## **Potters Bar Community Music School Trustees’ Annual Report September 2023 to August 2024** ## **Our Purpose and Activities** The purpose of Potters Bar Community Music School (PBCMS) is to advance the education of pupils in the school by: - providing individual and group musical activities for children and adults in the Potters Bar general area. - developing effective relationships between the staff, parents and others associated with the school - engaging in activities or providing facilities or equipment which support the school and offer extended learning opportunities to the pupils PBCMS offers pupils (both children and adults) the opportunity to participate in musical activities including string groups, chamber groups, wind bands, orchestras and choirs on a weekly basis on a Saturday morning during school term time. In addition, individual lesson tuition is offered on a wide range of instruments. There are termly opportunities for pupils to perform to an audience both as solos and groups. Much of the equipment and many of the instruments owned by PBCMS are made available during the week for the benefit of the pupils of the Secondary School (Mount Grace) in which they meet, free of charge. The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. ## **Achievements and Performance** In the academic year 2023-24, PBCMS offered the following group activities: - _Junior Strings_ – a string orchestra for children who are playing at beginner level - _Amber Strings_ – a string orchestra for children who are playing at intermediate level - _Phoenix Strings_ – a string orchestra for children who are playing at advanced level - _Chamber groups_ – string quartet and quintets for children who are playing at advanced level - _Junior Wind Band_ – for wind and brass players (children) who are playing at beginner level - _Senior Wind Band_ - for wind and brass players (children) who are playing at intermediate and advanced level - _Da Capo_ – an adult orchestra for players of all levels - _Full orchestra_ – an ensemble created from players from all other groups specifically to - perform at end of term concerts - _Choir_ – A free 20 minute ensemble that includes anyone who is interested, generally formed of the SuperString and Amber players who have just finished their group activity plus the Da Capo adults and Phoenix string players who start playing after the choir. Over the course of the year, around 70 pupils attended PBCMS. 60 participated in one session per week, 10 participated in two and 6 participated in three or more. There were also 30 players in the adult orchestra, Da Capo. Pupils were charged a fee of £7 for the first session that they attended, an additional fee of £6 for the second session. Any additional sessions attended are free of charge. All bills are issued with a rider that if there is any family hardship, even if sudden, that we can and do reduce or waive payments. This is of course strictly confidential. All invitations to new players are made with the intention of inclusion rather than protecting revenue. If students are injured and cannot play then their fees are immediately waived. In the academic year 2023-24, PBCMS hosted instrumental teachers offering individual lessons on the following instruments: Piano, Voice, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Cornet, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Violin, Cello and Double Bass. There is also capacity to offer Music Theory lessons, and lessons on Oboe and Bassoon. These lessons are arranged and charged as a result of direct communication between the teachers and parents/pupils. In the academic year 2023-24, PBCMS held 6 concerts, 2 per term – a Chamber Concert in the middle of each term and a Full School Concert at the end. Chamber Concerts offer the opportunity for those learning with our teachers to experience the thrill of public performance and also to reduce the number of items in the end of term concerts. These are held at Mount Grace School or in Our Lady and St. Vincent (RC) Church, whichever is most suitable. The programmes are mixed with the youngest and/or beginner players playing early in the programme and the standard increasing towards the end. By keeping the running time around 1 hour all are encouraged to hear everyone else, to inspire the beginners in particular. At the end of each term there was a concert involving all the groups that meet on Saturday mornings. These concerts were a great celebration of all the effort and hard work of our pupils and staff. They are held in the concert hall at Mount Grace school. The students get to hear the efforts of the students in the other orchestras and ensembles. It’s a very informal affair and the cost on the door is low at £7 with the usual concessions or waivers. Usually we have 400 attendees and teas, coffees and refreshments are served throughout the evening. We try to mix up the order so that the younger players might hear some of the advanced groups. Advertising is via social media and through our Facebook presence. In the academic year 2023-24, the pupils at Mount Grace School (the premises where PBCMS meets) had access, free of charge, to the following equipment and instruments owned by PBCMS: over 50 music stands, grand piano, 9 other pianos (3 of these digital), Cello and Double Bass. **Financial Review** The balance carried forward from 2022/23: £10,079 Total income during 2023/24: £34,597 Total expenditure during 2023/24: £24,091 The balance carried forward to 2024/25: £20,585 Session fees are reviewed at the end of the academic year and a judgement is made about the increase in fees based on projected increases in venue hire and staffing costs, and the projected number of pupils attending the groups sessions in the following academic year. The session fees for 2023/24 were increased from those in 2022/23 based on the information PBCMS received from Mount Grace School about their increased hire costs relating to becoming part of a Multi-Academy Trust. The process of joining the MAT has taken longer than anticipated and therefore those increased hire costs did not materialise in the year 2023/24. The intention is to hold sessions fees at their current level until more concrete information is received on