Tutoring phones and computers, password management system, malware and anti-virus software on all computers, mandatory data protection training, breach reporting, two-step authentication introduced on key systems.

Future plans and aims

Now in its 12th year Action Tutoring is entering a new chapter following the ending of the National Tutoring Programme in summer 2024. This brings new challenges and new opportunities for the 2024-25 academic year. Susannah Hardyman, CEO and Founder, is also stepping down in December 2024 after 12 years leading the charity. Recruitment for her successor is underway, to be in post in early 2025.

The charity is continuing to consolidate its work and ensure a strong platform for future growth and it remains committed to its strategy which focuses on four key areas: reach, growth, impact and advocacy. This strategy enables Action Tutoring to maintain a laser focus on its mission, ensuring the charity is having a meaningful impact on the young people it supports, and continually striving to reach more.

Reach

In the year ahead Action Tutoring plans to expand the locations the charity works in, especially to reach more rural and coastal areas to support pupils who are often facing hidden disadvantages. This means continuing to build on the success already achieved in reaching schools outside of its eight regions. Particular geographical areas of focus for 2024-25 include Essex, Devon, Blackpool, Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Wolverhampton and Derby, but the charity also remains responsive to opportunities that arise in other locations.

Growth

With the ending of the National Tutoring Programme and school budgets becoming increasingly restricted, the growth strand of Action Tutoring’s strategy has become more challenging to deliver. However with the attainment gap at its widest in 12 years, the need for Action Tutoring’s support is greater than ever. The charity remains committed to its ambition for growth whilst ensuring that its targets can be reached sustainably and it can overcome the external barriers it faces.

Impact

Action Tutoring is proud of the record impact it’s already demonstrated over the last few years and is continuing to refine its tutoring resources, pupil assessments and volunteer development to further improve pupil outcomes. Additionally it is aiming to carry out a quasi-experimental design (QED) evaluation on its Year 6 maths programme in autumn 2024 with an ambition for a larger external randomised control trial (RCT) evaluation in the 2025-26 academic year. These pieces of evidence would have significant value in demonstrating to key policy decision makers, funders and schools why investing in tutoring is crucial to enabling pupils facing disadvantage to progress in life. A new curriculum will be developed for the Year 5 cohorts based on thorough research and feedback. This will ensure every tutoring session has an impact.

Advocacy

Although disappointing that the NTP was not extended, Action Tutoring’s advocacy efforts and ambitions have not been dampened. In 2024-25 the charity will continue to campaign and seek to engage politicians and key decision makers, advocating for extended government investment in state school tutoring. As part of this work Action Tutoring will participate in panels at the 2024 party conferences and collaborate with Public First on two new reports looking at lessons learned from the National Tutoring Programme and a tutoring policy proposal for the new Labour Government. It will continue to grow its influence and contribution to policy-making with partners in the sector to shape young people’s futures positively.

To achieve all the outlined medium to long-term strategies, collaboration, one of Action Tutoring’s core values, will continue to be critical to the charity’s success. Internally, the team will work together to optimise its unique talents and drive efficiencies to improve the operational and managerial performance and impact of programme delivery. Beyond its workforce, the charity will work hand in hand with sector partners, funders, schools, volunteer tutors and the wider network for the collective growth of the education sector.

Legal and administrative details as of 31st August 2024

Registered name

Action Tutoring Ltd

Registered Charity Number

1147175

Registered Company Number

08105978

Registered Address

Action Tutoring Fivefields 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens Victoria SW1W 0DH

Trustee Board

For the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, the Board of Trustees is regarded as the Board of Directors of the company. The Trustees of the company throughout the year and to the date of signing this report are as follows:

Peter Baines (Chair) Mark Shadrack (Treasurer) Jo Conduit-Smith Abbie Hayes Andy Ratcliffe Anna Paige Sara Selvarajah Susannah Hardyman

Senior Leadership Team

Susannah Hardyman – Chief Executive Officer

Jen Fox - Deputy CEO Nicholas Bull - Director of Operations and Finance (appointed July 2023)

Fleur Peel – Director of Marketing and Communications (maternity leave from February 2023 to December 2023)

Bankers

HSBC, 8 Victoria Street, London, SW1 0ND

Independent Auditors

Goodman Jones LLP, 29-30 Fitzroy Square, Fitzrovia, London, W1T 6LQ

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

The Trustees (who are also directors of Action Tutoring for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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 and outgoing resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these Financial Statements, the Trustees are required to:

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

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. 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.

