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2023-08-31-accounts

Charity number: 1183651

Solutions Not Sides

Report and financial statements For the period ended 31 August 2023

Solutions Not Sides

Contents

For the year ended 31 August 2023

Reference and administrative information ...................................................................................... 1 Trustees’ annual report .................................................................................................................. 2 Independent examiner’s report .................................................................................................... 23 Statement of financial activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account) ………………25 Balance sheet ............................................................................................................................... 26 Notes to the financial statements ................................................................................................. 27

Solutions Not Sides

Reference and administrative Information

For the period ended August 31 2023

Charity number 1183651 Country of registration England & Wales Registered office and Haskell House operational address 152 West End Lane LONDON NW6 1SD Independent Examiner Jonathan Orchard Sayer Vincent LLP Chartered Accountants 110 Golden Lane LONDON EC1Y 0TG

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

The trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the financial statements of the CIO for the year beginning 1 September 2022 and ending 31 August 2023.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Solutions Not Sides constitution, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).

Structure, governance and management

Solutions Not Sides is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation governed by its Constitution dated 30 May 2019 and it is registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity.

Appointment of trustees

There must be at least three charity trustees. If the number falls below this minimum, the remaining trustee or trustees may act only to call a meeting of the charity trustees or appoint a new charity trustee.

There is no maximum number of Trustees that may be appointed to the CIO.

Current trustees are as follows:

Zahara Chowdhury Greg Rack William Grant-Brook Rich Grahame Rachel Lewis

As set out in the Constitution, apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Activities Report

Objectives and activities

Our vision

To contribute towards a more compassionate, educated, fair and united society for all, reaching critical mass of one third of the next generation, in areas where tensions, polarisation and racism around this issue are most affecting our community cohesion, by the early 2030s.

Our mission

The Israel-Palestine conflict polarises British society. Our mission is to create safe spaces and provide life skills for British young people to make the difficult but vital conversations about Israel-Palestine not just possible but positive.

Our activities

Solutions Not Sides (SNS) is an education programme that exists to provide humanising encounters, diverse narratives and critical-thinking tools in order to empower young people with the knowledge, empathy and skills to promote dialogue and conflict resolution, and to challenge prejudice in the UK around Israel-Palestine. We focus on the voices and experiences of Palestinian & Israeli peace builders who come to the UK as speakers. The programme engages British youth at the opinion-forming stage of their development in secondary schools, ensuring that the students who most need this engagement receive it within the safe space of a structured educational environment. SNS also works in well-supported community youth group environments and supports teachers.

Our work is carried out through an innovative programme of training and workshops with the following resources:

Context

The narratives on this issue across a variety of community and political groups in the UK are very polarised. There is very little space for listening and understanding, and young people here in Britain are usually just exposed to a singular perspective.

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Palestinian and Israeli speakers address this in our programme and model breaking that cycle by demonstrating respectful disagreement but standing together on shared values. The values framework that all our speakers sign up to and within which classroom discussions take place is: 1) non-violence; 2) equality for all; 3) rejection of hatred.

A peaceful solution is not possible when one side wins and the other side loses. We therefore facilitate students in considering how conflict can be de-escalated by seeking the best solution for everyone.

We work online, and face to face, using a variety of materials. These include face to face encounters with Israelis and Palestinians, videos, reading materials and group exercises to help students to gain a much deeper understanding, to gain new perspectives on the conflict, and greater hope that a solution can be found.

People

● SNS’ staff, trustee and advisory boards work closely together and are a mixture of nonreligious, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds including Palestinian and Israeli Coordinators

● All the Palestinian and Israeli speakers in our programme are from civil society. They do not

claim to speak for or represent their governments, entire societies or anything apart from themselves. They all agree on certain values or principles that can be found on the ‘about’ page of our website and their political views are diverse

● SNS has an alumni network of over 140 British youth who have participated in our Bridge Builders Programme (BBP), formerly the Student Leadership Programme (SLP), and follow up activities.

SNS undertook the following activities in 2022-23:

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Overview of the year

The 2022-23 year saw SNS begin to transition back to a pre-Covid model of operating, returning to some in-person delivery alongside online sessions. As well as delivering Youth Education Programme workshops using a freelance facilitator model where speakers joined online, we ran three tours with live speakers, in London, Bradford and Birmingham. We ran our Bridge Builders Programme, a 5-day residential in Cambridge for 16-19 year-olds, in person for the first time since Covid. We saw a desire among many teachers and students for more in-person events after years of online learning during the pandemic, so reintroducing in-person events was a clear way of meeting these needs.

