2025-08-31-accounts - St Benedict's School Ealing

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ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31[st] August 2025 Company Number 08093330

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

CONTENTS	Page
Headmaster’s Report	1 – 2
Governors’ Report	3 – 12
Statement of Financial Activities	13
Balance Sheet	14
Statement of Cash Flows	15
Notes to the Financial Statements	16 – 28
Governing Body	29
Advisors	30
Independent Auditor’s Report	31-33

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

HEADMASTER’S REPORT

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

The St Benedict’s family of schools includes St Benedict’s Senior School and St Benedict’s Junior School in Ealing and St Bernard’s Preparatory School in Slough. The academic year from September 2024 to August 2025 has been marked by sustained achievement and growth across the St Benedict’s family of schools. The Senior and Junior Schools in Ealing have worked together to provide a broad, aspirational education, while continuing to uphold the Benedictine values of dignity, hospitality, and generosity.

St Benedict’s Senior School

Academic achievements: In the Senior School, High Performance Learning (HPL) was fully launched, led by a dedicated team of teachers. HPL was introduced to parents and students, with its principles displayed in every classroom and embedded in teaching across all subjects. Teachers promoted interactive and reflective learning and developed HPL cards for use in lessons.

Students engaged enthusiastically in national competitions including Maths Olympiads, the Chemistry Olympiad, the UKMT Maths Challenge, National BEBRAS Computing Challenge, VEX UK National Robotics Competition, and the Model United Nations Conference. Parliament Week was marked by a live-streamed Prime Minister’s Question Time, transforming the library into a hub for current affairs.

Public examination results in 2025 reflected the school’s commitment to academic excellence and its sustained improved performance. At A level, 52% of grades awarded were A or A, with 83% at A-B. At GCSE, 46% of grades achieved were 9–8, and 71% were 9–7.

Educational Trips: Beyond the classroom, students benefited from a wide range of educational visits and exchanges. These included the annual German Exchange Trip, a Politics Trip to New York and Washington, the Ealing Abbey Choir’s singing tour in the USA, the regular pilgrimages to Lourdes and Molveno, a ski trip to Norway, and a Rugby Tour to South Africa. These experiences helped broaden horizons and strengthen international understanding.

Lectures: The school welcomed distinguished speakers and hosted events that enriched academic and cultural life. Professor Lewis Dartnell delivered a lecture on “What if we began? Rethinking Everything.” The Ackroyd Literary Society held its inaugural talk with Vanessa Beaumont, followed by a session on Anglo-Saxon poetry with Dr Eleanor Parker of Oxford University.

The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) continued its tradition of service, leading the Ealing Remembrance Day Parade, while a Sixth Form student was appointed Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet and represented the CCF at the King’s Birthday Parade.

Community outreach remained central to school life. St Benedict’s hosted a variety of events with local schools, including a Science Fair, Vicious Vikings event, Art Show, Dance Show, House Productions, and ‘Able and Enthusiastic’ Sports Day. Charitable endeavours were woven throughout the year, with the school community coming together for St Benedict’s Day, Red Wednesday, the Macmillan Coffee Morning, Faith & Heritage Day, and the annual SVP Senior Citizen Christmas Party. The school continued its support for Ealing Food Bank and participated in the Big Lent Walk and the Ealing Half Marathon.

Events, Alumni and Fundraising activities were equally vibrant, with Giving Week, the Annual Golf Day, the Bursary Appeal, and the Fireworks event drawing strong support from families and friends. The school continued its annual sponsorship of the Ealing Book Festival and hosted its biennial Careers Fair with over 150 representatives.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme continued to flourish, with students receiving Gold presentations at Buckingham Palace.

Sporting achievement was celebrated at the school’s first coeducational Sports Awards Gala. A former pupil, Dimitri Couyta, achieved multiple Gold success at the Paris Paralympics. A new rugby partnership was established with the Ealing Trailfinders Elite Pathway, and football was introduced as a new sport. The Under 15 Netball team made history by winning the Sisters n

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Sport National Bowl and reaching the finals for the first time. In athletics, a pupil won a silver medal in long jump at England Athletics, while another broke school records and won bronze at the Under 17 England Athletics. The school hosted a South Korean fencing camp over the summer, and individual successes included a Year 5 pupil signing with the Chelsea FC Academy and a Year 8 pupil being crowned British Gymnastics Champion.

Music achievements : Music continued to thrive, with students participating in the National Youth Choir programme and the Ealing Abbey Choir’s singing tour to the USA. The Annual Music Festival and St Cecilia Concert were well attended, and a pupil was awarded an organ scholarship to Oxford University.

St Benedict’s Junior School

Children in the Junior School and Nursery have enjoyed a lively and enriching year, marked by opportunities to learn, collaborate, and grow together. Highlights have included WiseUp Teambuilding activities for Form 1 and Form 2, residential trips to PGL Marchants Hill and Ullswater, and a Spanish cultural tour to Cadiz and Seville. These experiences have helped our young people deepen friendships and build independence and resilience. Enrichment has continued through creative curriculum-linked day trips, national competitions such as the BEBRAS Computing Challenge and the Primary maths Challenge, and a wide range of sporting activities including athletics, cricket, fencing, football, netball, rugby, and tennis.

Music, art, and community events have brought the school together in celebration and reflection. Soloists’ Concerts, seasonal concerts, and the annual Music Festival have showcased musical talent, while the Art Exhibition and Book Week have encouraged creativity and a love of reading. Special events such as Faith & Heritage Day, Kindness Week, Maths Week, and the annual Dance Show have inspired curiosity and kindness. The School Challenge Quest and Form 2’s production of Bugsy Malone have encouraged independent learning and teamwork. Spiritual life remains central, with Nativity Plays, Carol Service, and Lenten gatherings providing moments of stillness and generosity. This breadth of experience reflects our commitment to nurturing each child’s talents and character, preparing them for the future with confidence and joy.

St Bernard’s Preparatory School

Throughout the academic year 2024-2025 St Bernard’s Preparatory School continued to excel in many different areas across both the academic and pastoral curriculum.

The Early Years Dept continued with Little St B’s (a toddler group for the local community) allowing the Early Years Dept to showcase their excellent equipment, resources and activities. The Early Years staff continued to deliver an exciting and invigorating curriculum. All year groups experienced an array of activities and opportunities linked to their classroom learning. Our Year4 -Year 6 children all went on residential trips with Year 6 going to France. The whole school went to Theatre Royal Windsor to see a pantomime. There was also much success in the UKMT Junior Maths Challenge, Primary Maths Challenge, SATIPS Handwriting Competition (winners) and excellent SATS results. We have also increased the number of after school club activities and are now offering 30 including Fencing, LAMDA & Junior Dukes. In addition, Sports Day, held at Thames Valley Athletic Centre, allowed the children to be recognised both individually for their sporting achievements, as well as collectively within their Houses.

Throughout the year, St Benedict’s School has remained true to its Benedictine ethos, fostering dignity, hospitality, and generosity in all aspects of school life. Our commitment to academic excellence, personal growth, and community service has ensured that the school remains well-placed for continued success and development. The Board of Governors and leadership team have maintained strong governance and compliance, supporting the long-term sustainability of the school.

St Benedict’s School enters the next academic year with confidence, ready to build on the achievements of 2024–2025 and to continue serving the community with integrity and ambition.

Joe Smith – Headmaster

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

GOVERNORS’ REPORT

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

The members of the St Benedict’s School Ealing Board of Governors present their Annual Report for the year ended 31 August 2025 under the Charities Act 2011 and the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” SORP 2015 (FRS 102), second edition effective January 2019, including the Directors’ and Strategic Reports, under the Companies Act 2006, together with the audited financial statements for the year.

Governance Structure and Management

Structure

The charity’s objects, as set out in the Articles of Association, are to advance Roman Catholic education, and the Roman Catholic faith in particular, by running one or more independent schools in the charism of St Benedict and by ancillary religious and educational activities for the benefit of the community at large.

The three schools, St Benedict’s Junior School and Senior School in Ealing, and St Bernard’s Preparatory school in Slough provide education to boys and girls from the ages of 3 to 18. The School admits boys and girls who are Roman Catholics as well as other Christian denominations and other faiths and none. Pupil numbers averaged 1,336 of which 827 were in Senior School and 305 Junior School, and 204 were in the Prep school. All the School’s activities are carried out through one legal body, St Benedict’s School Ealing, which is a charitable company limited by guarantee. The School is governed in accordance with its Memorandum and Articles of Association, last amended on 6 December 2018.

