Trustees. Annual Report for the year Period start date Peric#Y end date From September 2D23 To 31 August 2024 Section A Reference and administration details Charity name Bristol Schoob Connection Other names charity is known by BSC Registered charity number (If any) 1162C67 Charity's princlpal address 45 Yanley Lane Long Ashton | Bristol BS419LR Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity TntsteÈ namè oirice lif aryl Dates a¢￿ rf notforwthole ear Name of person lor body) entitled toa ointtntstse lif an Anthony Miles Wendy Massèy Emelye Chanot Sally Martin Chair Consultant Development Workers Jane Gillis Ltz Ogbome (until 31° December 2023) Section B Structure, overnance and mana ement Description of the chan'ty's trusts Type of govemirvJ document Foundation How the charrty is constitLrted Charitable Inccwrated Organtsation Trustee setection rnethods New lJustees are identified and invited to be trustees by the existing trustees Section C Ob'ectives and activities To adVa￿e and to develop an Ltnderstanding of the Christian faith for th& wblic benefit, in parti￿tar, but not exdusiyely, by encouraging and enabling churches within the cty of Bristc4 to connect with their local school communrttes in ways which are posttive and supw)rtive. particularly those in less resourced areas. The Chartty V￿11 fvrther this purFK)se thrcxjgh Action research (ie wloting new ￿SoUrceS1act1VItseS). based in one locdty. arKI by woviding ￿ exemplar of outstaThYing practice for ¢)thers to leam from and adapt to their individual context These conneclKJns will: - provKle supwt in area of spiritual development and pastoral care to students. schooi staff and families with the aim that th"s will impact tK)sitivety upon the wdlbeing of the school communty to the benefft of the students. staff and families; - enable and create safe and imaginative spirTtual development and learn￿9 OPFX)rtunities for all ages within b￿h a school context, and an accessible, Inf￿al church context - work wrth thLTches and schcA)Is to connect the life of the communities to the mutual benefit of both", particularty being mindful of how churthes can positively serve communitres where the majority of population are of another faFth ￿ of no parts"cular faith. Providing support for spiribjal devetopment and pastoral ¢are to students. scts)ol siaff and fanilies thus impacting w)sitively upon the schod communty Enabling safe and imaginative spritual development and reaming opp(Kttth"es all ages within schod and infomiai churth contexts Summary ofthe objects of the charity sèt out in its governing document The Trustees CC￿￿Mi Ihat they have CQnPlied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Acl 2011 to have *kn regard to public ￿nefit guidance published by the Commissi(￿. BSC'S charitable purpose is enshrinèd n its objects°TO ADVANCEAND TO DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.. The Trustees ensure this purpose is carried out for the pubfic benefft by making its supp(xt aVaila￿e to sthocAs and churches within Bristol and partIc￿arIY to those in less resowced areas. "ijmmary of the main ctivities undertaken forthe public benefit in relation to these objects {include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefrt) We conttnued our cOnsult￿cY of advisingltrainin encouragintycoadMng churches, church members and ch￿ch organisations who are connecting their loca schools in the Bristol area. ppjling people in the Bristol area who are njnning Chrtstmas in a Box arKI Easter in a Box- The Movie, by running training sessions both onlne aFxI in person, helping teams, aThJ coaching volunteers. In its fourth year of use 'Christmas in a BO￿ was hosted by 20 churches in 32 bcal sthools in the Bristol area. 'Easter in a Box- The Movie, was hosted by 20 churches in 29 schools in the Bristol area. Through our online traintng prow]me. we were abte to Sup[￿ numerous d￿rthes across the cm who offered these reSoUr￿S to their local schThSs. Ortr again. received somè g￿at feedback. DeveloFrfng re%)urLW to enatAe churches to effedively support their loca schcds with the provision of spiritual devekipment opportunities. New resourcÉs woduced this year have included.. Jesus Out of the BOK. and indoor aThJ outdoor Ffayer aclivities. SupFK)rting thurches who provided other ChristmaslEaster resourtss and sessions fw sch(x)Is- including trails and refleclive spaces. Running Prayer spa￿ in School Training sessions - 3 in person trainiTh3 sessions f<)cusing on indoor prayer spa￿. And 2 'come and s* sessions, where pewe could come arKI see an indoor and an outdoor prayer space in actton. We have also provided follow up support for churches and individuals. Hosting and uhhosting (wttt) other organisations) various gatherings I traÉning sesSic￿$ where we encourage, envision. equip churches to connect wth th￿r local sthods. Nelw(ffkTng and partnering with key Feople and organisations in the istol area aid nationally who have similar andlor complimentary objectives. En¢￿Jraging thurches to prK)ritise connecting wth their local schools. This has