REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 080483311 (England and Wales) REGlSfERED CHARifi NUMBER: 1149266 REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES ANO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS A)R THE YEAR END 31 AUGUST 2022 CHALLENGE PARTNERS CHALLENGE PARTNERS Index Page Reference and administratwe details Report of the Trustee5 4t016 Report of the Independent Auditors 17to20 Statement of FInanc￿l Artlvltles 21 Balance Sheet 22 Statement of Cash Flows 23 Notes to the Financial Statements 24to30 CHALLENGE PARTNERS REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Reglstered Company number 08048330 IEngland and Wales) Reglstered Charlty number 1149266 Reglstered offlce john Keats Prlmary School 391 Rotherhithe New Road London, SE16 3FN Trustees Mr Christopher Davison (Chair from 01108120211 Dr Katherine Chhatwal 08E lex officiol Mr Gary Handforth {reslgned 2110912022) Mr Arwel Jones Ms Alison Beane OBE Ms Susanna Eastham M5 Janine HaTion Ms Vijita Patel Ms Louise Wolsey Ms Candice Lott lapr)ointed 21109120221 MT Gary Lewls (appointed 21109120221 Ms Lucinda Ingram lappointed 21109120221 Mr Pavandeep Bansal (appointed 2VO912022) Independent Audltor Haysmatintyre LLP 10 Queen Street place, London EC4R IAG Bankers HSBC UK Ltd The Helicon I South Place London EQM 2UP CHALLENGE PARTNERS REPORT OF THE TRusfEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGU￿ 2022 The purpose of the Charity The Charity's Objects I'objects'l are specifically restrirted to the advancement of education for the public benefit in particular Ibut without prejud1￿ to the generality) by promoting and supporting the improvement of schools regionally. nationally or internationally. In reviewing the Charitvs aims. and puttlng them Into artion, the trustees have taken account of the Charity COMMI￿10n,5 guidance on public benefit. Summary of the maln actI￿tieS 2021122 (September 2021. August 20221 A.. Network of Excellence In 2021122 we had 535 schools in our network, whh an above average renewal rate of 88% compared to the 74% average over the previous three years. This saw the highest number of rejolners17%1 but also the lowest proportlon of new members123% of all schools). The number of secondary schools increased to 30% of the total. The overall increase in schools was 26% up on our previous yearfs total of 424 schools. This Strong performance was due to schools being ready to re-engage as we emeiBed from the pandemSc, plus the IntroductSon of our tiered subscrlptlon model. The Challenge Partners, Network of Excellence Includes all 535 schools and over ICM) trusts and serves as a professional learnlng community. School improvement and trust programme5 and networks Ilncluding hubs) are the vehlcle5 by which leaders collaborate, challenge and support each othees development, contributing to upwards convergence of the sertor as a whole. Quality Assurance Reviews contlnued to be the leader programme for 2021122, with 451 reviews planned. After expandin8 eliglbillty to new schools. Growing the Top had Its largest cohort yet138 schoolsl. Our new pilot for 2021/22, Extendin8 Leading Practice, attracted 13 schools, and 43 schools joined the lubllee Networks Iformerly called Regional Headteacher Networks). The performance of new tSeTS Netwofk and Gateway Partner5 was modesL but thelr benefits were not marketed untll July In order to maximise sign up by schools as Full Partners. We had a total of 43 hubs acr05S the country, as per 2020121. As part ol our strategy to strengthen our hubs and impr¢)ve hub performance agalnst our Hub Gold Standard, we hosted our first Oevelopment Day in Ottober and subsequently convened online meetings for our Hub Managers to share best practice. We continued to1Snk newer Hub Managers with a Hub Buddy, and also launched an accreditation scheme for Hub Managers to reward and incentwise outstandin8 hub leadership and support for schoo15 Wlthin hubs. Leamlng the lessons frorn our digital knowledge exchange actfvTties in 2020121, we contlnued to offer popular termly National Netyjork meetlng5 Wlth inspirdtional speakers tackling key stratègic topits, These included Mary Myatt, Sam Freedman, David OIuso8a, Ndidi Okezie and Professor Lee Elliot Major and covered curriculum and pedagogy, curriculum diversity and educatlonal landscape and social mobillty. In partnership with schools, we delNered 10 Sharing Leadlng Practice webinars to share accredited area5 of excellence across the partnership. These received an average ratlng of 4.5 out of 5. B.. Quality Assurance Review The Quality Assurance Revlew IQARI ts an annual peer rewew for each school and professional development for senior leaders to review other xhools. CHALLENGE PARTNERS REPORT OF THE TRusfEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022 