Annual Report 2023 - Schools OUT United Kingdom - 1156352
The Trustees of Schools OUT United Kingdom (hereinafter “SOUK”), present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023.
1. AIMS
Schools OUT UK (SOUK) operates under a constitution dated 18 September 2013 (the “Constitution”). The objects of SOUK are to promote equality and diversity for the benefit of the public by:
(A) increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (“LGBT+”) people, their history, lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community;
(B) raising awareness and advancing education on matters affecting the LGBT+ community;
(C) working to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBT+ communities;
and
(D) promoting the welfare of LGBT+ people, by ensuring that the education system recognises and enables LGBT+ people to achieve their full potential, so they contribute fully to society and lead fulfilled lives, thus benefiting society as a whole.
SOUK aims to achieve these objects by organising an annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans + (or “LGBT+”) History Month each February, to be celebrated in schools, other educational establishments, workplaces, and other organisations in the United Kingdom.
Each UK LGBT+ History Month is launched at a formal event in the November preceding it. Linked to UK LGBT+ History Month, SOUK aims to coordinate and share knowledge of events planned throughout the country in connection with LGBT+ History Month and provide resources to augment the theme of LGBT+ History Month.
More broadly, to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues and to increase the visibility of LGBT+ people in the classroom, SOUK aims to provide a number of inclusive teaching resources for use in classrooms around the country, via a website.
2. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Schools OUT United Kingdom is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (registration no.1156352). The principal address of SOUK is BM Schools OUT, London, WC1N 3XX
SOUK receives pro bono legal assistance from Allen & Overy LLP, One Bishops Square, London, E1 6AD for which the Trustees and Management Committee are truly thankful. None of the Trustees is a body corporate.
The Trustees are:
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Professor Ian Rivers
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Margaret (Max) Hyde
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Sophie Lowndes-Toole until May
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Kate Louise Hutchinson from May
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Lynne Michelle Nicholls (Chair)
3. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
SOUK became a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 25 March 2014. This report covers the period 1st January 2023 to 31[st] December 2023. The Trustees (who are also the Members under the Constitution) were appointed under the terms of the Constitution, which is based on the Foundation Model Constitution published by the Charities Commission.
The Trustees are responsible for the management of the affairs of SOUK and for that purpose exercise all the powers of SOUK. The Management Committee of members was appointed by the Trustees to exercise the day-to-day management tasks of SOUK. In particular, under the supervision of the Trustees, the Management Committee has been delegated the tasks of:
(A) managing the day-to-day business of SOUK;
(B) meeting at least quarterly to discuss the business of the Management Committee and SOUK;
(C) preparing meeting minutes for all meetings of the Management Committee ;
(D) organising a themed UK LGBT+ History Month to take place in schools, educational establishments or other organisations in February of each year;
(E) organising a launch event in advance of each UK LGBT+ History Month;
(F) managing the budget of SOUK;
(G) embarking on fundraising initiatives to benefit SOUK;
(H) managing the SOUK websites content.
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(I) preparing the annual statement of accounts;
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(J) preparing an annual report to the Trustees:
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(K) maintaining and managing our profile on social media ;
(L) preparing and filing reports required by the Charity Commission (such reports being approved by the Trustees before filing);
(M) entering into contracts for the purpose of carrying out the tasks and functions delegated to the Management Committee; and
(N) delegating any of its powers, as it deems appropriate, subject to these terms and conditions.
The Management Committee
Comprises [8] volunteers who provide their time, support, skills and energy to SOUK. None of the Management Committee are paid for their time.
For 2023, the Management Committee members were:
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Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders
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Abtin Sadeghi
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Adam Lowe
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Andrew Dobbin
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David Church
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Puja Mitra
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Seth Atkin
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Lynne Nicholls*
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Lynne Nicholls is the Trustees’ representative on the Management Committee.
In addition, as required, Education consultant, IT support consultant and Media consultants may attend the Management Committee meetings.
4. REPORT ON THE YEAR 2023
In 2023 SOUK has achieved its Objects via its activities with the UK LGBT+ History Month 2023, workshops, the launch of the UK LGBT+ History Month theme 2024 and work on our educational resources.
In conducting these activities, the Trustees, and indeed the Management Committee, have had regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit. The Trustees strongly believe that raising awareness and educating the public on both LGBT+ community and the matters that affect LGBT+ people will not only increase visibility and promote the welfare of LGBT+ people, but also benefit the wider community by promoting inclusivity, diversity and acceptance.