Another positive development was the expansion of our programmes. We ran our first ever Model United Nations summit in the summer, which was attended by 18 students in 6 teams and held in person in Lancaster across 3 days. The theme for this pilot event was "IsraelPalestine: a roadmap to peace". The event was organised to put students into a simulation where they represented different countries in the United Nations, faced with the challenge of creating lasting peace in the region. Student feedback showed that participants grew in their confidence when it came to public speaking, negotiation, and independent research.

We also piloted a Leadership Conference that linked students from schools in Manchester together. During the Leadership Conference, students from 4 schools who had participated in the Youth Education Programme met together for the in-person event, co-produced with teachers, practitioners and academics. The event saw students delve even deeper into the topic of Israel-Palestine and receive training on standing against antisemitism and Islamophobia. As one student commented "I found out much more about the conflict and things that you wouldn't normally find online.”

We launched the pilot year for our Olive Branch Award with a target of 10 schools. This target was reached by the spring of 2023, with a further 3 schools signing up to join the programme in the following year. The three-year programme was introduced as a way of supporting schools in bringing about transformation in a sustained way, on the level of the whole school rather than in individual classrooms, and to build on the learning that takes places during the Youth Education Programme. It was deeply encouraging to see the ways in which schools that signed up participated in the programme; these included creating display boards and peace murals for their schools, and teachers attending the annual summer conference,

Youth Education Programme

The programme was designed to give all students the complete SNS content over three sessions – the first two sessions conducted by their teacher, with the third session involving discussion with the two speakers being led by an SNS facilitator and an introduction to

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

possible solutions. Feedback during this year showed how important it is to return to a model of delivering the sessions in person rather than on Zoom, in order to ameliorate the humanisation and empathy impact.

The number of students in sessions varied greatly across schools, with the most common group size being 30-60, although some sessions were smaller, and a not insignificant number had over 100 students attending in an assembly-style format. The Zoom model enabled schools to book simultaneous sessions, so two or three classes were able to partake in a session at the same time, each with a facilitator and a set of speakers. This enabled schools who wanted to bring us in for a whole year group to do so in a single day rather than across multiple days. We generally found that classroom-sized groups worked best and enabled for a good degree of interaction between students and the speakers and facilitator. We will continue to recommend smaller group sizes to schools when booking but recognise that some schools who wish to bring us in to work with a whole year group do not have capacity to do so across multiple sessions.

As part of our quality control process, we continue to evaluate our programme by seeking feedback from students and teachers; by using our leadership team to conduct observations of our school sessions and by annually submitting our programme to several individuals across three faith communities for feedback.

The structure of the Youth Education Programme is as follows:

• PART 1: EXPLORATION

1-hour session run by schoolteacher on the historical narratives using our film the ‘Beginner's Guide to Israel-Palestine’

1-hour session run by schoolteacher introducing the conflict resolution principle of the iceberg using the film ‘Rage, Revenge & Repair’, plus materials on understanding the experiences of Palestinians and Israelis and their needs.

• PART 3: EMPOWERMENT

1.5-2-hour session run by an SNS facilitator, and the Palestinian and Israeli speakers focused on answering student questions and having a solutions-focused discussion around pros and cons of one and two state solution options, plus other ideas for solutions.

Follow-up opportunities for students now include:

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Student Leadership Programmes

After being unable to run one of our Student Leadership Programme (SLP), the Bridge Builders Programme, in 2022, we were able to secure funding to run the programme again in 2023. It was the first time the event was run in-person since Covid-19 and was held across 5 days in August at the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. On top of this, we delivered, under the SLP umbrella, our first Model UN Summit, and an additional Leadership Conference in Manchester.

Teacher and community leader training sessions and resources

We continued to offer our 90 minute online adult training on the topic of ‘Recognising and tackling antisemitism and Islamophobia in relation to Israel-Palestine.’ This is popular as CPD for school teachers, council employees, and community leaders. We also continue to offer training to staff at partner organisations.

