BRtrisH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION Registered Charity No. 1150237 Registered Company No. 08284220 REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENOED 31 DECEMBER 2020 llll *AADIYGRK 151091X)21 COMPANIES HOUSE 97 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION CONTENTS Pag? Trustees and Advlsevs Report of the Trustees 4-17 Report of the Auditors 18-20 Statsm•nt of Financial Activities 21 8alan¢e Sheet 22 Statement of Cash Flows 23 Accounting Policies 24-25 Notes to the Financial Statements 26-30 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS Rggtstered charty name Brib"sh EdUcat￿al ReSea￿h AssocFalion IBERAI Charity number 1150237 Company RegiStTation 08284220 Trustees Dlyninic Wyse {President) Gerry Czemow Sean Hayes Ruth Boyask Richard Race Vivienne Baum￿ld Mhairi Beaton Kevin Smth Megan Crawtord Gary Beauchamp Ros McLellan Oliver HooFer Marbn Monueffe Morag Redford Alison Fox (from 1 sl September 20201 Tanya Ovenden-Hope (from 1 st September 20201 Sarah Se￿znyoV (from 1st Seplember 2020} Barbara Skinner (from 1st September 20201 Gary Mccullxh {unlil 1st Seplember 20201 Gabr￿lIe Iviny)n {until 1st September 2020) Erica Jostyn {until 1 sl September 2D201 John Le*h (until 1st September 2020) Staff Executive Oirector and cor￿1￿ Secretary Nick Johnson Marie Btylhe Sarah Fleming DavNJ Chatterjee Ross Fulton D￿Wetsb Princlpal Address 11 Endsleigh Gardens LorKlon WC1H OEH Auditor PKF Littlejohn LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Audrtor 15 Westferry Circus Canary Wharf London E14 4HD BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS Banke Metro Bank One Southampton Row London WC1B SHA Solicltors Mills & Reewè Botsnic House 1CwJ Hills Road Cambndge C.82 1PH BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Introduction The Trustees. who are a150 the Dwectots of the Charilable C(xmpany, present their report audited financial slalements for the year ended 31 December 2020. The Trustees have adopted the provssk)ns of the Statement of Recommended PraCt￿e "Accounting and Reporting by Chants"es' {-FRS 102 SORP'} in preparing the annual report and finanaal statewEnts of the thar￿. Structure. Govemance and Management The Blltish Educational Research Assccotion IBERA) is an autonomus learned sc¢￿ty distinct f￿M other natKJnal inslilutK)ns and is a company limited by guarantee 1082842201 and registered charity (Number 11502371. The Charitab￿ obpclive, as defined in BERA'S conslilulk)n is 'to encourage the pursuit of educational research and rts applicalK)n for both the improvement of educational practi￿ and for the publ benefit.. BERA is subject lo Art￿leS of AssockglKJn thal can be anended al Ihe Annual General Meeting subject to approval of 75°h of those present arKI voting. A copy ofthe current Artic￿$ of AS￿lat￿n is awdilable on BERA ¥￿b$lIe. The Trustees confirm that they have had regard to the gu￿anCe on public benefit issued by the Charity Commissi)n when cons¥Jering the (tsiectives and a￿"v￿"e$ of the Associab"on. Membetship of Council {and Trustees) 2020 The following people served as members of Counal in 2020". Dominic Wyse {PreS￿ent) Gery Czemiaws Sean Hayes Ruth Boyask Richard Race Vivienne Baumf*k Mhain Beaton Kevin Smith Megan Crawford Gary Beauchamp Ros M¢Lellan Oliver Hooper Marlon Moncrvèffe Morag Redlord Alison Fox (from 1 st Septerthr 20201 Tanya Ovenden41¢)pe (from 151 September 20201 Sardh Sekznyov {from 1 St September 2020) Ba￿818 Skinnef {from 1$1 September 20201 Gary Mcculloch {until 151 September 20201 Gabrielle Ivinson luntr"11 September 20201 Erica Joslyn {untsl 1• September 2020) John Leach lunb'l 1st September 2020) Niek Johnson (appointed April 2012) continLEd to serve as BERA'S Chief Executive and Cor￿nY Secretsry. Governance Document The A5socialKJn was Lviginalty fom)&J by a conslilulK)n, vrds ad￿ted in April 1974. The Constitution wa5 amended on several occasK)ns and was absofbed into th8 Arb"cles ofAssoCiat￿n from January 2013. BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES BERA Council The Councd is gO¥err￿n9 tKKly of the Assockat#)n and the members of the Council are. de faclo. the Trustees of the ASSOC￿11)n as a registered Charity. They are also the Company Directors. The Council has ultimate authority and deusion•making over all business ineluding policy, planning and resources. As specified in the wn$b'tution the Council may delegate its aulhorty and decision-making to other committees or groups but this must be expli¢rt aTrJ defined at the tirre of their creatKJn. All cLJmmittees and working groups therefore ultimately reFQrt to Council through. ils Gene￿1 Purposes Committee and the standing cortynittees as appropriate. ' The Council comprises.. Presider*t', Vice PresidenL Treasurer". Up lo E￿cted MeThbers Up to Six cc￿0Pted members ofthe Ass￿latb Apart from the office hc4ders mentioned the temi of off￿e for a Council ￿￿rnber is four years wrth the possibility ol rg-ebthn. Co-opted merrt)8rs may be c04)pted for 14 years depending on the fr£u5 of the co-CPtion. Council needs lo have due regard to iepfesenting the fouf natK>ns and. as such s￿)uld ensure that it has representation from all four countries amongst its n￿m￿rship. The Counul has the powerto set up commrttees or working groups to undertake the work of the AssocialKJn and may delegate any of rts powers or de¢ision-m&king aulhgnty to such committees. working groups andlor members of slaff as it sees fiL The Council meets al least three times a year. The Council is responsfole for sett￿9 strategies arKI ￿1￿leS for BERA and for ensuring Ihal these a implemented. The day-to-day wnnino of the Charity is de*aled to the Chief EXecut￿e and the staff. BERA Council. a¢ling as the Board ofTruslees for BERA, a￿ joinuy and severally responsible for the overall governance and strategic direct*Jn of BERA. rts financial health. the probrty of its actwilies and developing the organisal*)n's ayns, objectives and goals in accordance with the goveming document. legal and regulatory guKlelines. All Iruslees are m&Je aware of, and understsnd, their indivNJual and Co1￿ctNe respon5ibi1il￿S'. and should not be ovedy reliant on one or more indivKlual trustees in any particJJlar aspect of the g0Veman￿ of the charty. BERA Tiustees and ofte I￿￿Je[S ore expecled to *here to Ihe Nolan principles of public lrfe. AppoSntment ofTrthstees BERA'S Governance year runs from 1st September. ElectK•ns for Coun￿1 and irKliwdual pxjsls take place in spring before the Annual General meets.ng with the resums tsking effect from the 1 sl Septernber. The three Officers are the exception lo this. The Annu81 General Meeting IAGM) ￿rMallY takes place during or immedralely beftye the Annual CC￿feren￿ in September. Eleclp)ns are conducted by ballot among indi￿l￿al npmbers of theASsOaat￿ with nominations for e￿¢tion lothe Council requiring the support oftsvo members of theAs50cialDn. The nomination process and election is run by the BERA Off￿ (including outsourcing the voting where appropriatel during the spring with the results reported lo the Annual General Meeting and temis ofoffi¢e beginning on 1 st September. BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THETRUSTEES Trustees, Induction and Trainlng Trustees undergo apprcpriate training. which co￿Ts their obligations uThJer the constitut￿)n. under relevant charity L8W and with reference to gLAdan￿ and advi￿ provided by the Charity Commission in England and Wales. Council n￿mb￿S are prOv￿ed with a copy of the BERA Strategic Plan aThY gUKlan￿ material on the Structu￿ and operation of BERA. The following docU￿nts frorn the CharTty Commission in Eng&ThJ and Wales are provKled foi refe￿nCe and Trustees are encouraged to familiarise Ihemsehes with the online infomatK>n provided by the Charity Commission". CC2 The Charity CommiSs￿n and Regulation CC3 The Essential Trustee". ￿al you need to krb)w CC3lal The Essential Trustee.. What's Involved CC9 CampaKJning and Polrtical ACti￿lIeS by Charil*s CC11 Payment of Charity Trustees CC20 Charil*s and Fundraising CC47 Complaints about CharrtEs Charity G0Veman￿ C(yJe Trustees. responsibilitws The Twstees are also diredors of Bnb"sh Edu￿1￿81 Research AssocotK)n under company law. The Trustees are responsible for pweparing financol statements for each finanaal year. Under that law the Trustees have elected lo prepare the financkal st*ments in accordancE with United