There are other specific groups of non-LGBT+ people who directly benefit from the activities of SOUK. They include many non-LGBT+ people who are the children of LGBT+ parents or who have family members who are LGBT+, and who are either bullied for this reason or are afraid to discuss their family situation. There are other non-LGBT+ people who are friends with LGBT+ people and are also bullied. The work of SOUK therefore directly affects those who know and live with LGBT+ people, and those who know and live with these people. The work of SOUK in education institutions, therefore, goes much further than solely benefiting the LGBT+ people, and is not limited to those with a protected characteristic.
In the Annual Report 2022 we identified certain areas of our work that would be our focus in 2023: We have made progress in all these areas:
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Strengthening links with educators and education organisations
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Updating our website
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Increasing our use of social media to ‘Usualise’ LGBT+ lives
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Producing media resources as part of our LGBT+ History Month free resources for educators.
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Strengthening links with the wider community businesses and organisations.
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Reviewing our branding/marketing
Operational matters
During 2023 Emperor Works continues to offer branding and design skills to SOUK in a project to review our branding, suggest improvements and work with us on brand guidelines. This has enabled us to rebrand which is needed to help us achieve our charitable aims. We now have branding assets, general brand and specific social media guidelines.
Following the branding work we have started the process of consolidating our websites into one ahead of a large project to launch a new website in the future. Our IT consultant, Bethany Stanley, has worked on updating our old LGBT+ History Month website to be our consolidated website and incorporate the new branding.
To help facilitate the rebranding work we held two away days one online and one hybrid at Queer Britain at which we reviewed our charitable objectives to help us created a mission and vision statement as well as defining our aims to achieve this. This work will be developed further to help focus our work and create a medium- and long-term strategy.
We also agreed to move to keeping the LGBT+ History Month theme for the year spanning from the launch of the theme in November to the following October.
Education
We strengthened our links to educators and education organisations through meeting with the following organisations to share our work; Stonewall Education Section, Just Like Us, The Proud Trust, Diversity Role Models, Pop’ n’ Olly, Diverse Educators, Gires, Pride and Progress and Pride in Education.
For UK LGBT+ History Month and in Pride Month we continued to run online sessions for schools ranging from all schools’ assemblies to schools’ pride groups, reaching more than 2,500 students.
In 2022 we launched our TikTok Chanel providing short media clips on the five LGBT+ historical figures. For 2023 in addition to our LGBT+ Historical figures we featured other LGBT+ people who work/worked in the TV and film industry.
In 2023 we were able to offer two other opportunities to schools one in partnership with Sparks Film and Media Arts and one with the Harvey Milk Foundation. Sparks Film and Media Arts produced a resource to help students produce TikTok videos for LGBT+ History Month and ran sessions with students from Compass School exploring the 2023 theme to produce two short clips about the 2023 LGBT+ historical figures. Through working with the Harvey Milk Foundation, we were able to offer several schools the opportunity to have a workshop session with Stuart Milk.
We had increased number of schools and youth groups participate in the 2024 UK LGBT+ History Month badge design competition.
For UK Black Pride our education project worker, Sarah Cosgriff , built on last year’s display of LGBT+ history from around the world creating a new display in keeping with the 2023 LGBT+ History Month theme ‘Behind the Lens’ featuring global majority LGBT+ people working in the film and TV industry. Andrew Dobbin created a series of posters about the history of Polari which we displayed.
Education Conferences
During the year we had stalls, spoke or ran workshops at the following conferences: TUC Conference, Diverse Educators, Pride and Progress, three NEU Regional Conferences, Unison national conference and University of Manchester teacher training conference.
At the TUC we facilitated a workshop session exploring how to provide an LGBT+ Inclusive Education in challenging times with representatives from across the teachers’ unions regarding the importance of LGBT+ inclusive education.
UK LGBT+ History Month 2023 - #BehindTheLens
During UK LGBT+ History Month February 2023, in addition to the schools’ sessions we delivered over online and in person sessions throughout the month to universities, colleges, companies, institutions, and museums reaching over 9,000 people. We saw an increase in organisations celebrating LGBT+ History Month and the use of the LGBT+ History Month logo and badge by organisation.
