## **The British Association for the Advancement of Science** _Trading as_ **The British Science Association (BSA)**
## **Trustees’ Annual Report**
1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
Charity registration number: 212479 Scotland charity registration number: SC039236
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## **Chair’s foreword**
I am delighted to be introducing the 2023/2024 annual report and am pleased to report a wonderfully successful and stable year, despite the turbulence in our external environment. Across the political spectrum we have seen an increasing emphasis on the role of science and innovation in national life making our work more relevant than ever.
As I reflect on the last year, I am once again struck by the breadth and depth of our charity’s work. The British Science Association (BSA) is a national charity that wants everyone to feel included in science, so we work with a diverse range of sectors and stakeholders to deliver our programmes. We bring people and science together in ways that will have a lasting, positive impact on communities, research and society.
In 2023/24, we began development of our next business plan for 2024-2027, building on the success of our current strategy and to further align our programmes with our strategic goals. We have also seen a great level of success throughout the year, and I would particularly like to highlight the following achievements:
- In February 2024, we launched our first BSA manifesto ahead of the 2024 UK General Election, calling on all political parties to commit to a fairer and more prosperous future through science.
- Hosted by the University of Exeter from 7–10 September 2023, the British Science Festival was a huge success, with 116 events taking place over four days across the university campus and city centre, reaching over 7,500 people.
- British Science Week celebrated its 30th anniversary in March 2024 under the theme of “Time”. We were thrilled with the level of schools engagement this year with an estimated 2.6 million young people getting involved.
- We received over 45,000 submissions for CREST Awards from schools this year, including over 21,000 Awards for young people from schools in challenging circumstances.
- Two new Future Forum reports were published in 2023-2024, giving young people aged-14-18 a chance to have their voices heard on issues involving science.
More details of these and other activities are in the report. I would like to thank all of the many funders whose support makes our work possible – in particular, UK Research & Innovation and Wellcome whose generous support across our programme portfolio enables our work to grow.
I would also like to thank our departing trustees, Kalli Bowyer (Treasurer) and Stephen Nuttall (Deputy Chair & Vice-President for Engagement), for their commitment to the organisation over the last few years. And I welcome Neil Greenwood as our new Treasurer and Matt Howard as our new Vice-President for Engagement. I would also like to extend my gratitude to our President for the year, Professor Dame Jane Francis for her active support.
On the Executive, I pay tribute to our departing Director of External Relations, Amy MacLaren, who left in February 2024 after almost 10 years with us, and to welcome our new Director of Development and External Relations, Vijay Jassal. The breadth of our delivery brings along with it challenges which the executive team manages with impressive resilience and fortitude.
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As we look ahead to 2024/25, the BSA will begin the delivery of our new business plan and five strategic goals, offering more opportunities for us to refine our programmes to suit the needs of our stakeholders and audiences. We move into the new financial year with stable finances, a high performing staff team, an experienced and knowledgeable Council, and a clear sense of our purpose and direction. I would like to thank the team and Council for their support and energy in creating our new business plan and I look forward to working with them in the coming year.
## **Hilary Newiss**
## **Chair of Council**
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## Overview of the BSA
## **Founded in 1831, the British Science Association is a registered charity that works with partners across the UK to bring people and science together.**
We improve young peoples’ experiences of science in their education
We work with community groups and grassroots organisations to give them opportunities to be involved with science.
We showcase the amazing work of researchers and academics through our events and activities.
We advocate for a more inclusive science community.
## _Our vision_
A future where science is more relevant, representative and connected to society.
## _Our mission_
The BSA believes that all of society should be included in science.
We bring people and science together in ways that will have a lasting, positive impact on communities, research and society.
Our goals put our audiences at the heart of what we do – we will be led by their needs first.
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## Section One: Objectives and Achievements
Our ten-year objectives are:
A) For more people, especially those from currently underrepresented groups, to feel that science is relevant to their lives
- **Provide engagement** activities that effectively **reach and engage underserved audiences** with science and use these activities to **understand** and **disseminate** good practice.