Disclosure of information to auditors

Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees' Report is approved has confirmed that:

so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware, and

that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charitable company's auditors are aware of that information.

Auditors

The auditors Goodman Jones LLP, have indicated their willingness to continue in office. The Designated Trustees will propose a motion re-appointing the auditors at a meeting of the Trustees.

This report was approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

…………………………….. Peter Baines Date 12-12-24 Chair

Independent Auditors’ Report to the Members of Action Tutoring LTD

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Action Tutoring Ltd (the 'charitable company') for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and the related notes, including a summary of 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:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 August 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting
Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 and Companies Act 2006.

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 Auditors' 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 United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

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

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material 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 other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our Auditors' Report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual Report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the

other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

the information given in the Trustees' Report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

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.

Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditors' Report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Based on our understanding of the charity and sector, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to sector regulations and unethical

and prohibited business practices, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, Charity Commission and sector regulations, and UK Tax Legislation. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements including the risk of override of controls). Appropriate audit procedures in response to these risks were carried out.

These procedures included:

Discussions with management, including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulation and fraud;
Reading minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;
Obtaining and reading correspondence from legal and regulatory bodies including HMRC;
Identifying and testing journal entries;
Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their significant accounting estimates.

We also communicated relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risks to all engagement team members; and remained alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

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 Auditors' Report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditors' 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 its members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Goodman Jones LLP

Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors 1st Floor, Arthur Stanley House 40-50 Tottenham Street London W1T 4RN

Date: 13-12-24

Goodman Jones LLP are eligible to act as auditors in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Note Income from: Donations and legacies 4 Charitable activities 5 Investments 6 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds 7 Charitable activities 8 Total expenditure Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Net movement in funds Total funds carried forward	Unrestricte funds d Restricted funds 2024 2024 £ £ 1,522,100 410,072 1,403,715 - 81,321 - 3,007,136 410,072 193,125 - 2,705,892 420,102 2,899,017 420,102 108,119 (10,030) 2,312,935 10,030 108,119 (10,030) 2,421,054 -	Unrestricte funds d Restricted funds 2024 2024 £ £ 1,522,100 410,072 1,403,715 - 81,321 - 3,007,136 410,072 193,125 - 2,705,892 420,102 2,899,017 420,102 108,119 (10,030) 2,312,935 10,030 108,119 (10,030) 2,421,054 -	Total funds 2024 £ 1,932,172 1,403,715 81,321 3,417,208 193,125 3,125,994 3,319,119 98,089 2,322,965 98,089 2,421,054	Total funds 2023 £ 1,462,090 2,077,589 25,982
		410,072		3,565,661
		- 420,102		170,092 2,652,408
		420,102		2,822,500
		(10,030)		743,161
		10,030 (10,030) -		1,579,804 743,161
				2,322,965

The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses recognised in

the year. The notes on pages 35 to 53 form part of these financial statements.

BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

150,167 2,594,286	64,594 2,364,939	2023 £ 4,002 2,318,963
2,744,453 (332,221)	2,429,533 (110,570)
1,100,000 1,321,054	1,100,000 1,212,935
		2,322,965
		2,322,965
		10,030 2,312,935

		2,322,965

The entity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006.

The members have not required the entity to obtain an audit for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

However, an audit is required in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of financial statements.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to entities subject to the small companies regime.

................................................

Peter Baines

Chair

................................................ Mark Shadrack Treasurer

Date:

The notes on pages 35 to 53 form part of these financial statements.

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Cash fows from operating activities Net cash used in operating activities Cash fows from investing activities Dividends, interests and rents from investments Purchase of tangible fxed assets Net cash provided by investing activities Cash fows from fnancing activities Net cash provided by fnancing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year The notes on pages35to53form part of these financial statements	2024 £ 2023 £ 147,563 1,015,661
	92,991 25,982 (11,207) (2,136)
	81,784 23,846
	- - 229,347 1,039,507 2,364,939 1,325,432
	2,594,286 2,364,939

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

1. General information

Action Tutoring Ltd is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, and whose registered office address is Fivefields, 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH. The Charity's objects are to support the education of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds as stated in the Trustees' Report.