Olive Branch Award

This is a new initiative launched in July 2022 at our Cambridge Conference for teachers. The Olive Branch Award supports schools to become safe and empowered spaces to talk and learn about tough issues through focusing on four key skills: active listening, empathy, critical thinking, and social and emotional learning. Schools can join and collect leaves for their Olive Branch by participating in SNS sessions and exclusive new programmes for teachers and students. It is a holistic approach for the school to embed a culture of learning, listening, and reflection on Israel-Palestine over a three-year period, achieving full SNS accreditation at the end.

The 2023 Cambridge Conference, which we hosted in partnership with Retorika and Jerusalem Peacebuilders, was targeted specifically at Olive Branch schools and served as an opportunity for OBA teachers to meet in person, reflect on the year and receive training and advice for planning the year ahead. The conference was held across two days, with the first day dedicated to training with Retorika and Jerusalem Peacebuilders and the second to UK-specific workshops.

The target for 2022-23 for membership of the Olive Branch Award was 10 schools, which was met by the spring term with a further 3 school signing up for the next academic year. The target going into the 2023-24 academic year will be 25 members schools.

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Other Activity

We saw an expansion of our activities this year in collaboration with partner organisations, including:

Measuring student impact

Written feedback

We routinely collect written feedback from students after meeting the speakers from Israel and Palestine. The structure of our surveys enables us to ascertain whether and to what extent our aims and our learning goals have been achieved. The surveys indicate whether the participants felt that the programme was a safe and apolitical space for discussion and whether learning about this topic took place.

The learning goals are as follows:

  1. Understanding of diverse perspectives on the history of the conflict – showing they have understood more than one side/narrative

  2. A non-partisan, solutions-focused attitude (not supporting one side to win against the other)

  3. An acceptance of the shared humanity and equal human rights for all Israelis, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims, Christians etc., including an awareness that both sides’ needs must be met

  4. Awareness that people from different backgrounds and perspectives, even those on opposing sides of a geo-political conflict, can treat each other and dialogue together respectfully without aggression – and the hope that that engenders

  5. A shift from enmity to empathy regarding the human suffering of those previously perceived to be the ‘bad guys’ in the conflict – indicating they were biased or partisan before and are no longer so

  6. Awareness of and ability to make the distinction between the roles of political/violent

Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

actors (governmental and grassroots), and the majority of ordinary citizens of Israel and Palestine

  1. Awareness that violence will likely lead to continued conflict and suffering, not conflict resolution and expressing concern about the severity of the situation for the people affected

  2. Awareness of and ability to critically assess bias about the conflict in mainstream and social media

Methodology for measuring impact:

The learning outcomes listed above are assessed through the feedback form that students complete at the close of the session.

Students also fill in a feedback form before completing the programme, to provide a point of comparison and a way to measure clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ shifts in attitude. Students are asked to reflect on the following statements/questions and to give a score between 1 (strongly disagree) and 5 (strongly agree) on the first 5:

Question 1: “I think that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an important international issue” Question 2: “The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an important issue for me, personally” Question 3: “I feel comfortable to speak about my opinions on this issue” Question 4: “I trust the media sources I read on this issue” Question 5: “I think that one side or group is most to blame:

Question 6: “What are your general views on the issue at the moment? For example, what do you think are the main reasons for the conflict, what do you think are the key obstacles to peace etc.?”

The feedback that students complete after participating in the programme consist of the following questions. They are asked for a numerical score for questions 1-6, and there is space for written feedback for all questions:

Question 1: “I liked participating in the SNS programme.”

Question 2: “I learned new things about Israel-Palestine that I didn’t know before.”

Question 3: “I feel more comfortable than I did before the programme to speak about my views on this issue.”

Question 4: “I think the programme could be improved.”

Question 5: “I think that one side or group is most to blame in this conflict.”

Question 6: “I trust the media sources I read on this issue.”

Question 7: “What effect, if any, has participating in this programme had on your views of conflict in general, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular?”

Question 8: “What, if any, is your understanding of Israeli nationalism (Zionism) and Palestinian Nationalism?”

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Question 9: “What is already being done, and what still needs to be done, for there to be justice and peace in Palestine-Israel?”