The Directors, who are known as Governors, are required under the Articles to serve as members of the Company. As required by the Articles, one of the Governors is the Abbot of Ealing Abbey and one other is appointed by the Abbot. At least 75% of the Governors are required to be Roman Catholic. One third of the Governors (excluding the Abbot and his appointee) retire at each AGM and are eligible for re-election for consecutive periods not exceeding in aggregate twelve years from the date of their original appointment. There are 14 serving governors at 31[st] August 2025.

At appointment, new Governors are inducted into the workings of the School, including policies and procedures, by the Clerk to the Governors. Written information is provided by way of a Governor Handbook and Guidelines for Governors, drawn up by AGBIS (the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools). Training courses are arranged with AGBIS. Training is also given in safeguarding and child protection. Regular training sessions are provided to keep Governors updated, a skills audit is carried out regularly and strategy days are held.

The Governors are legally responsible for the overall management and control of St Benedict’s School. They meet at least three times per year. The work of implementing most of their policies is carried out by a series of sub committees. These are as follows:

Safeguarding	St Bernard’s Prep Advisory Committee
Education	Scholarships and Bursaries
Finance & General Purposes	Health and Safety
Nominations (Governors)	Future Strategy

Safeguarding, Education, Finance & General Purposes, Health and Safety, Future Strategy and St Bernard’s Prep Advisory Committees have their own terms of reference, meet at least termly in advance of the full Governing Body meeting and report to the full Governing Body. Members of senior management attend these meetings. The other two committees meet as required.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Joe Smith BA MEd is Chief Executive and Headmaster of St Benedict’s. He is a governor of two HMC schools and an ISI inspector. Mr R Simmons BA PGCE MEd is Headmaster of the Junior School. He is responsible for day to day running of the Junior School. Ms A Verma LLB NPQH is Head of the Preparatory School. She is responsible for the day to day running of the Preparatory School. Both Mr R Simmons and Ms A Verma report to the Headmaster (Chief Executive). During the year, the Headmaster met regularly with the Chair of Governors, with the Bursar and with the Deputy Heads to facilitate the development and implementation of the strategy and other matters as required.

Staff and Volunteers

Key management personnel include Headteachers, Bursar and Deputy Heads. Remuneration is dependent on experience and is set by benchmarking pay for similar positions in other schools.

Governors place considerable importance on informing all staff of financial and other matters that affect them, consulting with them where appropriate. The Headmaster and the Junior School and Prep School Headteachers report any key points from Governors’ meetings to staff through the School’s formal management structure. All other such matters are briefed to staff as they arise through regular staff meetings.

Inclusion is a thread which runs through all the School’s activities. In order to promote an environment within which the School can call upon the widest possible range of knowledge, skill and experience, the School’s policies facilitate the employment of disabled people and the provision, where appropriate, for training and career development. Were an employee to become disabled whilst in service, every effort would be made to retain them.

Many parents help as volunteers, particularly through the work of the Society of Parents and Friends (SPF) at St Benedict’s Junior and Senior School and through the work of Friends of the Preparatory School (FOPS) at St Bernard’s. Old Priorians, the former pupils of St Benedict’s Senior School, also give their time to assist the School. The School is very grateful to all its supporters.

Responsibilities

The Governors are responsible for preparing the Governors’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Governors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the Governors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the Governors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the School and of the profit or loss of the School for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Governors are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standard have been followed subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the School will continue in business.

The Governors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the School’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the School and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, Companies Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” SORP (FRS 102). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the School and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

So far as each of the Governors is aware at the time the report is approved:

there is no relevant audit information of which the School's auditors are unaware; and

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

the Governors have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

Public Benefit

The Governors 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. The School is committed to ensuring that it is meeting its main aim and its charitable objective. During 2024-25, it has done so in a range of ways, as set out below.

St Benedict’s Senior and Junior School

Bursaries and Scholarships

This year the value of bursaries and scholarships made to the Schools amounted to £1,503,913. (2024: £1,233,862). Bursaries provided amounted to £1,147,947 (2024: £945,854), all were means tested and this figure includes temporary bursaries for those in financial hardship. Scholarships provided amounted to £344,979 (2024: £288,008). The Governors’ policy, in line with that of other Independent Schools, is to make these awards on the basis of the individual’s educational potential. In addition, the School is provided fully funded places to 3 Ukrainian children.

Supporting local maintained schools

The School’s Senior Deputy Head, Luke Ramsden has been given a special ‘Raising Awareness About Pastoral Care’ award by the National Association for Pastoral Care in Education. He is one of the leading practitioners in the Country. He is regularly invited to speak at safeguarding conferences on the subject of pastoral care and has also appeared in webinars, podcasts and roundtable events discussing this topic.

Mr. Ramsden serves as Chair of Trustees for the Schools Consent Project, a charity which works with schools to deliver workshops on consent, healthy relationships and respect. The role involves supporting the charity’s strategic direction, ensuring its governance is robust and helping it to broaden its reach so that more young people can benefit from its work.

Mr. Ramsden is also an advisor on safeguarding with The Diana Award and on the steering group for the International Task Force on Child Protection. In addition, he is a member of an advisory safeguarding panel at the Department for Education.

The school’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF) accepts pupils from Year 9 from Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in Greenford. There is a small fund which allows the CCF to waive the joining fee for those who would otherwise be unable to join for financial reasons.

Membership of the CCF enables Cardinal Wiseman pupils to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and to receive all the personal development benefits of membership of the Army Cadets. The University of Northampton study published by the government in April shows clearly that CCF membership improves educational outcomes.

The CCF actively assists other units in West London including Avanti House, the Jewish Free School, John Lyon and Highgate. This opens access to training which these units would otherwise lack.

The Art Department provides training and resources to staff at St Joseph's, Hanwell, helping them to develop their curriculum and raising the profile of art within their school. Off-cuts have been donated for printing.

Since December 2019 practice interviews for aspiring medics have been opened up to pupils from St Augustine’s Priory and Sacred Heart, Hammersmith.

The school’s next Careers Fair will take place in March 2027. The last three Careers Fairs in February 2020, June 2022 and March 2025 were opened up to pupils from the Emmaus Partnership (St. Augustine’s, Cardinal Wiseman and Sacred Heart). Recordings of ‘Careers Breakfasts’ have also been shared with Emmaus Partnership schools.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

St. Benedict’s hosts the annual U18 Middlesex rugby sevens tournament as well as several county and regional hockey tournaments and a Junior School netball tournament. The Head of Netball is also honorary head coach of the U14 Team Ealing London Youth Games netball squad, with a colleague as her assistant (this year’s squad won Silver at the Copper Box Arena for the second consecutive year). One of the school’s rugby coaches is a member of the Middlesex U16 coaching team. The Head of Athletics and two colleagues are members of the Middlesex coaching team. An annual Able and Enthusiastic sports morning is held at the games field for Year 5 pupils from local primary schools, and there is a rolling programme of Able and Enthusiastic mornings in other subjects. Year 5 primary school pupils are also invited to the annual Year 8 Science Fair and the Art Show.

Other schools in the Emmaus Partnership (St. Augustine’s, Cardinal Wiseman and Sacred Heart) are invited to lectures/events at St Benedict's (alternatively they can view lectures on livestream). St. Benedict’s hosts a U13/U12 netball tournament for these schools and pays for transport of pupils as required.

The School also performs at and provides financial support for local community events such as Pitshanger’s ‘Light up the Lane’ and ‘Party in the Park’, Christmas carols (including an annual concert by the Junior School Schola at Downhurst Residential Home) etc. Bursaries of up to £1,000 per annum are awarded to six pupils for instrumental lessons.

One teacher is a trustee of Ealing Choral Society, which is a registered charity offering bursaries to young members and discounts to those on limited income. Several thousand pounds is raised each year for a local charity via a Christmas Carol concert.

One teacher is a trustee of Ealing Youth Orchestra and assists with the organisation and staffing of concerts.

The School supports Initial Teacher Training and, in 2017-18, became a member of the West London Teaching School Alliance (WLTSA), which is coordinated by Sacred Heart School, Hammersmith. St Benedict’s is the only independent school member of the WLTSA.