happened tlvough soaal media, speaking at church gatherngs or wachurch gatherings. Intemal Our consultants r￿1ve training themsdves to keep up to date and further hone U)eir skills. Keeping up to date w?th developments in schoovcommunty w¢)rk across the cx)unty. so that we can leam from and implement best practice in the Bristol area. Involvement in pik)ting new projects {'action research,) to ensure that BSC conSu￿nts continue to leam and devdop with regards to engaging with Spthal development in a school and its wider c(xnmunity context- this year the main action research projects involved pilotiTrJ our resource Jesus Oui of the Box, and several new prayw space adivities. Section D Achievements and performan￿ in the year During the year to 31" August 2024, BSC has SLKcessfully a¢h￿Ved the majority of the plans and objectives ouuined in last yearfs annual reFKrt We have: Offered and delivered successful consultancy. LX)aching, and training to churches arKI church members WIK) are connecting with their k)cal schools (and their associated wder comrnunities) and heading up different schocAl¢ommunty prciectslinfomal expressions of church. We have connected with people and churches all over the Bristol area. often wilh onfroff consultancy a(fvi￿. We have also ￿￿rked ts longer periods of lime with thurches in Ihe following areas." Easton, Avonmouth and L￿ence Weston. Soundwell, Totterdown, Clifton, Stapleton and Frenchay. Wnford. ClaVer￿nIC1eeVe. WCK Pucklethurch, Shirehampton, Backwell. Wnterboume. Bislv)p5WQrth, Lonwll Green. and Southmead. We ￿C￿raged churches in the Bristd wea to use our resources- Christmas in a Box and Easter in a Box. We ran several trairing sessi(ms online and in per50n. We saw an increase in the number of churches delivering Easter in a Box an increase in the number of schools taking part in both Christmas and Easter in a BO￿ We aso supwied numerous churches who SUPPOrted schools in other ways dLring the Ch-istsmas Easter perir)J. for example running trails. seasonal themed prayer spa￿, one off lessons. assemblies. special services. We have supplied our Christmas and Easter Trail resources to a few churches. and have plans to make these more readily available on our ￿b$rte dcywmload page. We are excited to have ￿rnpletedlhe development of our new resou￿ Jesus Out of the Box. We believe that this resource has potentFal to enable churches to provide effective and fun spaces for spiritual dial(xJue about Jesus in their kxal school(s}. This resourts has so far been s￿cessfullY piloted with a year 6 class and aL80 on a Christian y￿th Camp. Numerous changes have been made to the resource, based on the feedbad( from young people and adults who have been part of the pibts. We Tnade a promo video aThJ developed a webpage for Jesus Out of the Box. The resource vrds officially la￿Ched in the summer. We ran an inperson training session in July for churches across Bristol. We also secured funding to produce a second set of resource boxes ￿lch can be loaned out to thurd￿. We ran 4 Prayer Spa￿s in ScheK)Is training sessions: one of these involved partnering with Bristol Diocese" one involved partnering wtth Cliftlm Catholic DI0￿se,. and the other kn were 'come an see, leaming opportunities. %there people c(xlld s8e a wayer spxe n actÈon at a schwl. Our training focusses equally (m indoor and outdoor prayer SPa￿s. We have tried and tested some new Outdoor Prayer SP￿ activities and we r*)w have aboth 35 activities. which we freely give to others. Several people have been inspired by the tratning sessions and consequently have run their cjwn prayer spaces snce the training - which has I￿uded several outdoor prayer spaces beiTr3 run in the Bristol area. Vk have joumeyed with several people in this process of running their first Exayer space in a schod. C￿e of these was in a Se¢J)ndary Sch)ol. We partnered w¢th Kids Matter to ccFhost ourthird taster Sess￿ about Kids Matter. This was online and well attended. The session successfvlly enthused those vtho attended and wll hopefully result in more churches ruming ￿dS Matter in the future. We have continued to partw ￿1th EnC￿nter Christianty to ensure that there is 'joined up thinking and Strateg￿ with regards to Christian Sthools work in the Bristol area. We have had regular contact with the lead workers. and have connected thern with churches/people who could work them in local contexts. We have continued to signpost promote ¢)ther parachurch organisattons with a simiLgr heart for chLKches to c￿neCt with and serve ￿1r school and I ￿ wder school community e.g. Transforming lives for good; Pray4schools" Messy Churth and forms of Outdoor church" Make Lunch" Open The Book; WaTh Wekome Spa￿. Faraday Instittrte. and Prayer Spaces in Schools. We hosted a supwter and friends of Bristol knjols Cone conversatK)ns tr￿Jgh(￿rt the yearwtth church volunteers artd leaders that we VK)rk )Mth. We have been able (wilh oihers e.g. Bristol Chaplaincy and Biistol Diocese} to encourage the COn￿Pt of school chaplancy (fomial or infom)al, volunteer or paid) across our