We conducted qualitative analysis of the participants’ answers to these questions. Beyond indicating on a numerical scale how much they agree or disagree with the first six questions, participants are not given guidance or options for their answers, nor are they asked to choose one of the responses or outcomes from our lists; all of the data provided by the participants comes from their unprompted written response that we then analyse and categorise to see how many times there is evidence of our response targets and learning goals in their answers. Many participants express more than one learning outcome.

Before and after

The numerical scores enable us to measure ‘before’ and ‘after’ outcomes. Below are the outcomes for the autumn term, looking at how confident students felt about speaking about this topic and their trust in media sources related to the topic:

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Analysis: Many wrote before participating that they were worried about offending people, saying the wrong thing, or being shut down; after participation we see a trend in the percentage who feel confident in speaking about the topic rising. Likewise, we see students become more critical of media sources on the topic after participating in the programme.

What students said:

Written feedback

Exploration

The following graph shows students' level of attainment in the spring term of our 'Exploration' learning goals, based on their written reflections. Here, we are looking for the ability to embrace complexity, acknowledge diverse viewpoints, and awareness of the need to use diverse media sources when getting information on the topic.

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Analysis: We saw an upward trend throughout the year in the percentage of students indicating in their written feedback that they had become open-minded about the complexity of the issues. Critical thinking in relation to media sources was consistently high, with many highlighting the biases and limited narratives of sources seen in the news.

What students said:

Empathy

The following graph shows students' level of attainment of our 'Empathy' learning goals in the summer term. Here, we are looking for the ability to humanise 'the other', reject the use of violence, and value the chance for a firsthand encounter with people who have lived through the conflict themselves.

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Analysis: Appreciation of the Palestinian and Israeli speakers scored consistently between 20 and 30% throughout the year with students commenting on the positive impact that hearing personal, humanising stories had.

What students said:

Empowerment

The following graph shows students' level of attainment of our 'Empowerment' learning goals in the summer term. Here, we are looking for students to adopt a solutions-focused attitude, to express a desire to play a constructive role in conflict resolution, to be inspired by the example set by the two speakers, and that they felt they could express their opinions and ask their questions in a safe space during our session.

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Analysis: A high number of students embraced the main teaching point of our programme throughout the year, with many stating that they supported solutions rather than one side over the other. Some students expressed the desire to take some kind of further action, and comments regarding a newly found realisation that peace work and dialogue is going on in the region showed that students were becoming more aware of the work of peace builders.

What students said:

Below are some more extensive examples of students’ comments that show they have achieved the learning and response outcomes.

Evidence of embracing diverse narratives/perspectives:

“I think I can take account of both sides of the story to speak about my views, unlike before.”

"It has made me re-evaluate my stance and spread my eyes to the real issue of a humanitarian/diplomatic crisis on both sides."

"It was nice to listen from the perspective of an Israeli and Palestinian. It helped me increase my knowledge of the truth of what's actually happening."

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

"The session had a positive effect on my views.”

Evidence of humanising encounter and increased empathy:

"I realised that revenge is not that difficult to overcome."

"It has broadened my understanding of the suffering caused, most importantly the Q&A has provided insight into the daily life of the conflict."

"Both Israelis and Palestinians want a safe space to call home for themselves."

"I learnt about how the speakers felt about it and what they want."

Evidence of embracing a solutions-focused approach:

"This helped enrich my facts and gave me better evidence for my arguments on this conflict. It introduced new perspectives and personal views. 'Peace and unity' is better than pro-Israel and pro-Palestine."

"It was very informative and eye opening. We need to search for a solution and overcome the conflict, with new governments and peace negotiations."

“Look for solutions not sides; hear both sides of the story… violence is never the answer.”

Evidence of recognising the distinction between political power structures and ordinary citizens:

"I learned that there are diverse opinions and that just because one group is Israeli or Palestinian doesn't mean they have a fixed opinion."

"I feel able to justify why there should be peace for everyone and able to criticise governments for not holding peace talks and using religion to justify their views."

"I think it's mainly the people in power's fault as the citizens have little to no control of what they do."

Evidence of awareness of dialogue and peace activism:

"I learned that Israelis and Palestinians, upon understanding one another more, can get along properly."

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

"People are protesting for peace and trying to convince governments to work for peace, but more efforts need to be put into this idea."

"Before I didn't know too much but now I know that some people want peace, I thought everyone was in war."