Continued Summary of the main acuvlties 20211221September 2021- August 2022) Continued B. Quallty Assurance Revlew contlnued Following the success of the virtual Leadershlp Quallty AssuTante Review IVLQARI the prewous year, In 2021122 we decidèd to offer partner schools this Option alongside the in-person review, despite the fact there were no longer COVID-19 rertrictions in pla￿. However, schools were understandably eager to return to in-person review activities so all reviews went ahead sn person. While COVIO-19 infectlon rates still impacted on review delivery. we were able to delNer 350 OARS In 2021122, makin8 it the highest number of reviews we've delivered since 2018119. before the pandemlc. Satisfactlon ratings were very high agaln, with host schools providing an average score of 4.71 out of 5, while reviewers gave an average score of 4.8 out of 5. C: Growing theTop The Growlng the Top Programme brlngs together top-perfomlng schools In the Challenge Partners Network of Excellence to collaborate and drive their schools- and the educatiort system- to become world class by sharlng excellent practice and exploring challenges. In 2021122, we had 38 partldpating sthool$119 primary, 9 setondary and 10 special schoo151. Alumnl from previou5 cohorts were tralned to become prartitioner facilitators and matched with groups to facllltate vlslt days. Out of 38 vislt days, 37 were completed, wlth the remalnlng s¢hool elertlng to defer thelr vlsit untll 2022123. The average feedback score was 4.75 out of 5. The programme organised three in-person whole cohort events. Topic5 covered included Mentol Health Support Stroteoles forschools (Dr Keri Wongl. Creotlng o Balonced Currlculum lJaquS O-Hanlon MBEI, Pollcy Pieces (Sam Freedman and Tom Rlchmondl, School Improvement Strotegte5 (Dame Kathryn August) and Reguloting Educ¢xlon IDr lo Saxtonl. Events had positive feedback with an average score of 4.4 out of S. Suggested improvements for 2022123 were that delegates would like the mid-year event to be virtual to limit time out of school and for speakers to be more applicable across phases. These changes wefe made for the next academic year. D: Eytendlng Leadlng Pradce Extending Leading Practice started as a pilot programme to support school improvement In good schools wlthin the Challenge Partner5, Network of Excellence. Based on the Growing the Top programme, the programme's key components are facilitated visit days, whole toh¢)rt events. ènd in-school impact proJects focused on the participating schools. improvement priorities. In 2021/22, there were 13 partlcipating schools17 secondary and 6 primary) 8rouped Into trius and quad5 and matched with a practitioner facilitator to lead vistt days. Throughout the pilot phase, we continued to consult partlClP3nts and our Lead Practitioner advisory groupi implementing changes based on feedback where valuable. 100% of vislt days were completed wlih an average feedback of 4.6 out of 5. The programme organised two in-pefson whole cohort events. Topics covered during these events included case studies on two schools, journeys to excellence (Gee Kadar and Cassie Buchanan OBEI, Addresslng Speciol Educotion in Moinstreom Provision (David Bartraml, Developing ond implementing a theory of hangefor in-school projects IlmpactEdl, and Beyond Ofved.. How do we retoin our corttfocus und continue pushing the baundorie5fvr excellence? (Rob Carpenter). Events had positive feedback, with an average store of 4.6 out of 5. CHALLENGE PARTNERS REPORT OF THE TRusfEES FOR THE YL4R ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022 Continued Summary of the maln actrvitles 2021122 {September 2021- August 20221 Continued E: Excellence for Everyone The Excellence for Everyone programme supports schools to break the link between poverty and poor outcomes. It helps schools in our network understand and tackle the disadvantage gap and its online tralning resources are accessible to all schools in our nettvork sothousands of children can benefrt. Thanks to generous funding from the Pemlra Foundation, we worked with ImpzctEd, a non-profit ordanlsation that supports schools and education organisations to evaluate their impact, learn from It, and prioritise what is working best to improve outcomes for disadvantaged young people. ImpactEd independently-evalLbated the programme in 2021122. measuring outcomes at EJ)th the pupil- and schoo level. The published report, Ke Lessons or fotklin Educotionol Disodvonta e captures specific school initlatives and the differences they made to disadvantaged children. as well as hiBhllBhtlng the challenges these schools have continued to face, despite their determined efforts to try and c105e the 8ap. Earller thi5 year we shared the report with the now 550+ schools across the