Kingdom Generally Aecepled Accounting PractKe {Uniled Kingdc#m Accounting Standards) and applicable L9w. Under company law, Ihe Trustees must not approve the financial slalemenls unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the Stale of affairs of the chartty and of ils in¢oming resources and application of resources, including the nel inC￿Me or exFenditure forthat peric*J. In preparing these financial statenEnls. the Trustees ate required lo.. • select suitabk accounting policEs and then appfy them ￿nSIStenI￿,. make judgrnents and estimates that are reawnable and prudent" slate whether applicable UK Accounting Standarfs have been followed, SU￿eCt to any material departures disclosed and explained in the Fin8nckg1 Statements." and prepare the financral statements on the wng COr￿M basis unless it is inappropriale to presume that the tharty ￿11 continue in cperatson. The Trustees are resp¢)nsbi le for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to sh)w and explain the chanty's Iransaclions and discbse wth reasonable accuracy at any time the firiancial position of the charty and enab￿ them to ensure that financial statements comply wth the Companies Act 2(￿. The Trustees are also responsibleforsafeguarding the assets oflhe charity and ￿nce fortakn.ng reasonab sleps to Prevent and detect fraud and other irregularrties. BR￿SSH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Committees and Remits GPC work in cbse ccoperation wth the Counul as the de facto exeuJtNe committee of BERA. In addilK)n, Council delegates authonty lo GPC to act on behaff of the Association as required, particutarfy when decisKJns are needed urgent￿. Each oflhe standing corrthittees is represented on the GPC abngshde BER4 Officers. Their prin￿paI responsibilit￿5 are lo en5uie that in all of ils acliwlies BERA works towards ils three strategic objectives. to ad￿an￿ research quality, build research capacity and foster research engagement in the education field. Their iemit is nKJnitoring and reviewing of all BERA actiwb'es in line wth Council's strategic direction which indudes the strategt CO-or(linalion and pbnniftg of BERA'S artivities ensuring that organisati¢￿al p￿rit￿$ are shared aThJ appropriate resOur￿S allocated against strategic objectives. This involves rev￿wing all committee, wOrk￿g-grOup and projed busines5, ensuring that ac*Jemic input is given. where apprcyrk*e and progress t¢y4tsrds strategic objeth'ves is mnitofed. Other parts of the remit include.. Keep informed of and help shaFe the President's ro￿ in representing BERA extem81ty' Fow8r(I planning and operatK)nal de¢isb)n-making, to inlorm Council's strategic oversight and facilitate wlicy devebpment.. Nominakns lo extemal t￿dieS. Overseeing extemal1￿1$on and I>)nsultst￿n responses in areas where research evidence can usefvUy be brought to bear. in line wjth BEFL4's charrtable objecb"ves: Consider what weight shrwhd k given to any new ¥tivities that Council might wish lo consider in pursuil of BERA'S charitable objectNes and considering what We￿ht they should be given in the light of the organisa￿n.5 eurrenl strategic priorrt*s", and available financial and material resouree5 e.g. staff and W￿)bers, tin* and the current finances" Keeping up-lo date our Strategic plan and ensuring that organisational activrty.works within its parameler5. (The plan to be revE4¥ed on a 5 yearty cycle)," and Ad hoc business requiring urgent deu"$KJnlacbon. Flnance and Operthns Commlttee This Committ￿ has re$F4Jnsibilty for overseeing HR pol¢ies. including staff development and ￿vIeW. and other broad arrangements that affect tem)s aThJ Conditi￿$ of our employees, contracts. regular financBI oversight and OF*(ational relationth￿$s. 11 vrt)rks closely atjngside GPC in ensuring that BERA'S finances and operalKJns Can supp)rt organisatKJn's strategic obj'edwes and planned acliwlies. BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OFTHE TRUSTEES Publicatlons C¢)mmlttee The committee's princi￿1 ￿SpOn￿bIlItieS are to ensure thal". BERA'S publicatKJns portfolio is well managed and upholds the highest &ademic standards That any conlraclual issues are pursued in good lime lo the adwdntsge of the organisalion and for the good of the fEkl BERA keeps abreast of devebpmenls in the publish'ng fiebJ and is ab￿ to use them approprialety in the development of ourjoumal portfolK) Confernnce & Events Committ8e The CCAnmittee's principal ￿sponSI￿"1￿*S are to ensure that.. The Annual Conference and programme of in-year events OFerate to the highest academic standards The Annual conferen￿ and programme of in-year events de￿￿P in with BERA'S slrateoic objecb.ves Engagement Committee The eommittee's principal responsibilit*s are to ensu￿ that BERA supports Trts members appropriately in the light of our three $tralegi¢ object￿￿$.. to adv￿ rewrch qualty., build rgsearch capacity.. and bster research engagement. Risk Assessmentand Audit Commiltee RAAC is a committee of th8 Counul. 11 reports lo the Council, bul its members should not nomally be members of Council. This is intended to enab￿ it to take an objective and independent approach lo ils business. Its ro￿ is to provide oversight and alvice to the Council ￿ the effeclive funclioning of the AssocialK)n in reLatKin lo: Risk managernentr Finanaal processes", Legal requirernenls". whIst￿bI0Win9 The committee has the authority to requesl information frorn any of the Assoa"ats"on Djmmiitees or working groups to enable rt lo undertake rts re5ponstgililÈs. Authority Ultimate authority for all Associatic￿ business remains with the Council. The Council dekgates auth￿ to Officers to act on behalf of thè AssociatKJn as required. The GPC may also make decisions on operational matters through the offi￿rS who are members of rt. Only the Offitsrs and the Executwe Director have the authority to &gn contracts upon BERA'S beham. BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Finances and Budgets BEPA Counul has a statutory duty to prepare financial ststements for eaeh financial period. as set out in the SL*menl of Trustees. Responsbililes. The management of this is de￿ated to the Treasurer who oversees BERA'S finances in association with the ChEf Executive. The Treasurer ha5 fomal responsibility for BEFLA ffinan￿S and the BERA Office conducts oversight of the financial arrangements of the Association and the day-l(>day administration of finance. BERA'S financ￿1 year runs frcrfn 1 January to 31st t)ecember. A trxjdget is approved by Council prKJr to the start of the financkil year or as soon as practicabk afte￿ards. End of year accounts wll be reported lo Council folk)wing the end of Ihe financial audrt as well as to eath yearfs AGM. Staffing and Contracts The BERA offi￿ comprises the Chef Exeortive. the Events Manager, the Membefship & Engagement Manager, the Publications Manager, the Finance and Govemance Manager. the Finance and Administration Officer and the Events Assistant vtho are all employed through the UCL Institute of Education IloEI, whtch provKles all personnel and wnployrrenl faalth.es forthem. UCL loE is also rth)Iracled lo prOV￿e office space and Servi￿S. For the 2020 year. the office c4)re team comprised.. Nick &)hnson- Chief Executi Sarah Fleming- Membership & Enwment l¥tsnager {on malernity leave until June 20201 MarE Blythe- Events Manager Ross FuIlL￿ - Publitslions Manager DavKi Chatteiiee- Finan￿ & Govemance Manager Dior Webb- Events Officer Zita Darguzyte - Events Officer {on secty1dn￿nI until July 2020. then matemity leave from Augu51 2020 and resigned December 20201 A￿untancY serffl￿ were prowded by Kaya Taylor on a freebnce basis. In the 2020, the Association has obtained ggnftant ￿ntracted ServI￿S from.. ITD for prowgon of IT Wiky-Blackwell Publishers Ipublishers of our joumalsl Soapbox (management of BE￿ websrte ard other dewgn senrices) Smartlmpacl ICRM} Native Me The UCL Institute of Edu￿tK)n (Offi￿ space) PKF Littlejohn LLP (audilorsl Mills and Reeve LLP Ikgal sep4ices) BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THETRUSTEES Membership The ff*mbership at the erKI of t)ecember 2020 tots1￿ 2.23012019- 2.3881. Rlsk Assessment The Tnjslees have e￿nIn￿ the Assmatic￿'S prinup81 a￿aS of operat￿n and ￿nSIdered the major risk5 faced in each of these areas. In the cpinion of the Trustees, the Assoaation has established resources and revi￿ systems which, undef rKJrmal corkJit￿n$. shxjkl alk)w t￿se