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

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

Action Tutoring Ltd meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, the functional currency of the Charity, and rounded to the nearest £.

2.2 Company status

The Charity is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the Trustees named on page 1. In the event of the Charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the Charity.

2.3 Going concern

The Charity receives income by way of both contracts for services and voluntary income (in the form of grants from funders and donations from individuals). Having considered the future plans of the Charity, expected future income and expenditure, and available reserves, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

2.4 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements

2.5 Income

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

Grant income is recognised to the extent that the above criteria have been met together with any performance conditions attached to the grants. Grant income is deferred only to the extent that the Charity has yet to fulfil the related performance conditions.

School income is receivable under contracts and is recognised to the extent that the services have been provided. Where income is received in advance, this is deferred until the services are performed.

Donated services or facilities are recognised when the Charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use of the Charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the contributions of volunteers is not recognised.

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

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Income tax recoverable in relation to investment income is recognised at the time the investment income is receivable.

2.6 Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited

2.7 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity.

Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the Charity to raise funds for its charitable purposes and includes costs of all fundraising activities events and non-charitable trading.

Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the Charity and overall governance and management of the Charity. All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

2.8 Expenditure

Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the Charity to raise funds for its charitable purposes and includes costs of all fundraising activities, events and non-charitable trading.

Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the Charity and overall governance and management of the Charity.

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

2.9 Pensions

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the Charity to the fund in respect of the year.

2.10 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing £200 or more are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.

Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition should be included in the measurement of cost.

Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method.

Depreciation is provided on the following basis:

Office equipment - 2 year straight-line

2.11 Debtors

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

2.12Cash at bank and in hand

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

2.13Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer

economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity.

Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the Charity and overall governance and management of the Charity.

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

2.14 Pensions

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme and the pension charge represents the amounts payable by the Charity to the fund in respect of the year.

2.15 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing £200 or more are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.

Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method.

Depreciation is provided on the following basis:

Office equipment - 2 year straight-line

2.16Debtors

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

2.17Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a

short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

2.18Liabilities 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 Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advance payments for the goods or services it must provide.

Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, the provision is based on the present value of those amounts, discounted at the pre-tax discount rate that reflects the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities as a finance cost.

2.19Financial instruments

The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

3. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement

Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions:

The Charity 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 are considered to have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are as follows:

Income Recognition - The Charity receives income from contracts and performance grants. These agreements can include various qualitative and quantitative milestones and performance conditions to be met in order for the Charity to have entitlement to the funds. The Charity makes various assumptions in determining the stage of completion of these contracts and performance grants

4. Income from donations and legacies

Donations Grants Total 2023	Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 105,821 1,416,279 1,522,100 847,674	Restricted funds 2024 £ - 410,072 410,072 614,416	Total funds 2024 £ 105,821 1,826,351 1,932,172 1,462,090	Total funds 2023 £ 107,674 1,354,416
				1,462,090

5. Income from charitable activities

Tuition and school support National Tutoring Programme Total 2023	Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 474,893 928,822 1,403,715 2,077,589	Total funds 2024 £ 474,893 928,822 1,403,715 2,077,589	Total funds 2023 £ 912,441 1,165,148
			2,077,589

In its first two years (2020/21 and 2021/22), the National Tutoring Programme (NTP) income represented government grant funding received by Action Tutoring. In 2022/23 and 2023/24 NTP funding was provided directly to schools who use the funding to access the charity's services. For both years 2023 and 2024 this funding relates to income from schools using NTP funds.

