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2025-07-31-accounts

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1204278 COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 14117966

CHARITABLE COMPANY

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st JULY 2025

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED JULY 2025

Trustees’ Annual Report
p 2-12
Independent Examiner’s Report
p13
Income Statement
p14
Statement of Changes in Equity
p15
Statement of Financial Position
p16-18
Detailed Income Statement
p19-22

1

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Trustees’ Annual Report

The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for Wildwood Nature School for the year ended 31 July 2025 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the trust deed and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).

In shaping the objectives for the year and planning the charity's activities, the trustees referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning future activities.

Objectives

The objectives as established in the governing document are:

The main public-facing aims and articulations are:

Wildwood Nature School is a charitable, independent, nature-based primary school for children aged 4-11 years in North London. We offer an alternative to mainstream education with a strong focus on children’s well-being and spending time in nature following the Forest School principles.

Our mission is to create a different kind of school: one where children can learn, play and feel good about who they are, lovingly held by community and nature.

Our values are:

2

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Activity in this period

The 2024–25 academic year was Wildwood Nature School’s second year of operation as a registered primary school. At the start of the year, there were 19 children enrolled across Reception to Year 3, with one child having left at the very beginning of the year. The school cohort included:

Full-fee places: 36.8% (£19,000 per annum)

Supported fee places: 42.1%

Free places: 21%

One child continued to receive 1:1 support funded through Westminster Local Authority for an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). A small number of families applied for ADHD assessments through GPs.

3

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Staffing Updates

The leadership structure remained stable, with Tara Royle serving as Head of School and Steve Tromans as School Business Manager. Daisy Bodley started successfully in the lead teacher role, acting as liaison between staff and leadership and managing the day-to-day operations at school. Another teacher, Kate French, who already does half a day of administrative work, took on further organisational responsibilities and a corresponding pay rise.

Staffing included:

1 full-time teacher

4 part-time teachers, plus 2 in leadership roles

1 support staff member

1 play assistant (who increased to 3 days per week after a teacher left in December 2024, taking on Forest School lead responsibilities as well as classroom support)

In December 2024, one teacher left to travel and was replaced by Peter Clackson, an Early Career Teacher (ECT) with previous experience in a SEN school, similar in style to Wildwood. Pete has been supported in adapting to the school’s child-led approach, with coaching and observation visits arranged to strengthen his practice.

Professional development and CPD focused on embedding the school’s ethos while enhancing teaching and learning, particularly for children with additional needs. Leadership was more involved in day-to-day support for staff.

Alongside this, the school strengthened its focus on staff well-being. The Head of School continued the twice-yearly one-to-one supervision meetings with each member of staff. These sessions provide a dedicated space for reflection, support and open discussion, and have been valued by staff as an opportunity to share their experiences and raise individual needs. This has led to practical adjustments where appropriate, supporting staff retention and well-being.

All staff also have access to a Well-being benefit towards the cost of therapy or counselling, to support their well-being.

Our annual review day - a whole day when all staff come together to have an honest reflection on what went well over the year and what did not go well, and what needs improvement, was a great success. The main priorities were around the environment at school (see below, Future Plans).

4

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Teaching & Learning

Following feedback from the July 2024 Ofsted inspection, there was a deliberate focus on strengthening teaching and learning. A staff review day at the end of the 2023–24 year confirmed that the school was performing well on well-being, but further development was needed in engagement and academic structure.

Key changes included:

The impact has been positive. Children are more engaged in formal learning, including those with additional SEMH needs, and participation in lessons has increased significantly by the end of the year.

To support school improvement, the school engaged Marion Hunter, an experienced former headteacher and inspector, as a School Improvement Partner. She visited once per half term from the summer term, providing guidance to sharpen teaching and strengthen the learning environment.

5

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Ofsted / Inspection Updates

In April 2025, the school Ofsted visited for a Progress Monitoring Inspection (PMI). While the school did not yet meet the independent school standard for quality of education, the inspector noted significant progress and effective actions being taken to improve. A subsequent inspection in October 2025 successfully met all required standards.