risks to be miligaled to an a¢￿pIable level in ils day-to-day operat￿n$_ The Ass¢xiation has a Risk Assessmenl arKI Audrt Commrttee lo monitor the work of the Assock?lion. This Commiltee reports to the Council and carries out a detailed assessment of the Risk register ea¢h autumn. Following that, the register is shared with individual commrttees to assess the risk and reswnses in thèir respective ¥eas and they rep￿ bxk lo the Risk Assessment and Audrt Committee. Objerfives and Activities BERA adopted a 5-year Sts3legic Pbn in 2016. BERA is a ￿arned s(xiety and charity committed to working for the public gcoa by sustaining a strong and high wality edu￿tiOnal research communty, ded￿ated to ￿VancIng knOW￿d￿ of educalK)n within and beyond fomial settings. Our Charitab￿ purpose is to encourage the pursuit of educational research and ils application for both the irnprovemenl of praCt￿e and the public benefft. As a membership Organisat￿l￿ we are (x)mmitted lo principles of openness. integrity and transparency and seek to uphold ethical values in all our activities and prwsses. BERA'S core aim5 are to.. advan￿ research qualty. build researth capacity and foster research engagement in the education f*ld. These aims are inlen(kd to Se￿re the healih of the discpline of education 90ing forward and slrenglhen the contribub'on educatic￿l researth Can make in the public domain. Under the strategic plan, BERA'S priorit￿ for 201&2(Y21 ¥e" 1. To advan￿ educati)nal research quality. will.. Promote open discussion and debate at(Jul definilbJns of re5earth quality, recowising that quality in research comes in many fomis., Exemplify and uphold the highest standards in researth and ethul pract￿. Championing high quality research and ethical practi￿ across the lull range of our acii¥ilEs' Make our criterra transparent for judging quality in our publications. awards. ethKal guide&'ne$ and deusk)n-making pJDcesses. 2. To build educational ￿searCh capaw. we wil. Encourage and activèty SLtrPtort the dNersty ofour rrEmbershp, seeking the maximum invofvement of under-represented groups., Invest in and mentor the next generalb)n of researchers, nvolving emergent arKI earfy career researchers across the full range of our aclivths.. Encourage collaborative and interdisciplinary ways of w(￿king and netsvorking. shaiing knowledge across Ihe education research community and in parlnership wi(h others. 10 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES 3. To foster research engagwnenl in the education fiekd. wll". Devekjp strategies to connect research, rK>lw and practi￿ w) waysthat tenefitedLKation and which contr￿Ule lo ink>rmed defflLTht￿ debate", Engage wlh policy-makers. piacbtioners and the wider public in setting research agendas and lo promote the use of research-, Seek and mainlain strong relationships with peer and prac1ith￿er associalDns that are committed to the deveknynent ofeducatDn for the public gC￿d. whether k)cally, nalionalty or internationally. In order to meet these obJ'ectNes, we wll: Maintain an effectNe. financialty Viab￿ and profesS￿al organi5ab.on wth effective govemance and 01ganisalrffjal mechanisms", Develop and maintain the range of seryices provided lo our members in ways that support the devel￿ment of high qualty research and are responsive to developments in the field.. Act as responsib￿ employers. with approprrate con￿rn for the health and weffare ofour employees.. Remain true lo our values of qualty, excelknce. eth￿al pract￿, inclusivty, equty and respect for divergty. To ddiver on our prInCp￿ of Openr￿sS. integrity. trdnsparency and elhir*l practi￿. ￿ will". Instig8te discussK)n of how ts*se strateg¢ Objects￿ can best transkle into strategic priorilies for the medium to long lem that align with the work of(KJr committees.. Set a frame%wrk tr) ensure Ihal BERA iemains a straleglca1￿ focused organt5ation, able to deliver on ils core CharItsb￿ purposes ac105s the range of rts activtlies in the medium to long term. Establish a timeline for the ￿￿lar review of the $tralegi¢ Pr￿[11￿$. assessing how these can be aligned with BERA'S central misS￿n and purpose. BERA begun woth during 2020 on a ne4V strategK pbn for ryth*ntsttsn kter in 2021. Activittes and Performance in 2020 ctearty much of the yearwas dramab'calty impatx by Covv$19. As well as the immediate disruption that be seen 8eros5 our work, the inabil(ty to pkn forthe medium4ern couhy s￿n￿l¢ant1Y impact upon how BEIiA operates. Office staff worked rerTK)lety since March and large￿ this has been SU￿$$￿1 making use of techr￿￿gy. although there is inewtabty a reductIL￿ in team inleractb)n. found ¢realNe and innovative ways to change BEPA'S online offering - from our successful online events programme. through our podcasts, transferring all our governance meetings online to offering the Bbg as a pktfom) for authors to detsils the chaI￿nge$ and reskK)nses to the pandern￿. Equality and DiVe￿ity In May. Council cons*Jered the Lqck of BAME represenlaton amongst ils cwn membership and in response to this, a report was prepared for the Seplember meeting that examined data across the organisation. Council resolved that actN)n was needed to be taken to &Jdress the issues the report had highlighted. BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES In May. Council eonsKlerèJ the lack of BAME representalKtrn anTh)ngst ils membership and in response lo this. a report was prepared for the September meeting that examined data across the organi5ation. Council resolved that aclK)n was needed to be taken to •Jdress the issues the report haj highlighted. WTh1￿ acknowledging that instrtutv)nal discriminatnn within higher edUCat￿n is a barrEr lo BERA'S own structures. Council ￿lieveS it is vital that BERA works to counter this where possible and ensure that process and structures do not exaceffbate it. The inherent bk8s in the HE system presents a widerchallenge. with seniorty, longewty, and publutions opportunrties limrte(l in the sector for certain groups. leading lo limited opportunil*s in senKJr BERA posrf(ws. BERA musl acknowwge the tensions be￿leen quality and esteem indicators being used as metrTCS for those who apply for senior posilh)ns within BERA. and the historical and institutional ba￿lerS in place which discnminate against cetsin groups leads lo a risk of perpelualing this diwde. Fomial lace equalty policy and a¢tion plan was agreed by Counal In January 2021. As an outcome, we wouhj want to see improved diversty at all levels of Ihe organisation - in our governance.. our joumals including authors, ediiorial teams and boards. oure￿nIS programme.. and in the support provKled for BAME resear¢hers. Projects and ot￿r work Due lo COVID-19. the Research ExCdIen￿ Framework (REF) submisston deadline was delayed. The fvnding bodies have ¢￿)fi￿ned the rewsed lining of the overall exercise, reSu￿d on 31 July 2020, with a deadline for submIs￿onS by higher ￿Ucation institulions of 31 March 2021. As a nominating body. BERA was invited lo nominate addilK)nal nwnbers of the educali)n sub-panel. with a spècific f¢xus on certa criteria. 15 applications were re¢eNe(J and 10 of these v•*￿ nominated. The Assessff*nt expert panel continued to meet vwlualty. although their work was intemjpted by the very sad passing of Harvey Goldstein in April. They have p￿ted up Ihi$wod( and had wmmissioned the research supw)rt agreed as part of thwr remit. Their final rew)rt will be published in 2021. The current research ccrfnmisshjn. 'Cornpet￿g Discourses of Earfy chi￿h0Od Education and Cafe., completed ils final seminar in earfy 2020. and the outcornes of their work will be publi5hefJ in 2021, with a delay in fecewing the report due to COVID-19. The nexl r211 for proposals focused on 'Educalion and -environmental sustsinabilty.. This isdes)gned to offeropportunitres for researchers to examine how all those involved in educatKJn can respond to cyjr dimate crisis. The successful commission will run in 2021 and report l(wards the end of the year. We made three awards under Ihe Curriculum Invesbgation grant to schxjls conducting research. Together with the other awards and funding we were able to achieve our highest ever amount of research funding during 2020. A new activity that is part of BERA'S suFp)rt of edL￿8￿n is the State of the Disctpline IESDI initialNe. The rirsl part of this, a systematic review of re￿￿ant published work, wll inform the approach to a Large-scale survey of people w0￿1n9 in uniVers￿e$ in the UK. The focus of the survey will be educabon research and researcher idenl¢lEs in the UK of the 21st Century. The fir￿ing5 will be one part of our goal for the ESD inrtiative lo provKJe ewdence-based slop￿ lo BERA membets. advocacy for eduealK)n in universiles. 