Members of the St Benedict’s teaching staff serve as Chair of Governors at St. George’s Primary School, Sudbury, Vice Chair of Governors at Alexandra Primary School, Hounslow, Foundation Governor of LifeFull Schools Federation and Governors at Chiswick School and St. Mary’s Primary School, Hammersmith. A member of staff is a councillor representing the London Borough of Hillingdon.

Offering use of the school’s facilities to local community groups

In addition to letting its facilities to various local sports clubs, the School also grants free use of its facilities to other charitable organisations, including Ealing Abbey and Parish and Met NW region of HCPT (a group which organises pilgrimages to Lourdes), which uses the School not only for meetings but also to host fundraising events. A member of staff is Deputy group Leader of a separate HCPT group.

The school extends an invitation to local children to take up fencing and train at a discounted rate where they use the facilities, equipment and coaching without paying the rates charged by comparable fencing clubs. The school runs four national level fencing tournaments a year, open to all fencers, as well as helping to host several London regional events.

The Games Department hosts sessions for local schools at Perivale Park Athletics Track and in the Sports Hall to assess GCSE students.

The school has let out its facilities for, among other things

Ealing Gymnastics
Ealing Hockey
Osemka Volleyball Club (Polish)
Ealing Cricket Club
Jumping fitness
Spanish Education Department classes
Sri Lanka Society dinner
Birthday parties
Easter Vigil

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Goa Association dinner
MetFilm School
Armenian Society event
Armenian scout event
Evangelist church fair

Supporting local, national and international charities

The educational work of the School involves pupils and students engaging in various projects to promote and assist local, national and international charities. In 2024-25 the school raised over £18,584 in support of a range of charities. In addition to fundraising, the Lower Sixth service programme also lends practical support to many local charities.

The school, as part of the Emmaus Partnership, takes part in fundraising and charitable activities – for example six collections were made in the course of the year for the Ealing Food Bank, including a collection for Christmas food items and presents.

The school’s St Vincent de Paul (SVP) society is involved in a wide range of charitable fundraising throughout the year. The Sixth Form SVP hosts a Christmas and senior citizens’ party to which residents from local care homes are invited. In addition, Sixth Form pupils help at a local soup kitchen in Ealing – this is co-ordinated via the parish.

On the school’s annual St Benedict’s Day funds were raised to help the charities CAFOD, Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter and The Epilepsy Society.

The school’s four houses organised charity days in the course of 2024-25, supporting Young Minds, The Ruth Strauss Foundation, The Brain Tumour Charity and Brass for Africa.

The school supports the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning by hosting a parents’ function in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

The whole school takes part in the Aid to the Church in Need ‘Red Wednesday’ fundraising day.

For the past four years Year 7 pupils have completed a charity work-out in aid of Lepra, the leprosy charity.

One of the school’s peripatetic music teachers has set up the Ukraine Music Hub to help to provide free music lessons, instruments, places to practise and performance opportunities to Ukrainian refugees. A national database has been established listing UK based teachers offering help and those seeking lessons and/or instruments. St. Benedict’s are the administrators of this scheme.

Another of the school’s peripatetic music teachers has set up and runs the Your Turn Collective charity, which works in support of classical music creators from under-represented backgrounds.

Another of the school’s peripatetic music teachers is a trustee of leading music charity Tomorrow’s Warriors which she joined at the age of 11. She is now a trustee and has been involved in a vast range of music-related charity projects. The aim of the charity is to continue providing free music education and to shine particular light on ethnic minorities and girls who were previously often overlooked in the UK jazz industry.

In total last year pupils spent 3,900 hours volunteering as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. The social value of these hours was £24,959.

Repurposed laptops to local state schools, asylum seeker charities and adults in need of technology.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

The Art Department provides training and resources to the staff at St Joseph's. Primary School, Hanwell, helping them to develop their curriculum and raise the profile of art within the school. Off-cuts for printing and perspex blocks have been donated.

The school supports five local retirement homes (St. David’s, Kent Lodge, Acton Care Home, Torkington and Downhurst) through voluntary service. Students socialise with and serve the elderly in the local community.

The school uses Ecosia as its search engine, and this helps to plant trees around the world.

A water well, fully funded by a member of staff, has been constructed in Bihar, India, and is now operational. It provides clean water to an underprivileged community and stands as a small but meaningful tribute to the school’s Benedictine values. The well is expected to benefit the community for years to come, improving quality of life while also carrying a message of hope and support.

The same member of staff’s family also made a contribution to an orphanage in Bangladesh which allowed the children there to have meals for two days.

The school has developed a significant link with the Foundation of Goodness, based in Hikkaduwa on the south coast of Sri Lanka. This charity has done incredible work to make a difference to the lives of extremely impoverished rural communities, especially in the wake of the 2004 Tsunami. St. Benedict’s has run five cricket tours to Sri Lanka since 2014, and on each tour students have visited the Foundation’s headquarters and spent an afternoon coaching and playing with local children who are beneficiaries of the project as well as presenting a donation (£11,000 in 2024). A sixth tour is planned for Easter 2026.

In 2025, St Benedict’s hosted a charity cricket tournament in support of the Ruth Strauss Foundation, raising over £1,000. The school also hosted the Middlesex Cricket Ealing Borough Capping Ceremony, celebrating the achievements of young cricketers across the borough.

The school’s Head of Cricket has been actively involved with the Middlesex Cricket Pathway Ealing Borough U15 Team since 2021, working with talented cricketers from across Ealing and the wider community. In addition, he serves as Director of Junior Cricket at Ealing Trailfinders Cricket Club, overseeing holiday camps, winter and summer training programmes and masterclasses which support the growth of cricket locally.

The St. Benedict’s coaching team also plays a significant role in community cricket. Five coaches are currently working with local clubs, helping to drive participation in both boys’ and girls’ cricket as well as the adult game.

One school coach is also the Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s Teams at Actonians Cricket Club as well as assisting with the men’s team at Shepherds Bush, ensuring that the school’s coaching expertise benefits cricket at all levels.

Over the last three years, the Head of Cricket has further developed opportunities for girls’ cricket in the area, coaching over 300 girls through school and club programmes.

Beyond coaching, St. Benedict’s pupils have contributed by volunteering at local cricket clubs as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Awards, further strengthening ties with the community. The Head of Cricket also serves as the Assistant Coach of the Portuguese National Cricket Team on a voluntary basis.

In addition, the school has worked to ensure that cricket remains accessible at grassroots level. Last year, St Benedict’s hosted a primary schools cricket tournament, inviting all local state schools to take part and experience competitive cricket in a fun and inclusive environment.

Through these initiatives St. Benedict’s continues to play a leading role in supporting cricket in the community, developing participation and fostering a culture of service and outreach both locally and internationally.

Over the years the Senior School Library has consistently donated books to ‘Porridge and Rice’, a charity that helps children in the slums of Nairobi, providing meals and schooling. In addition, a successful book drive was organised in 2024, in partnership with the Junior School, in support of the Children's Book Project. This charitable initiative, dedicated to providing underprivileged children with access to books and promoting literacy, received over 300 books through our efforts. By contributing to this cause, we aim to make a meaningful impact on young readers' lives and support their educational development in communities where resources are limited.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

The ‘St. Benedict’s Hub’ (the second-hand uniform store) also supports Porridge and Rice by supplying books, old uniform, clothing, furniture and sports kit. It also donates rugby kit to a charity in Malawi and clothing to Acton Recycling Community. In addition, donations have been made to a parent who organises distribution of clothing to Afghan refugee children in various Ealing schools, and also to a number of Ukrainian families.