- **Enrich** young people’s experience of science in a way that encourages more of them to see science as **relevant** to their lives and to **study/work** in science.
- Partner with **communities** to enable them to **conduct, influence or apply** science/research e.g. involvement in discussions about emerging technologies, decisions on research funding priorities, citizen science.
B) For more people, especially those from currently underrepresented groups, to play a bigger role, have a more powerful voice, and build stronger relationships in/with the STEM sector
- **Amplify** the ‘missing voices’ in science to champion those whose voices are often overlooked in science-based conversations.
- Set up **participatory structures** to facilitate dialogue, foster mutual understanding and transfer power between communities and science/research professionals.
- Enable **collaboration and dialogue** to improve the way science is applied and used among business, policy and third sectors.
- C) Build the capacity of the BSA and the science community to:
- **Understand and address** structural inequalities in accessing science education, employment and engagement opportunities.
- **Advocate** for the adoption of a more participatory and transformative form of science engagement.
- **Improve** the BSA’s and science community’s diversity and inclusivity in order to represent all of society.
Objective C was broadened from its original version in March 2023, reflecting the BSA’s work to support EDI across the wider science community as well as within the science/research engagement sector[1] .
These objectives are supported by a three-year business plan. April 2023 to March 2024 sat within our business plan covering the period April 2021 to March 2024.
The following pages provide an overview of the key achievements for our main projects and programmes under each of our three strategic objectives, for the period April 2023 to March 2024.
> 1 Previous wording for Objective C:
> To build the capacity of the BSA and the science/research engagement sector to:
> • Understand and **address structural inequalities** in science engagement.
> • Advocate for the adoption of a more **participatory** and transformative form of science engagement. • Improve the BSA’s/sector’s **diversity** and **inclusivity** .
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## Strategic objective A
For more people, especially those from currently underrepresented groups, to feel that science is relevant to their lives
## **British Science Festival**
_An annual celebration of the people, stories and ideas at the heart of science, hosted by a different city each September._
Hosted by the University of Exeter from 07 – 10 September, the 2023 British Science Festival was a huge success, with 116 events taking place over four days across the university campus and city centre, reaching over 7,500 people. Our principal partner for the event was the Natural Environment Research Council, with other key partners including Exeter Science Centre (who supported 11 community grant events), Exeter Science Park and the Guildhall shopping centre, which hosted our first late night British Science Festival takeover event.
The next British Science Festival will be hosted by the University of East London from 11-15 September 2024.
## **British Science Week**
_An annual grassroots celebration of science with events and activities taking place in schools, local community groups and national cultural institutions across the UK. As well as free resources (schools’ activity packs, marketing resources) and opportunities for the public to engage in the Week, we provide ‘micro grants’ to schools and community groups to enable them to participate._
British Science Week (BSW) celebrated its 30[th] anniversary with the theme ‘Time’. Corefunded by UKRI, with support across many of the partners listed on pages 11-12, highlights from this year’s event included:
- 1,835 schools registering for the Live Assembly hosted by the Royal Observatory Greenwich,
- 115,135 entries to this year’s poster competition
- Over 60,000 downloads of the British Science Week activity packs
- 94 Community Grant-funded events, attracting an estimated audience of over 6,000 people
- 178 Kickstart grants awarded to schools in challenging circumstances, reaching over 52,000 young people
- A webinar on Nature’s Calendar in partnership with the Woodland Trust
- Nine new Smashing Stereotypes profiles, with support from L’Oreal, Urenco and 3M.
## **CREST Awards**
_The BSA’s flagship education programme, which inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. CREST recognises young people’s achievement in STEM project work and is available at a range of levels to suit students aged 3 to 19._
## 2023/24 highlights included:
- 45,000 submissions from schools, including over 21,000 awards for students from schools in challenging circumstances.[2]
> 2 Classified as those with >30% of young people on free school meals or equivalent, >30% of young people from minority ethnic backgrounds or a designated rural postcode.