12 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATK>N REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES In response to Ihe challenges imposed by CovKI-19. BERA created the Small Grants Fund. This is a fund aimeil al supporting Educational Research into timety issues. and we Original￿ intended to fund 3 projects. We re￿iVed almost 80 appI￿all￿$. many of very high qualty and following a rigorcwsjudging process, we have diverted lunds not being spent elsewhere due lo the panden¥c into this award. This means that we have been ab￿ to make 15 award5 of up to £4,CO) each. The list of t￿se awarded can be found on our website. Each award will support a discrete ple￿ of research on the impact of CovKJ-19 on educ8lh)n andlor educational research. The research will run until spring 2021 and we hope to future the ￿su11$ in a collected or series of publicalK)ns later ￿ 2021 as *EII as featuiing them prominently al the 2021 BERA Conference. International engagernent Considerable Pfogress has been made by BERA in relab.on to the possibility of rtrioining the World EdUcat￿n Resear¢h Assock?th)n IWERAI. One part of this work has come through a focus on supporting Early Career Researchers thlough acadeMicwr￿ng. The first0f￿0 linked seminars aiming lo support Earfy Career Re5earchefS' IECRI academic writing, organised by BERA WERA and the Russian Eduralion Research Assock8lion {RERA). was hehj in November 2020 and the second seminar a month Later. We are very much looking forward lo evaluating this pik)t to see the w)tenb"al for engagement with ECRS in other regions of the wort(J Counol fomalty appl*d for membership of WERA in autumn 2020 and it is hoped this will provKle membership opportunities and wder intemational engage￿￿nI. A member of the BERA ECR NetrHork will be nominated to the V4EPA ECR Ne￿t)rk. The pandem￿ meant that we w￿￿ not abk to represenl oursdves at. or send symposia to, several intemational conferences a$ many cancelled their acbvities in 2020 and we expect to have lo engage virtualty during the course of 2021. We ran the second annual ￿CtUre in assoaation wrth the Commonwealth Council on Educational Administration and Management (CCEAM) where Laurette Bristd from the CARICOM Secretariat spoke. We have also developed cL)nversations wth the Comnyjnwealth secretsrKqt. We were delighted to Pu￿lsh a Spanish language. VerS￿n of our Ethical GuKlets'ne5 and have started discussions for a Portuguese version. Conferences and Events The BERA Annual Conference was $thedu￿ to take pbce in Liverpool behveen 8th and 11th September 2020. Folbwing approval by BEFIA Council in May 2020. the decisiC￿ was taken lo cancel the Annual Conference in 2020 due to the onpirB COVID-19 Situat￿n. Based on the experEnce of other leamed Organisat￿n5 and the importance articuL4ted by delegates of face-Ii>face networking as a primary molivatK)n for attending BERA Annual cOnfe￿nce, tl was decKled not to ty to replicate the fa￿ to face confe￿nCe with a virtual one. Instead. it was deaded that a calendar of online events would be hosted by BERA throughout the autumn to promde cpportunrtEs for BERA members lo engage in knowledge exchange. As the pandemic continued into the autumn. itwa5 agreed lo plan for our2021 annual conference to be he￿ entirely as a virtual event to mits.gate Ihe risks of pknning for an iTrperson event. We will miss the opportunty to gather in person, but the on￿1￿9 Un￿rtaInty gerEraled by Covid-19, the likely ￿$trict￿)n$ on international travel and the desire to enable as many pecple as wjssible lo P￿sent and attend means that we think our energies a￿ best spent planning the very best dTrgital experence we can offer. BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES In July 2020. we launcw an artjib.ous series of synthroncws arhj asynchronous BEFiA virtual events including SIG events that were originally planned as fa￿tl>face events and sessions that were due to take during ourAnnual Conferen￿. Our thank510 all those presenters who have participated. The sofNYare forthe BERA virtual events has been imbedded into the BERA webgte and all events are recorded and later added to the d￿rtaI reswrces WEbpage for rnembers lo aecess. The online events have been wetl re￿iVed and well attended and it has b￿n noted that running events through the year pemits many more r(￿MberS and non-members lo attend the actual event or engage with the sessK)n al a later t1￿ that is convenient to them. Membership For the 2020 membershp year, we have 2230 wEmbets. ￿￿uding 584 $ludenls.' 109 retired colleagues,. 1177 full members.. and 360 teacher5. Thi5 is BERA'S highest ever number of tea¢her ffEmb8rs. While membership numbers have fallen 51ighUy eompared lo 2019, considering the widespr&id impact of Covid- 19 on the sector. as well as the caneellalion of the BERA 2020 Annual conferen￿ and all in-person events, this figure show5 a strong appelrte for BERA membership remaiis. driven by the strong membership offer. The new'Digtsl Res￿rCeS. Y￿bpage hosting the recordings ofthe virtual events, amongst other resources. has proved popuLgr. The BEFiA pc•Scast has launched successfulty and can be found on all major podcast ne￿orkS. As part of our commrtwEnl to provide value to our ￿mbers. in 2021 all BERA online events will be free for BERA membets and chargeable for nL￿4￿wnber5. Awards and Feltowships 2020 saw the launch of the BERA Colege of Rev￿**￿ to assist with the rev*wng of award and opportunities. This will improve the transparency and rigour ofthe revewing process and we welcome them into the organisation. A new award tsrgeting undergraduates will be launched in 2021 and there are other potential awards and cpportunthes in the pipeline and the development of a new 'BERA National Student Research. Award is currentty underway for pupils in schools. Our Tange of awards for researchers at d¢fferent stages of their Ca￿15 continues lo expand. In 2020. we awarded the Masters Dissertation, Doctoral thesis, Curri(AJlum Investigation Grant. BJET Fellowship and Public Impact ￿rdS alongsNJe the John Nisbet Fellowship. During Ihe year. the Engagement Committee oversaw a process of a fvrther b'ghlening of pr￿edureS and crrteria for BERA'S Awards, in keeyng wrth the organisatK￿'S broader strategic objectives and the purposes of BEFIA as a Charitab￿ organisalion. Early Career Researchers Netwodt BERA cont￿ueS lo wognise the slrategt¢ importance of the activit￿S of the ECR nehvork lineluding its Nefvlork Symposium SerEs) in terms of incr&￿Ing rnembership numbeis. engagement and the fvlure develwmentof BERA. To bring BERA in line wrth associations such as AARE and EERA, we have exlended the definition of ECR from three years post41oclorate to fve years. Vle have seen consistent growth in the number of ECR memberswithin BERA. Publications BERA conlinues to be involved in current discussions regardng the development of policy in the UK on Open Access lo minimise any negative impact on the Assxiation. its members and Ihe wider research community. At the time of writin9, UKRI is finalising rts new OFEn aC￿sS policy (which will be adopted by the various UK research fmding t￿n01$1. follwing consuftsik)ns on its propK)sals be￿veen September 2019 and October 2020 in which BERA partiupated through its membership of The Academy of Social Seiences and the Society Publishers CoalilKJn. We have Klentified the potenbal threat to BERA'S publication portfolio income and management of risk was a key factor in the negotsalK)n of the publishi)g contract with Wiley. We afe also I￿{king actively wth Wiky and the joumal editois to agree 5traleg*s for adapting the journals to this new environment to ensu￿ they maintsin their slanding as leaders in the field arhj benefit from new opportunrties. 14 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Our four I￿r-re￿eWed joumals all well dumg the year. all S￿ increased submissions and readership. As ever we thank all our editors. edrtorial boards and rev*wers for the Ihey out into supporb.ng our publishing programme. 