Challenge Partners, network as the kev le550ns and practitioner prompts throughout could be useful to schools in the face of Similar challenges. We continued to showcase expert speakers on the subjert of closlng the gap at our National Network meetings. Keynate speakers included David Laws of the Education Policy Institute and Professor Lee Elli¢X Major oaE, the UK'S first Professor of Social Mobility. Feedback from school leaders was very positlve and we will continue to showcase expert speakers in this area 80in8 forward. F: Getting Ahead London The Gettin8 Ahead London programme. Substantially funded by the Greater London Authority with a small contributlon from partlclpants. ran for its sixth year in 202112022. It provided aspirlng London leaders wSth the Skills, experience, networks and knowledge to take the step up to 5eriior leadership/headship. All partltlpants were matched Into trlos with two other aspirin8 leaders and met with an experlenced senior leader/he3dteacher coach over the course of an academic year. Desplte the introduction of funded NPQHS and NPQSLS, we successfully recruited 21 aspiring senior leaders and 31 a5PITin8 headteachers to the programme. Aspiring heads gave the programme an overall satisfaction score of 4.6 out of 5, aspirin8 Senior leaders gave it an overall satisfaction store of 4.63 and coaches gave it an overall Satisfaction score of 4.67. Getting Ahead London particlpants attended five in-person and one vSrtu31 evellt over the course of the year. These focussed on different aspects of leadership and personal development, including interview preparation, Imposter syndrome, eonfllct management and indivldual leadership joumeys. Programme coache5 were also invited to two development sessions and the whole cohort events. Programrne alumni, coache5 and brokers offered inputs across the year alongside speakers from across the educatlon and corporate sectors. COVID-19 had 50me continued impart on delNery resulting in 93% of the 312 coaching 5e55ions being 5ucce5sfully delivered and an average of 78% attendance at in-person events. G: Jubilee Networks Jubilee Networks are regional networks of up to 12 headteachers. brought together to share best prèctice through visit days, explore strategies forschL)ol improvement. strengthen leadership capabilitie5 and provide powerful support networks. Previously rebranded as Rwonal Headteacher Network, Jubilee Nehvorks returned to their orLginal name in 2022. CHALLENGE PARTNERS REPORT OF THE TRusfEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022 Contlnued Summary of the main activlties 2021122 (September 2021- August 20221 Contlnued G: Jubilee Networks continued We convened three secondary Jubilee Networ￿ in South West England, the Midlands and South CentrallSouth E35t England. two of which were facilitated by prartitionerg. While we returned to in-person delivery of the Jubilee Networks followlng the height of the pandemic, 3 out of 12 meetlngs were unable to go 3head due to the contlnued impact of COVID-19 on schools. capacity. We fa￿d challenges in eontinuinE the primary Jubilee Networks as a result of low group slzes and a reduced engagement in what continued to be challenging circumstances for schools. Potential new primary 8roups were not13unched and we identified ways in which we might need to bring schools together earlier to get buy-ln. The average sat15fartion ratings of those networks which did meet were 4.8 out of 5. A number of sch¢)ols opted for lubllee Netwo￿$ instead of a hub Ishowln8 Interest in acce55ing a different form of support to that offered by the hub) and Others added them on, paying a small flat fee. There were fewer network partner 5ubscriptlons for Jubilee Networks-only, with the majority belng renewlng and lang- standing Jubilee Nettvork members. H: Trust Leaders. Network and Trust Peer Revlew Trust Leaders, Network In the second year of the Trust Leaders, Network we grew membership to 29 trusts, brlnglng together CEOS from across England to share knowledge and best practSce. build strong relationships and collaborate to support their profe55ional development and that of their trust. Flexibility in use of the trust leaders, network membership enabled a range of trLrst leaders to access the benefits while also addlng capacity to our Trust Peer Review programrne by developing a pool of trained trust peer ￿vIeWerS. The Trust Leaders, Network offers a range of artivilies for trust leaders to come together to share knowledge and collaborate, as well as to develop professlonally. ThrouEh trust visits. trust leader5 learn about another trusts, journey, areas of stren8th, innovation and development. Through business webinars, trust leaders are exposed to expertise from corporate leaders in their specialist flelds. The network offers