Staff at St Benedict’s have supported charities in a range of other ways:

Founder and Creative Director of Ealing Street Dance Academy, a community dance company in Ealing consisting of 350 children with different abilities aged 3-18. The dancers attend weekend dance classes, work towards exams and perform at various events in the local community. Several bursaries are offered to children whose parents cannot afford the termly fees.
Trustee of a youth club, a research centre and a funeral care service. The latter provides funerals at cost value or even free for those who cannot afford the full charge and is operated only by volunteers. He also volunteers on the committees of two fencing clubs, the Army and Combined Services Fencing Club. In addition, he is an army reservist.
Trustee of the London Basketball Association and organiser of Chiswick Monthly Litter Pick
Volunteering as a magistrate, sitting in courts in Ealing and Uxbridge, and supporting the work of ‘Magistrates in the Community’, which helps to deliver the multi-agency workshop ‘Your Life, You Choose’ to Ealing schools.
Serving on the children’s liturgy team at Ealing Abbey on Sundays.
Confirmation leader at Ealing Abbey
Arranging transport to Mass for elderly people and reading at Mass in a local parish.
Acting as a registered guide runner supporting visually impaired runners in their training and at running events (including the London Marathon).
Running a local scout group (1[st] Ealing North) and serving as a catechist in Ealing Abbey, teaching monthly confirmation classes.
Reading in Ealing Abbey and acting as a Sunday Mass fire marshal.
Serving as a catechist at Our Lady and St. Joseph’s, Hanwell.
Serving as a reader at Our Lady and St. Joseph’s, Hanwell.
Singing in the choir at Our Lady and St. Joseph’s, Hanwell
Acting as Safeguarding Representative in West Acton Parish, reading and supporting the Parish Priest with confirmation classes.
Volunteering as an independent examiner (auditor) for St. Matthew’s Church, Ealing Common.
Deanery Synod Representative on Parochial Church Council of St.Martin’s Church. Kensal Rise.
Producing and hosting podcasts for the Multiple Scelerosis Trust, serving as a member of the Patient Participation Group of the UK MS register and fundraising for the MS Society.
Assisting a blind man with his supermarket shopping in Brentford.
Assisting the Salvation Army at Christmas, and volunteering for Crisis at Christmas.
Volunteering with Ealing Churches Night Shelter at Ealing Abbey.
Volunteering at Ealing Soup Kitchen (three members of staff).
Volunteering at a soup kitchen in Central London.
Volunteering for the Schools Consent Project as part of their admin team.
Volunteering with Befriend (home visits to the elderly in the Boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow)
Helping out at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith, assisting with the usher duties at some of their musical and theatrical events and at the monthly tea dances for senior citizens – also working with the Irish Elders who emigrated to London in the 1950s and who are now in their twilight years.
Volunteering with the Scratching Post cat rescue charity and Poppy Appeal collector for the Royal British Legion.

St Bernard’s Preparatory School

This year the value of bursaries made to help support the School’s pupils amounted to £11,473 (2023-24: £4,754).

At the Prep School, children are still given many opportunities to support others through prayer, fundraising and giving to others. The children support numerous charitable organisations.

In 2024-25, the Prep School supported WWF, Macmillan Cancer Research, Thames Hospice, The Baby Bank, Cancer research, MISSIO & CAFOD raising a total of £1,730.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

In addition to these funds raised, St Bernard’s also continue to share their good practice in teaching RE with St Joseph’s (Bracknell), raise awareness of local and global causes through social action projects and provide work experience through the Education Business Partnership.

Financial Review

The School’s operating surplus to 31[st] August 2025 as shown on the Statement of Financial Activities was £2,062,519 (2024 £2,384,189).

Total reserves held at 31[st] August 2025 were £18,228,444 (2024: £16,165,925). The School currently has total unrestricted funds of £17,841,904 (2024: £16,091,232) split by general funds of £12,775,283 (2024: £11,315,802) and designated funds of £5,066,621 (2024: £4,775,430). Designated funds include the Land and Property Fund which is the value of land and property where property will depreciate at 2%. There is also £1,170,680 allocated for bursaries of which £870,680 is in designated funds and £300,000 is in restricted funds.

The School has fixed assets of £17,653,014 (2024: £18,251,577). The excess of unrestricted funds over fixed assets is £188,890 (2024: -£2,160,345). The policy is to build up free reserves through annual surpluses in the coming years.

Reserves held at 31[st] August 2025 in restricted funds were £386,540 (2024: £74,693) mainly represented by the Leavers donations and Lecture series.

Due to Government policy the School became VAT registered on 1[st ] December 2024 with VAT being charged on fees from 1[st] January 2025. This has created disparity with some prior year figures where VAT has been reclaimed on costs and also the recognition of Michaelmas term fees for 2025-26 in the prior year.

Reserves Policy

In drawing up their reserves policy the Governors have considered the following: the School’s activities, funding sources, future needs, opportunities, economic conditions, contingencies and the risks being faced. It is the Governors’ policy to maintain free, undesignated reserves of a minimum of one month’s expenditure and long term to aim to increase this to three months’ expenditure. In addition, the Governors have designated a sum of £350,000 to hold against repayments of acceptance deposits repayable within one year. The policy has been reviewed in light of the current financial pressures and Governors are satisfied that the policy meets the requirements of the School. The level of reserves held is monitored throughout the year using monthly management accounts and termly meetings of the Finance and General Purposes Committee. One month’s expenditure is in the region of £1,850,000 and cash reserves held at 31/8/2025 were £9,220,263, principally fees in advance and deposits held on behalf of parents.

Development

St Benedict’s School has a Development & Alumni Engagement Office which has been in operation since September 2014. The Development & Alumni Engagement Office is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and adheres to all fundraising codes of practice. It is staffed by a Development Manager and a Development & Alumni Engagement Director who is a member of the CASE and IDPE industry bodies.

The Office has a structured programme of fundraising events including an Annual Fund, which seeks to support enhancing the materials and fabric of the School alongside Senior School Bursary and Legacy fundraising. We do not use a third-party fundraiser and there have been no complaints made regarding the activity of the Development & Alumni Engagement Office.

The eleventh year of the Development & Alumni Engagement Office saw continued growth once again. The 2024/25 Annual Fund was considerably bolstered by strong support during the School’s fifth Giving Week, and raised over £80,000 towards Bursaries, and Where the School Needs it Most, allocated to the purchase of a Concert Grand Piano. In addition, over £17,000 was given under the Leavers’ Acceptance Deposit appeal.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Continued focus on Alumni engagement has seen the School’s alumni platform, St Benedict’s Connect, grow to over 1,500 Old Priorians, with over 75% of current members participating in the platform mentoring programme.

The diverse event programme featuring the annual fireworks party, Oxbridge Reunion Dinner, to the annual Alumni sports festivals has ensured regular attendance of 500+ consisting of past and present parents and Old Priorians.

Energy and Carbon Report

In accordance with the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements, the School’s energy usage and emissions for the year were as follows:

emissions for the year were as follows:
	2024-25	2023-24	2022-23	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20
UK energyuse in kWh Gas	884,444	859,117	846,383	793,225	1,083,031	999,627
UK energyuse in kWh Electricity	598,334	577,646	588,270	667,753	617,116	599,194
Associated Greenhouse Gas emissions in Tonnes CO2	179.9	174.71	172.1	161.3	220.2	203.3
IntensityRatio(kilo of emissionsperpupil)	0.16	0.16	0.16	0.15	0.20	0.18

100% of the School’s electricity comes from renewable sources. The School continues to invest in building improvements such as LED lighting, replacing gas ovens with electric and replacing boilers to ensure they run more efficiently.

Risk Management

The Governors have given consideration to the major risks to which the charity is exposed and satisfied themselves that systems or procedures are established in order to manage those risks. They have in place appropriate structures and procedures to assess risk. A “Risk Register” assists the process of identifying risks and controls, assessing risks and evaluating actions required. Whilst Governors have responsibility for identifying risks, senior staff play a key role in assisting in drawing up the risk register. The risk register for each category of risk sets out the following:

The key risks
Their expected impact and probability
The controls in place to manage those risks
The lead officer responsible for those controls
The mechanism by which the controls are monitored
The areas where the controls need to be strengthened or further action taken.

Sub committees of the Governing Board review those sections of the risk register delegated by the Board of Governors, as set down in the Risk Management Strategy.

The highest priority risks identified by the Governors were:

Insufficient reserves lead to inability to invest in facilities or to operate in certain circumstances e.g. recruitment ban.
Cost of living crisis and effect of VAT on fees leads to more families in hardship, affecting pupil numbers and surplus.
Loss of information, systems or a data breach through IT failure, virus, destruction of hardware or cyber-attack.

The risks will be mitigated as follows:

Budgets are closely adhered to and Governors review forecasts and forward cashflows termly. Reserves policy reviewed annually. Governors consider reserves and the effect on the school in Finance and General Purposes meetings and take action where appropriate.
Increase the hardship fund where necessary and ensure swift action to support parents in times of difficulty. If necessary make cost savings to preserve sufficient surplus.
Measures include staff training, cloud and physical back-ups, testing of our security systems, second factor authentication.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Fraud Risk

St Benedict’s maintains robust procedures including an Anti-Fraud policy to identify and manage fraud risks, ensuring the safety and integrity of our financial operations. The school’s finance team carries out regular reviews of internal controls, supported by external audits and clear reporting lines. All colleagues receive guidance and training on recognising and reporting suspicious activity, and our safeguarding culture extends to financial stewardship. We use secure digital systems for transactions and monitor compliance with statutory regulations. The Governors review these arrangements annually, and the school remains committed to transparency and continual improvement in all aspects of fraud prevention.