2020 was the firsl year of our new publishing contract wrth Wiley and the first time all fourjoumals have been urKJeT the same publisher. The 8ERA Blog has tsken adwantage of the fvnQ￿nallty of new BERA Web￿le L8unched in June 2019 to launch nine specral blog series throUgh￿t 2020. cO￿￿￿￿g a variety of important and tsmely topics. The blog re￿iVed an unprecedented number of submisgons ¢Juring 2020, largely from April onwards. This was in part due to a successful ini(olive to invrte bbg posts for a specol series on Covkl-19's effects on education. It may also be that lockdown rtself Crealed more tme and opportunity for bk)gging, leading lo a one-off overabundance of submissK)ns. The number of un4ue page vews IUPVS) of a￿'¢le$ on the BERA Blog {exduding the homepage) was 14.4% higher over the Peri￿ 1 Octcthr 201￿30 September 2020 than the same ￿T[KI in 20181191124.042 ￿ 110.6521. Whibe positive, thi8 ￿ presents a slowdown on UPV growth during equivalenl periods139.7°A be￿een 2017118 arKI 2018119, 79.9% befvrfeen 2016117 and 20171181. BERA Brtes are dowrtbadab￿ PDF publicab"ons. comwsed ol between 8 and 12 artides published across the lrfespan of the Blog, and are bnlended primarily as teaching ￿$our￿S, and include questions for discussion after eaeh article. Research Intelligence's quarterty publication schedule, intrOdU￿d in 2019. continues to be successful. The magazine has also been redesigned and rekunched, folhjwing a fewewofihe BERA braTrJ guidelinès earl*r in 2020. with a layout that is more ffiexlb￿ and hvjhly illustrated_ During the year. a sertes of rewts were published based on the work of the British Curriculum Forum. In January, three final reports of research fvnded bylhe biennial Curriculum InvestigatKJn Grant We￿ published and these were followed by A ￿searCh approaL* to cunKulum development." A Brittsh Cumculum Fomm event report, a collectK•n of ground4)reaking new work on colkborative curriculum, ￿searCh and development that was develLwJ from an BCF e*nt on the san* top￿. Flnance and Adminlstration The accounts Sh￿ that 8EFiA's mgjium-term financkgl w)srtK)n remains healthy. Secured by very posrtive publishing agreements and a strong amount of reserves. BERA can plan ahead with a degree ofconfidence. However, the global Cow¢&19 pandemic presenls significant implications (or the association. For many years we halt operated wth a F19 in 2020 (see dsewherel showed the wisdom of this approach. The Trustees have (r)nsidered the reser¥e5 held by the Association as being ne￿SSary lo enable BERA to devek)p the Association's long-lerm aim5 as well as ensuring the continuation of ils current aclmties. In order to meet their responsibilil*s and to ensure that the AssoCiat￿n continues lo operdle on a going con￿rn basis the Iruslees ha￿ reviewed the requirements and risks faced by the Assock4b'on in both the short and medium temi. BERA continues to look to reduce the Sha￿ of inc£Mne from publutions. This invofves continued investment in our infrastructure Whi￿ we use the healthy currenl in¢om& to 'fulure-proof the Organisat￿n. We have been doing Ihts is recent years by investing in the new website and database. arKI by a modest eypansion of the number of profess￿nal staff. We hake heamhy ￿SerVeS which are now split belween a substantial sum invested within a managed investsnenl fund and thal hehj in a relab.vely quick access accounts. spread across diffe￿nt banking InstitutKJns In order to spread risk. BERA has continued to be an organisalb)n that spends relatively I￿e on administrat￿￿. In order lo meet our slialegic c*Jjeclives, BE￿ is ¢ommrtted to act as a respon&ble employer, wtth appropriate con￿rn ft)r the health and welfare of our empbyees and the Finan￿ ar￿ Operab'ons Committee continues to revMY a range of stsffing ¢Jptions, with a desire lo be ahe*J of the cuNe in terms of having the right staff in plate, doiThJ the right jobs to ensure the on-going success of the Assoryal In 2020. BERA continued to receive core se￿￿$ frryn the UCL Instrtule of EducatK)n. This 1$ tKJW ¢OTe functKJns - HR and office space. As per re￿nI years, we are looking to ini(iale a new ag￿ement for the medium-temi lo bring stability and cLgrty to this re￿b"onship and some further details came from UCL IOE during 2020. UCL IOE generousty offered to waNe any outstanding financial commitments we had accwed funds for as a gesture of 9￿[￿111 aThJ as part ofa commitmenl to our cryc*ng strategic worting partnership. This resulted in a signrficant sum being re￿Sed from accruals and reduong expenditure in the year. UCL IOE also agreed to extend this perKKI until at least August 2021 to alk)w for the frJll details or a new agreemenl lo be made. That agreement will be in of ongoing hiring of office Spa￿ for the BERA prolessKJnal office arKI an HR partnership. In May 2020. Council agreed to explore the opbons of BERA bewning an etrpbyer and the voluntary transfer of exists.ng stsff from UCL. This work was progressed in late 2020 with the engagement of an HR consuttanl to scope out the V•orf( and provbje advice lo trustees. 16 BRITISH EDUCATI(*4AL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES Govemance We attracted an ex￿lIent field of candidates for Council thi5 year and following the electb)n of Sarah Selezynov. Tanya Ovenden-Hope and Alison Fox, Council also co-opted Barbara Skinner as a Council rnember based in Northem IreL8nd. All four began Iheir lemis in AubJmn 2020 and will serve until 2024. We carried out remote inductions for all and are also reviewing our training and 5UPPOrt for Council and commitiee members. All our governan￿ meetings were moved to be online from late March onwards. This induded our AGM which was hekl in D￿MI￿r. Attendance at the tatter was higher than our nomial in-person AGM and il all)wed 50wE intemational members lo be present. We will revew the f￿Mat offvIu￿ AGMS in 2021. Vivienne Baumfield was elected to the Fo$it￿n of Presidentelect in 2019 and therefore assumed the positlon of Vice-Presklent in September 2020 when Gary Mcculkjch finished his term. Alongside this. Ros McLellan succeeded VIv￿nne as Chair of the Publrcalions coMm￿ee in September 2020 for a foui-year term. Due lo Ihe disrLplion caused by COVID-19. at the AGM. members agreed lo a one-off VarIat￿n lo our Articles olAssouation to extend the P￿s￿nto1 lem of fkmninic Wyse by one year Subsequently. Viwenne Baumfield's term will also be extended by one yew. This will provide the organisation with stability during this uncertain bme and also mean VNEnne is BERA PresKlenl healing into BERA'S 50th Anniversary in 2024. We also were ab￿ to recTUit ordinary members for Publications. Conferenee & Events. F&0 and Risk Assessment and Audit Committees during the summer tem), after hvo new members of the Engagement Committee were ￿rUited in December 2019. All these n*mbers have been inducted into BERA'S work and have now attended their fwst meeting. It is heartening to see such enlhusrasm to be part of BERA'5 governance from amongst the membership. Audit Inforniation The Trustees who held office at the date of approval of thrs Trust￿$, Rewrt confirm that. so far as they aft Ind￿￿UallY aware, there is no relevant audrt infomation of whi¢h the Charity's auditors are unaware." and each Trustee has tsken all reasonable steps that helshe ought to have taken as a Trustee to make himselflhersdfaware of any rethnt audrt infomiatKJn and lo eslablish that the Charty's auditors are aware ofthal infomatk)n. AuditQTS PKF Littlejohn LLP has its wilingness to ¢￿tinUe n office. By Order of the Trustees Professor Domin￿ Wse Trustee 12 August 2021 17 8RrrisH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE AUDITORS Auditors. Report to the Members of the Brltlsh Educational Rfjsgarch Association Opinion Opinion We have audited the financial slatements of British Educational Research As50Clation Ilhe 'charilable company'} for the year ended 31 Oe¢ember 2020 which comprise the Slalemenl of Financial Aclivities. the Balance Sheet, the Ststement of Cash Fltrws aThJ notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies_ The financk41 reporting framework that has been appl￿ in their preparation is applicabk Law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standa￿{ applicabl8 in Ihe UKand Rerwblic of Ireland (United ￿"ngdorn Gener8lly Accepted Accounting Pra(11￿). In our opinion, the financial statements.. give a true and fair v*w of the slate of the Charitab￿ company's affairs as at 