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- Our Engage Network (previously the Under-represented Audiences Network) – grew to over 2,000 teachers, providing grants and wider support for schools in challenging circumstances.
- The launch of our first early years CREST resource, ‘Earth and Beyond’ (for 3-5 year olds).
- 91 grants awarded to schools in challenging circumstances to support them to undertake CREST Awards. 22 grant recipients have also been enrolled in our Engage Buddies programme. New to CREST, these teachers are offered additional support and encouragement from another peer ‘buddy’ in the network.
- Teacher focus groups and a workshop with stakeholders across the STEM education sector to share ideas and best practice on approaches that help to engage young people typically under-represented in STEM.
- 119 kit boxes for primary schools in challenging circumstances – these continue to be well received and heavily over-subscribed.
We continue to be grateful to our funding partners for this important work. In addition to our core funders, UKRI, CREST funders this year included Mewburn Ellis, the NCR Foundation, DeepMind, Ogden Trust and Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, as well as the Welsh Government, whose support allows schools in Wales to access CREST free of charge. We continue to be grateful for the support of our Regional CREST Support Organisations, who work with schools across the UK.
## Strategic Objective B
For more people, especially those from currently underrepresented groups, to play a bigger role, have a more powerful voice, and build stronger relationships in/with the STEM sector
## **Community Engagement Programmes**
_The British Science Association is committed to supporting community organisations who work with groups underserved and under-represented in science. Since 2015, the BSA has supported communities to feel more involved with science. We run a range of programmes providing communities with an opportunity to engage with science, have a voice in science and explore science-related issues in a way that is relevant to them._
## **Community Engagement Network, Leaders and Buddies**
_Our_ _**Community Engagement Network** aims to support, connect and inspire community organisations interested in providing science content to their audiences/users. We work with over 1,100 community groups as part of the network, enabling us to reach a diverse range of audiences across the UK._
_Our_ _**Community Leaders and Buddies programmes** harness the passion and ideas of individuals who work with underserved audiences, enhance their skills to enable them to become leaders in science engagement in their communities and support them to access local researchers who they can work together with in their engagement activities_ .
12 individuals took part in this year’s Community Leaders programme, with a further 12 community leaders taking part in this year’s Community Buddies programme. These leaders have been paired with researchers from their local areas, with a view to co-developing grant funded projects which benefit the local community.
## **Highlands and Islands COP 26 Grant Programme**
_The Highlands and Islands Climate Change Community Grant scheme, funded by UKRI and delivered by the BSA and Science Ceilidh, supports community groups in the Highlands and_
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_Islands of Scotland to work with a researcher and run a project on a local climate change issue that matters to them._
Following the success of the first round of our Highlands and Islands climate change community grants, UKRI funded a second phase for this programme in 2023-2024, enabling us to support six new community-researcher partnerships through our New Voices Grants, while also continuing to work with the phase one community-researcher partnerships to help drive their projects even further through Building Capacity Grants.
## **Community-led research pilot programme**
_Exploring an approach to more equitable, community-driven research._
This UKRI-funded project, in partnership with the University of Reading, is now well underway, with six community groups and researchers working together to deliver projects in Reading and Slough. In each case the research questions have been led by the community groups, with examples including the impact of environmental activities and engagement with the natural environment (beekeeping) on young people's mental health; how sound, ambience and (eco)acoustics can affect the well-being and mental health of a community and the impact of black hair product chemicals on health, emotional wellbeing and cultural identity.
