2025-07-31-accounts - Czech School Berkshire

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date 01 08 2024 31 07 2025

From

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name CZECH SCHOOL BERKSHIRE

Other names charity is known by

Registered charity number (if any) 1167861

Charity's principal address 12 STONEY ROAD

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BRACKNELL
Postcode RG42 1XX
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Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

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Dates acted if not for whole Name of person (or body) entitled
Trustee name Office (if any)
year to appoint trustee (if any)
GABRIELA THOMAS Chairman Board of Trustees
1
GABRIELA THOMAS Treasurer Board of Trustees
2
JAROMIR BILEK Trustee Board of Trustees
3
LUCIE FALLA Trustee & Board of Trustees
4
Secretary
PETRA WOODWARD Trustee Board of Trustees
5
ZDENKA SVOBODOVA Trustee Board of Trustees
6
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
n/a
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

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Type of adviser Name Address
n/a
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Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Yvona Kantorova

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Section B Structure, governance, and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document

Constitution adopted on 23.10.2015

(e.g., trust deed, constitution)

How the charity is constituted

CIO

(e.g., trust, association, company)

Trustee selection methods

APPOINTED BY

(e.g., appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees.
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
relationship with any related parties;
trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

Our charity has currently 5 Trustees who are responsible for the overall management and control of the charity. The Trustees work closely with its Managing Director, teachers, assistants, and volunteers.

The charity employs 8 regular teachers, 2 supply teachers and a Managing Director. Czech School Berkshire has approximately 20 volunteers who play a very important role in our charity. Volunteers contribute greatly during our school operations and cultural events. All employed teachers, Trustees, Managing Director, and volunteers are subject to DBS checks where required/appropriate prior their involvement in our charity. Our charity uses services of an accounting & payroll company and a DBS check agency.

New Trustees are appointed in accordance with the charity’s governing document by ordinary resolution if the person is willing to act as a Trustee. New Trustees are appointed at our regular trustee’s meetings. New Trustees are welcome to join our charity at any time through the year. As Trustees are involved in all school’s operations and planning of additional events they meet regularly, at least once per 2 months during academic year. Urgent matters are dealt with by email.

The charity has adopted the following policies that are reviewed on a yearly basis:

Child Protection Policy Health and Safety Policy Volunteers Policy Equality and Diversity Policy GDPR privacy policy

Our charity cooperates with other Czech and Slovak schools in United Kingdom and is a member of Association of Czech and Slovak Schools in UK. Our school also closely cooperates with Czech Embassy in London, Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Czech Republic.

The Trustees identified major risks to our school as follows: Cost of rental;

The possible future impact of Brexit and the decline in new migrants from the Czech Republic to the UK on the number of pupils.

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Departure of senior teachers; Successful securing of qualified teaching members of staff; Securing suitable candidates for Trustees to cover all aspects of operations, management, and administrative tasks. Above identified risks were reviewed by Trustees and procedures are being established to manage the risks.

The Managing Director's responsibilities include the overall management and supervision of the school's operations, administration of all sections of the organisation, leadership and supervision of all employed staff and volunteers. The Managing Director participates in strategic planning with the Trustees' Board and the implementation of agreed plans and attends and reports to the Trustees' Board as required.

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the 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 benefit)	The primary objective of Czech School Berkshire is to promote and advance the education of the public in the Czech language, history, geography, culture, and heritage.
	The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s Guidance on public benefit and concluded that they fulfilled their duties in the light of that guidance. Czech School Berkshire was established on 23.10.2015. Our school opened its doors for enrolment on the 24.01.2016. Our first teaching day & playgroup was on 07.02.2016 Official Charity registration status was received on 27.06.2016 Our charity offers following: - Czech & Slovak Sunday Preschool playgroup for children from 0- 4 years old and their parents. - Czech Sunday school/online classes for children 4-15 years old - Czech online tuition classes for adults - Czech & Slovak cultural events through the year - Czech children’s library Our classes and playgroup used separate venues pre-June 2024. Our teaching classes take place on Sundays, usually twice per month for 2 hours. Up until May 2024 our classes were held atThe Oakwood Centre (Headley Road, Woodley, Reading RG5 4JZ) and atWoodford Park Leisure Centre(Haddon Drive, Woodley, Reading RG5 4LY). From June 2024 until the present, we have been operating from Woodley CofE Primary School, Hurricane Way, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire RG5 4UX. Classes are open to all children willing to learn Czech language regardless of their current language abilities. Children need to be enrolled for the classes and classes schedule operates on school terms basis; the

Summary of the objects of the
charity set out in its
governing document
Summary of the main
activities undertaken for the
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
benefit)

The primary objective of Czech School Berkshire is to promote and
advance the education of the public in the Czech language, history,
geography, culture, and heritage.