"It has made me want peace for both sides and has made me feel connected to this conflict and shown me there are ways for people like me to help."

Evidence of learning to think critically about the issue, including use of media sources:

"I found that this programme helped me to understand the depth and complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

"I don't trust most media because (of) how much they can manipulate religion."

"A lot of them [media sources] may be very biased as both the Jews and Arabs have a lot of negative prejudice against them."

"Western media fails to factor in civilian lives."

Evidence of feeling more comfortable/confident to discuss the topic:

"I don't think I yet know enough to speak out about it, but I can speak up against discrimination."

"I can now speak on this subject confidently as I couldn't before and can educate people."

"Now I understand the issue I can back up my views with confidence."

"I can say what I think now because I understand it."

Teacher Feedback

Teachers responded to the following statements with a score ranging from 1(Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree):

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Results from teacher feedback:

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Analysis: Teachers were overwhelmingly positive about the programme and its impact. Just one teacher gave a low score for presentation based on the fact that they had expected live speakers and in the end we had to use Zoom instead. The rest of the feedback was particularly positive about the impact of the speakers on the students, describing them as:

There were several comments that they would love to have the speakers in person rather than via Zoom. We will move back to more of this format next year.

As with the student feedback, teachers also had the opportunity to give written feedback in response to these statements:

Impact on views:

“It has highlighted to many of them that a 'simple' win/lose outcome is not that simple nor is it necessarily desirable.”

“It gave a very clear sense of the value of approaching conflict from a perspective of finding a compromise and a solution, for the benefit of everyone.”

“The students fed back afterwards that it helped them consider different perspectives on the issue.”

“They had preconceived opinions on blame and who should "win" in the conflict. This has opened a new dialogue.”

“I believe that students who came to the sessions with a fixed and one-sided view of the situation have had their views appropriately challenged and seen that the situation contains multitudes and complexities.”

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Meeting the speakers:

“The girls found them very inspiring and were moved listening to them speak. They really really appreciated it.”

“They really made the situation seem so much more human and less like something we can't talk about.”

“The speakers are so good at answering some difficult questions thrown at them by our pupils.”

“I think it was amazing to hear these experiences from a personal point of view.”

“Both were intelligent, honest and relatable. Not patronising.”

Knowledge, critical thinking and the media:

“They study the history of the conflict in year 9 history but I feel this session helped them to see the impact on the people and gain more empathy for the situation.”

“Sessions 1 and 2 made this (message of conflict resolution) very clear and gave students a chance to consider what solution they might suggest.”

“I felt it was really helpful when the speakers answered a student question about protest and free speech and how it relates to them at school.”

“More students are aware of the conflict and historical factors. They have a better understanding of moving forward.”

“It was good for them to hear that people from both sides wants a peaceful solution for everyone in the area.”

Session structure and delivery:

“Sessions 1 and 2 were tactful and tasteful and allowed students to explore their personal thoughts and feelings within a useful structure and framework.”

“The balance between the speakers, and the balance between listening and questioning worked really well.”

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

“The use of two speakers, one Israeli and one Palestinian was very effective - as was the use of introductory personalised videos, to introduce the speakers.”

“It was very clever how you explained this complex issue and made it so accessible. Thank you.”

“ allowed pupils to use the workshop as a safe space to discuss their views.”

Summary

2022-23 saw SNS undertaking a number of new initiatives alongside the Youth Education Programme, including the Model UN Summit, the launch of the Olive Branch Award, and increasing collaboration with partner organisations. We reintroduced the Bridge Builders Programme in person and three live speaker tours, with the aim of returning more fully to inperson events in 2023-24.

The feedback for our programmes, from both students and teachers, continues to be overwhelmingly positive, and both written and numerical feedback demonstrate our programmes’ meaningful impact on participants. The MUN conference saw student participants reporting an increase in confidence, public speaking, and research skills, for example, and an increase in open-mindedness of participants and solutions-focused attitudes has been a particular success of school sessions. Teachers consistently note the quality of our speakers and the effect of the Youth Education Programme in challenging preconceptions, humanising the conflict, and promoting a solutions-centric approach.

Feedback for improvement has demonstrated teachers’ and students’ wishes to meet speakers in-person, which has informed the changes that will be made to the curriculum for 2023-24.