ne￿ork. A cowle of the people work with have em￿ed this concept ar￿ embodied it more in the life of the school(s) Ihey are working with. Prayer- We hosted a c￿PIe of (x)line gatrErings to pray for the w￿k of BSC and our ne￿Ork of people across the Bristol area. We atso ￿gan￿ed ￿me prayer gatherings in partemship wth Together4Bristol to pray for those in the Education Sphere. We have worked in partnersh¥) with a range of denominalions- tnduding C of E. Baptist Free Evangelical. Meth<)dist. and Catholic, the Muller5 Nthork ()f Churches. We have also been involved in the early stages of developing a new course designed to equip vicars which will be hosted by Trinity Theological C￿r$e - f(￿Sing on h(w churthes woritise engaging children. young people and families in their communities. We plan to support the first pilot course which will run frcyn Nov 2024-June 2025. We have continued to work on our fiJKliThJ strategy and to secure rEw arKI ongoing sources of funding. We are very thankful for the financial sw)port this year of The Burden Trusc St Stephens Soundwell Bristol. Christ Church C￿ft0n, Backwell Church. Longwell Green Church, Hope Communwty Church Bristol, Easton Christian Family Centre. St Nith)las with St.Leonard Educational Charity, and approximatdy 20 individual supp(Xters. Liz Ogbome finished her w)rk as a corsultant ￿1th BSC at the end of December 2023. Jane Gillis has been the P￿r￿1p￿ consutsnt Sin￿ January 2024. Liz and Jane worked closely with the trustees, to ensure that this has been a smooth and successful transition. The trustees have increased their'hands on, work involvement in the work of BSC in order to support Jane more. Section E Financial review Brief statement of the charitys policy on resernes BSC vlas fcxlunate to r￿1ve initial seed funding from a ntsThter of trusts and indiwduals when it was formed in 2015. However. BSC remans reliant each year on financial gifts from individuals. trusts churches within Bristol and beyond which can be one-off, ongoirvJ or for a limited period of time. Given this dependency, Ihe trustees beSeve it appropriate to target reserves at appr0￿MatelY six monlhs of 0￿j01ng exp￿[ture plus the budget&l d￿cAt for the next year before new fundraising. The reserves at 31° August 2024 were £19,000 The projectèd expenditure and deficit for 2024125 before new ￿ndraiSing were £34,2CQ and £4, 1￿ respectively giving a reserves targèt of £21.200. Reserves therefore rewesented 90Yo {2023 97Yo) of targeL The trustees consider ttws level of reserves reasonable but contirne to seek new source5 of income in order to reduce the 2024125 deficit. BSC started the yearwith prqected exp￿ditUre exceeding pledged income by £7.CKJO. We are very grateful to God for the new individual donors and thurches who have supported BSC in 2023124 with additional income of £3.6CQ over initial projection. This was pardy offset by additionat eXpen(titU￿ of £800 resuming in a deficit of £4.300 {2022123 defiat- £500). Total expend[t￿e inrnsed 12% 10 £34.4LX) principally due to the expenses of Jesus Oui of the Box. We start the ne¥V fina[￿la1 year wth a projected shortfall of £4,100. We hope to reduce this deficit by continuing to increase the number of churches which supp￿1 finar¥ially and by asking those who support BSC to increase their giving in 2024125. We remain aware of the many constraints on famil bu ets at this time. inancial perforniance Section F Plans and objectives for 2024125 By 31" August 2025. BSC plans lo Support- we wtll continue to support churches in ￿sS resourc8J areas in the City of Bristol who seek support (coachIn￿Mentaring1tra1nlng) as trEy make meaningful comections vAth their local schools and vrider communty. Tlus will involve conlinuing to joumey with churches that we have worf(ed svith for a while as YAI as making connecticffls with churches we have not worke with before. ConnectK)ns with SecorKlary Sc*KJds- we will have an intentional focus ￿ helping to support a f churches develop conn6Ytions with secondary schods. Research- continue to research innovalive ways to create intentional spaces frx spiritual dialogue within schools and their wder communifies across our city. Jane is filanThng to attend a 'Space Makerf training day in October. Christmas in a Box and Easter in a Box- Encowage and train rn￿e thjrches in the Bristol area to deliver Christrnas in a box arKJ Easter in a Box- The Movie in their k)cal schools. Run several online training sessions and bespoke training sessions for church teams. Jesus Out of the Box- Promote, encourage and train churches in the Bristol area (and beyond) to deliver this resource. See this resource bec(me a well known. tried and tssted. effective and loved resource by al who use tL We will devetop a SeC￿d set of boxes for churches across BrÉstol to loan and use in their own conÈexts. Other Seasonal Connections- Provide Supp￿ ¢)therways that churches are connecting with schcK)Is during the Christma5 and Easter peri¢xl- collecttve worship, RE lessons. Traits, Themed Prayer Spaces. We airn to make Chrisknas Through the