Outdoor Provision

Following the end of the Mortimer Terrace lease, the school adapted its outdoor learning programme:

These arrangements have maintained rich, hands-on nature learning experiences despite site changes.

Community & Parent Engagement

Community engagement continued to be strong:

Feedback from parents remained highly positive, with no families leaving at the end of the year.

6

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Admissions & Demand

Admissions were affected by the previous Ofsted report and the introduction of VAT, limiting new enrolments. Only two new siblings were admitted for September 2025. The school had some interest for the full-fee places offered, but for various reasons, these did not materialise into enrolments. No supported places could be offered for 2025-26 as these were already allocated. Retention was high, with no children leaving during the year.

Safeguarding & Well-being

Safeguarding remains the school’s highest priority - it is on the agenda at every trustee meeting, staff meeting and staff supervision - and everyone is aware of their statutory duty to keep children safe. Policies were updated in line with the revised Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024) guidance.

All staff, trustees (both charity and school trustees), regular additional adults (e.g. after-school club providers, cover teachers), and regular volunteers have an enhanced DBS check, certification of ID documents, 2 references and full employment history. All staff and trustees have up to date safeguarding training, as well as regular safeguarding updates throughout the year.

Computing was introduced this year with a focus on teaching children about online safety. Pete took over the role of Deputy DSL in January after Grace left, and completed the relevant training. All staff training was up to date, and there were no significant safeguarding incidents during the year.

Financial Review

The school’s total income for 2024–25 was £525,863 comprising:

Fees income: £184,944

Charitable donation from the Koukab Trust: £330,000

No other grants were received

Expenditure totaled £399,168, resulting in a surplus of £126,695. Staffing remains the largest cost at £203,634. Other expenditure included premises costs, outdoor licences, educational resources, and staff training.

7

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

The school maintained financial stability, continuing to rely on charitable support while moving toward greater self-sufficiency.

During the year, VAT was introduced on independent school fees from January 2025. Trustees took the decision not to pass this cost on to families during the academic year, absorbing the additional financial burden from January to August 2025. This decision was made in recognition of the mid-year timing of the policy change and to avoid placing unexpected financial pressure on families.

From September 2025 onwards, VAT will be applied to fees. However, due to the charity’s ability to reclaim VAT on certain expenditures, the effective increase to families is expected to be lower than the standard rate, at approximately 16%.

While the introduction of VAT presents an ongoing financial challenge, trustees recognise the broader policy intention of increasing equity across the education system and have sought to balance this with the charity’s commitment to accessibility.

Related Party Transactions

During the financial period, the charity received donations from a related party - The Koukab Trust - based in Jersey. The trust is a non-profit entity and is classified under ‘Charities, Non-Government Organisations or Not for Profits outside of the United Kingdom.’

The related party is a family trust administered by the father of Tara Royle, who is a trustee of the charity. The trustees consider this relationship to constitute a related party under applicable accounting standards.

The total amount of donations received from this related party during the period was £330,000. The donations were made on an unrestricted basis and no conditions were attached. The trustees confirm that the charity has not provided any material benefit to the related party in return for these donations.

Reserves policy

It is the charity’s policy to hold reserves amounting to a minimum of £60,000, or approximately 3 months’ operating costs.

The present level of funding is adequate to support the continuation of the charity for the medium term and the trustees consider the financial position of the charity to be satisfactory.

8

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Progress Against 2023–24 Priorities

a) Teaching & Learning

b) Financial Sustainability

c) Community Engagement

d) Outdoor Learning

e) Governance

9

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Structure, governance and management

Wildwood Nature School is controlled by its governing document, the articles of association, which was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 19 May 2022. It was amended by special resolution and registered as a charitable company on 16 June 2023.

The board of trustees, chaired by the chairperson, is responsible for the organisation's good governance, and delegates day-to-day management responsibility to the team of employees who run the school who are overseen by two of the founders. New trustees are recruited by word of mouth and advertising on the school website and relevant websites. None of the trustees are employed by the charity and do not receive remuneration for their services.

