## Copernicus Polish Saturday School New Malden 

Also known as:  Polska Sobotnia Szkoła Przedmiotów Ojczystych 

im. Mikołaja Kopernika w New Malden 

Trustee’s Report and Financial Statements For the period started 1[st] September 2024 and ended 31[st] August 2025 

Charity Registration Number: 1194930 

Governing Document: CIO Foundation Registered 24[th] June 2021 



## **Our Objectives** 

Copernicus Polish Saturday School New Malden opened in October 2012. It was established due to a huge demand by the Chair of Governors of the Polish School in Putney/Wimbledon with initiative from its Headteacher. Copernicus teaches Polish language, history, culture and heritage to children between the ages of 3 and 16. 

On 24th June 2021 the School was formally registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as CIO Foundation. Copernicus is a member of the Polish Educational Society “Macierz Polska” (registered in England and Wales - Charity no 1159980) which supports Polish education in Great Britain. 

Our aim is to advance the education of children and young people aged 3-19 primarily, but not exclusively, residing in the Royal Borough of Kingston and its environs through providing supplementary education consistent with primary and secondary level based on the Polish Ministry of Education and Science’s core curriculum concerning primarily the Polish language, history and geography of Poland, arts, culture, and Polish heritage. We prepare students to take GCSE and A level exams under the AQA examination board. Through cultural events and activities, we broaden the students’ knowledge of Poland and its heritage. We aim to create an ethos of being a community in which all students and their families feel at home, respected and involved. 

Our objectives for the year 2024-25 were to reflect our academic aims in our work, as well as our ethos as stated by objectives of a charitable organisation. We aimed to: 

∙ Offer a broad, relevant curriculum, helping our students to learn Polish language, history and traditions alongside achieving excellent end of year results and our first in person GCSE examinations results. 

∙ Broaden the curriculum through well planned and prepared extracurricular activities such as school trips. 

∙ Form good relationships and play a part in our community through organising charitable events such as Christmas cards for nursing homes. 

∙ Provide bursaries to families with financial difficulties to help with the payment of school fees. 

∙ Strengthen our school community through events aimed to involve our parents in the life of our school, while fundraising for its needs such as the Easter Workshop and a Christmas cake sale. 



## **Pupil numbers and fees during 2024-25** 

The number of pupils in the reporting period was 305 in 21 classes which can slightly fluctuate due to resignations and new enrolments. The sizes of classes varied between 12-20 children per class. We were able to offer places to all children and young people who applied. 

Our fees in 2024-25 were as follows: 

1st child £500 per academic year 

2nd child £400 per academic year 

3rd child £200 per academic year 

4th and above child- exempt from fees 

The GSCE and A-Level classes had £20 extra fee per year to cover additional cost of exams materials. 

## **Finances** 

The Board of Trustees make every effort to ensure that the school finances are well managed, and the accounts maintain a good cash flow. 

A school accountant regularly presents to the Board of Trustees financial reports and the budget forecasts which inform Trustees’ planning of budgets for the next academic year. 

The school financial year starts on 1[st] September and ends on 31st of August. This report covers the period 1st September 2024 to 31st of August 2025. 

The cash receipts during the year were £179,943 and the cash expenditures were £149,173. On an accruals basis the income and loss were as follows: 

||12 month period<br>to 31 August 2025|<br>12 month period<br>to 31 August 2024|
|---|---|---|
|Revenue for theperiod|£159,822|£156,778|
|Loss for theperiod|£12,194|£11,752|
|Reserves at 31 August|£49,732|£37,538|



## **Revenue** 

The School’s main source of income is school fees. Trustees every year look for opportunities to identify and secure additional funding to supplement revenue from school fees. 

The Trustees were successful in applying for a grant 



for a grant from the **Instytut Rozwoju Języka Polskiego** (Institute for the Development of the Polish Language), as part of the competition „Edukacja polonijna – wsparcie szkół polonijnych za granicą” (“Polish Diaspora Education – Support for Polish Schools Abroad”) through the **Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska** (The Polish Community Association) (Stowarzyszenie Wspólnota Polska). 