## **The Ideas Fund**
_The Ideas Fund launched in January 2021 with the aim of enabling the UK public to develop and try out ideas that address problems related to mental wellbeing, by working in partnership with researchers. Supported by Wellcome, the Fund has offered an exciting opportunity to test out a different approach, of community-led collaboration with researchers, with individuals, community groups and charities being invited to apply for and hold the funds, and supported to build relationships with researchers on their own terms._
Delivery of the Ideas Fund continued to progress well in 2023-2024, with the award of 14 extensions to projects originally supported through the previous two open rounds of funding in 2021/22 and 2022/23.. Recognising that the individual Ideas Fund projects themselves are not set up to address the systemic issues that prevent this way of working from being more common, we have now also awarded 'infrastructure grants' in each of the four geographic areas for the programme. These experimental grants will take a collaborative approach that seeks to embed change in practice locally.
We also launched an 'insights report' as a key learning output which will form the basis of future influencing work.
We were delighted to secure Transition and Legacy funding from Wellcome to support the programme through to October 2027. This additional funding will see us focus on three key strands of work - continuing to support and embed practice in the four Ideas Fund areas, building the evidence base on community-led approaches to research / researcher collaborations, and continuing to develop the BSA's role and partnerships.
## **For Thought**
_A thought leadership programme which gives leaders from business, policy, science and civil society a platform for cross-sector discussion and collaboration around the role of science in solving the greatest challenges of the day, and how science can better work alongside other sectors._
This year’s For Thought took place in November 2023, bringing together senior leaders in business, policy, science and civil society to explore ' _Science, innovation, and national priorities: Deciding the future of education, health, and food_ '.
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Also under For Thought banner, we partnered with Google DeepMind on a roundtable event and short report on the current landscape and future potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in science.
## **Future Forum**
_Empowering young people to share their views on cutting-edge innovations that will affect their futures._
Two new Future Forum reports were published in 2023-2024, giving young people aged-1418 a chance to have their voices heard on issues involving science: _Climate change education_ (in partnership with the University of Plymouth) was published in June and accompanied by a launch event in Parliament, while _Nuclear Energy_ (in partnership with Urenco), was published in early December. Both reports have been well received by funders and more widely.
With support from the James Weir Foundation and 3M, we also collated data from our Future Forums over the past four years, providing a dataset of over 8,000 young people that offers valuable new insights into trends in views on science, society and their future.
## Strategic Objective C
To build the capacity of the BSA and the science/research engagement sector around issues relating to equality, diversity & inclusion (EDI).
## **Stakeholder influencing and policy**
## **Statements and Consultations**
In February 2024 we launched our manifesto ahead of the 2024 UK general election, calling on all political parties to commit to a fairer and more prosperous future through science. The manifesto sets out clear asks around EDI in STEM, science education and science and society.
We also responded to a number of news events and consultations through the year, including issuing statements in response to the House of Commons Science & Technology Select Committee’s inquiry into Diversity in STEM, the House of Lords report calling for urgent changes to education for 11-to-16 year olds and the Horizon Europe announcement in September 2023.
## **The APPG for Diversity & Inclusion in STEM**
_The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) in STEM aims to promote inclusion and progression of people from diverse backgrounds in STEM, and to encourage government, parliamentarians, academics, businesses, and other stakeholders to work towards a STEM sector that is representative of the population. The Group is funded by a wide range of sponsors. The BSA has provided the Secretariat for the Group since its inception in 2018/19._
In July 2023 we published a new APPG report examining the variation in STEM skills provision across the UK and how this intersects with regional inequity. The group also held several meetings through the year, including panel discussions on place-based barriers to gaining STEM skills and D&I and critical technologies.
Also relating to diversity & inclusion in STEM but separate to the APPG, in March 2024 we hosted a panel event on diversity and inclusion in the life sciences, Chaired by Chi Onwurah MP at the Centre for Life in Newcastle.
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## **Sciencewise**
_Sciencewise is a public dialogue programme providing insights into what people think about science & emerging technology. BSA works as part of the Sciencewise consortium (alongside Involve and NCCPE, funded by UKRI)._
2023/24 saw the publication of two new Sciencewise reports:
- _People, communities and climate technology_ – including an analysis of available research on public behaviour change relating to climate change, alongside several climate and energy technologies including smart grids, fusion, and carbon dioxide removal via direct air capture.