opportunities to 80 Out as a trained peer reviewer to participate in trust peei reviews. We support trust leader5 in their professlonal development through these opportunlties and foi those who want to go further, through a two-day leadership resideniial. Challenge Partners CEO, Dr Kate Chhatwal, continued to facilitate the Trust Leaders, Netyjork In 2021122 whlch saw four in-person and one vlrtual trust vlslts hosted throughout the year, including a visit to United Learnlng. Themes covered Included.. trurt approaches to curriculum development and assessment, funding and governance models, centralrsation, CPD. buildin8 a one trust culture, and innov3tion5 in HR. SENO and digital lrteracy. Business webinars were delivered by EY. Schroders and Permlra who shared in518hts and best practice on tOPlCS Such as wellbeing In the workplace, mergers and acquisitions, and ski115 development through educatlon. CHALLENGE PARTNERS REPORT OF THE TRu￿EEs FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGusf 202Z Continued Summary of the main artlvltles 2021121 (September 2021- Augurt 20221 Continued Trust Leaders, Network continued We hosted our first Trust Leaders. Residential over two days in Hampshire, where 12 trust leaders reflected on their leadership, impact and influence, expertly facilitated by an executive coach from 8TS Spark. The year wos wrapped up by our Trust Leaders, Conference open to trust leaders across our partnership, held at the Museurn of London and cèntred on the theme of Developing stron9 trusts through powerful portnerships. The conference included a keynote wrth audience discussion from Baroness 8arran, Under Secretèry of State for Education, along with speeches from leadefship expert Katherine Powell and the Deputy CEO of the Confederation of SchoolsTrusts. Other highllghts included prartitioner experiences of growing trusts, lessons from 3 regional pilot peer review model in the South West. and a wor*shop sharing perspectives on 'what makes for a strong trust,. Trust Peer Rev5ew The Trust Peer Review was piloted in 2018119 under the leadership of Dame Susan lowett and on the advice of the Multi.Academy Trust Task & Finish Group established for this purpose. The pilot wa5 independently ev31uated by the NFER as a sustainable and effective programme. During 2019/20 and 2020121 the Trust Peer Review programme was significantly interrupted due to Cov1￿19. The pro8ramme recommenced durin8 2021122. Since its Snception, ourTru5t Peer Review has provided valuable CPD. As one peer revlewer said recently. It Was really beneficial to look in depth at another trLtst and to see how effective they are and whyjhow. I learnt a great deal at all levels - ovèrall trust impact on their schools through to the operational 35perts and the structures In plate to ensure systems were embedded, empowerin8 leaders to focus on school Improvement., Our collaboratlve ethos and rigorous process ensures a rlch learnlne experlente for all. Revlewer5 valued The privSlege of being able to look in detail 3t a Trust that hjlly embraced the philosophy of the review and the challenge Pèrtners, values. The opportunlty for high level discusslon with experienced leaders who were open, honest, enthusiastic and collaborative. A Programme that enabled the revlew team to work Collaboratively with the host teèm. It was comprehensive and well thought through., Our focus on school improvement ensu￿$ that trust leaders have the opportunity to focu5 on what really matters throughout the review, rather than getting bogged down by operational issues. Thls is of value to the host and the peer reviewers he opportunity to prepare for, discuss and concentrzte on school Improvement was incredibly valuable. allowed us to really fimi up our purpose and next steps., Future plans 2022120231September 2022 - August 202JI A: Network of Excellence We plan to provide an excellent experience fow all partner5 and to Improve our retentlon rate from an average 0175% to 80% or higher this ye3r_ The majority of schools sign up for the Qu31ity Assurante Review and we are committed to building capacity, systems and processes so that we cèn smoothly deliver the programme to our schools and scale it as we grow. We will bring new funttionaliry to our subscriptlon and scheduling processes by the time schools are invited to renew in Spring 2023. CHALLENGE PARTNERS REPORT OF THE TRusfEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGU￿ 2022 Continued Future plans 202212023 (September 2022- August 20231 Contlnued A.. Network of Excellence ￿ntInUed Other improvements include- Exploring the feaslbi1Sty of allowing school leaders to book themselves onto QARS 35 revlewers,. Improving ￿mMUnication around reviewer commitment and increasing the visibility of opportunitles to engage with the QAR in