A small portion of school revenue comes from various fund-raising activities like fun fairs and cake sales organised by the PTA. 

To support the school budget the Governing Body sourced free school textbooks for years 5-8 which we lend to students for the duration of the school year free of charge. They introduced a second-hand book exchange scheme to help keep the costs down. 

## **Expenditure** 

The main expenses of the School are teachers’ salaries and rent for using the premises of Richard Challoner RC School in New Malden. The School also paid for teachers’ training and membership of the Polish Educational Society. 

## **Bursaries Scheme** 

The Governing Body aims to keep our fees competitive but at a lowest possible level. 

To support families who require and qualify for financial support, we have in place a bursaries scheme which offers discounts or instalments. During 2024-25 we offered help to some families in financial need by reducing the fees or spreading the payment over the year. 

To attract and retain high quality staff we offer a discount scheme for children of those employed by the School. 

## **Reserves** 

The Governing Body aims to keep a healthy surplus to be able to meet unforeseen financial obligations like force majeure. The financial reserves are there to provide additional funding in case of events such as the need to find new premises in case of being given a notice by the Landlord. 

## **Academic achievements** 

During 2024-25 academic year: 12 out of the 13 year 10 students took GCSE exams and achieved 1 grade “7”, 1 grade “8” and 10 grades “9”. 12 out of the 13 students decided to continue their education at our school and prepare for the A-level exams. 

We only had 3 students taking A-level exams. 1 student achieved a grade A (which helped her secure a place at university) and two students achieved a grade B. 

These are results we are immensely proud of. 



## **Review of activities and achievements:** 

During 2024-25 we did the following: 

- We enhanced our students' experience of Polish culture through an organised trip to The War Museum in London where students sought Polish exhibits and learned about the Polish aspect of the Second World War. 

- 1 trip to a Polish Theatre in POSK London was organised in this period for our students. Younger pupils in year 1-5 watched live theatre show "Kopciuszek" (Cinderella). 

- Our students participated in the “Wierszowisko” Poetry Competition XIII edition organised by the Polish Educational Society; we had four individual contestants. One of our performers received a trophy. 

- The school provides opportunities for staff continuous professional and personal development through the following training: 

∙ Courses and webinars preparing teachers at all levels to deliver curriculum including GCSE and A level teachers 

∙ CPR and First Aid courses 

- The Trustees and parents planned and coordinated several school-wide events to mark special occasions, international and local holidays and to cultivate Polish customs such as Christmas show, Easter Workshop and Performance, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and for inclusion extended to all Carer’s, Sports Day to name a few. All these events were designed to bring the school community together, educate children and young people and keep our Polish traditions alive. 

- We organise regular parent teacher meetings for all year groups where parents have the opportunity to review and discuss with a teacher student’s progress and support required. 

- We are proud of being able to offer all our pupils and their families a library facility, well led and staffed by volunteers. The library prides itself in an impressive book collection for children and adults, continuously updated and restocked by the library team. The Library is funded from school donations and second-hand book sale 

## **The School Structure** 

The school is led by the Head Teacher, Mrs Minka Dyszyńska-Bonnage. 



The Governors of the Copernicus Polish Saturday School New Malden are the charity trustees. New Trustees, apart from the first charity trustees, are appointed by the existing Board of Trustees. The governing document is the Constitution of the Copernicus Polish Saturday School New Malden. 

The Governing Body consisted of 5 trustees. All Trustees have served throughout the year: 

||**Trustee Name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**|
|---|---|---|---|
|1|Magda Drossaert|Chair of<br>Trustees|Appointed 25 September 2021|
|2|Monika Minka Dyszyńska-<br>Bonnage|Head Teacher|Appointed 24 June 2021|
|3|Beata Magdalena Frois|Head of Parent<br>Committee|Appointed 24 June 2021|
|4|Violetta Ramnarace|Business and<br>Finance|Appointed 25 September 2021|
|5|Piotr Burczyk|Finance and<br>Library|Appointed 14 January 2023|



## **Staffing** 

In the academic year 2024-2025 the Head Teacher led a team of 26 teachers and 10 teacher assistants. The school maintains a small bank of supply staff to provide cover for absent employees. 