6. Investment income

Interest income Total 2023	Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 81,321 25,982	Total funds 2024 £ 81,321 25,982	Total funds 2023 £ 25,982

7. Expenditure on raising funds

	Costs of raising funds Costs of raising funds - wages and salaries Allocated centrally incurred fundraising and governance costs	Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 5,715 152,694 34,716 193,125 170,092	Total funds 2024 £ 5,715 152,694 34,716 193,125 170,092	Total funds 2023 £ 6,171 163,921 -
				170,092

	Total 2023

8. Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Summary by fund type

Tuition and school support Advocacy Total 2023	Unrestricted funds 2024 £ 2,643,163 62,729 2,705,892 2,037,992	Restricted funds 2024 £ 420,102 - 420,102 614,416	Total 2024 £ 3,063,265 62,729 3,125,994 2,652,408	Total 2023 £ 2,652,408 -
				2,652,408

9. Analysis of expenditure by activities

Tuition and school support Advocacy Total 2023	Activities undertaken directly 2024 £ 2,512,627 51,452 2,564,079 2,083,141	Support costs 2024 £ 550,638 11,277 561,915 569,267	Total funds 2024 £ 3,063,265 62,729 3,125,994 2,652,408	Total funds 2023 £ 2,652,408 -
				2,652,408

10. Analysis of expenditure by activities (continued)

Analysis of direct costs

Staff costs Marketing Programme travel and accommodation Training Repairs and maintenance Tutor resources Volunteer expenses and training DBS checks Online tutoring Consultancy fees Advocacy consultancy and travel Total 2023	Tuition and school support 2024 £ 2,233,521 81,195 43,732 - 12,895 42,641 5,092 18,412 57,905 17,234 - 2,512,627 2,083,141	Advocacy 2024 £ 17,287 - - - - - - - - - 34,165 51,452 -	Total Total funds funds 2024 £ 2023 £ 2,250,808 1,906,966 81,195 61,001 43,732 - - 12 12,895 - 42,641 34,576 5,092 2,516 18,412 13,029 57,905 46,889 17,234 18,152 34,165 - 2,564,079 2,083,141 2,083,141

9. Analysis of expenditure by activities (continued)

Analysis of support costs

Staff costs Depreciation Recruitment Marketing Rent Travel and accommodation Training Welfare Insurance Accountancy fees Audit fees Offce costs Sundry expenses IT Costs Legal and professional fees Bank charges Total 2023	Tuition and school support 2024 £ 240,308 5,894 4,000 1,800 132,707 4,237 5,751 31,728 6,581 5,376 8,832 27,345 2,031 52,993 19,937 1,118 550,638 569,267	Advocacy 2024 £ 4,921 121 82 37 2,718 87 117 650 135 110 181 560 42 1,085 408 23 11,277 -	Total funds 2024 £ 245,229 6,015 4,082 1,837 135,425 4,324 5,868 32,378 6,716 5,486 9,013 27,905 2,073 54,078 20,345 1,141 561,915 569,267	Total funds 2023 £ 278,133 16,132 12,129 10,974 45,565 58,253 25,807 6,403 1,741 6,800 10,750 23,652 1,067 47,385 23,390 1,086
				569,267

10. Staff costs

Wages and salaries Social security costs Other pension costs	2024 £ 2,387,329 216,715 59,839 2,663,883	2023 £ 2,089,687 202,782 56,551
		2,349,020

The average number of persons employed by the Charity during the year was as follows:

	202	2023
	4	No.
	No.
Employees	78	71

The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded

£60,000 was:

		2024	2023
		No.	No.
In the band £60,001	- £70,000	1	1
In the band £70,001	- £80,000	1	1
In the band £80,001	- £90,000	1	-

During the year, total remuneration and benefits paid to key management personnel totaled £308,904 (2023: £295,352).

During the year, S Hardyman, a trustee (2023: S Hardyman, a trustee), received remuneration (including retirement benefits accruing in respect of defined contribution pension schemes) from the Charity for her role as Chief Executive and is included in the amounts payable to key management personnel. No remuneration was paid in respect of her role as a trustee.

11. Trustees' remuneration and expenses

During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2023 - £NIL) other than as disclosed in note 10.

During the year ended 31 August 2024, no Trustee expenses have been incurred (2023 - £NIL) .