31 December 2020 and of ils incoming ￿$Ou￿5 and appI￿ats.0n of resources, induding its inco￿￿ and expenditure, for the year then ended-, have been pioperly prepared in aCCc￿dance with Unrted Kin>lom Generally Accepted Acc￿n11ng Practice., arKI have been prepared in accorfano wth the requirements of the CoMpan￿S Act 20C6. Basis for opinion We conducted OUT audit in accordan￿ with Intemational Standard5 on Auditing IUK} IISAS IUKII and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those 5tsndards are further deSCr￿ed in the Audrtorfs responsbililies for the audit of the financAal 5ts1ements sectK>n of our report. We are Independent of the charitable company in acCL)r(lan￿ wth the ethi¢al requIre￿nts that are re￿vant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK. including the FRC'S Ethical Stsndard. and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in acCOrdan￿With these requirements. We belEve thatthe audit evtsjence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provwje a basis for OLtr opinion. Conclusion5 relating to going concem In auditing the financial StsIerr￿ts, we have concluded that Ihe trUS￿s, use of the going concern basis of accounting in the prep￿at￿3n of the financknal slatements appropriate. Based on the work we have performed. sle have nol identif*d any material uncertainties ielaling lo events or wndrtions that. indiwdualty or cdlecti4ely, may ca51 swniftsnl doubl on the chafttable company's abilty tr) continue as a going con￿rn for a per￿ of at ￿$t months frerfn when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Our ￿SponsIbl11￿es and the responsibilitses of the trnstees wrfh re¥ect to going coneem are dexribed in the relevant sectKJns ofthis report. Other Infomiation The other informatr)n CCAnprises the infofmalic￿ included in the trustees. annual report, olher than the finanual ststements and our auditorfs report Ihereon. The Irustees are resp¢insible for the other infomialion contained within the trustees, annual report. Our opinion on the finanual slalements dces not cover the othef infomiatK)n and we do not eXp￿sS any fomi of assuran￿ condu&on thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other infomiatM)n and. in doing so. conshlerwhether the other information is materially snconsislent with the financial statements or our knOw￿dge obtained in the course of the 8udrt. or otherwise appears lo be materially misstated. If we Klenltfy such materK41 inconsistenctes or apparent Material misslalemenls, we are requi￿ to delemine whether this gives rise lo a material misstalement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the worf( we ha￿ perfomied, we conclude that there is a matenal misstslemenl of this other informalK￿. we a￿ required to that fact. We have ￿thing lo rep¢yl in this ￿rd. 18 BRITISH EDUCATIChYAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE AUDITORS Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 21K)6 In our opinw. based on ￿1rk uThJertaken in the course ofthe audit. the inforniathjn 9iven in the trustees, report. whith in¢lu¢Jes the directors, report prepared for tho purposes of company law, for the finanoal year for which the financial stalem&nls are prepared 1$ consistent wrth the finanual st*ments.' and the direclors, rewrt included within the trustees, report has been prepared in accordance with applhcable kgal requirements. Matter5 on which we are requir￿ to rwrt by exception In the light of the knOw￿dge and urKlerslanding of the d)arilable c(MT)pany and their environment obtained in the course of the audit. we have not 1denlrf￿J malerk41 misstatements in the directors, repY)rt included within the trustees, annual report. We have nothing to report in resped of the folknw.ng matters in rel8t￿ to whith the Companies Act 20C6 a￿1 the Charit￿S Act 2011 requires us to report to you rf. in our cyinv)n". adequate and Suff￿￿nI accounts.ng records have r)ol been kept by the charitabk company. or ￿turnS adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us." or the charitable companls financial ststements are not in agreernent wrth the acrA)unting records and relums., or certain disck)sures of trustees. rernuneratijn specffjed by law are not made.. or we have not received all the Info￿nat￿n and explanalK)ns we require for our audrt. ' or the tnjstees We￿ not enlrtled to prepare the financial stalements in a(L(Ydance wf(h the small companies. regime and take &I￿antage of the small companies, exemplKJns in preparing the directors, ￿port and from the requirement to prepare a stralegic report. Responsibilities of trustees As explained rn0￿ lulfy in the Injslees. stslement of responsbi ilitEs. the trustees (who are also the direcloTS of the Charitab￿ cnrnpany for the purpM)ses of Company law) are responsib￿ for the preparation of the charrtable company financial ststements and foi king satisfied Ihat they give a true and fair view, and for such inlemal control asthetrusteesdelermine is ne￿SSary to enable the preparation offinancFal slalements that are free from material misstatement. whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the Charrtab￿ eompany fin￿¢181 Stat￿ents, the Iwstees are responsible lor assessing the charitable company's ability lo continue a5 a going concem. disck)sing. as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the 90ing concem basis of accounting unless the trustees erther intend to liquidate the ehafitable CoM￿Y or lo cease Operat￿$. or have no realist￿ altemative bul to do 50. Auditor's ffesponsibiliti•s for th• audit of the financial statements We have been appointed audrtor under the Ccxnpanes Acl 20(￿ and seth.on 151 ofthe Charities Act 2011 and report in ateOrrlan￿ wth those Acts and rethnt reguktws made cf having effect Ihereunder. Our objectives are to obtain reaKfflable assurance about whether the ffinancial $tstements as a whole are free from materKo1 misstateffEnl. wknether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonab￿ assurance is 8 high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordan￿ with ISAS (UK) will a￿AyS detect a materkel misstatement when il exists. Misstatements ean arise frcm fraud or error and are considered materkil rf. individually or in the aggreg8te. they eould reasonably be expected lo influence the econL¥nic decish)ns of u5ets taken on the basis of these finanrjal slalemenls. Irregularities, including fraud, a￿ instsnces of nm-complianee with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilits"es, outlined above, lo detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities. including fraud. The extent lo wthich our procedures are Capab￿ of d&k¢ling irregularrties, including fraud is det￿.￿￿ below". 19 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION REPORT OF THE AUDITORS We ￿taIned an understsnding of the chantable ec¥npany and the sector in which they ¢)perale to idenlify laws regulab.ons that could reagjnabty be expected to have a di￿1 effect on Ihe financial statements. We obtained our understanding in th15 regard through discussions wilh management. industry research. applicab.on of cumulative a￿lIt knowledge and e¥perience of the sector. We detemined the principal laws and wuL4tKJns ￿ ￿vant to the Charitab￿ company in this regard lo be those arising ftom Companes Act 20C6. CharitiesAcl 2011. Chatities {Accounts and Reports) Regulatsons 2008 and tsx ￿gISlatIon_ We designed wr audrt procedures lo ensure the audil team conS￿ered whether there were any indications of non-￿Mplian¢e by the Charitab￿ company wrth those laws and regulalKJns. Tt*se proceduces included. but were not linited to. enquiries of management and reviewing of rninutes. We also ￿entified the risks of material mtsstatemenl of the financol statements due to fraud. We eon5idered. in additiDn lo the nOn￿bUllable p￿suMptIon of a risk of fraud arising from mana9ement override of contro15, that the completeness of liabilibes was also an area of risk. As in all of our audits. we a￿d￿ssed Ihe risk of ftaLsd arising from management override of controls by perfomiing audit proc£duresvthich included. butwere not limited to.. reviewingjournals.. reviewing accounting estinates for eVkIen￿ of ￿"as. and evaluating the business rationa￿ of any sigllificant transactions that are unusual or outside the nom)al course of bugness. Because of the inherent limrtats"onsof an audit. there i8 a risk that we wil not delect 811 irregularities, including