- And the first of two reports exploring public perceptions of engineering biology, one focusing on health and the other (published in April 2024) on food.
In February 2024 we held a roundtable event celebrating 20 years of Sciencewise, chaired by Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser.
## **Building the capacity of the Science Engagement sector**
## **UK Science Festivals Network**
_Core funded by UKRI, the BSA manages and chairs the UK Science Festivals Network (UKSFN), including science festivals and other festivals featuring science content. The Network aims to unite, celebrate and grow the science festivals sector in the UK_ .
The UKSFN currently includes 35 member festivals, including new festivals in Ullapool and Inverness who joined the network for the first time this year.
Highlights for 2023/24 included:
- The UKSFN Annual Conference in January 2024, hosted at STEAMHouse in Birmingham, with over 60 attendees taking part in sessions on community engagement, inclusion and disability, sustainability, evaluation, artificial intelligence and working with volunteers.
- Eight Making Connections grants supporting festivals to act as brokers between community groups and researchers, leading to over 30 new partnerships between festivals, community groups and researchers and over 500 participants taking part in projects.
- The Compass installation developed for the 2022 British Science Festival was hosted at Northern Ireland Science Festival, Humber Science Festival and at Jodrell Bank.
## **People and culture**
Between 01 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 the BSA had 12 new starters and 13 leavers (compared to 01 April 2022 – 31 March 2023: 11 starters and 7 leavers). This included the departure of the Director of External Relations, Amy MacLaren, with our new Director of Development and External Relations, Vijay Jassal, joining in February 2024. The increased focus on fundraising and business development as part of this role reflects our ambitious goals as part of the new three year business plan published in April 2024.
## **Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI)**
The BSA believes that, for too long, science has been the preserve of professional scientists. We believe science should be open to everyone, regardless of background or experience.
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We know there are persistent structural barriers to equality in many areas of UK society, culture and work, and we believe that transforming the diversity and inclusivity of science can play a part in tackling them.
We have continued to ensure that a focus on equality, diversity and inclusion sits right at the heart of our programmes and to look at ways to ensure this focus is also reflected through our internal systems and processes. We monitor staff views on our EDI work as an organisation (as reported by staff in our annual staff survey, see, for example, graphs below). We also have an EDI action plan which is reviewed quarterly and reported to Council annually.
## **Diversity data**
The BSA has been monitoring staff EDI data since 2017 and trustee EDI data since 2019. We published this for the first time in 2020 and believe this is an important indication of our commitment to EDI. Our most recent data, from our survey in Autumn 2023 can be found at www.britishscienceassociation.org/diversity-data
## Section Two: Our future plans
In April 2024, we launched our new three-year business plan , covering the period April 2024 to March 2027.
This sets out the following five goals for the next three years, as we head towards the next phase of our 10-year strategy:
- 1) **Transform science education for all young people** – By 2027, the BSA wants the science curriculum to be more relevant to young people and to offer more opportunities for them to take the lead on science projects and practical investigations as part of their education. We will also champion and showcase a wider range of diverse role models in science.
- 2) **Put communities at the heart of research and innovation** – By 2027, the BSA will have led a sector-wide shift that places communities and researchers on equal ground in their interactions together. We will develop an evidence-based model for change, rooted in lived experience, for funders, partners, and other leaders in the sector to use.
- 3) **Give the public a voice on science decisions** – By 2027, the BSA will have influenced a change in how decisions about science are made. Seldom heard communities, including young people, will be given greater opportunity to have their say on topics that affect their lives and livelihoods.
- 4) **Drive towards a more representative science community** – By 2027, the BSA will have worked alongside Government to establish a greater commitment to improving the equity, diversity and inclusion of science, technology and engineering.
- 5) **Champion the role of science festivals** – By 2027, the BSA wants festivals to be recognised as an essential contributor to their communities, through the relationships they build between science, local partners and audiences.