The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s Guidance on
public benefit and concluded that they fulfilled their duties in the light of
that guidance.
Czech School Berkshire was established on 23.10.2015.
Our school opened its doors for enrolment on the 24.01.2016.
Our first teaching day & playgroup was on 07.02.2016
Official Charity registration status was received on 27.06.2016
Our charity offers following:
-
Czech & Slovak Sunday Preschool playgroup for children from 0-
4 years old and their parents.
-
Czech Sunday school/online classes for children 4-15 years old
-
Czech online tuition classes for adults
-
Czech & Slovak cultural events through the year
-
Czech children’s library
Our classes and playgroup used separate venues pre-June 2024.
Our teaching classes take place on Sundays, usually twice per month for
2 hours.
Up until May 2024 our classes were held atThe Oakwood Centre
(Headley Road, Woodley, Reading RG5 4JZ) and atWoodford Park
Leisure Centre(Haddon Drive, Woodley, Reading RG5 4LY).
From June 2024 until the present, we have been operating from
Woodley CofE Primary School, Hurricane Way, Woodley, Reading,
Berkshire RG5 4UX.
Classes are open to all children willing to learn Czech language
regardless of their current language abilities. Children need to be enrolled
for the classes and classes schedule operates on school terms basis; the

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number of students is limited by classes’ capacity.

The Czech and Slovak playgroup setting is open for children from birth to 4-year-olds and their parents/carers. The playgroup is running at the same time as teaching classes. Up until May 2024 our Playgroup sessions were held at The Coronation Hall , Headley Rd, Woodley, Reading RG5 4JB.

From June 2024 until the present, the playgroup sessions have been operating from Woodley CofE Primary School , Hurricane Way, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire RG5 4UX.

Our playgroup is open to anyone with children in specified age group and operates on pay as you go system.

Our Czech tuition classes for adults are open to any adults wishing to learn Czech as a second language. The number of students is limited by class capacity. Since 2021 the classes only take place online every week. Such an arrangement benefits both students and teachers. During the reporting period there were 4 adult classes available offering range of levels from complete beginners to an advanced level.

All our classes are closely connected and are designed to be available at the same time to suit all family members’ needs and very often involve participation of all members of individual families. Older children are studying in our children’s classes, while younger sibling/s is/are with one or both parents in the playgroup setting or alternatively one of the parents is involved as a volunteer at school or playgroup setting during its duration.

We believe that attendance of Czech School Berkshire leads to strengthening of children’s bilingual abilities and promotes awareness of their Czech background and roots, which in future might be important for their relationship with their families and the Czech Republic as a country. Czech School Berkshire offers families support in teaching children or adults’ Czech language as a first/second language by providing them with the environment where Czech language can be used, promoted and learnt.

The school also provides other culturally rich activities & national celebrations throughout its academic year, as these events provide students and other members of the community with many opportunities to understand the fundamentals of the Czech Republic’s history, geography, and ethnic lifestyle.

Summary of activities organised during reporting period:

17 teaching Sundays for 98 pupils
33 weekly online classes for 12 adult students
17 playgroups

We organized a range of projects for our school and the wider Czechoslovak community, bringing together families and volunteers to support cultural, educational, and social activities. These initiatives included events, workshops, and community gatherings designed to

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strengthen ties, raise funds, and enrich the experiences of children and adults alike. Project No. 1 – Playgroup for the 2024–2025 school year Project No. 2 – Czech Children's Library 2024–2025 Project No. 3 – Brookwood Cemetery memorial event – AUTUMN 2024 Project No. 4 –Theatre PRIMA CSB 2024–2025 Project No. 5 – Halloween celebration NOVEMBER 2024 Project No. 6 – Team building activity SPRING 2025 Project No. 7 – Coffee for our community 2024 - 2025 Project No. 8 – St. Nicholas Party DECEMBER 2024 Project No. 9 – School Anniversary FEBRUARY 2025 Project No. 10 – Easter APRIL 2025 Project No. 11 – Children's Day – Fairy Tale Forest JUNE 2025 (moved to September 2025 due to bad weather) Project No. 12 – Family Camping JULY 2025 Project No. 13 – End-of-School-Year Celebration JUNE 2025

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Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

Our volunteers form a very important part of our charity. During the reporting period we had approximately 20 volunteers, who contributed to running of all parts of our charity.