Keyhole and Easter Explored trail resources available forfree via website. Prayer Spa￿s in Schools - We will run a couple of training sessions f¢xusing on Prayer Spaces in Schools, looking at how to run indoor and outdoor prayer SPa￿s. We will also work with the Bristol DI0￿Se and Oth￿ denominationslorganisations to run training sessions for people in their networks. Prayer- We will host a coupte of online gatherir￿S to pray for the wotk of BSC and our network of people across the Bristol area. We will also host a prayer gathering for the Education Sphere- focusing on those who work, volunteer and study in our Bristol schools. colleges and other Educational settings. We Yéill partner wth Pray Schools and Together4Brtstol. Celebrate, thank arxl envision - We will organise a gathering for our main The￿ork of Feople and our supporters to celebrate 10 years of BSC and all that has been achEved through the nebNork of Bristol Churches. Partner- we will continue to partner with organisats.ons who have a similar heart and vision to BSC and help to promotelwiden their work in Bristoi area. This wtll invofve working closely with Bristol based chanties - Encounter Chrtstianity and Mullers. and also nationwide charities. BRUMSC - wrill joumey with BRUMSC as they embark on their first year as a charity. We will offer support and encouragemen( and discem hcw we can partner together. Envisioning thurd)es across Bristol- speaking at various conferences and gatherings (including various denominational gatherings) in the Bnstol area and at church servicEs infiuencing Ghurch vision and GU￿ure- to see connecting wtth schools as a priority way of being and doing thurch. We will also envision through one-tC￿ne conversations with church leaderslvolunteers. Websitelsocial Media - tell stories, signpost. resour￿, encourage/envision via social media IYouTube. Fa￿bOOk, Instagram) and our website. We will aim to update our website this year wilh new resources and stories. We also hope to advertise our wcd( via other organisations, social media. Training Colleges and Denomination Gatherings- we hope to be a part of a new training programme for vicars hosted by Trinity Theological College. We ￿￿1[ continue to have an active presence at Bristol Diocese Education gatherings- both in person and online. We also hope tD be able to run training sessions at other denomination gatherings. Chaplaincy in Schools - we will Gonlinue to prnnote the idea of chaplaincy in school, both fomial and infomal, paid and voluntary. Fundiro strategy- continue to work on our lundirg strategy with new arKI ongoing sources of fvnding. Encourage more churches to GontribLrte to BSC'S ministy financially. Resourcing - As previously noted, JarÈ Gillis is now our principal consuftant. Jane will work Closely with the trustees, with more hands on support from the trustees when needed. Section G Declaration The trustses declare that they have approved the trustee¥ report aljove. Signed on behalf of tho charity's trustees Signature(s) Full namels) ANTHONY cRO￿oN MILES SALLY MARTIN Position (e9 Secretary. Chair, CHAIRMAN TRUSTEE Date November 2024 TAR ffl mmllm Nllmm Ill 'ffl fflllm lllllM] Illl lllll wll tllllm Illlmm tlll mllffj Nllllffl llll llllN] I,,11],111:', J] Iilm Itm Itw'(ttll, , ITJ,:ll:llll,:tttll' , 111 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examlnerfs Report Report to the trustees Bristol Schools Connection On accounts for the year ended 31° August 2024 Charity no (if any) 1162067 Set out on pages 1and2 I rew)rt to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ('the Tnjstl for the year ended Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wtlh the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Yhe ACY) I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 ofthe 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directsons given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5}{b) of the A￿. Independent examiner's statsment I have completed my examination. l Gonfimi that no material matters have come to my attention in Conl￿tIOn with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any rnaterial respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordano with section 130 of the Charities Act: or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records.. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulalions 2¢308 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent ex2rnination. I have no COn￿mS and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in Ihis report in order lo enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: Name: PATRICK F O'CONOR Bsc FCA Relevant professional qualification: CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT Address: 51 Downs Park West Bristol, BS6 7QL IER Oct 2018 Section B Oisclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight rnalerial matters of concern {see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts.. direth'ons and guidance for examiners). Give here brief detalls of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018