In order to support the delivery of these goals, we will also be prioritising the following crosscutting themes and enablers:
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- **Raising the BSA’s organisational profile and influence** across education, EDI in STEM and science and society
- **Growing the reach and impact of our programmes** , including building new partnerships and enabling and sharing best practice, both within and outside the BSA
- **Increasing beneficiary voice** – ensuring the voice and needs of our beneficiaries informs and is highlighted within our work
- **Embedding equity, diversity and inclusion throughout our activities**
- **Financial diversity and sustainability** – ensuring we have the breadth and level of resources to support our aspirations
- **Effective information technology,** with the right systems and processes to support delivery of our strategic plan
- **Continuing to build the skills and capacity of the team and ensure a welcoming, diverse and inclusive culture** , reflecting our values and the wider focus of our work.
- - **Continued strong governance** to provide the support and challenge needed to deliver our strategy.
## Section Three: Financial Review
## **Funders/ sponsors:**
3M ACS Applied Microbiology International (AMI) Alfresco Learning Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists AstraZeneca Atos British Society for Haematology British Society for Immunology Center for Industry Education Collaboration Collective Act Collins Crossland Tankers De Montfort University Drax Dream Machine ESERO UK Evolution Education Trust (EET) Everyday Plastic Explorify Futurecodersse Community Interest Company Gatsby Charitable Foundation Greenpeace Harper Collins The Worshipful Company of Horners Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) The Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS) James Weir Foundation King's College London Leeds Museums & Galleries LessonUp
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National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards MSD National Farmers' Union (NFU) National Society for Education in Art & Design Nutrition Society OKIDO PerkinElmer Physiological Society Primary Science Teaching Trust PWIS Royal Academy of Engineering Royal Observatory Greenwich Royal Society of Chemistry Salters' Institute Sciencewise Silence Therapeutics Simple Politics STEM Learning Stemettes Limited Sustrans UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) University of Exeter University of Plymouth University of Reading University of the West of England Urenco VICTA Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics Wellcome Trust Welsh Government World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Zinc ( on behalf of HS2)
## **Risk Management**
The purpose of the BSA’s Risk & Issue Register is to enable the British Science Association’s Trustees to identify the main risks and issues the charity faces and record how to deal with them. The information in this framework is reviewed quarterly by the Senior Management Team, Finance Director, Finance Committee (financial risks and issues), and at least twice-yearly by the Audit & Risks Committee. Principal risks and issues (those identified as ones that would have a significant impact on ability to deliver our charitable objectives) are reported by default at each Council meeting, alongside other risks and issues where ratings have changed significantly since the last meeting.
Each section of the register is divided into five areas based on Charity Commission guidance (CC26[3] ):
> 3 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charities-and-risk-management-cc26/charities-and-risk-managementcc26#annex-1-risk-register-template-with-examples-of-use
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1. Strategic risks and issues
2. Operational risks and issues
3. Financial risks and issues
4. Governance risks and issues
5. Compliance and legislative risks and issues
Principal risks identified for the organisation include:
- **Programmes being ineffective or not being aligned to strategy** . This is mitigated by our strategy, mission, vision and aims being developed and prominently shared on our communications channels, regular review of programmes and strategy by Council and active consideration of the extent to which potential new programmes meet our strategic needs.
- **Loss of funding through competition, threat of recession or change in funding model/strategic direction of major funders.** This is mitigated by working closely with funding partners to understand and adapt to changes in funding models, regular analysis to identify competitors and (more often) potential partners, focus on capturing our impact, and regular review of the funding landscape to identify prospective new funders aligned to our strategic objectives.
- **Team capacity not being sufficient to deliver programmes.** This is mitigated by using a thorough process for allocating staff time and resources, effective recordkeeping and handovers and using interim appointments, freelance staff and agencies to help address gaps.