Apart from the teaching staff, the School also employs 2 administrative officers and 1 accountant. All Trustees except The Head Teacher are volunteers. The Head Teacher has been paid remuneration for the period of this report in the amount of £3781.02 (gross). 

We had 2 Duty Officers, which are added to the school payroll. Duty Officers increase security of the pupils and improve operation of the whole school. 

## **Premises** 

The Copernicus Polish Saturday School New Malden rents its premises from Richard Challoner School in New Malden, London. Lessons take place during Saturday mornings, 30-31 Saturdays a year. 



The lessons take place between 9:30-13:00. During the lessons and breaks designated parents’ volunteers who are appointed on rota bases and allocated specific duties, provide additional help along duty officers to ensure a secure environment for all the pupils and staff. All staff and volunteers of the school have undergone DBS checks. 

## **Plans and aspirations** 

We were planning for the recruitment and training of new staff. 

We have been working towards making our School paperless by moving all our records into Google Workspace. 

## **Contact details:** 

Address: 

RICHARD CHALLONER SECONDARY SCHOOL MANOR DRIVE NORTH NEW MALDEN KT3 5PE 

Website address: www.polskaszkolanewmalden.org.uk 

Professional advisors: Bank : Bank: Lloyds Sort code: 30-84-68 Account number: 40501868 

Insurers : Zurich Insurance 

Independent examiner: Aleksandra Zakrzewska 

Magda Drossaert 


2nd of May 2026 



CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
,opernicu5 Y011511 adlUIUdV aLI Ivvi iry¥vv iviaiuE¥i i
Receipts and payments accounts
CC16a
For the perlod
from
v I vv.£vL
To
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
to the nearest to the nearest
Endowment
funds
to the nearest
Total funds
Last year
to the nearest to the nearest
A1 Receipts
School fees
Education receivable
Fundraising
Help to Ukraine
Grant and donations
Other chantable activities
122 324
122 324
113 128
229
888
888
ross Income
or
147 703
179 943
142 103
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
A3Pa
Rent
Salaries
Educational ex
enditure
Other chantable activities
Administrative ex
enses
Cost of Grants
ments
14,453
86,195
9,448
11,624
8,043
14,558
29,011
86,195
9,448
11,624
8,043
4,852
27,585
88,276
11,790
10,381
6,684
4,852
Sub total
A4 Asset and investment
urchases
see tsble
Sub total
Net of recelpts/(payments)
A5 Transfers between funds
A6 Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end
12,829
12,829

Sectlon B Statement of assets and Ilabilltles at the end of the perlod
Unrestrlcted
funds
to nearest £
110,508
Restricted
funds
to nearest £
Endowment
funds
to nearest £
Categories
Details
B1 Cash funds
Cash at Bank
Total cash funds
(agree Dalan￿S wtn receipts ano
payments account(s)) OK
Unrestricted
funds
to nearest £
110,508
IOK
Restrlcted
funds
to nearest £
Endowment
funds
to nearest £
Details
Accounts Receivable
B2 Other monetary assets
Fund to which
asset belon
Details
Cost (optional)
Current value
tional
Fund to whlch
asset belon
110,300
Details
Reserves
Cost (optional)
Current value
tlonal
B4 Assets retained for the
charity's own use
Fund to which
Ilablll
relates
208
Amount due
tional
When due
tional
Details
Accounts payable
BS Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
Signature
Print Name
Date of
roval
Ma
dalena Drossaert
0210512026

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Copernicus Polish Saturday
School New Malden (Charity number 1194930)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Copernicus Polish
Saturday School New Malden (The Trust) for the year ended 31 st August 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust 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 Trusys accounts carried out under section
145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicabl8
Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examlnerfs statement
I have completed my examination. I confinn 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 Trust 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:
Aleksandra Zakrzewska
Qualification.. FCA
Address:
16 Avondale Avenue, wOr￿ster Park, Surrey KT47PD
Date:
2 May 2026