Future Strategy

The aim of St Benedict’s Senior and Junior Schools is to become the Independent and Catholic schools of choice in West London. We will achieve this by supporting all pupils to achieve their academic potential, and to enjoy a full co-curricular life, in a school which develops individual gifts and strengths. At St Bernard’s we aim to build upon the School’s high academic standards and to promote what we offer so that we increase enrolment at the School.

Staff

Governors would like to officially thank the senior team, wider staff body and volunteers who contribute so much to the St Benedict’s community. The Governors are extremely grateful for all their efforts.

Retiring Governors

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our Governors who retired this year; we are deeply grateful for the time and effort they have invested in the School.

The Governors approved the Governors’ Report, including the Strategic Report, on 4th December 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Mike Davis Chair of Governors

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

		Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
		Funds	Funds	2025	2024
INCOME FROM:	Note	£	£	£	£
Charitable activities
Fees	3	23,130,911	-	23,130,911	21,987,602
Other academic income	4	1,420,763	-	1,420,763	1,639,567
Other educational income	5	997,509	-	997,509	927,221
Donations
Other donations and legacies	6	310,105	535,311	845,416	795,334
Other trading activities
Lettings income		229,642	-	229,642	234,273
Bank interest		242,232	101,314	343,546	190,531
		-----------------------	---------------------	---------------------	---------------------
Total Income		26,331,162	636,625	26,967,787	25,774,528
		-----------------------	---------------------	---------------------	---------------------
EXPENDITURE ON:	7
Charitable activities:
Teaching		16,544,481	-	16,544,481	15,690,956
Establishment		4,532,269	324,778	4,857,047	4,903,628
Welfare		646,831	-	646,831	622,631
Administration		2,152,188	-	2,152,188	2,147,090
		-----------------------	---------------------	-----------------------	-----------------------
Total Expenditure		23,875,769	324,778	24,200,547	23,364,305
		------------------------	---------------------	-----------------------	-----------------------
Net income	2	2,455,393	311,847	2,767,240	2,410,223
Pension provision movement		(704,721)	-	(704,721)	(26,034)
		------------------------	---------------------	-----------------------	-----------------------
Net movement in funds	16c	1,750,672	311,847	2,062,519	2,384,189
Total funds at 1 September 2024		16,091,232	74,693	16,165,925	13,781,736
		---------------------	---------------------	---------------------	---------------------
Total funds at 31 August 2025		17,841,904	386,540	18,228,444	16,165,925
		==========	==========	==========	==========

CONTINUING OPERATIONS

None of the School’s activities were acquired or discontinued during the year.

TOTAL RECOGNISED GAINS AND LOSSES

The School has no recognised gains or losses other than the surplus for the current period.

Details of comparative figures by fund are disclosed in note 21.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Company Number: 08093330

BALANCE SHEET

31[st] August 2025

			2025		2024
	Notes	£	£	£	£
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets	10		17,653,014		18,251,577
CURRENT ASSETS
Stock		33,528		29,391
Debtors	11	8,856,058		469,293
Cash at bank and in hand		9,220,263		8,352,196
		--------------------		--------------------
		18,109,849		8,850,880
CREDITORS:amounts falling due
within one year	12	(12,148,752)		(4,498,131)
		--------------------		--------------------
NET CURRENT ASSETS			5,961,097		4,352,749
			---------------------		---------------------
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT			23,614,111		22,604,326
LIABILITIES
CREDITORS:amounts falling due
after more than one year	13		(5,385,667)		(6,438,401)
			---------------------		---------------------
NET ASSETS			18,228,444		16,165,925
			==========		==========
FUNDS
Unrestricted funds	14a
General			12,775,283		11,315,802
Designated			5,066,621		4,775,430
			---------------------		---------------------
			17,841,904		16,091,232
Restricted funds	14b		386,540		74,693
			---------------------		---------------------
TOTAL FUNDS	15		18,228,444		16,165,925
			==========		==========

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Governors on 4[th] December 2025 and were signed below on its behalf by:

Mike Davis Chair of Governors

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

		2025		2024
	£	£	£	£
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by operating activities		711,673		7,487,724
Cash flows from investing activities:
Interest received	343,546		190,531
Purchase of tangible fixed assets	(187,152)		(358,516)
	---------------------		---------------------
Net cash used in investing activities		156,394		(167,985)
Cash flows from financing activities
Repayment of bank loan		-		(1,183,350)
		---------------------		---------------------
Change in cash and cash equivalents		868,067		6,136,389
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of
the reporting period		8,352,196		2,215,807
		---------------------		---------------------
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period		9,220,263		8,352,196
		==========		===========
RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) TO
NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES		2025		2024
		£		£
Net income for the reporting period (as per the Statement of Financial Activities)		2,062,519		2,384,189
Adjustments for:
Depreciation		785,710		820,574
Increase/(decrease) in stock		(4,132)		(3,414)
(Increase)/(decrease) in debtors		(8,386,765)		(62,093)
Increase/(decrease) in creditors		6,597,887		4,538,999
Interest received		(343,546)		(190,531)
		---------------------		---------------------
Net cash provided by operating activities		711,673		7,487,724
		==========		==========
ANALYSIS OF CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
		2025		2024
		£		£
Cash in hand and at bank		9,220,263		8,352,196
		---------------------		---------------------
Total cash and cash equivalents		9,220,263		8,352,196
		==========		==========

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102), the Companies Act 2006 and the 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) – second edition effective 1[st] January 2019.

The functional currency of the School is considered to be GBP because that is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the School operates. The School is a Public Benefit Entity registered as a charity in England and Wales and a company limited by guarantee (company number: 08093330 and charity number: 1148512). The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, subject to the revaluation of certain fixed assets.

Going Concern

Governors have discussed the current environment in which the school operates including the financial impact of significant recent changes (loss of business rates relief, increase in Employer’s National Insurance and introduction of VAT). Discussions included a review of threats to the organisation including economic changes and local competition. Despite the introduction of VAT, pupil numbers in the Senior School have been maintained. The Junior School saw slightly lower pupil numbers in the early years in September 2025 which is in line with many other prep schools. The Prep School saw a similar reduction in their numbers for September 2025. There have been renewed marketing efforts in the Junior School and Prep School to reverse a minor loss of pupils in the last two years. The Board are aware that there could still be a significant impact on pupil numbers in the future in relation to VAT and also the wider economic situation and plans to mitigate a reduction in income include cutting costs, increasing income via lettings and being ready to take on pupils from other schools in difficulty. The Board discussed and agreed plans to mitigate these risks. These discussions will continue.

Budgets have been prepared with these plans in mind and have been reviewed and approved. Governors have also reviewed the funding facilities available to the School together with the expected ongoing demand for places and the School’s future projected cash flows. The Governors have a reasonable expectation that the School has adequate resources to continue its activities for the foreseeable future and consider that there were no material uncertainties over the School’s financial viability. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements as outlined in the Statement of Accounting and Reporting Responsibilities on page 4.

Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In the application of the accounting policies, Governors are required to make judgements, estimates, and assumptions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affected current and future periods.

Judgements made by the Governors, in the application of these accounting policies that have significant effect on the financial statements and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment in the next year are deemed to be in relation to the depreciation rates of tangible fixed assets and are discussed below.

In the view of the Governors, no assumptions concerning the future or estimation uncertainty affecting assets or liabilities at the balance sheet date are likely to result in a material adjustment to their carrying amounts in the next financial year.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Income

Fees receivable and other fees are accounted for in the period in which the service is provided. Fees receivable represent fees less bursaries and allowances and other income derived from the School’s continuing activities. Fundraising and other income is accounted for when entitlement arises, the amount can be reliably quantified and the economic benefit to the School is considered probable.

Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and is recognised when there is a legal or constructive obligation to pay for expenditure.

All costs have been attributed to the functional categories of resources expended in the Statement of Financial Activities. The School registered for VAT from the 1[st] December 2024 and accordingly expenditure is included net of any recoverable VAT.