## **Reserves policy**
At their meeting in September 2023, Council approved a revised, risk-based reserves policy, proposed by the Finance Committee. Reserves are based on the following key principles:
1. Working capital provision - £500k to 800k
2. Loss or delay in funding - £775k
3. Wind down costs - £300k - £500k
On this basis, the BSA opted to continue to aim for reserves between £1.6m and £2.1m. The reserves policy is reviewed annually by the Finance Committee to confirm the calculations and agree the policy for the coming year.
The Trustees recognise that the current reserves are £1.79m and will continue to aim to work towards holding unrestricted reserves within the above range in the coming years. The BSA’s Trustees are satisfied that there are no concerns about the BSA’s existence as a
going concern for at least the next 12 months and will continue to investigate opportunities to increase unrestricted funding.
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## Section Four: Structure, Governance and Management
The Trustees confirm they have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
## **Charter, statutes and rules**
The British Association for the Advancement of Science was founded in 1831 and is incorporated by Royal Charter. The Charter is dated 21 April 1928 and there have been Supplemental Charters dated 15 August 1960, 10 February 1997. The Association’s Statutes were revised and approved by the Privy Council in May 2006. In April 2020, the Privy Council approved an updated version of the BSA’s Charter and Statutes.
Council has approved Rules which are reviewed regularly by Council and may be altered by a majority vote in Council.
## **Registered and operating names**
The British Science Association is the operating name for (and a registered trademark of) the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The registered name of the charity remains as the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
## **Council**
The governing body of the British Science Association is Council. Members of Council comprise the following people who are entitled to vote at Council meetings:
- The Chair
- The Vice (deputy) Chair
- The Treasurer
- Up to three Vice-Presidents who advise on specific matters
- Up to eight people appointed as determined by Council
In addition, the President, President-elect and immediate Past President, if not Trustees, are entitled to attend Council but not to vote.
Council normally meets four times a year, once per quarter. Its function is to agree a vision and strategy for the charity and to direct all the affairs and business of the organisation. Council may delegate its powers to the staff or its sub committees.
Members of Council normally serve for a period of three years with the option of being reappointed for a further three years as long as any continuous period in office does not normally exceed six years. In exceptional circumstances, by two thirds majority vote in Council of all members present, a further year’s extension is permitted.
## **Trustee induction and training**
Following their election or appointment, induction information is sent to all new Trustees before they attend their first Council meeting. This comprises relevant Association and Charity Commission documents and information including the Charity Governance Code. External training opportunities for new and existing Trustees are offered in addition to away
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days and ad hoc meetings. Council members are invited to many of the Association’s external events.
## **Finance Committee (incorporating the Investment Committee)**
Finance Committee is chaired by the Treasurer and comprises between four and six Council members, plus the Chief Executive as voting members, with the Finance Director also attending meetings as a non-voting member. Meetings are held four times per year. The purpose of the Committee is to assist Council in supervising the broad direction of the Association’s financial affairs at a strategic level, providing a forum for more detailed consideration of the financial strategy and financial risk, acting as a sounding board for discussion with management and for the supervision and control of the Association’s investments.
## **Audit & Risks Committee**
The Audit & Risks Committee comprises three members of Council, including the Treasurer. Council is able to co-opt further persons if needed to provide additional expertise or an external perspective, provided they do not outnumber the Council appointees. The Committee meets at least twice a year and meetings are attended by the Finance Director and Chief Executive.
Council has appointed a professional auditor of the Association, who is qualified for appointment as auditor of a company in accordance with the provisions of the Charities Act. The auditor attends meetings of the Committee as and when required.