12. Tangible fixed assets

Cost or valuation At 1 September 2023 Additions At 31 August 2024 Depreciation At 1 September 2023 Charge for the year On disposals At 31 August 2024 Net book value At 31 August 2024 At 31 August 2023 13. Debtors Due within one year Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income	2024 £ 10,667 6,871 132,629 150,167	Offce equipment £ 109,730 (5,030)
		104,700
		105,728 6,387 (16,237)
		5,878
		8,822
		4,002
		2023 £ 4,301 11,100 49,193
		64,594

14. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Other creditors Accruals and deferred income Deferred income at 1 September Resources deferred during the year Amounts released from previous periods	2024 £ 2023 £ 17,080 14,678 16,099 13,804 299,042 82,088
	332,221 110,570
	2024 £ 2023 £ 50,000 - 260,000 50,000 (50,000) -
	260,000 50,000

Deferred income brought forward and carried forward represents grant income received in advance of performance conditions being

15. Statement of funds

Statement of funds - current year

Unrestricted funds Designated funds Future Programme Fund General funds General Funds Total Unrestricted funds Restricted funds EY Foundation J & H Peters Fund (Managed by King Baudouin Foundation) Westminster Foundation Tesco Stronger Starts Fidelity Foundation Swire Charitable Trust DAC Beachcroft Dulverton Trust Drapers Charitable Trust Big Ask Total funds	Balance at 1 September 2023 £ 1,100,000 1,212,935 2,312,935 10,030 - - - - - - - - - 10,030 2,322,965	Income £ - 3,007,136 3,007,136 - 78,000 125,600 4,000 20,400 40,000 52,072 35,000 30,000 25,000 410,072 3,417,208	Expenditure Balance at 31 August 2024 £ £ - 1,100,000
			(2,899,017) 1,321,054
			(2,899,017) 2,421,054
			(10,030) - (78,000) - (125,600) - (4,000) - (20,400) - (40,000) - (52,072) - (35,000) - (30,000) - (25,000) -
			(420,102) -
			(3,319,119) 2,421,054

15. Statement of funds (continued)

Statement of funds - prior year Unrestricted funds Designated funds Future Programme Fund General funds General Funds Total Unrestricted funds	Balance at 1 September 2022 £ 833,091 736,683 1,569,774	Income £ - 2,951,245 2,951,245	Transfers Expenditure £ in/out £ - 266,909
			(2,208,084) (266,909) (2,208,084) -
Restricted funds EY Foundation Westminster Foundation Allan & Gill Gray Foundation Fidelity Foundation DAC Beachcroft Dulverton Trust Mischon De Reya Drapers Charitable Trust Allen and Overy Eveson Trust Big Ask Garfeld Weston Total funds	10,030 - - - - - - - - - - - 10,030 1,579,804	- 100,000 200,000 125,429 32,487 35,000 4,000 30,000 27,500 5,000 25,000 30,000 614,416 3,565,661	- - (100,000) - (200,000) - (125,429) - (32,487) - (35,000) - (4,000) - (30,000) - (27,500) - (5,000) - (25,000) - (30,000) - (614,416) - (2,822,500) -
		49

15. Statement of funds (continued)

The designated funds, consolidated in 2021 as the Future Programme Fund, represent funds designated by the Trustees towards Action Tutoring's long-term development and organisational sustainability, notably the ending of funding in its current format for the National Tutoring Programme at the end of the academic year 2023-24.

The restricted funds are held for the following purposes:

EY Foundation - funding received towards provision of IT equipment for the needs of young people; funding agreed for the provision of headphones.

J & H Peters Fund (Managed by King Baudouin Foundation) - tutoring block in rural and coastal areas in the South of England

Westminster Foundation - funding restricted to programmes in Westminster and Chester.

Tesco Stronger Starts - funding restricted to programmes in London.

Fidelity Foundation - restricted to organisational and technology development to increase access to online tuition.

Swire - restricted to core funding of maths and English programmes.

DAC Beachcroft - funding restricted to programmes in the north of England.

Dulverton Trust - funding restricted to core funding.

Drapers Charitable Trust - restricted to the provision of programmes in London schools.

Big Ask - restricted to the provision of a programme co-ordinator to support programmes in Newcastle and Durham.

Allen & Gill Gray Foundation - restricted specifically to cover the Charity's core costs.