The charity trustees are also the directors of the board of the charitable company. There are additional school trustees who attend trustee meetings and support the trustees in their discussions and decisions. At present, these are Steve Tromans (founder and business manager) and Mariam Sbaiti (a parent from the school community).

Risks & Challenges

The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The main risks and challenges the organisation faces are:

10

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Future Plans (2025–26)

What Continues:

What’s New:

Shift in Priorities:

11

Wildwood Nature School Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ended 31st July 2025

Example of Impact

The Board of Trustees

Ms Emma Shaw (Chairperson) Mrs Tara Royle (Secretary) Mrs Susannah Knox

Registered address

Wildwood Nature School St Mary Brookfield Hall York Rise London NW5 1SB

Registered charity number

1204278

Company registration number 14117966

Independent Examiner

Grosvenor Partners LLP Chartered Accountants 80 Coleman Street London EC2R 5BJ

On behalf of the board,

Tara Royle

Signed on Wednesday 1 April 2026

12

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Chartered accountants report to the board of directors on the preparation of the unaudited statutory financial statements of Wildwood Nature School Year ended 31st July 2025

In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Companies Act 2006, we have prepared for your approval the financial statements of Wildwood Nature School for the year ended 31st July 2025 which comprise the income statement, statement of financial position and related notes from the company's accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us.

As a practising member firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which are detailed at http://www.icaew.com /en/members/regulations-standards-and-guidance/.

This report is made solely to the board of directors of Wildwood Nature School, as a body, in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter dated 5th March 2026. Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the financial statements of Wildwood Nature School and state those matters that we have agreed to state to the board of directors of Wildwood Nature School as a body, in this report in accordance with ICAEW Technical Release 07/16 AAF. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than Wildwood Nature School and its board of directors as a body for our work or for this report.

It is your duty to ensure that Wildwood Nature School has kept adequate accounting records and to prepare statutory financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of Wildwood Nature School. You consider that Wildwood Nature School is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the year.

We have not been instructed to carry out an audit or a review of the financial statements of Wildwood Nature School. For this reason, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the accounting records or information and explanations you have given to us and we do not, therefore, express any opinion on the statutory financial statements.

Grosvenor Partners LLP

Chartered Accountants 80 Coleman Street London EC2R 5BJ

Page 2

13

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Income statement

Year ended 31st July 2025

Turnover
Other income
Cost of raw materials and consumables
Staff costs
Depreciation and other amounts written off assets
Other charges
Profit
2025
£
523,363
2,500
525,863
)
(24,936
)
(203,634
)
(14,964
)
(155,634
126,695
2024
£
487,096
-
487,096
)
(18,775
)
(179,612
)
(13,929
)
(153,299
121,481

Page 3

14

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Statement of changes in equity

Year ended 31st July 2025

At 1st August 2023
Profit for the year
Total comprehensive income for the year
At 31st July 2024 and 1st August 2024
Profit for the year
Total comprehensive income for the year
At 31st July 2025
Profit and
loss
account
Total
£
£
)
(157,353
)
(157,353
121,481
121,481
121,481
121,481
)
(35,873
)
(35,873
126,695
126,695
126,695
126,695
90,822
90,822
126,695
90,822

Page 4

15

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Statement of financial position

31st July 2025

2025 2025 2024 2024
£ £ £ £
Fixed assets 113,554 124,381
Current assets 259,280 126,849
Prepayments and accrued income 17,809 12,500
277,089 139,349
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year )
(886
)
(817
Net current assets 276,203 138,532
Total assets less current liabilities 389,757 262,913
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year )
(280,500
)
(280,500
Accruals and deferred income )
(18,435
)
(18,285
Net assets/(liabilities) 90,822 )
(35,872
Capital and reserves 90,822 )
(35,872

Page 5

16

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Statement of financial position (continued)