Governance costs comprise the costs of running the charity, including strategic planning for its future development, external audit, any legal advice for the School’s Governors, and all the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements, such as costs of Board and Committee meetings and of preparing statutory accounts and satisfying public accountability.

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible assets, except the freehold property, are stated at cost less depreciation.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets other than freehold land, at rates calculated to write off the cost less their estimated residual value of each asset over its expected useful life, as follows:

School buildings	- 2% on cost
Motor vehicles	- 20% on cost
Furniture, fittings and equipment	- 33.3% on cost
Property improvements	- 20% on cost
St Bernard’s extension	- 4% on cost

Individual items costing less than £2,000 are normally written off as an expense on acquisition.

Stock

Stock is stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Stock reflects umbrellas and catering supplies.

Financial instruments

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at amortised value with the exception of investments which are held at fair value. Financial assets held at amortised cost comprise cash at bank and in hand, together with trade and other debtors. A specific provision is made for debts for which recoverability is in doubt. Cash at bank and in hand is defined as all cash held in bank accounts and used as working capital. Financial liabilities held at amortised cost comprise all creditors except social security and other taxes and provisions.

Debtors

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

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short-term deposits.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the School has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Pensions

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme - this scheme is a multi-employer pension scheme. It is not possible to identify the School’s share of the underlying assets and liabilities of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on a consistent and reasonable basis and therefore, as required by FRS102, the School accounts for the scheme as if it were a defined contribution scheme. The School’s contributions, which are in accordance with the recommendations of the Government Actuary, are charged in the period in which the salaries to which they relate are payable.

The School also operates 2 defined contribution group personal pension schemes for non-teaching staff.

Operating lease commitments

The rentals payable under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) on a straight line basis over the lease term.

Fund accounting

Funds held by the charity are:

Unrestricted funds – these are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the Governors.

Designated funds – these are unrestricted funds marked by the Board of Governors for particular purposes.

Restricted funds – these are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of the restricted funds is included in note 14b to the accounts.

2.	NET INCOME	2025	2024
		£	£
	Net income is stated after charging
	Depreciation of owned tangible fixed assets	785,710	820,574
	Auditor’s remuneration – audit services	24,350	27,570
	Operating leases – buildings	580,680	562,674
	– equipment	58,305	67,210
3.	FEES RECEIVABLE
		2025	2024
		£	£
	Fees receivable consist of:
	Gross fees	25,755,808	24,419,458
	Less: Bursaries, scholarships	(1,503,913)	(1,233,862)
	Less: Other awards	(1,120,984)	(1,197,994)
		------------------------	------------------------
		23,130,911	21,987,602
		============	===========
4.	OTHER ACADEMIC INCOME	2025	2024
		£	£
	Examination fees	117,687	120,108
	Registration fees	79,192	67,600
	Extras (Music fees, exam fees, trips)	985,768	1,237,129
	Other Income	238,116	214,730
		----------------------	----------------------
		1,420,763	1,639,567
		===========	===========

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

5.	OTHER EDUCATIONAL INCOME	OTHER EDUCATIONAL INCOME				2025	2024
						£	£
	Catering					910,766	856,601
	Minibus					86,743	70,620
						----------------	----------------
						997,509	927,221
						========	========
6.	OTHER DONATIONS AND	LEGACIES				2025	2024
						£	£
	Donations					235,416	245,976
	Legacies					610,000	560,680
						--------------------	----------------
						845,416	806,656
						==========	========
	Of the legacy income received in 2025,		£300,000 (2024:	none) is restricted		for bursaries and £310,000
	(2024: £560,680) has been designated for bursaries.
7.	EXPENDITURE
		Staff costs	Depreciation		Other costs	2025	2024
		£	£		£	£	£
	Charitable Activities:
	Teaching	14,694,270	-		1,850,211	16,544,481	15,690,956
	Establishment	1,041,914	785,710		3,029,423	4,857,047	4,903,628
	Welfare	441,169	-		205,662	646,831	622,631
	Support and
	Administration	1,792,319	-		359,869	2,152,188	2,147,090
		---------------------	---------------------		----------------------	----------------------	----------------------
		17,969,672	785,710		5,445,165	24,200,547	23,364,305
		==========	==========		==========	===========	===========
	Prior Year comparative:
		Staff costs	Depreciation		Other costs	2024	2023
		£	£		£	£	£
	Charitable Activities:
	Teaching	13,577,113	-		2,113,843	15,690,956 14,783,420
	Establishment	1,011,478	820,573		3,071,577	4,903,628 4,472,962
	Welfare	407,823	-		214,808	622,631 573,999
	Support and
	Administration	1,699,021	-		448,069	2,147,090 1,987,214
		---------------------	---------------------		----------------------	---------------------- ----------------------
		16,695,435	820,573		5,848,297	23,364,305 21,817,595
		===========	===========		===========	=========== ===========

Included within support and administration costs above are governance costs of £29,206 (2024: £33,897) in respect of auditors’ remuneration, governing body expenses and legal fees.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

PARTICULARS OF EMPLOYEES	2025	2024
	No.	No.
The average persons employed by the School
during the year was:
Education	263	267
Administration and domestic	146	129
	-------------	-------------
	409	396
	-------------	-------------
	2025	2024
Their total remuneration was:	£	£
Wages and salaries	14,150,803	13,310,725
Social security costs	1,554,904	1,339,082
Other pension costs	2,263,965	2,045,628
	------------------------	------------------------
	17,969,672	16,695,435
	============	============
The number of staff with emoluments within the following ranges were:
	2025	2024
	No.	No.
£60,000 - £69,999	48	34
£70,000 - £79,999	20	15
£80,000 - £89,999	5	3
£90,000 - £99,999	4	2
£100,000 - £109,999	1	1
£110,000 - £119,999	1	2
£120,000 - £129,999	1	-
£130,000 - £139,999	1	-
£150,000 - £159,999	-	1
£180,000 - £189,999	1	-

The total remuneration of key management personnel during the year was £973,222 (2024: £904,333).

The School made defined benefit pension contributions of £177,533 (2024: £155,256) in the year in respect of the 6 key management personnel above.

There were termination payments made in the year for £128,282 (2024: £13,581).

GOVERNORS’ REMUNERATION AND REIMBURSED EXPENSES

None of the Governors received any form of remuneration (2024: none).

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

9. TAXATION

St Benedict’s School Ealing is a registered charity and is not liable to corporate taxation. The School registered for VAT from the 1[st] December 2024.

10. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

	Freehold	Furniture	Property	School	Motor	Total
	Land and	fittings	Improve-	Buildings	vehicles
	Property	and	ments
		equipmen
		t
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Cost or valuation
At 1 September 2024	4,440,459	1,503,595	4,281,808	13,144,340	403,357	23,773,559
Additions at cost	-	132,884	88,355	-	54,941	276,180
Disposals	-	(7,176)	-	-	(72,021)	(79,197)
Pre registration VAT		(11,809)	(47,291)		(29,928)	(89,028)
	-------------	--------------	---------------	---------------	---------------	---------------
	--	-
At 31 August 2025	4,440,459	1,617,494	4,322,872	13,144,340	356,349	23,881,514
	-------------	--------------	---------------	---------------	---------------	---------------
	--	-
Depreciation
At 1 September 2024	225,710	1,429,706	1,552,034	2,116,359	198,175	5,521,984
Charge for the year	18,809	67,251	380,978	262,887	55,785	785,710
Disposals	-	(7,176)	-	-	(72,018)	(79,194)
	-------------	--------------	---------------	---------------	---------------	---------------
	--	-
At 31 August 2025	244,519	1,489,781	1,933,012	2,379,246	181,942	6,228,500
	-------------	--------------	---------------	---------------	---------------	---------------
	--	-
Net Book Value
At 31 August 2025	4,195,940	127,713	2,389,860	10,765,094	174,407	17,653,014
	========	========	========	========	========	========
At 31 August 2024	4,214,750	73,889	2,729,776	11,027,981	205,181	18,251,577
	========	========	========	========	========	========

The School has entered into a debenture agreement with Barclays Bank, establishing a legal charge over the school’s assets. This arrangement is designed to secure an overdraft facility, should it be required in future.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

11. DEBTORS

DEBTORS
	2025	2024
	£	£
Unpaid fees and miscellaneous debtors	8,257,416	4,580
Prepayments and accrued incom	347,692	266,917
Other debtors	250,950	197,796
	-------------------	-------------------
	8,856,058	469,293
	=========	========

The School became VAT registered with effect from 1 December 2024. As a result, a VAT tax point was created for Michaelmas term invoices that had been issued prior to the year end. These invoices, which were previously not recognised as debtors, are now recognised due to the establishment of a VAT point. This change has led to a notable increase in both fee debtors and fees received in advance as at the reporting date.