those leading lo a material misststemenl in Ihe finanoal statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that complian￿WIth a law orregU￿b"On is r￿lOVed from the events and transactions reflected in the financkgl staterrEnts, as we wll be ￿$$ likely to befJ)ft￿ aware of instances of non- conpliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularib.es (Kturring due lo fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealn*nt, forgery, c¢YlusK)n. omissN)n or misrepreSentst￿n. A furtherdescription ofour responsibdiks forthe aL*Jit of Ihe financ￿1 statements is located on the Finanaal Reporting Council's web%te at.. www.frc.o .uklaudrtorsr nsibilrties. This descripthjn fomis part of our audilorfs report. Use of our report This reKKJrt is m&Je solely to the charitabk compan￿$ members. as a bc¥Jy. in accordance wrfh Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Cffiipanes Act 20[￿ and to the ¢haritabÈ company's trust￿$. as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the charit￿S lAC￿nts and Reports) Regu&lions 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state lo the Charitab￿ company's members and trust￿S those matters we are reqUI￿d lo slate lo them in an audilorfs report and for no other purpose. To the fUl￿st extent permitted bylaw, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone. other than the charilable company and thè Charital￿e company's as a body and the charitable company's trustees as a boly, for our audit work, for this report. or for the opinions we have fomied_ Alastair Duke (Senior Statuiory Auditor For and on behalf of PKF Littlejohn LLP Statutory Auditor 15 Westferry Circus Canary Wharf London E14 4HD /0 September 2021 20 BRITISH EDUCATI(X4AL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Year ended 31 December 2020 UnrestrKted Restricted Funds Funds Total Funds 2020 Totsl Funds 2019 Income from: Membetship subscriplws Investments Chafilable Acti¥it*s 167.442 27.213 667.725 167.442 181.345 27,213 23,318 667,725 1.047,234 Total Income 862.380 862.380 1,251.897 Expeniliture on: Raising fvnds Charrtable actiwties 1C(J.911 5C(J.566 1CQ.911 SC￿.566 157,525 856,181 Total Expgnditurg 601.4TT 601,477 1.013.706 Net gainllloss) on investrnents 81.302 81,302 110,317 Net Mo¥•m*nt in Funds 342.205 342,205 348,508 Reconciliation of Funds: Fund balances brought fomartl £1.837.fA6 £22,031 £1,859.677 t1.511,169 Balance at End of Year £2.179.851 £22.031 £2,201,882 £1.859.677 The Charity has no recognised gains or bs5es other than as stated ab)¥e. All of the actNilies represent continuing &tiwties of the charitab￿ Cmipany. The Acccojnting Policies and ￿)leS c¥7 pages 24 to 30 fom part of these Financial Stslements. 21 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION Registered Company No. 08284220 BALANCE SHEET At 31 Oecember 2020 Note 2020 2019 Flxed Assets Tangible fixed assets Invesknents 32.458 1.155.433 36,656 1.078,830 Current Assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand 179.801 977,045 259,622 705,690 1.156.846 965.312 Cr•ditors: an￿untS falling due wlhin one year 10 (142.855) 1221,121) Net Current Assets 1.013.991 744.191 Net Assets £2.201,882 £1,859.677 Funds Restricted funds 22,031 22,031 Unrestricted funds General Designated 1,674.851 505,ODD 1.837,646 £2201.882 £1,859,677 Approved by the Board of Trustees on the 12 August 2021 and ggned ￿ its behaw by Professor Dominic Wyse Trustee The Accounting PolKies and ￿)te$ on pages 24 to 30 form part of these Fwianaal Ststements. 22 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS Year ended 31 December 2020 2020 2019 Cash flow from opernling aclivitigs {se8 below) 245,484 241,241 Cash flow frorn investing aclivitie5 Payments lo acquire tango￿ fixed assets Payments to acqui￿ investments Proceeds from sale of investments Dividerbjs and interest from investments 16,0411 (17,5971 190.5811 140D,0001 95,280 2,271 27.213 23,318 Net cash flow provided byllused in) invesling a¢livities 25.871 1392.0081 Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year 271.355 1150,7671 Cash and cash equlvalents at stsrt of year 705.690 856.457 Cash and cash equivalents at ènd ofyear £977.045 £705,690 Cash and cash equivalents consists of: Cash al bank and in hand Short term depo91$ 977.045 705,690 Cash and cash equivalents at end of year £977,045 £705,690 Net incomellexpenditurel forlhe year 342.205 348,508 Dividends and interest from in*Str￿lS DepreCiat￿n of tangible r￿ed assets IGainsllL055es on ￿veStrr￿t5 Ilncreaselldec￿a$e in debtors Increa5elldecreasel ￿ ¢￿ditOrS 127,2131 123,3181 10.239 28,825 181,3021 1110,3171 79.821 5,776 178.2661 (8,2331 Net cash Ilow from operating activiiies £245.484 £241,241 The Aceounling Polices Notes ¢)n pages 24 to 30 fom part of these Financial Ststements. 23 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION ACCOUNTING POUCIES General Information and basls of pTrparation British Educational Research AsSocial￿n is a company l•mrted by guarantee in the United Kingdom. In the event of the charity being wcxjnd up, the liability in of the guaontee is limited to £1 per member of the chatity. The address oflhe wegislered offic* is given in the charty inf0m￿li0n on page 2 ofthese financial stalemenls. The natu￿ of the charl￿$ oFeratK￿s and principal aCtivrt￿s are lo encourage the pursuit of eduealional research and its applieation for bolh the inprovement of educati¢J)al practice and for the publ benefit. The charity constitutes a public benefit entty as defined by FRS 102. The ffinancHI statements have been prepared in accordance ¥wth Accounting and Repo￿n￿ by Charities". Slalement of Recommended Practice applicable to charilEs preparing their accounts in accordance ￿th the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021, the Financral Re[KI￿n9 Standard applicabk in the United Kingdom and Republ￿ of Ireland IFRS 1021, the Charitses Act 2011. the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted practi￿ as il appI￿S from 1 January 2019. The financial statements are prepared on a wing con￿rn basls under the historical cost convention, modified lo include certain items al fair walue. The financk41 slalements are prepared in stetling %thich is the functional currency of the charity. The significanta¢r£)unting poh'cies appr￿d in the preParat￿n of these financial statements are setoul bekhv. These policies have been cnnsistentty applied to all years presented unless otherwtse staled. Fund Accounting Restricted funds comprise donatic￿S arKI grants which have been ￿e￿IVed for specific purposes. or wh￿h are subject lo specific conditions imposed by the don￿. Unrestricted funds may be used for the purwses of the Charitable Company al the Trust*s' discretion. Unrestricted funds may be designated by the Trustees for specrfic pury)oses. Designated funds represent thosè funds designated at the discrelN)n of the Trustees. Incoming Resources All incomKng resources are included in the Statementof FinancialActivrties ISOFAI when the charity is legaly entided lo the income. after any perf0m￿nCe ￿nd￿.￿S have been rr*t, when the amounl can te measured reliably wtten il is probable that the incoft￿ ￿11 be receNed. Inc(*ne derlved tr￿￿ M￿)bershIP subSCript￿n$ and sales is credited lo the Statement of Finan¢k41 Activities {SOFAI in the perlxl lo which rt ￿￿￿te$. Fees represent amounts invoiced lo third parties for the provision of services and are reccgnised on the basis of entrtkment. Grants and donat*)ns represent amounts frorn Indiv￿ua1s. corporations, trusts and funding bOd￿S and are credrted to the SOFA in the year in which ihey are ￿￿1vable. Investment incorr* is recognised as the charity's right lo rffe1￿ payment is e$tablishe(l. 24 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION ACCOUNTING POLICIES Resources Expended and &wis of Allo&itioTh of Costs Expenditure is recognised where there is a kgal orconslnjctive obligatM)n to make payments to third part￿s. il is probable that the settknEnl will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliabty. All expenditure is acccyjnled foron an accsuals bass and is reported gross of related income on the folbwing bases.. Costs of generating voluntary income comprise the direcl costs associated with attracting voluntary income, plus a proportion of cost that cannot be directly S￿r￿)uted Isupport cosls)- Expenditure on ¢haritsble aciNities comprises expenditure. whe￿ costs cannot