Next year

We will resume a pre-covid model of tours for the Youth Education Programme, in which Part 3 will see speakers attending schools in person. Schools will still be able to book sessions with speakers joining over video call if the tours do not cover the region in which they are located, or if they are unable to book onto a tour due to scheduling. We will encourage schools to book tour sessions as far as is possible and operations will primarily be on a tours-based model. We will be running tours in London, Bradford, Lancashire, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and East Midlands. We will aim to reach at least 9000 students through the Youth Education Programme and expand the Olive Branch Award with a target of 25 schools to join. We will aim to have 20 participants for the Bridge Builders Programme and 300 participants in teacher and community leader training.

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Solutions Not Sides

Trustees' annual report

For the period ended August 31 2023

Financial commentary

For the year to 31 August 2023, Solutions Not Sides secured income of £367,000, £298,000 of which came from grants and donations. Expenditure in the year was £357,000 resulting in an overall surplus for the year of £10,000. The charity started the year with brought forward restricted funds of £30,000 which were utilised in the year. Unrestricted funds at the end of the year were £112,000 which the trustees consider is sufficient to provide financial security into the current financial year and beyond.

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The charity trustees must comply with the requirements of the Charities Act with regard to the keeping of accounting records, to the preparation and scrutiny of statements of account, and to the preparation of annual reports and returns.

The statements of account, reports and returns must be sent to the Commission, regardless of the income of the CIO, within 10 months of the financial year end.

The charity trustees must comply with their obligation to inform the Commission within 28 days of any change in the particulars of the CIO entered on the Central Register of Charities.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act.

The trustees’ annual report has been approved by the trustees on 25 June 2024 June and signed on their behalf by

Rich Grahame Chairperson

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Independent examiner's report

To the members of

Solutions Not Sides

Solutions Not Sides for the year ended 31 August 2023.

This report is made solely to the trustees as a body, in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. My examination has been undertaken so that I might state to the trustees those matters I am required to state to them in an independent examiner's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the trustees as a body, for my examination, for this report, or for the opinions I have formed.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

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Independent examiner's report

To the members of

Solutions Not Sides

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Name: Jonathan Orchard The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Address: Sayer Vincent LLP, 110 Golden Lane, London, EC1Y 0TG Date:

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Solutions Not Sides

Statement of financial activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 31 August 2023

Unrestricted
Note
£
Income from:
2
282,619
69,316
-
351,934
3
244
3
303,645
7,484
311,373
Net income / (expenditure) for year
40,561
40,561
Reconciliation of funds:
71,325
111,886
Total funds carried forward
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Governance
Total expenditure
Charitable activities
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Session fees
Other income		 Unrestricted
Note
£
Income from:
2
282,619
69,316
-
351,934
3
244
3
303,645
7,484
311,373
Net income / (expenditure) for year
40,561
40,561
Reconciliation of funds:
71,325
111,886
Total funds carried forward
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Governance
Total expenditure
Charitable activities
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Session fees
Other income		 Restricted
£
15,330
-
-		 2023
Total
£
297,949
69,316
-		 Unrestricted
£
161,691
56,242
2,858		 Restricted
£
40,650
-
-		 2022
Total
£
202,341
56,242
2,858
351,934 15,330 367,264 220,791 40,650 261,441
244
303,645
7,484		 -
45,330
-		 244
348,975
7,484		 451
295,925
4,249		 -
10,650
-		 451
306,575
4,249
311,373 45,330 356,703 300,625 10,650 311,275
40,561
40,561
71,325		 (30,000)
(30,000)
30,000		 10,561
10,561
101,325		 (79,833)
(79,833)
151,158		 30,000
30,000
-		 (49,833)
(49,833)
151,158
111,886 - 111,886 71,325 30,000 101,325

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above.