12.	CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year	2025	2024
		£	£
	Trade creditors	72,342	353,685
	Fees received in advance	2,847,297	3,054,929
	Autumn term fees received in advance	6,672,478	-
	Deposits held	272,404	247,734
	VAT	1,150,898	-
	Other taxation and social security	350,374	295,607
	Other creditors	204,726	123,736
	Pension deficit payments	140,995	66,424
	Accruals	337,238	256,016
	Amounts due to the Trustees of the Charity of the Bernadine Sisters	100,000	100,000
		------------------	-----------------
		12,148,752	4,498,131
		==========	==========
13.	CREDITORS: amounts falling due after more than one year	2025	2024
		£	£
	Pension deficit payments	972,968	409,242
	Fees received in advance	1,273,005	2,617,815
	Deposits held	2,474,532	2,667,747
	Amounts due to the Trustees of the Charity of the Bernadine Sisters	665,162	743,597
		------------------	------------------
		5,385,667	6,438,401
		=========	========

Pension Deficit Payments relate to the former support staff defined benefit pension scheme, held with The Pensions Trust. The increase in liability is due to the most recent valuation of the fund which saw an increase in the deficit between assets held and liabilities. See note 16c for further information.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Charity of Bernadine Sisters: On 1 January 2019 the School acquired St Bernard’s Preparatory School from the Charity of the Bernadine Sisters for £1,500,000 payable in 30 instalments of £50,000 over a 15-year period. The first payment was made on acquisition, with subsequent instalments due twice a year on 30 September and 31 March. The net present value of this liability at 31 August 2025 is £765,162 which has been split between creditors due in less than one year and creditors due in more than one year accordingly (2024: £843,597).

14a. UNRESTRICTED FUNDS

	Brought			Movements	Carried
	1 September			provision &	31 August
	2024	Income	Expenditure	Transfers	2025
	£	£	£	£	£
General funds	11,315,802	26,021,162	(24,580,490)	18,809	12,775,283
	-------------------	-------------------	---------------------	---------------------	-------------------
Designated funds
Land and Property Fund	4,214,750	-	-	(18,809)	4,195,941
Legacy Fund	560,680	310,000	-	-	870,680
	-------------------	-------------------	---------------------	---------------------	-------------------
	4,775,430	310,000	-	(18,809)	5,066,621
	---------------------	-------------------	----------------------	---------------------	---------------------
	16,091,232	26,331,162	(24,580,490)	-	17,841,904
	==========	==========	===========	==========	==========

Land and Property Fund

The land and property fund represents the net book value of the School’s freehold land and property including a residential property and St Bernard’s land recognised at £3.5m.

Prior Year Comparative:

	Brought			Movements	Carried
	forward at			in pension	forward at
	1 September			provision &	31 August
	2024	Income	Expenditure	Transfers	2025
	£	£	£	£	£
General funds	9,480,322	24,967,972	(23,151,301)	18,809	11,315,802
	-------------------	-------------------	---------------------	---------------------	-------------------
Designated funds
Land and Property Fund	4,233,559		-	(18,809)	4,214,750
Legacy Fund	-	560,680			560,680
	-------------------	-------------------	---------------------	---------------------	-------------------
	4,233,559	560,680	-	(18,809)	4,775,430
	---------------------	-------------------	----------------------	---------------------	---------------------
	13,713,881	25,528,652	(23,151,301)	-	16,091,232
	==========	==========	===========	==========	==========

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

14b. RESTRICTED FUNDS

RESTRICTED FUNDS
	Brought			Carried
	forward at			forward at
	1 September			31 August
	2024	Income	Expenditure	2025
	£	£	£	£
OPA Headmasters Fund	4,035	1,000	-	5,035
Science Garden and Pond	9,228	-	-	9,228
Bursary Appeal	-	96,120	(96,120)	-
Leavers Donations	18,181	17,416	(18,181)	17,416
Annual Fund / CCF	-	9,300	-	9,300
Annual Fund / Sports	-	450	-	450
Annual Fund / Bursaries	25,429	188,669	(179,615)	34,483
Legacy Bursary Fund	-	300,000	-	300,000
Richard Baker Lecture Series	12,004	3,985	(5,361)	10,628
Misc Gifts and Sponsorships	-	487	(487)	-
Sloboda Music	5,816	19,198	(25,014)	-
	------------------	------------------	------------------	-----------------
	74,693	636,625	(324,778)	386,540
	=========	=========	=========	=========

OPA Headmaster’s Fund

This fund relates to an annual donation from the Old Priorians’ Association for the Headmaster to award to pupil(s) for a specific project or educational experience.

Science Garden and Pond

This fund incorporates monies donated by the Gulamhuseinwala family in memory of a former pupil and to be used for a science pond. It also includes monies raised in the annual giving campaign for a science garden and pond.

Bursary Appeal, Annual Fund Bursaries and Leaver Donations

This fund comprises monies to be used for the provision of bursaries for talented academic, sporting and musical pupils. Interest from the Fees in Advance Scheme is included in this fund.

Annual Fund /CCF

This fund comprises annual giving monies received in 2023-2025 to be used by the CCF.

Annual Fund /Sports

This fund comprises annual giving monies received in 2024-25 to be spent on Hockey.

Richard Baker Lecture Series

Monies donated to fund a series of lectures by a former pupil who was inspired by Richard Baker.

Miscellaneous Gifts

This was money donated to be used for Fencing and Adrian Kellet Public speaking cup

Sloboda Music

Funds donated for music activities including concerts. Spent in 2024-25 on a piano.

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Prior Year Comparative:

14b. RESTRICTED FUNDS

RESTRICTED FUNDS
	Brought			Carried
	forward at			forward at
	1 September			31 August
	2023	Income	Expenditure	2024
	£	£	£	£
OPA Headmasters Fund	3,035	1,000	-	4,035
Science Garden and Pond	9,228	-	-	9,228
Bursary Appeal	-	86,960	(86,960)	-
Leavers Donations	20,962	18,181	(20,962)	18,181
Annual Fund / Music Studio	6,579	-	(6,579)	-
Annual Fund / Climate Station	4,357	-	(4,357)	-
Annual Fund / Gym	3,608	2,096	(5,704)	-
Annual Fund / Bursaries	-	130,646	(105,217)	25,429
Richard Baker Lecture Series	11,665	4,581	(4,242)	12,004
Misc Gifts and Sponsorships	313	1,812	(2,125)	-
Sloboda Music	5,358	600	(142)	5,816
Ukrainian Student Fund	2,750	-	(2,750)	-
	------------------	------------------	------------------	-----------------
	67,855	245,876	(239,038)	74,693
	=========	=========	=========	=========

15. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

	Tangible	Other assets/	Total	Total
	Fixed assets	(liabilities)	2025	2024
	£	£	£	£
Restricted funds	-	386,540	386,540	74,693
Unrestricted funds
General funds	13,457,074	(681,791)	12,775,283	11,315,802
Designated funds	4,195,940	870,681	5,066,621	4,775,430
	-------------------	----------------------	---------------------	---------------------
	17,653,014	575,430	18,228,444	16,165,925
	===========	============	===========	===========
Prior Year Comparative:
	Tangible	Other assets/	Total	Total
	Fixed assets	(liabilities)	2024	2023
	£	£	£	£
Restricted funds	-	74,693	74,693	67,855
Unrestricted funds
General funds	14,036,827	(2,721,025)	11,315,802	9,480,322
Designated funds	4,214,750	560,680	4,775,430	4,233,559
	-------------------	----------------------	---------------------	---------------------
	18,251,577	(2,085,652)	16,165,925	13,781,736
	===========	============	==========	===========

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

16. PENSION COSTS

(a) Teachers’ Pension Scheme

The School participates in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (“the TPS”) for its teaching staff. The pension charge for the year includes contributions payable to the TPS of £1,361,823 (2024: £1,544,242) and at the year-end £0 (2024 - £0) was accrued in respect of contributions to this scheme.