In partnership with Rainer Schultz and the Cinema Museum we ran a LGBT+ film festival celebrating LGBT+ directors and film makers; each screening was followed by a screen talk with the director/film maker.
We had articles in various publications such as the Fyne times and several radio appearances for the BBC and other radio stations.
The media resources and factsheets of the five historical LGBT+ people we highlighted during the month were particularly successful. In addition to our five historical figures we featured each day a LGBT+ person who works/worked in film and tv across our social media channels.
LGBT+ History Month 2023 was also marked for the first time since the announcement of its creation 2023, on 2[nd] February 2023 in the House of Commons with a debate, which Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders watched from the viewing gallery. The debate fell on the anniversary of the Section 28 debate, where lesbian abseiled in the House of Lords. And at the end of LGBT+ History Month the Scottish parliament also held a debate. The speaker of the House also hosted his annual LGBT+ History Month reception, where we caught up with our patron, Lord Cashman.
UK LGBT+ History Month 2024 - #UnderTheScope
We launched the LGBT+ History Month 2024 theme online and had over 200 participants log on from across the country.
The theme celebrates LGBT+ peoples’ contribution to the field of Medicine and Healthcare both historically and today.
We wanted to showcase the amazing work of LGBT+ staff across the NHS and in other healthcare settings, in providing healthcare, especially during the pandemic, whilst still shining a light on the history of the LGBT+ community’s experience of receiving healthcare which has been extremely complicated leaving LGBT+ people still facing health inequalities even today.
The 2024 winning LGBT+ History Month badge design from our schools competition has been very well received.
“When I discovered that the theme was medicine, the first thing that came to mind was being protected no matter what and so I expressed this in my badge with the LGBTQ+ flag with a love heart under a stethoscope. This highlights what the LGBTQ+ community has experienced and contributed to throughout history. I am so pleased this design has won, I truly am over the moon” – Alex Gould – Badge Design Competition Winner
OUTreach
We have continued to help build the International Committee on LGBTQ+ History Months with several more countries starting a LGBT+ History Month.
Schools OUT was invited to Hungary to open the 11[th] LGBT+ History Month. Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders gave the keynote speech about the importance of LGBT+ inclusive education, knowing our LGBT+ histories and the impact Section 28 had UK.
Following this Sue was asked to deliver a lunch and learn session with staff at the British Embassy in Hungary which included staff from the British Embassy, and the American, Estonian and Belgian Embassies.
The team at Pride in Progress released, their book which features the work of Schools OUT and the impact of UK LGBT+ History Month.
For East and South East Asian Heritage Month we held an online webinar ‘Behind the Lens – Tell Queer ESEA Stories a event highlighting the lack of queer East and South East Asian (ESEA) stories in film and TV. Our guest speaker were:
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Rachel Leyco (she/her) an award-winning queer Filipina American filmmaker, writer, actress, and mental health advocate.
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Hongwei Bao (he/him) an Associate Professor in Media Studies at the University of Nottingham.
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Darius Shu (he/him) a cinematographer and director.
We attended the following prides: Disability Pride, Student Pride, Margate Pride, London Pride, Trans Pride London, UK Black Pride and Bi Pride UK.
We are delighted to say that Professor Emeritus Sue Sanders featured in the Pride Power List, Kate Hutchinson featured in the Welsh list of most influential LGBT+ people and Lynne Nicholls won a Women in Housing Award for her diversity and inclusion work in the housing and education sectors. Our poet Laurette Adam Lowe also released his book of poems.
5. FUNDRAISING AND SUPPORT
The Trustees are grateful to the individuals and private corporations who have shown their support via booking workshops, donating and buying badges and lanyards over the past year. Their generous and ongoing support has been tremendously helpful in enabling SOUK to achieve its Objects of promoting equality and diversity for the benefit of the public.
Finally, all work considered by the Management Committee, undertaken and presented to the general public is performed by volunteers. The Trustees are truly grateful to them for their unending enthusiasm, continuing to selflessly donate their time and talent, in addition to their unwavering commitment to the objectives of SOUK.
Challenges for the future include:
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measuring the effectiveness of SOUK’s activities against its Objects;
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succession planning;
• further extending the range of diversities and skills of both the Management Committee and Trustees by seeking out new members;
- ensuring stability and growth within the Management Committee;
• continuing to ensure a constant stream of income from fundraising activities, grants and sponsorship so that its Objects can be fulfilled;
• continuing to ensure that the Classroom resources are updated to cater for changes to the curriculum and developments in technology;
• increasing our reach with educators;
• increasing the reach of UK LGBT+ History Month in schools, colleges, universities, other educational institutions and settings and in the wider community.