31st July 2025

Notes to the financial statements

1. Tangible assets

Improvements
to leasehold
property
£
Cost
At 1st August 2024
87,580
Additions
-
At 31st July 2025
87,580
Depreciation
At 1st August 2024
-
Charge for the year
-
At 31st July 2025
-
Carrying amount
At 31st July 2025
87,580
At 31st July 2024
87,580
2.
Directors advances, credits and guarantees
Tara Royle
Plant and
machinery
£
40,893
328
41,221
12,837
10,305
23,142
18,079
28,056
Fixtures,
fittings and
equipment
£
14,825
3,810
18,635
6,081
4,659
10,740
7,895
8,744
Balance
brought
forward and
o/standing
2025
£
280,500
Total
£
143,298
4,138
147,436
18,918
14,964
33,882
113,554
124,380
Balance
brought
forward and
o/standing
2024
£
280,500

Page 6

17

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Statement of financial position (continued)

Year ended 31st July 2025

For the year ending 31st July 2025 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors responsiblities:

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the micro-entity provisions.

These financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 5th March 2026, and are signed on behalf of the board by:

Tara Royle Director

Company registration number: 14117966 Registered charity number: 1204278

The company is a private company limited by guarentee, registered in England & Wales.

Page 7

18

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Detailed income statement

Year ended 31st July 2025

Turnover
Fees Receivable
Other income
Charitable receipts
SEN provision receipts
Other income
Interest on cash and cash equivalents
Cost of raw materials and consumables
Direct costs
Staff costs
Wages and salaries
Employer's social security contributions
Staff pension costs - defined contribution
Depreciation and other amounts written off assets
Depreciation of tangible assets
2025
£
184,944
1,365
330,000
7,054
523,363
2,500
2,500
)
(24,936
)
(24,936
)
(188,212
)
(11,131
)
(4,291
)
(203,634
)
(14,964
)
(14,964
2024
£
161,663
20,182
303,500
1,751
487,096
-
-
)
(18,775
)
(18,775
)
(169,462
)
(6,377
)
(3,773
)
(179,612
)
(13,929
)
(13,929

Page 8

19

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Year ended 31st July 2025

Other charges
Subcontract labour
Staff training
Rent payable
Insurance
Light and heat
Cleaning
Repairs and maintenance
Printing, postage and stationery
Advertising
Telephone
Computer costs
Travelling and entertainment
Entertaining
Legal and professional
Consultancy fees
Accountancy fees
Bank charges
Staff welfare
General expenses
Recruitment fees
Charitable donations
Subscriptions
2025
£
-
)
(1,443
)
(75,000
)
(4,110
)
(9,919
)
(8,978
)
(6,552
)
(310
)
(1,297
)
(2,031
)
(506
)
(772
-
)
(1,004
)
(35,036
)
(4,133
)
(83
)
(1,805
)
(63
)
(1,934
-
)
(658
)
(155,634
2024
£
)
(9,500
)
(3,311
)
(84,244
-
)
(3,792
)
(9,823
)
(2,190
)
(347
)
(1,249
)
(1,605
)
(615
)
(430
)
(119
)
(8,827
)
(15,547
)
(2,450
)
(144
)
(3,005
)
(1,502
)
(3,741
)
(30
)
(828
)
(153,299

Page 9

20

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Debtors

Amounts falling due within one year
Trade debtors
Trade debtors
Other debtors
Other debtors
VAT recoverable
PAYE recoverable
Prepayments and accrued income
Prepayments
Total
2025
£
13,458
13,458
37,500
9,619
1,681
48,800
17,809
17,809
80,067
2024
£
-
-
37,500
17,751
10,000
65,251
12,500
12,500
77,751

Page 10

21

Docusign Envelope ID: E35BFCA4-E267-4E16-B941-1EE928ACB767

Wildwood Nature School

Creditors

Amounts falling due within one year
Other creditors
Pension contributions
Accruals and deferred income
Accountancy accrual
Deposits
Total
2025
£
886
886
2,600
15,835
18,435
19,321
2024
£
817
817
2,450
15,835
18,285
19,102

Page 11

22