Mishcon De Reya - restricted to supporting programmes generally, utilised specifically for the provision of tutoring in Newcastle.

Allen and Overy Foundation - funding restricted to online tutoring.

Eveson Trust - restricted to the provision of programmes in Birmingham schools.

Garfield Weston - restricted to the support of core costs.

16. Analysis of net assets between funds

Analysis of net assets between funds - current period

	Unrestricted	Total
	funds	funds
	2024	2024
	£	£
Tangible fxed assets	8,822	8,822
Current assets	2,744,453	2,744,453
Creditors due within one year	(332,221)	(332,221)
Total	2,421,054	2,421,054

Analysis of net assets between funds - prior period

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds 2023	funds	funds
	£	2023	2023
		£	£
Tangible fxed assets	4,002	-	4,002
Current assets	2,369,503	60,030	2,429,533
Creditors due within one year	(60,570)	(50,000)	(110,570)
l	2,312,935	10,030	2,322,965

Total

17. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

			2024	2023
			£	£
	Net income for the period (as per Statement of Financial Activities)		98,089	743,161
	Adjustments for:
	Depreciation charges		6,387	16,132
	Dividends, interests and rents from investments		(92,991)	(25,982)
	(Increase)/decrease in debtors		(78,702)	244,322
	Increase in creditors		214,780	38,028
	Net cash provided by operating activities		147,563	1,015,661
18.	Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
			2024	2023
			£	£
	Cash in hand		2,594,286	2,364,939
	Total cash and cash equivalents		2,594,286	2,364,939
19.	Analysis of changes in net debt=
		At 1		At 31
		September	Cash Flows	August 2024
		£	£	£
	Cash at bank and in hand	2,364,939	229,347	2,594,286
		2,364,939	229,347	2,594,286

20. Operating lease commitments

At 31 August 2024 the Charity had commitments to make future minimum lease payments under non- cancellable operating leases as follows:

Not later than 1 year Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years	2024 £ 130,968 147,344 278,312	2023 £ 1,200 -
		1,200

In October 2023 Action Tutoring entered into a three year agreement to rent office space in partnership with Grosvenor West End Properties Limited and the Westminster Foundation.

21. Related party transactions

Apart from as disclosed above or elsewhere in the financial statements, there are no other transactions with related parties in either the current and/or prior years that require disclosure.

22. Controlling party

The Charity is controlled by the Board of Trustees as a whole and there is no one individual with overall control.

Action Tutoring Fivefields 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens Victoria SW1W 0DH

0300 102 0094

hello@actiontutoring.org.uk www.actiontutoring.org.uk

Action Tutoring is proud to be a member of the Fair Education Alliance (faireducation.org.uk).

Action Tutoring Ltd

CONTENTS

Trustees’ Report

From the Chair

Charitable aims and objectives

Primary schools

Secondary schools

Delivery of aims and objectives

How Action Tutoring’s activity delivers public benefit

Summary of activity

Advocacy work

Impact

SAT results 2023–24

GCSE results in 2023–24

Volunteer, pupil and teacher feedback

Pupils

Tutors

Teachers

Volunteer tutor demographics

Funders and supporters

Grants

Donations

Individual giving (campaigns and events)

Partnerships and awards

Financial review

Income

Expenditure and overall performance

Investment policy

Reserves policy

Going concern

Structure, governance and management

Structure

Governance

Management

Remuneration Policy

Recruitment and training of trustees

Risk assessment

Future plans and aims

Reach

Growth

Impact

Advocacy

Legal and administrative details as of 31st August 2024

Registered name

Registered Charity Number

Registered Company Number

Registered Address

Trustee Board

Senior Leadership Team

Bankers

Independent Auditors

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

Disclosure of information to auditors

Auditors

Independent Auditors’ Report to the Members of Action Tutoring LTD

Opinion

Basis for opinion

Conclusions relating to going concern

Other information

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

Responsibilities of trustees

Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

These procedures included:

Use of our report

Goodman Jones LLP

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

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

1. General information

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

2.2 Company status

2.3 Going concern

2.4 Fund accounting

2.5 Income

2.6 Interest receivable

2.7 Expenditure

2.8 Expenditure

2.9 Pensions