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

The employer contribution rate is set by the Secretary of State following scheme valuations undertaken by the Government Actuary’s Department. The most recent actuarial valuation of the TPS was prepared as at 31 March 2020 and the Valuation Report was published in October 2023. The Valuation Report shows notional assets of £222.2bn and liabilities of £262bn, resulting in a scheme deficit of £39.8bn.

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

(b) Support Staff and Alternative Teacher Pension Scheme

The School runs four defined contribution schemes including two auto enrolment schemes for its teaching and nonteaching staff who are not in a final salary scheme. The cost for the year of the School’s contributions was £1,339,430 (2024: £755,355).

(c) Former Support Staff Pension Scheme

The School previously participated in The Independent Schools’ Pension Scheme (‘the scheme’), the scheme was closed to future accruals on 30[th] September 2018. The scheme is a multi-employer scheme run by The Pensions Trust which provides benefits to some 51 non-associated employers. The scheme is a defined benefit scheme in the UK. It is not possible for the company to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for the scheme as a defined benefit scheme, therefore it accounts for the scheme as a defined contribution scheme.

The scheme is subject to the funding legislation outlined in the Pensions Act 2004 which came into force on 30 December 2005. This, together with documents issued by the Pensions Regulator and Technical Actuarial Standards issued by the Financial Reporting Council, set out the framework for funding defined benefit occupational pension schemes in the UK.

The scheme is classified as a 'last-man standing arrangement'. Therefore, the School is potentially liable for other participating employers' obligations if those employers are unable to meet their share of the scheme deficit following withdrawal from the scheme. Participating employers are legally required to meet their share of the scheme deficit on an annuity purchase basis on withdrawal from the scheme.

A full actuarial valuation for the scheme was carried out with an effective date of 30 September 2023. This actuarial valuation was certified on 11 December 2024 and showed assets of £99.2m, liabilities of £151.5m and a deficit of £52.3m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the trustees and the participating employers have agreed that additional contributions will be paid, in combination from all employers, to the scheme as follows:

Deficit contributions

From 1 September 2025 to 31 January 2034:

£6,000,000 per annum (payable monthly and increasing by 3% on each 1[st] September)

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Note that the scheme’s previous valuation was carried out with an effective date of 30 September 2020. This valuation showed assets of £201.1m, liabilities of £256.3m and a deficit of £55.2m. To eliminate this funding shortfall, the Trustee has asked the participating employers to pay additional contributions to the scheme as follows:

Deficit contributions

£2,687,000 per annum From 1 September 2022 to 30 June (payable monthly and increasing by 3% on each 1[st] 2032: September)

The recovery plan contributions are allocated to each participating employer in line with their estimated share of the scheme liabilities.

Where the scheme is in deficit and where the company has agreed to a deficit funding arrangement the company recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the deficit reduction contributions payable under the agreement that relates to the deficit. The present value is calculated using the discount rate detailed in these disclosures. The unwinding of the discount rate is recognised as a finance cost.

The deficit contribution paid by the School during the year was £66,424 (2024: £64,490). The net present value of the deficit contribution recognised in the accounts has increased by £704,721 due to the most recent revaluation of the fund. The total deficit contribution is recognised as a creditor at £1,113,963 (2024: £475,667).

17. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS

At 31 August 2025, the School had total commitments under non-cancellable operating leases payable as follows:

	Land &		Land &
	Buildings	Other	Buildings	Other
	2025	2025	2024	2024
	£	£	£	£
Within one year	600,665	60,037	580,680	70,403
Between two and five years	2,031,721	58,107	2,092,615	137,042
More than 5 years	-	-	-	-
	------------------	-----------------	------------------	-----------------
	2,632,386	118,144	2,673,295	207,445
	=========	=========	=========	=========

Operating lease commitments have been calculated at current rates and will be updated annually for RPIs as per the contracts.

18. SHARE CAPITAL AND CONTROLLING PARTY

The School is limited by guarantee and therefore has no share capital. The liability of the members in the event of a winding up is £1 each. No one member has overall control of the School.

19. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

At 31[st] August there were three donations from Governors totalling £575 (2024: £210).

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

21. PRIOR YEAR STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

		Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
		Funds	Funds	2024
INCOME FROM:	Note	£	£	£
Charitable activities
Fees	3	21,987,602	-	21,987,602
Other academic income	4	1,639,567	-	1,639,567
Other educational income	5	927,221	-	927,221
Donations
Other donations and grants	6	560,780	234,554	795,334
Other trading activities
Lettings income		234,273	-	234,273
Bank interest		179,209	11,322	190,531
		-----------------------	---------------------	---------------------
Total Income		25,528,652	245,876	25,774,528
		-----------------------	---------------------	---------------------
EXPENDITURE ON:	7
Charitable activities:
Teaching		15,690,956	-	15,690,956
Establishment		4,664,590	239,038	4,903,628
Welfare		622,631	-	622,631
Administration		2,147,090	-	2,147,090
		-----------------------	---------------------	-----------------------
Total Expenditure		23,125,267	239,038	23,364,305
		------------------------	---------------------	-----------------------
Net income	2	2,403,385	6,838	2,410,223
Pension provision movement		(26,034)	-	(26,034)
		------------------------	---------------------	-----------------------
Net movement in funds		2,377,351	6,838	2,384,189
Total funds at 1 September 2023		13,713,881	67,855	13,781,736
		---------------------	---------------------	---------------------
Total funds at 31 August 2024		16,091,232	74,693	16,165,925
		==========	==========	==========

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

GOVERNING BODY

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

GOVERNORS

The Governors are both charity trustees and directors of St Benedict’s School Ealing. They have all served in office throughout the period except where indicated.

Governors

Mr Alex Avella Ms Anne Blixen-Finecke Ms Mary Boyle Mr Amit Chatterjee Ms Melissa Davies-Wright Mr Mike Davis (Chair of Governors appointed 11/11/2024) Ms Mary Edis (retired from Board 02/10/24) Mr Martin Elliott (appointed 19/06/2025) Mr Paul Keyte Dom Ambrose McCambridge Ms Ros Nockles Mr Alex Pereira-Inacio Ms Liz Pilgrim (retired from board 20/03/2025) Ms Anna Savage (appointed 19/06/2025) Abbot Dominic Taylor Ms Fiona Yates

Heads

Mr J J Smith (Chief Executive and Head of St Benedict’s School) Mr R G Simmons (Head of St Benedict’s Junior School) Ms A Verma (Head of St Bernard’s Preparatory School)

Clerk to the Governors and Bursar

Ms C Bedwin

Company number

Company number 08093330 Registered charity number 1148512 Registered Office 54 Eaton Rise, Ealing, London, W5 2ES Email address bursarsoffice@stbenedicts.org.uk Website www.stbenedicts.org.uk

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

ADVISORS

For the year ended 31[st] August 2025

Bankers Barclays Bank Onslow Hall Little Green Richmond Surrey TW9 1QS Solicitors Veale Wasbrough Vizards Orchard Court Orchard Lane Bristol BS1 5WS Weightmans LLP 100 Old Hall Street Liverpool Merseyside L3 9QJ Farrer & Co 66 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London WC2A 3LH Auditor HaysMac LLP 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG Insurance Brokers PIB Risk Services Limited Poppleton Grange Low Poppleton Lane York YO2 6AZ

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

TO THE MEMBERS OF ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of St Benedict’s School Ealing for the year ended 31 August 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, 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 2025 and of the charitable company’s net movement in funds, including the 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 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 Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the 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 governors are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Headmaster’s Report and the Governors’ 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.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

the information given in the Governors’ Report (which includes the strategic report and the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (continued)

TO THE MEMBERS OF ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the Governors’ Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Governors’ Report (which incorporates the strategic report and the directors’ report).

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

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

Responsibilities of trustees for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 4, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

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

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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

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 charitable company and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to independent school regulations, safeguarding regulations, health and safety law, GDPR and employment law 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, and payroll tax.

We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries to revenue and management bias in accounting estimates. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

Inspecting correspondence with regulators and tax authorities;

ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (continued)

TO THE MEMBERS OF ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL EALING

Discussions with management including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulation and fraud;
Evaluating management’s controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities;
Identifying and testing journals, and
Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their critical accounting estimates.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

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

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Lee Stokes (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of HaysMac LLP, Statutory Auditor Date: 11 December 2025

10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG