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← The Primary Shakespeare Company

2025-08-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) COMPANY REGISTRATION No: 08405111

CHARITY REGISTRATION No: 1157282

Castle View Accounting Ltd Ground Floor Offices 53 High Street Arundel West Sussex BN18 9AJ

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

CONTENTS
Page 3 Legal & Administrative Information
Pages 4 to 11 Report of the Directors'
Page 12 Statement of Financial Activities
Page 13 Balance Sheet
Pages 14 to 23 Notes to the Financial Statements
Page 24 Independent Examiner's Report

2

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

CHARITY NUMBER 1157282 COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER 08405111 DATE OF INCORPORATION 15th February 2013 START OF FINANCIAL YEAR 1st September 2024 END OF FINANCIAL YEAR 31st August 2025 DIRECTORS AT 31ST AUGUST 2025 Fiona Mallin-Robinson (Chair) Susan Sandle (Secretary) Susan Jane Fletcher Toyin Okitikpi Denise Rawls Nicholas Willoughby Stuart Susan Lawrence (Appointed 19th December 2024)

GOVERNING DOCUMENT Memorandum and Articles of Association incorporated 15th February 2013.

OBJECTS

To advance education for the public benefit by the promotion of the Arts, in particular but not exclusively the Art of Drama.

REGISTERED ADDRESS 7th Floor The Dutch House 307-308 High Holborn London WC1V 7LL PRIMARY BANKERS Barclays Bank Plc Camden Town Branch 193 Camden High Street London NW1 7PJ

INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS

Castle View Accounting Ltd Ground Floor Offices 53 High Street Arundel West Sussex BN18 9AJ

3

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS'

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

The Trustees, who are Directors for the purposes of Company Law, present the statutory reporting accounts of the Primary Shakespeare Company (PSC) for the year ended 31st August 2025. The report has been prepared in accordance with Part VIII of the Charity Act 2011 and public benefit reporting requirements and equates to a Directors' Report set out under the Companies Act 2011.

HAMLET
TOURING PRODUCTION AND
SENSORY SHOW
DRAMA,MUSICAL THEATRE,OPERA&
DANCE FESTIVALS		 INSPIRE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
90 TEACHERS TRAINED,
PLUS ADDITIONAL TRAINING OF ARTS
PRACTITIONERS
CREATE
ACHIEVE
BESPOKE CURRICULUM &
RESOURCES
SPECIALIST LESSONS AND
CLASSROOM RESOURCES FOR
KEYSTAGE2
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL
NEEDS
WHOLE SCHOOL PROJECT
AND FESTIVAL
15 PERFORMING ARTS
FESTIVALS
ACROSS 4 ARTS DISCIPLINES
REACHING OVER2400+CHILDREN
AND THEIR FAMILIES		 100% OF TEACHERS
REPORT POSITIVE IMPACT ON
CHILDRENS’ATTAINMENT

A Foreword from our Board of Trustees

In 2024-2025, we concluded our celebrations marking PSC’s 15th Anniversary Year.

Over our 15 years we have built long term partnerships with primary and SEN schools across London and in Kent. We have worked with head teachers, teachers and children to integrate arts into classroom practices in order to improve educational engagement and attainment. And year after year we have seen this approach get results - because children learn best when engaged, creative and playful, and PSC delivers the perfect environment for that learning to take place.

“There is a particular child in my class who, beforehand, would produce barely 3 lines of writing in a lesson but began to write over a page thanks to his enjoyment of not only the events in the play, but in how the lessons were structured and delivered.” (Class teacher feedback 2025)

As a small, specialist charity, we are able to support children achieving such results because we employ highly skilled arts professionals who have a deep expertise spanning both education and the performing arts. Together we foster a sense of creative community – amongst the children and schools we work with, amongst our network of skilled teachers and head teachers, and with our talented arts professionals: directors, actors, composers, musicians and choreographers.

Our executive team of Directors, comprising Neil Carter, Luke Hollowell-Williams, and Kirsty McCreadie, lead the Charity not only with great vision and energy, but also with a genuine understanding of what’s needed to support the education of every single child that we work with. Working alongside them is Susie Baty, our Director of communications, and a key member of the team.

It was our Directors Neil and Luke who founded The Primary Shakespeare Company (PSC) in 2009, when they delivered its very first project in the London Borough of Camden. Since those early days, PSC has worked hard to extend our reach. Our annual programmes of Shakespeare Festivals have benefited over 35,000 children to date. As we reflect on this milestone achievement, we thank all of our supporters who have made such outreach possible and we look forward to our next 15 years - to working with more young people, teachers and whole school communities, and with our network of skilled arts practitioners.

4

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the charity is to work with children in primary and special schools to raise pupil achievement and attainment by engaging with Shakespeare across the curriculum.

Since 2009, The Primary Shakespeare Company (PSC) has been sending theatre practitioners into primary schools, investigating and performing Shakespeare’s plays and language with teachers and their pupils. In addition, we have developed work with Special Schools, both in our main festival programme and as bespoke whole school projects. Our experience illustrates the positive impact that sustainable arts-based education has on children – on their attainment across the whole curriculum (especially in literacy), confidence and attitude to learning.

PSC's principle objectives are:

• To consolidate the work that the charity has done in Primary and Special schools so that the arts are fully embedded as a core part of the whole school curriculum.

• To develop the skills of teachers through our programme of training and to build teachers’ involvement with the PSC to embed the Arts in Primary and Special education.

• To build financial security for the charity by combining paid-for services to schools with fund-raising from foundations, individual donations and special events.

Organisational Structure

The Board of Trustees meets at least 4 times a year with the Artistic and Programme Directors and the Charity’s Administration and Development Director, who are accountable to the Board for the day-to-day running of the Charity. The Trustees are responsible for:

The Charity’s Directors not only have a background as performing arts professionals, they also have a combined 50+ years of experience as qualified teachers. This specialist knowledge informs our child-centred planning: every single decision we make is based on what we know works in the classroom.

This year Primary Shakespeare Company consolidated our staff resource, with continued commitment to maintaining our pool of specialist arts practitioners, including Jeremy Harrison as Special Schools Advisor and Tim Yealland MBE for the Opera Project.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

All members of the Board of Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. This year, the Board of Trustees, comprised of 7 members and no further Board recruitment was required.

Our AGM was held in March, at the Charity’s offices: 7th Floor, The Dutch House on High Holborn, London.

5

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

Contribution Made by Volunteers

Primary Shakespeare Company is proud to have the support of our Patrons – leaders in the fields of theatre and education – who volunteer their time to help us raise awareness of, and funds for, the charity. Our current Patrons are Hugh Bonneville, Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley, Billie Piper and Adrian Lester OBE.

In this, our 15th Anniversary year, we hosted a celebratory Gala event which raised vital funds to support PSC’s core costs. Patrons Hugh Bonneville and Adrian Lester OBE hosted the event on 28 November 2024 at Mercers’ Hall, London. We are grateful to Hugh and Adrian, and all those who attended and participated in the fundraising at the event, raising a grand total of £97,721.26.

Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley hosted PSC’s annual prize giving ceremony at the House of Lords, recognising outstanding work and achievement from our participating schools. As always, this annual event was a highlight of the PSC calendar, providing an extremely valuable opportunity to celebrate the work of children, their schools and their teachers. We are grateful to Estelle for her support our Annie Williams Prize Awards event (details of this year’s winners are below).

The support of our volunteer Patrons is vital to PSC and we thank them for their ongoing commitment to the charity. We value their many contributions, including featuring in films about PSC that are on our website, attending performances, and encouraging support of the Primary Shakespeare Company.

Safeguarding and Risk Management

The safety and welfare of the children and young people for whom we provide activities is paramount. In line with the Children Act 1989, we are committed to providing safe, participatory and creative opportunities for all the children who take part in PSC’s programmes. Safeguarding of children to participate in our programmes is secured through the implementation of the charity’s Child Protection Policy, which is reviewed annually. This policy and related procedures are for the use of all individuals, whether they are directly employed by Primary Shakespeare Company, employed as contractors on behalf of PSC or are volunteers. All those employed by the PSC are required to have an up to date, enhanced DBS certificate.

The Trustees have reviewed and identified the major risks to which the Charity is exposed and are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate and manage the risks.

One risk that PSC keeps under close review is the significant budgetary pressures that schools currently face. Our aim is to understand such pressures and ensure we maximise accessibility to our programme by keeping our programmes affordable for schools, so that cost is not a barrier to participation.

Public Benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit in reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities. They consider that the PSC’s work is demonstrably for the public benefit, with all our charitable activities being delivered in the United Kingdom.

All of PSC’s main activities contribute to the accessibility, delivery and promotion of an Arts-based curriculum for Primary and Special school pupils, raising attainment and achievement through engagement with Shakespeare through the performing arts. Our work with Special Schools is both in our main Shakespeare Festival programme and as bespoke, whole school projects.

This year, 2400 pupils, aged between 5-11 years old took part in our Festival programmes: 2040 children took part in our theatre project, 120 in our dance project, 120 were involved in our opera project and an additional 120 took part in our new musical theatre project. We worked across 10 inner London boroughs, with a total of 45 participating Primary schools and 4 Special Schools, including Wyvern Special School in Kent.

6

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

Activities for the Year

Activities for the Year

This year our chosen play was Hamlet. We toured our specially adapted version of the play to every school participating in the festival project – 44 schools across 10 London boroughs. Our Programme Director, Neil Carter, worked with Actor Musician MA students from Rose Bruford to create a bespoke, musically based Hamlet performance suitable for 7-11 year olds. To kickstart the Festival programme the show toured to all participating classes so that children’s first experience of the play, and its themes, was watching a carefully conceived 40-minute version of the story.

An extensive selection of classroom resources were created and published by PSC, available to all online, free of charge. The resources provide everything teachers need to teach a term's work around our play, Hamlet. There are bespoke plans for Literacy, Maths, Science, and Art + quizzes and games.

We ran a total of 14 Hamlet Festivals, including 11 Theatre Festivals, 1 Opera Festival, 1 Dance Festival and 1 Musical Theatre Festival. Children from mainstream and SEN primary schools worked with our arts professionals - directors, choreographers, musicians, composers, and writers - to devise their own performances based on Hamlet. Each school performed their work in our Festivals, alongside other participating schools from their Borough. These Festival performances were presented at local theatres for the local schools’ communities. As a result of their dedicated, creative and enthusiastic engagement with the text and the PSC programme, the children produced outstanding pieces of theatre, dance, musical theatre, and opera, as well as fantastic classroom work.

Whilst the work delivered in schools and classrooms successfully drives educational attainment, it is the children’s performances in the festivals that embody their hard work and achievement, creating lasting memories for them and their families. Our Hamlet Festivals saw wonderful performances from the children, and enthusiastic applause from every audience as they celebrated what the children had created - performances of high artistic value. In that moment, when the children take their bow on stage, the power of that applause affirms that they have done something remarkable, and it is an empowering feeling that will remain with them for many years to come.

“There was so much joy and so much excitement on performance day. This was such a memorable experience that the children will take with them and remember for the rest of their lives.” (Head Teacher, Grange Primary School)

PSC’s classroom resources are developed with the support of teachers and this year we produced a comic book of Hamlet for children and teachers to use to help them understand the story. Every child participating in our theatre, dance and opera projects received a copy of the book free of charge, and you can view the publication online here.

89% of teachers used the comic book in their teaching and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive: “My class this year was obsessed with the comic book and having this format was incredibly useful.” (Year 6 Class Teacher, Westminster)

100% of teachers reported that children having a copy of the comic book was beneficial to their learning, supporting better comprehension and accessibility of the story.

PSC’s work with Special Schools is a cornerstone of our delivery, creating fully inclusive participatory arts projects involving children with a range of complex disabilities. This is an ever-growing strand of our work, where we recognize there is significant need.

Our work with Wyvern Special School in Kent, is an entirely bespoke, whole-school project, tailored to the diverse needs of the students. This year there were four key strands of our work: Sensory Shows, an Artist in Residence programme, a PMLD Performance, and a Collaborative Theatre Performance. The work spanned across a whole term and worked with children with profound and multiple learning disabilities to culminate in a week of showcases working with Repton Manor, a local mainstream primary school.

7

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

Our partnership with Rose Bruford continued and, as well as producing our mainstream storytelling show, also created an immersive, sensory storytelling appropriate for children with special needs.

Other activities included:

We like to say that PSC's artists have a superpower – the ability to unlock each child’s unique creative force. Our artists are inspirational, creative forces who bring a cultural world into our partner schools. We deliberately set difficult challenges: write an opera, perform a Shakespeare play, dance for an audience of 200. In succeeding at these difficult tasks, children experience a profound sense of achievement with many teachers describing a big shift in engagement with learning.

Schools return to us year after year, and we welcome long term partnerships with schools and their communities.

Evaluation

Success, for us, is having a positive effect on a child’s ability to learn, achieve and attain. We are committed to our own continuous improvement and use evaluation of our work to measure the impact of PSC’s programmes. As part of this commitment, in 2024/2025 we developed our theory of change and furthered our monitoring and evaluation feedback mechanisms.

We gather feedback from schools, teachers and pupils, both formally and informally, providing information about the impact of our projects.

Key Statistics from our 2024-2025 annual evaluation survey:

Annie Williams Prizes

2025 marked the 11th year of the Annie Williams Awards, funded by the John Lyon’s Charity. We extend our sincere thanks to our Patron, Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley, for her invitation to hold the prize-giving ceremony at the House of Lords, on 18 September 2025.

The ceremony celebrates the work that the children have achieved through their engagement with PSC, and shares learnings between teachers, pupils and arts practitioners. The children of the winning schools present a speech at The House of Lords about their experiences of the Primary Shakespeare Company.

Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley presented the following prizes:

8

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

PRIZE CRITERIA
Awarded for a class’outstanding
immersion
in the play and
curriculum
Work and engagement across the curriculum, classroom/school
displays, demonstrating the impact on the teacher, wider school
community as well as the class
The Annie Williams Ensemble Prize
Class working together, this could be in workshops/final
performance/supporting each other in curriculum work/creating
displays/noticing that they’ve grown together as a class/team during
the project
£600 towards a theatre trip
Awarded for a class’collaborative
approach across the project.
The Annie Williams Prize
£600 towards a theatre trip
Awarded to an individual whose teacher/workshop practitioner
have identified
£40 book token
School Submissions
Solo prize x 2
Awarded for a class where the teacher has noticed significant
increase in an individual, group or class’ attainment and
achievement during the project.
Work and engagement across the curriculum, classroom/school
displays/relationships. Children’s journey across the project (e.g. in
the past a school noticed specifically how the project had brought the
confidence out in very quiet/shy girls)
Primary Shakespeare Excellence in
Engagement Prize
£300 towards a theatre trip
Awarded for a class where the teacher has noticed great
engagement across the project and curriculum
Engagement in the project/growing/becoming more enthused and
engaged in school/positive change in attitude/extra curricula work/
self-motivation etc
The Annie Williams Attainment and
Achievement Prize
£400 towards a theatre trip
All classes who submit a presentation will receive an individualised
school canvas to show recognition of engagement in the project		 outstanding

PSC’s Annual prize-giving ceremony is named in memory of the Head Teacher, Annie Williams, whose passion for using the Arts, particularly drama, to inspire and engage young children helped form The Primary Shakespeare Company. Annie was our first champion.

Resources

As a small Charity, we are reliant on philanthropic support and our ongoing programme of fundraising continues to attract major donors and individual support alike. This is vital to our programme development.

The value of support from our long-term partners John Lyon’s Charity, the Wellington Foundation, the Thompson Family Trust, Mercers’ Company and Garfield Weston cannot be underestimated. Their partnership is valuable not only for the income received, though their commitment to multi-year funding significantly aids PSC’s ability to plan strategically for the long-term. but also for their insight.

This year we welcomed a new major funder partner, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. We have also received generous funding from the Wingate Foundation as well as from other foundations and private donors, including through The Big Give. We are grateful to everyone who generously supports the charity’s work.

We are grateful to GMS Estates and Avire, for providing PSC with a reduced office rent for our head office on High Holborn, where we only need cover the costs of utilities.

9

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

Pricing Policy

Primary Shakespeare Company maintains a commitment to accessible pricing, and we prioritise working with schools with demonstrable need in areas of deprivation. All the projects we deliver for schools are heavily subsidised by our funders. As a result, in 2024/25, schools paid just one third of the actual cost of the Festivals projects, allowing over 70 schools to participate.

Reserves

In the light of the risks identified, and the changeable economic climate, the Trustees have agreed to retain reserves that equate to at least 6 months of operating costs. The balance of any surplus funds is held in fixed term bonds and in the charity’s savings account. These funds may be deployed as necessary and agreed by the Board, in support of our charitable objects and a continuation of sufficient staffing. In this way, we can maintain the high standard of delivery and development of the charity’s work that PSC is renowned for.

Plans for Future Years

The Trustees annually review our performance against our Strategic Plan.

Key priorities have been highlighted as follows:

We are also committed to producing outstanding educational resources by and for teachers and based on how well it has been received in previous years, we will continue to produce a graphic novel version of the Shakespeare text we are touring. We thank our Trustee, Susan Fletcher, for her editorial support in the production of the comic book.

As we plan for the future, the decisions that we make, and the programmes we offer, are informed by our team’s experiences as teachers and educators. We have developed feedback methods to monitor and evaluate our programme which we use to inform our forward planning.

10

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY (A COIAPANY UMITED BY GUARAIIrn) REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS. {Continu•d) FOR THE YEAR E14DED 31ST AUGUST 2025 y¥ar hx a￿1 fw of the slaie of Jifairs rA a5 aL ¥ThJ of the b) dl

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

(Incorporating Income and Expenditure Account)

Notes
INCOMING RESOURCES
Incoming Resources from Generated Funds
Donations, Grants & Legacies
3a
Charitable Activities
3b
Activities for Generating Funds
3c
Investment Income
3d
Other Incoming Resources
3e
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Cost of Generating Funds
Cost of Charitable Activities
4a
Governance Costs
4b
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED
NET INCOMING/ (OUTGOING) RESOURCES
Balance Brought Forward
Transfer Between Funds
5
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD		 Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
TOTAL
TOTAL
Funds
Funds
Funds
2024/25
2023/24
£
£
£
£
£
139,372
-
197,000
336,372
199,703
98,571
-
-
98,571
-
75,089
-
-
75,089
61,815
8,343
-
-
8,343
964
3,241
-
-
3,241
-
324,615
-
197,000
521,615
262,482
170,961
-
183,698
354,659
349,496
2,040
-
-
2,040
1,740
173,001
-
183,698
356,699
351,236
151,614
-
13,302
164,916
(88,754)
80,601
85,000
37,543
203,144
291,898
(87,255)
86,919
336
-
-
144,960
171,919
51,181
368,060
203,144

Movements on all reserves and all recognised gains and losses are shown above. All of the organisation's operations are classed as continuing.

The notes on pages 14 to 23 form part of these financial statements.

12

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY IA GOMPANY UMtrED BYGUARAiifE BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST AUGUST 2025 Fuw¥Jb J1*25 31.A Tangit48 A8gets Detxors & Pr8pa Cash at Ba￿ &MI wi HaTrJ 318,171 51.181 52 a)3￿7 31&171 51,181 369.352 201887 1.740 314131 51.181 3Sla12 2.147 10 31&879 51.181 NET ASSETS 879 51.181 una$ Gn¥ny General FuNts Dewat6d Fun(ts Restricted FWKIS 144. 171.919 144.9fAJ 171.919 51.181 80.￿1 51.181 37.543 316179 .368.iXO 201144 thè UK and Rwrof Irda￿5 IFRS102). L)c 13

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Preparation & Assessment of Going Concern

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2015) (Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006.

The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

Assessment of Going Concern

Preparation of the accounts is on a going concern basis. The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Incoming Resources

Recognition of Incoming Resources

These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when:

▪ the charity becomes entitled to the resources;

▪ the Directors are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and

▪ the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability

Incoming Resources with Related Expenditure

Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income) the incoming resource and related expenditure are reported gross in the SOFA.

Grants and Donations

Grants and Donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources.

Tax Reclaims on Donations and Gifts

Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the SOFA in the same financial period as the gift to which they relate.

Contractual Income and Performance Related Grants

This is only included in the SOFA once the related goods or services has been delivered.

Gifts in Kind

Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity or the amount actually realised. Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts as gifts only when sold or distributed by the charity. Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SOFA as incoming resources when receivable.

Donated Services and Facilities

These are only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources expended) where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable and material. The value placed on these resources is the estimated value to the charity of the service or facility received.

Volunteer Help

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the Directors' annual report.

Investment Income

This is included in the accounts when receivable.

14

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

Expenditure and Liabilities

Liability Recognition

Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources.

Governance Costs

Include costs of the preparation and examination of statutory accounts, the costs of the Directors' meetings and cost of any legal advice to Directors on governance or constitutional matters.

Changes in Accounting Policies and Previous Accounts

There has been no change to the accounting policies (variation rules and methods of accounting) since last year, and no changes to the previous accounts.

Grants Payable without Performance Conditions

These are only recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made and there are no conditions to be met relating to a grant which remain in control of the charity.

Unrestricted Funds

These funds can be used for the general objectives of the charity as set out in the trustees report. The movements of the unrestricted funds are given in the Statement of Financial Activities.

Designated Funds

These funds are funds set aside by the trustees out of unrestricted general funds for particular purposes or projects.

Restricted Funds

These funds are where the donor has specified a purpose for the donation made. These restrictions often arise as a result of appeals for special offerings for specific purposes.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.

Pensions

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions are accounted for as they become payable in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

Legal Status of the Charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.

Investments

Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange are valued at market value at the year end. Other investment assets are included at Directors' best estimate of market value.

Fixed Assets

These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £1,500. They are valued at cost or, if gifted, at the value to the charity on receipt.

Depreciation Expense

Depreciation is calculated at a rate to write off the cost of tangible fixed assets over their estimated useful lives. The rates applied per annum are as follows:

Equipment Cost 25% - Reducing Balance Basis Fixtures and Fittings 25% - Reducing Balance Basis

15

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

2. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Cost
01-Sep-24
Additions
Cost at
31-Aug-25
Depreciation
01-Sep-24
Charge
Depreciation at
31-Aug-25
Net Book Value
31-Aug-25
Net Book Value
31-Aug-24		 Equipment
Fixtures &
TOTAL
Cost
Fittings
2024/25
£
£
£
3,312
2,366
5,678
-
-
-
3,312
2,366
5,678
2,730
1,951
4,681
146
104
250
2,876
2,055
4,931
436
312
748
582
416
998

The annual commitments under non-cancelling operating leases and capital commitments are as follows: 31st August 2025 : None 31st August 2024 : None

16

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

3. INCOMING RESOURCES

Note
a) Donations, Grants & Legacies
Gift Aid
Gifts & Donations
Grants Received
5
b) Charitable Activities
Gala Income
Training Income
c) Activities for Generating Funds
Fees Received
Fundraising Income
c) Investment Income
Interest
e) Other Incoming Resources
Sundry Income		 Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
TOTAL
TOTAL
Funds
Funds
Funds
2024/25
2023/24
£
£
£
£
£
1,309
-
-
1,309
6,433
36,976
-
-
36,976
6,278
101,086
-
197,000
298,086
186,991
139,372
-
197,000
336,372
199,703
97,721
-
-
97,721
-
850
-
-
850
-
98,571
-
-
98,571
-
59,630
-
-
59,630
61,815
15,459
-
-
15,459
-
75,089
-
-
75,089
61,815
8,343
-
-
8,343
964
8,343
-
-
8,343
964
3,241
-
-
3,241
-
3,241
-
-
3,241
-

17

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

4. RESOURCES EXPENDED

Note
a) Cost of Charitable Activities
Administrative Expenses
Advertising & Publicity
Bank Charges
Curriculum Resources & Comics
Depreciation Expenses
Equipment Costs
Fundraising Costs
Gala Costs
Insurance Costs
Office Costs
Photography Costs
Prizes & Awards
Projects Costs
5
Rent & Rates
Special Needs Project
5
Staff Costs
5 & 13
Sundry Expenses
Touring Costs
5
Training Costs
Travel & Subsistence
Utility Costs
Venue Hire
Website Costs
b) Governance Costs
Independent Examiners Fee
9		 Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
TOTAL
TOTAL
Funds
Funds
Funds
2024/25
2023/24
£
£
£
£
£
677
-
-
677
993
2,048
-
-
2,048
1,984
136
-
-
136
103
6,370
-
-
6,370
102
250
-
-
250
333
765
-
-
765
1,478
1,318
-
-
1,318
18,544
12,565
-
-
12,565
1,981
644
-
-
644
612
2,003
-
-
2,003
1,980
2,780
-
-
2,780
3,240
978
-
-
978
890
37,568
-
84,316
121,884
135,947
14
-
-
14
-
19,280
-
18,449
37,729
19,952
65,295
-
77,182
142,478
139,678
114
-
-
114
1,528
3,667
-
3,751
7,418
6,741
964
-
-
964
656
176
-
-
176
-
65
-
-
65
770
11,671
-
-
11,671
12,752
1,614
-
-
1,614
1,315
170,961
-
183,698
354,659
349,496
2,040
-
-
2,040
1,740
2,040
-
-
2,040
1,740

18

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

5. RESTRICTED FUNDS

CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR

Beckenham Theatre Trust
City Bridge Academy
JJ Charitable Trust
JLC Exceptional Grant Fund
JLC Main Grant Fund
Paul Hamlyn Foundation
St James Place
The Mercers Company
The Portal Trust
The Wingate Foundation
Wellington Management Fund		 Balance
Balance
01-Sep-24
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
31-Aug-25
£
£
£
£
£
-
2,000
2,056
56
-
1,144
-
-
-
1,144
-
5,000
5,058
58
-
9,998
-
10,104
106
-
-
85,000
85,056
56
-
-
50,000
-
-
50,000
9
-
-
-
9
22,757
-
22,802
45
-
-
15,000
15,002
2
-
13
-
-
13
26
3,622
40,000
43,620
-
2
37,543
197,000
183,698
336
51,181

PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEAR

City Bridge Academy
JLC Exceptional Grant Fund
JLC Main Grant Fund
St James Place
The Mercers Company
The Wingate Foundation
Wellington Management Fund		 Balance
Balance
01-Sep-23
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
31-Aug-24
£
£
£
£
£
1,144
-
-
-
1,144
9,998
-
-
-
9,998
-
60,000
60,025
25
-
9
-
-
-
9
22,985
22,500
22,728
-
22,757
13
-
-
-
13
3,688
40,000
40,066
-
3,622
37,837
122,500
122,819
25
37,543

The Restricted Funds held are wholly represented by the Charity's Cash Reserves and are to be expended as specified above.

19

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

6. DESIGNATED FUNDS

CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR

Development & Spaces Fund
PREVIOUS FINANCIAL YEAR
Development & Spaces Fund		 Balance
Balance
01-Sep-24
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
31-Aug-25
£
£
£
£
£
85,000
-
-
86,919
171,919
85,000
-
-
86,919
171,919
Balance
Balance
01-Sep-23
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
31-Aug-24
£
£
£
£
£
-
-
-
85,000
85,000
-
-
-
85,000
85,000

Development & Spaces Fund : For costs associated with projects that contribute to the ongoing and future development of PSC’s practice and for rental of spaces of all kinds required for the delivery of the charity's operations.

The Designated Funds held are wholly represented by the Charity's Cash Reserves and are to be expended on particular purposes or projects as specified by the Trustees.

20

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

7. CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND

Cash at Bank and in Hand
8. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS
Sundry Debtors		 Unrestricted
Restricted
TOTAL
TOTAL
Fund
Fund
31-Aug-25
31-Aug-24
£
£
£
£
318,171
51,181
369,352
203,887
318,171
51,181
369,352
203,887
Unrestricted
Restricted
TOTAL
TOTAL
Fund
Fund
31-Aug-25
31-Aug-24
£
£
£
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

9. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

Independent Examiners Fee Unrestricted
Restricted
TOTAL
TOTAL
Fund
Fund
31-Aug-25
31-Aug-24
£
£
£
£
2,040
-
2,040
1,740
2,040
-
2,040
1,740

10. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE IN MORE THAN ONE YEAR

The Charity held no long term liabilities during this or the previous financial year.

11. NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

Fixed Asset Investments
Net Current Assets
Long Term Liabilities		 Unrestricted
Restricted
TOTAL
TOTAL
Funds
Funds
31-Aug-25
31-Aug-24
£
£
£
£
748
-
748
998
316,131
51,181
367,312
202,147
-
-
-
-
316,879
51,181
368,060
203,144

21

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

12. RECONCILIATION OF MOVEMENT ON CAPITAL AND RESERVES

The Company is Limited by Guarantee (08405111) and is a Charity registered with the Charity Commission (1157282) and does not have a Share capital and has no income subject to Corporation Tax.

Profit / (Deficit) for the financial year
Other Recognised Gains
Balance Brought Forward
Closing Funds at 31st August 2025
13. STAFF COSTS AND NUMBERS
Gross Wages, Salaries & Fees
Employer's National Insurance Costs
Pension Contributions
Employees who were engaged in each of the following activities:
Charitable Activities		 TOTAL
2024/25
£
164,916
-
164,916
203,144
368,060
TOTAL
2024/25
£
136,778
4,500
1,200
142,478
TOTAL
2024/25
4		 TOTAL
2023/24
£
(88,754)
-
(88,754)
291,898
203,144
TOTAL
2023/24
£
134,685
3,794
1,200
139,679
TOTAL
2023/24
4

The Charity operate a PAYE Scheme to pay all employed members of staff. The Charity also employs members of staff on a Self-Employed basis and is not liable for their Income Tax and National Insurance payments. No members of staff received emoluments of over £60,000. (2023/24:None)

22

THE PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS' (Continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025

14. DIRECTORS AND OTHER RELATED PARTIES

No payments were made to Directors or any persons connected with them during this financial period. No material transaction took place between the organisation and a Director or any person connected with them. (2023/24:None)

15. RISK ASSESSMENT

The Directors actively review the major risks which the charity faces on a regular basis and believe that maintaining the free reserves stated, combined with the review of the controls over key financial systems carried out on an annual basis will provide sufficient resources in the event of adverse conditions. The Directors have also examined other operational and business risks which they face and confirm that they have established systems to mitigate the significant risks.

16. RESERVES POLICY

In the light of the heightened risks identified, the Trustees have decided to retain reserves that equate to at least 6 months of operating costs. The balance of any surplus funds is held in 1-year fixed term bonds and in the charity’s savings account to be deployed in support of the charity’s projects and a continuation of the Development and Administrative post, which has played a crucial role in the growth of the charity’s work.

17. PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Charity acknowledges its requirement to demonstrate clearly that it must have charitable purposes or ‘aims’ that are for the public benefit. Details of how the charity has achieved this are provided in the Trustees report. The Trustees confirm that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit before deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

23

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS

Report to the trustees/ members of The Primary Shakespeare Company on the accounts for the year ended 31st August 2025 set out on pages 12 to 23.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The Charity's trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The trustees are satisfied that the audit requirement of Section 144(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply, and that there is no requirement in the governing document or constitution of the Charity for the conducting of an audit. As a consequence, the trustees have elected that the financial statements be subject to independent examination.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit, and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:-

a) examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act;

b) to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act; and;

c) to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner's statement

I conducted my examination in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners for England & Wales in relation to the conducting of an independent examination, referred to above. An independent examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and of the accounting systems employed by the Charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning such matters. The purpose of the examination is to establish as far as possible that there have been no breaches of the Charities legislation and that the financial statements comply with the SORP, on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.

The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and information supplied by the trustees in the course of the examination is not subjected to audit tests or enquiries, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements, and in particular, I express no opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view of the affairs of the charity, and my report is limited to the matters set out in the statement below.

I planned and performed my examination so as to satisfy myself that the objectives of the independent examination are achieved and before finalising the report I obtain written assurances from the trustees of all material matters.

Independent examiner's statement

The charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of the Association of Accounting Technicians.

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the trustees requirements:

· to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and

· to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

have not been met; or

  1. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

K. Collaku MAAT Castle View Accounting Ltd Ground Floor Offices 53 High Street Arundel West Sussex BN18 9AJ

Date: 11th February 2026

24