different ways,. and Growlng the number. gèographic spread and phase expertise of our Lead Rewewers to increase our pool. Retentlon efforts will a150 bring improvements In account management, supporting our hubs to achieve our gold standard. These Include.. More systematic and inte8rated customer care processes so that we respond speedlly and strategScally to address Issues.. Excellent programme and network dellveryl includln8 SUPPOrt, trailllng and development of our practltloner facilTtators,' Tailored relationship management for schools and trusts based on their partnership level ond depth.. and Our Hub Managers Network and within the Members Area of our webslte and promotln8 the Accreditation scheme for hub managers. We have an ambitlOU5 five-year growth strate8V to dellver enhancements and expansion in our partnership so that by 2027 we reach half a million pupils a year. The strate8ic initiatives to Ènhance our offer and reach and retain more Schools, especially in under-5erved areas. will be progressed in parallel with continuous Improvement and innovation In delfvenng our current programmes and networks for schools and trusts. Wlth our focus on drlvlng our fve key strateglc Inltlatl¥es. we will not be offering a National Conference In 2022123. We will continue to offer the benefits of knowledge exchange at the national level through existing vehlcles and improve the user interface wrth our School Support Dlrectory and the Members Area of our website. 8: Quallty Assurance Revlew Over the summer, we amended the Quality Assurance Revlew ahead of the 2022123 delivery year. Based on feedback from practitioners, the Leading estimate has been sharpened. We have also moved to three instead of four estimates - Leading, Effettive and Working towards effertive- to further distance our review from the Of5ted model. Finally, trust leader5, involvement in the QAR has been Made dearer by ensuring their role In the process Is established durin8 ary pre-review discusslons. We have also amended our reviewer training programme for this year. The updated programme fully embraces the virtual platform it's been carried out on since the pandemic through Interactive activities. The content provides further clarification for attendees on what happens from the start to the end of a ￿VIeW by taking them through each aspect chronologically. ensuring they feel fully Prepared tsn what to expect when they BQ Out to schools. CHALLENGE PARTNERS REPORT OF THE TRusfEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022 Contlnued Future plan5 20221202315eptember 2022- August 2023) Contlnued B: Quality Assurance Review Continued We are again on track to deliver another record number of reviews- 452 this year, not onty around ICJJ more reviews than were delivered in 2021122 but significantly higher than our pre-pandemic helght of 389 In 201812019. Scheduling contlnues to be a key challenge to pro8ramme delivery. However, we are in the proce55 of rollin8 out a new scheduling system that mayimises lead revlewer availability and increases efFiciency in the scheduling process. as well as updatin8 our reviewer schedullng processes ahead of delivery in the 23124 year. The report was commlssloned to capture and share effertive practice across Challenge Partners, vlbrant and dlverse network so that more schools, trustsi pupils and communitles can benefit. It sheds Ilght on how schools are moving forward on curriculum. embeddlng approaches to strengthen community and parental enga8ement post-covid and supporting the well-being of pupils and staff, C: Growlng the Top There are 34 schools participating in Growin8 the Top in 2022123110 secondary, 14 prSmary and 10 speclèl schools), which wlll involve practitioner-facilitated v15ft day5 hosted by each school. Fifteen of the 34 schools have participated In the pro8rèmme previously. Particlpating schools will benefit from two iTrperson and one virtual whole-cohort events alan8slde Extendlng Leadin8 Practice schools, bringing thern together to build social capital and facilitate further knowledge sharlng. They'll also hear ftom speakers from the world of education and buslness on topics such as wellbeln8, pollcy pleces, dlverslty and incluslon and maintain outstanding performance. D: Extendlng Leadlng Pracllce Following a successful pilot year. there are 12 schools participatin8 in the Extending Leading Practice Programme in 2022123 (four secondary, five prlmary and three spetial sthoolsl. Unfortunately, thls number ha5 fallen from 17 schools as five schools have either wiihdrawn or deferred their partlclpation. Going forward, we will be updatin8 our me55aging to ensure that the marketlng of the programme further empha51ses the commitment requlred. Panicipatlng s¢hools wlll benefit from two in-person and one vlmi31 whole