actual hire costs following Mount Grace School joining the MAT (Future Academies). In addition to this, PBCMS received a Phiatus award of £5,000 from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. This is a blanket award to assist in our activities and can be used to offer subsidised lessons, pay for social concerts (e.g. in Retirement Homes) and for the purchase of instruments, particularly those which are difficult or expensive for families to afford or will be used for the benefit for the many ensembles. In 23/24, we have spent £1,245 of this on a Saxophone, 2 Cellos and a Double Bass, with £3,755 carried over into 24/25 with which we plan to put towards a Bassoon, Marimba and Glockenspiel. Currently PBCMS has no reserves policy. There is the intention for this to be rectified by the Committee in the next financial year but noting that PBCMS does not own any property and does not employ any staff. In general, it is the intention to spend surplus income on continuing to purchase instruments that are for the general benefit of the ensembles and/or are those which are difficult or expensive for families to afford – generally the larger instruments and those which are ‘endangered’. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Type of governing
document|**Constitution**| |---|---| |How is the charity
constituted?|**Unincorporated Association**| |Trustee selection methods|**Trustees are appointed by the Members of the Charity by**
**election at the AGM or co-opted by existing Trustees, if**
**required.**
**Nominations for election for Trustees may be made by any**
**Member of the Charity and seconded by another.**| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charityname|PBCMS| |---|---| |Registered charitynumber|1184464| |Charity’s principal address|338 Mutton Lane, Potters Bar, Herts, EN6 2AX| **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** Dates acted K not for whole ye•r Name of person lor boty) entltled to appolnt truxee Ilf Trustee name Offke (If any) Mark Guerin Chair Andrew Martin Genevieve Caroline Wiafe- Annor Declarations The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees. report above. Signed on behalf of the charitys trustees Signature(s) Full name(s) Posltion (eg Secretary. Chair. etc) Date 23ILlI5 **Potters Bar Community Music School** **No (if any) 1184464 CC16a** ## **Receipts and payments accounts** **For the period** Period start date Period end date **To from** 01/09/2023 31/08/2024 ## **Section A Receipts and payments** |**Section A Receipts and payments**||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |**A1 Receipts**
Concert Receipts
**3,234**
Grants
**-**
Session Fees
**26,363**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**29,597**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**_Total receipts_ 29,597**
**A3 Payments**
Advertising
**250**
Bank Charges
**90**
Entertaining
**51**
Equipment
**24**
Insurance
**181**
Piano Tuning
**490**
Premises Hire
**6,639**
Printing
**216**
Repairs
**300**
Teacher Fees
**14,065**
**-**
**_Sub total_ 22,306**
Saxophone
Piano
**540**
Double Bass & 3/4 cello
Cello
**-**
**_Sub total_ 540**
**_Total payments_ 22,846**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_ 6,751**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**-**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**10,079**
**_Cash funds this year end_ 16,830**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_
**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**
**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**|**to the nearest £**
**-**
**5,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**5,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**5,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**120**
**-**
**-**
**120**
**75**
**850**
**200**
**-**
**1,125**
**1,245**
**3,755**
**-**
**-**
**3,755**
**Restricted**
**funds**|**to the nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**| |||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**3,234**
**5,000**
**26,363**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**34,597**|**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||| |||**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**
**-**
**-**|| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||| |||**-**|**34,597**|**-**| |||||| |||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**250**
**90**
**51**
**24**
**181**
**490**
**6,639**
**216**
**420**
**14,065**
**-**
**22,426**|| |||||| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||| |||**-**
**-**
**-**|**75**
**540**
**850**
**200**
**-**
**1,665**|| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||**-**| |||||| |||**-**|**24,091**|**-**| |||||| |||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**10,506**
**-**
**10,079**
**20,585**|**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| |||||**-**| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unveslncted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Categories Details Bl Cash funds Hek1 In a(£oJrn Total cash funds 755 Restricted lund$ Endowment funds r*Ar88t£ nds Detaits oJTh•rtvoJu Iopik#w4 Details Details J IUT ona B4 Assets retained for the charlty's use 5 p￿8￿6 6 Sdid L4cked tEles(Jw ￿￿¢stardS 2 a)vers Details 10OiLX B5 Liabilities &gned by or* trw*es alf of ￿1 trLJStee5 Date ol PFYoval SIgr￿Te Print Name 031£ ## Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Potters Bar Community Music School I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Potters Bar Community Music School (PBCMS) for the year ended 31[st] August 2024. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity trustees of the PBCMS, 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 PBCMS’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 Act. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** 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: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the PBCMS as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records. 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. Signed: Name: Stuart David Ashmore Role: Circuit Treasurer – Vale of Stour Methodist Circuit. Address: 4 Southern Close, Kingswinford, West Midlands. DY6 8HS. Date: 23[rd] June 2025