be direclly attributed IsuppKJrt costs}, they have been alkxated to the acthwlies on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Support costs are those that assist the work of the charity but do not di￿¢t￿ ￿present tharitable activilvds and include offio costs, g0Veman￿ costs, and other administrative costs. They are incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the ¢hanty. whe￿ support wsts canrvjt be directly attributed to Particular headings they have been altsaled to costof raising funds and expenditure on eharilable aclivrties on a basis ￿nsIstent with use of the resources. Tangible Fixed Assets. Oeprecialion and Impairment Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreckatDn. The c￿Sts of minor assets are expensed In the year in which the cost is Incurred. Donated assets are included in income and fixed assets. where a value can be ￿9)nab￿ obtsined, and are dep￿lated. DepreCiat￿)n is provided on tangib￿ fixed assets. at rates Ca1￿lated to write off the cost of each asset, less any eslimaled resKlual value. over ts expedol useful life. The annual deprecialKJn rates and methods are as follows.. Fumiture, office and technic*1 equirthenl- 25% strabjht Ibne. Assets in the course of constructs)n, websrte and datsbase costs. have been shown separatety. No depreciation is provided until an asset is brought inlo use. Where the recoverable anKJunt of a tsrwjible fixed asset is found to be its nel book value, the asset is written down to its re￿Verable amount and the kJs5 on iryairmenl reu)gnised in the SOFA. Investments PublKly trad￿ investments, or those where fair value can otherwise be rrea$ured reliably, are measured at fair value al each baLance sheet date. with thange$ in fair value recognised in 'net gans / Ilossesl on investments, in the SOFA. Debtors and creditors receivable I payable within one year Debtors and creditors wth no slated ￿terest rate and reeewable or payable within one year are re￿rded al transaction pri￿. Taxation The Charrtable Company is generally exempt from taxal￿n with the exceptDn of Value Added Tax. Where appiopriale all eXpendrtU￿ is staled indusNe of the reLqted Value Added Tax. Leases Rentals payable and receivabk under operaling leases are char@ to Ihe SOFA a slraighl line basis over Ihe period of the lease. 25 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATK)N NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 Decemb&r 2020 1. Investment Income 2020 2019 Bank interest and inNEstment incoff £23.318 Investrnent income in both years rdates to £12019- £23.318) from unreslricled funds. 2. Income from Charitable Activities 2020 2019 Publications and Royatt*s Annual conference Grants Other income Gifts in kind 653,110 778.609 245.098 5,416 18.111 415 16.200 £669,725 £1.047.234 Incorne from Charitab￿ acti%Aties consists of£669.72512019- £1,041.8181 re￿tIng to unrestricted funds and £niS12019 - £5.4161 to restricted funds. 3. Expenditure Support Direct costs costs Isee nole 41 Deprnciation Total 2020 Total 2019 Raising funds Charilable actMt*s 4.613 10,239 201.433 96.298 288.894 100,911 500.566 1 $7,525 856,181 £10,239 £2C6.1X6 £385.192 £601,477 £1,013,7C6 Expenditure relates to £601.477 {2019 - t1.(￿6,621) from unrestn.ctèl lunds and £nl12019 - £7,085) frcm restricted fvnds. BRITISH Et)UCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 Decomber 2020 4. Supportcosts Staff Premises Govemance costs costs costs Total 2020 Total 2019 Raising funds charitab￿ aCtNit￿S 88.315 264.946 1.287 3.862 6,696 20.086 96,298 288,894 130,907 392.722 £353.261 £5.149 £26.782 £385,192 £523.629 Premises costs have decreased significantly fr(xn the prior year due lo the release of a prior year creditor balan￿ of £119.717 being ￿leaSed in the year due to the balan￿ being waived by the third paty. Governance ¢osls'. Audf( fees Aceounlancy Other 5,740 9,817 11,225 5,750 9,927 34,556 £26,782 £50,233 5. Net Incorning Resources This is stated after charging". DepTeeialv)n AUd￿orS. rernuneratv)n - audit £10,239 £5,740 £28.825 £5,750 6. Trustees and Contracled Personnel Staff costs for 7 emphJyees12019 - 6) of £353.261 12019 - £339,599) were recharged from the UCL Institute of EdUCat￿n. There was 0￿ enykiyee eaming a &ilary between £70.000 and £80.00012019 . one). The total amount of empk)yee benefits re￿￿d by key management personnel during the year was £157.26412019- £132.7891. The ASsoC￿l￿)n cons￿er5 ils key management personnel to compromise the Execub"ve Director and the Events Manager. Six trustees12019-thirteenl received a total of £96412019- £22,274) reimbursed travel and subsistence expense5 in the year. No Tnjstees recewed any ￿MuneratiOn in Ihe year. Stsff costs 2020 2019 Recharges from UCL Institule of EdUcat￿n Agency and consultancy costs 353,261 320.361 19,238 Total staff eosls £353,261 £339,599 The average number of Perso￿ wnpkjyed by the during the ye8rwas: Red)arged employees Consultant and agency staff Total 27 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 December 2020 7. Tanglble Fixed Assets Fumiture. office and technical equipment Total Cost At 1 January 2020 Additions 192,014 6,041 192,014 6.041 At 31 December 2020 198,055 198,OSS Accumulated Depreciation At 1 January2020 Charge for year 155.358 10239 155,358 1221} At 31 December 2020 165,597 155,137 Nel Bookvalue Al 31 December 2020 £32,458 £42,918 At 31 t)￿mtser 2019 £36.656 £36,656 The charitab￿ Ccmpany had no c•ilal commitments at 31 December 202012019 - none). 8. Investments 2020 2019 Balance brought foTh¥ard Addrtions Sale proceeds Nel 98inslllosses) Movement in cash al s¢ockbroker5 1,078.830 90.581 1106,5731 81.302 11,293 570,784 400.000 12.2711 110.317 £1.155.433 £1,078,830 Investh*nls al fair Val￿ I￿Ude Equfties Fixed interest Akemalive investments Cash wrthm investment p￿1￿) 826.229 157.093 152.393 20.112 754.758 147,774 166,873 9,425 £1.155,433 £1.078,830 No indNidual investrnenl is corts#Yered lo be materpl. The cost of inve5trnenls Was £908.323. 28 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATh)N NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Year ended 31 December 2020 9. Debtors 2020 2019 PrepayrrEnls and accnjed inecAne Taxalh?n arKI ￿)Ck81 secunty 166,847 12,954 239,067 20,555 £179,801 £259,622 10. Creditors: aft￿Unts falling due wtthin one year Trade creditors Accruals and deferred inccwne 24,885 117,970 20,229 2CQ.892 £142,855 £221,121 Included within CredIt￿S is £16.195 12019 - £16.6471 of d&ferred income relating lo membership subscription5 recwved in advance. 11. Analysis of Total Funds Tangible fixed assets Investments Net Current assets As at 31 D￿efflber 2020 Total Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds 22,031 22.031 991.960 2.179,851 32.458 1.155,433 £32.458 £1.155.433 £1,013,991 £2.201.882 Tangible fixed assets Investments Net current as$ets A$ at 31 Dxember 2019 Total Reslricled Funds Unrestricted Funds 22,031 22.031 722.160 1.837.646 36,656 1,078,830 £36.6 £1.078,830 £744.191 £1,859,677 12. Refated Party Transadions wilh Tn￿¢¢¢$ and Connected Persons There were no tran&￿t￿n3 With reL4ted part￿ ￿ connected persons in the year. 13. Contingent Liabilities There were no contingent Ikgbilitie5 to disckjse at 31 Deceffoer 21Y20 12019 - none). 14. Post Bala￿e Sheet Event There We￿ no events to disclose subsequent to the year*nd. 29 BRITISH EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Yeai ended 31 December 2020 15. Financial cofflrnitments Al 31 December 2020 the charrtab￿ Cunpany had futu￿ minimum lease payments under non- cancdlable operating lease5 as follcfyvs.. 2020 2019 Not kler than one year £7.236 16. Restricted and Unrestitted Funds Asat1 Transfe￿ and As at 31 January Incoming Resources Investment December 2020 wesources expended movements 2020 Restrictsd Desmond Nuttall Fund Brian Simon 2.574 19.457 2.574 19.457 Total 22.031 22.031 Unrnstricted General Fund Designated Funds Open aceess UCL-IOE 1.837,646 8V2.380 601.477 1423,698) 1,674.851 380,000 125,0(X) 380,000 125,000 Total Funds £1.859.677 862.380 601,477 81,302 2,201,882 Asat1 Asat31 January Incoming Resources Investment December 2019 resources expended movements Re5tTiCted 2019 Desmond Nuttall Fund Brian Simon Welsh Govemment 2.574 19,457 1,669 2,574 19,457 5.416 (7.085) Totsl 23.700 5.416 17.085) 22,031 Ger￿Tal Fund 1.487.469 1.246.481 (1.OC6,621) 110,317 1.837.646 Total FLEnds £1.511.169 £1.251,897 £{1,013,71%) £110,317 £1,859,677