25

Solutions Not Sides

Balance sheet

As at 31 August 2023

Note
£
Current assets:
8
30,160
97,307
127,467
Liabilities:
9
(15,581)
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Total assets less current liabilities
Debtors
The funds of the charity:
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total net assets / (liabilities)
Cash at bank and in hand
Total charity funds		 Note
£
Current assets:
8
30,160
97,307
127,467
Liabilities:
9
(15,581)
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
Total assets less current liabilities
Debtors
The funds of the charity:
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total net assets / (liabilities)
Cash at bank and in hand
Total charity funds		 2023
£
111,886		 £
11,300
98,001		 2022
£
101,325
127,467
(15,581)		 109,301
(7,976)
111,886
111,886		 101,325
101,325
111,886
-		 71,325
30,000
111,886 101,325

The opinion of the directors is that the company is entitled to the exemptions conferred by Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The directors acknowledge the following responsibilities:

Approved by the trustees on 25 June 2024 and signed on their behalf by

Rich Grahame Chairperson

26

Solutions Not Sides

Notes to the financial statements

For the year to 31 August 2023

1 Accounting policies

a) Statutory information

Solutions Not Sides is a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

The registered office address is The Vineyards, 36 Gloucester Avenue, London, NW1 7BB.

b) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) - (Charities SORP FRS 102), The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

In applying the financial reporting framework, the trustees have made a number of subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The nature of the estimation means the actual outcomes could differ from those estimates. Any significant estimates and judgements affecting these financial statements are detailed within the relevant accounting policy below.

c) Public benefit entity

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

d) Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

e) Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable purposes.

g) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

h) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

27

Solutions Not Sides

Notes to the financial statements

For the year to 31 August 2023

Donated services
Donations
Grants		 Unrestricted
£
216,006
66,613
-		 £
15,330
-
-
Restricted		 2023
Total
£
231,336
66,613
-		 Unrestricted
£
120,155
41,536
-		 £
40,650
-
-
Restricted		 2022
Total
£
160,805
41,536
-
282,619 15,330 297,949 161,691 40,650 202,341

28

Solutions Not Sides

Notes to the financial statements

For the 15 month period to 31 August 2023

3 Analysis of expenditure

Staff costs
Direct project costs
Legal and Governance
Overheads
Fundraising
Other staff costs
Sundry
Total expenditure 2023		 Raising
funds
£
-
-
-
-
244
-
-
244		 Charitable Governance
costs
£
-
-
7,484
-
-
-
-
7,484		 2023
Total
£
234,279
86,273
7,484
14,340
244
14,082
-		 Raising
funds
-
-
-
-
451
-
-		 Charitable
activity
212,853
78,239
-
7,129
-
8,354
-		 Governance
costs
2022
Total
£
-
212,853
-
78,239
4,249
4,249
-
7,129
-
451
-
8,354
-
-
4,249
311,275
Charitable
activity
£
234,279
86,273
-
14,340
-
14,082
-
348,975
356,703 451 306,575

29

Solutions Not Sides

Notes to the financial statements

For the 15 month period to 31 August 2023

Staff costs were as follows:

Employer’s contribution to defined contribution pension schemes
Net salary
Tax and social security costs		 2023
£
152,451
69,637
12,191		 2022
£
140,165
61,169
11,519
234,279 212,853

No employee earned more than £60,000 during the year (2022: nil)

The charity trustees were neither paid nor received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year (2022: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity. Trustees claimed expenses of £95 in the year (2022: £22).

5 Related party transactions

There are no related party transactions to disclose for this financial year (2022: £nil).

6 Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

7 Net income resources for year

This is stated after charging:

This is stated after charging:
2023 2022
£ £
Independent examination fees 2,000 2,000
Depreciation - -

30

Solutions Not Sides

Notes to the financial statements

For the 15 month period to 31 August 2023

8
9
10
Trade debtors
General funds
Total funds
Movements in funds
Restricted funds:
Youth Education Project
Debtors
Unrestricted funds:
Other creditors
Accruals
Taxation and social security
Creditors: amounts falling due within one
Total restricted funds
Student Leadership Project
Bridge Buiders Programme
Staff Development
Total unrestricted funds		 At 1
September
2022
£
15,000
-
-
15,000
year		 Income &
gains
£
11,250
3,000
1,080
-		 Expenditure
& losses
£
(26,250)
(3,000)
(1,080)
(15,000)		 2023
£
30,160		 2022
£
11,300
30,160 11,300
2023
£
13,181
2,400		 2022
£
5,562
2,400
14
15,581 7,976
Transfers
£
-
-
-
-		 At 31
August
2023
£
-
-
-
-
30,000 15,330 (45,330) - -
71,325 351,934 (311,373) - 111,886
71,325 351,934 (311,373) - 111,886
101,325 367,264 (356,703) - 111,886

31