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

policy on grant making;

Our playgroup setting is entirely managed by volunteers. Volunteers also carry out an important role of teaching assistants in the individual classes. Volunteers support our teaching staff in the reception area and supervise safety of our students in the rented premises. Our children’s library is also run by volunteers. Our Trustees appreciate that without support and huge contribution of our volunteers we would not be able to organize any of our cultural events which are attended by large volume of people.

policy programme related investment;
contribution made by volunteers.

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main During the reporting period our school offered 11 classrooms (present or achievements of the charity online) for children with total number of 98 pupils and 4 teaching classes during the year for adults with the total number of 12 pupils:

17 teaching Sundays for 98 pupils - 33 weekly online classes for 12 adult students - 17 playgroups

By the end of July 2025, the charity employed 8 regular teachers, 2 supply teachers, and a Managing Director.

Trustees believe that through the devotion and energy of all members of school – the trustees, Managing Director, teachers, volunteers, students, and their parents, an outstanding team has been established and maintained. Many students made progress in their learning and continue to strengthen their relationship within the community. Some students sit annual exams in Czech schools in the Czech Republic to prove their knowledge of Czech language and our school helps them achieve their goals.

Our management, together with staff and volunteers, are extremely proud that they successfully and smoothly relocated the entire school to the new premises at Woodley CofE Primary School. The careful planning and teamwork shown throughout the move ensured minimal disruption to pupils and programmes and demonstrated our community’s commitment to providing a stable, welcoming learning environment.

Our charity also maintains a successful partnership with several

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Section D Achievements and performance

universities in the Czech Republic. In previous years we hosted university students as interns through various undergraduate programmes; currently the internship programme is on hold due to administrative obstacles, but we fully intend to reinstate it when those issues are resolved.

Section E Financial review

Trustees did not adopt a formal reserves policy during the period but Brief statement of the agreed an informal target to retain reserves equivalent to one school charity’s policy on reserves term’s operating costs. Details of any funds materially n/a in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

The charity activities for the reporting period were mainly funded from tuition fees collected from its students with small contribution from fundraising activities & small donations.

During this reporting period our organisation received restricted grants from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education of Czech Republic.

Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported the following projects: Project No. 1 – Playgroup for the 2024–2025 school year Project No. 2 – Czech Children's Library 2024–2025

Project No. 3 – Brookwood Cemetery memorial event – AUTUMN 2024

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Project No. 4 –Theatre PRIMA CSB 2024–2025 Project No. 5 – Halloween celebration NOVEMBER 2024 Project No. 6 – Team building activity SPRING 2025 Project No. 7 – Coffee for our community 2024 - 2025 Project No. 8 – St. Nicholas Party DECEMBER 2024 Project No. 9 – School Anniversary FEBRUARY 2025 Project No. 10 – Easter APRIL 2025 Project No. 11 – Children's Day – Fairy Tale Forest JUNE 2025 (moved to September 2025 due to bad weather)

Project No. 12 – Family Camping JULY 2025 Project No. 13 – End-of-School-Year Celebration JUNE 2025

Czech Ministry of Education supported our organisation with a grant for our school section.

Section F Other optional information

Future plans:

Our classrooms and playgroup will remain together under one roof, fostering greater collaboration among teachers and staff and strengthening our community spirit. The management and trustees will continue to promote our activities and recruit new students—both young children for the playgroup and school, and older children whose parents may not yet be aware of us. The venue is the right size for our needs, so there are no plans to relocate.

The Trustees will continue their current strategy, focusing on maintaining and enhancing the quality of education provided. To achieve this, teachers and Trustees will develop structured methods for each class, ensuring the curriculum is tailored to meet the individual needs and levels of all students. To secure the charity’s financial future, the Trustees will keep exploring new funding opportunities and work to attract more volunteers and teaching staff, enabling expansion of services and a broader range of activities for the community.

Looking ahead, we will run our popular year-round activities to bring the community together and raise funds for the school.