6. ACCOUNTS
A copy of the accounts is included in this Annual Report. Accounts were prepared for the period 1[st] January 2023 to 31st December 2023, the end of the financial year. Please see Appendix CC16a for further details.
In 2023 our income was £19,026.79, primarily from running workshops and fundraising efforts, as well as the normal merchandise sales from badges and lanyards.
We raised more money in 2023 from running workshops due to an increased demand and capacity to deliver them.
In 2023 our expenditure was £23,130.09; a decrease from 2022 reflecting the decision to streamline costs and hold more online workshops than in person events. We also chose to hold the 2024 LGBT+ theme launch online.
7. RISKS
The Charity Commission recommends that DBS (formerly CRB) checks should be obtained for trustees of charities which work with children or vulnerable adults. It is possible, although unlikely, that the work of the Trustees and/or the Management Committee could bring them into contact with children or vulnerable adults. However, the position of trustee of a children’s or vulnerable adults’ charity is not a regulated activity in itself. It is only if trustees have close and unsupervised contact with beneficiaries that they would fall within the scope of regulated activity and be eligible to obtain an enhanced DBS (CRB) check and barred list check.
SOUK is not a children’s or vulnerable adults’ charity and the Trustees, in their capacities as trustees of SOUK, and the Management Committee, in their capacities as members of the management committee of SOUK, do not have close and unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults. However, we have continued to roll out enhanced DBS (CRB) and barred list checks of the Trustees and the Management Committee.
Lynne Nicholls Chair of Trustees
Schools OUT United Kingdom
1156352
Recei ts and a ments accounts p p y
CC16a
| For the period from |
01/01/2023 Period start |
To | Period end 31/12/2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
Section A Receipts and payments
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 678 | - | - | 678 | 495 | ||||
| Merchandise (Badge Sales) | 4,794 | - | - | 4,794 | 7,282 | ||||
| Conferences | - | - | - | - | 382 | ||||
| (Workshops) | 6,014 | - | - | 6,014 | 6,967 | ||||
| Fundraising | 7,467 | - | - | 7,467 | 7,242 | ||||
| Other Charitable activities | - | - | - | - | 1,000 | ||||
| Interest | 75 | - | - | 75 | 10 | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
19,027 |
- | - | 19,027 | 23,378 |
| investment sales, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (see table). | ||||||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Total receipts | 19,027 | - | - | 19,027 | 23,378 |
A3 Payments
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Events | 1,877 | - | - | 1,877 | 9,058 | ||||
| Insurance | 359 | - | - | 359 | 359 | ||||
| Subsciptions & Licences | 2,957 | - | - | 2,957 | 3,491 | ||||
| Postage | 174 | - | - | 174 | 691 | ||||
| Fundraising | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Other charitable activities | 9,182 | - | - | 9,182 | 10,144 | ||||
| Merchandise | 7,102 | - | - | 7,102 | 4,283 | ||||
| IT Support | 916 | - | - | 916 | 886 | ||||
| Printing | 29 | - | - | 29 | 517 | ||||
| Training/Transport | 534 | - | - | 534 | 2,446 | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 23,130 | - | - | 23,130 | 31,876 |
A4 Asset and investment
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Total payments receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between A6 Cash funds last ye funds this year end |
|||||||||
| 31,876 | |||||||||
| - 4,103 | - 8,499 | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| 15,880 | 24,379 | ||||||||
| 11,777 | 15,880 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the p
| Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - Agreement Error Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - Agreement Error Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs |
Restricte d funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Restricte d funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) |
Restricte d funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Restricte d funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) |
Endowme nt funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| OK | ||||||
| Endowme nt funds to nearest £ |
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| Current value (optional) |
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| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) - - |
Current value ~~til~~ |
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| - | ~~(opona)~~ - |
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| - | - |
own use
B5 Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all
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| When due (optional) |
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| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| Signature | Print Name | Date of approval |
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| Max Hyde | Max Hyde | 13/07/2025 | ||||
| Professor Ian Rivers | Professor Ian Rivers | 13/07/2025 |