## **Council Members**
## **Council member roles and terms of office**
|||**Elected**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Name**|**Role**||**Retiring**|
|||**/appointed**||
|||||
|HilaryNewiss|Chair|March 2022|March 2025(1)|
|Stephen
Nuttall|Deputy Chair and VP Engagement|July 2017|March 2024|
|Kalli Bowyer|Treasurer|June 2018|March 2024|
|Neil Greenwood|Treasurer|March 2024|April 2027(1)|
|Heather King|VP Education|Oct 2021|Nov 2024(1)|
|Sarah Chaytor|VP Policy,Partnerships & Impact|Mar 2023|April 2026(1)|
|Matthew
Howard|VP Engagement|March 2024|April 2027(1)|
|Sarah Main|Trustee (elected)|Oct 2017|Nov 2023|
|Joe de Sousa|Trustee(appointed)|Aug2020|Sept 2026(2)|
|Rubina Ahmed|Trustee(appointed)|Aug2020|Sept 2026(2)|
|Kate Mingay|Trustee(appointed)|Aug2020|December 2023|
|Kevin Coutinho||Mar 2023|April 2026(1)|
||Trustee (appointed) - EDI lead|||
|||||
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|Phil Smith|Trustee (appointed) - Community|Mar 2023|April 2026(1)|
|---|---|---|---|
||
engagement lead|||
- (1) Indicates the end of the first term of office
- (2) Indicates the end of the second term of office (where Council members have been reappointed at the end of the first term).
## **Council membership of sub-committees**
|||||**Honorary**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Finance**|**Audit & Risk**|**Nominations**||
|**Name**||||
**Fellowships**|
||**Committee**|**Committee**|**Committee**||
|||||**Committee**|
||||||
|HilaryNewiss|Y|Y|Y(Chair)|Y(Chair)|
|Kate Mingay*|Y|Y|||
|Stephen Nuttall**|Y|Y|||
|Kalli Bowyer**|Y|Y|||
|Sarah Main****|Y||||
|Rubina Ahmed|||Y||
|Joe de Sousa||Y|Y||
|Heather King|||Y|Y|
|Sarah Chaytor||||Y|
|Kevin Coutinho|||Y|Y|
|Phil Smith|Y||||
|Neil Greenwood***|Y(Chair)|Y(Chair)|||
|Matthew Howard***|Y||||
- stepped down December 2023
- ** stepped down March 2024
- *** term started March 2024
- **** stepped down November 2023
## **President**
September 2022 to August 2023 – Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon (moving to Immediate Past President from September 2023 to August 2024)
September 2023 to August 2024 – Professor Dame Jane Francis
## **2023 Honorary Fellows**
Professor Jason Arday, Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge
Dr Jess Wade, Lecturer and Research Fellow in the Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College London.
## **Royal Patron**
Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, for the 20232024 year we did not have a Royal Patron.
17
## Section Five: Reference and Administrative details
## **Senior Staff**
Hannah Russell Chief Executive Gill Riches Director of Programmes Amy MacLaren Director of External Relations (until 13 February 2024) Vijay Jassal Director of Development & External Relations (from 06 February 2024) Dave Lloyd Director of Finance (outsourced) **Advisors** Bankers NatWest Bank plc, 208 Piccadilly, London, W1A 2DG Solicitors Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP, 45 Clarendon Road, Watford, WD17 1SZ Accounting TC Kent (formerly Crossley Group), Star House, Star Hill, Rochester, ME1 1UX Independent auditors Sayer Vincent, 110 Golden Lane, London, EC1Y 0TG Investment advisors James Hambro Partners LLP, 45 Pall Mall, London, SW1Y 5JG
**Principal and registered office**
Wellcome Wolfson Building 165 Queen’s Gate London SW7 5HD
## **Declarations**
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the BSA’s Council
Name: Hilary Newiss Position: Chair Date: 02 October 2024
18
Independent Auditor’s report to the members of The British Association for the
## Advancement of Science
## Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of The British Association for the Advancement of Science (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- Give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, for the year then ended
- Have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
- Have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 and of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
## Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on The British Association for the Advancement of Science's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
19
## Other Information
The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- The information given in the trustees’ annual report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements;
- Sufficient and proper accounting records have not been kept; or
- The financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- We have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit
## Responsibilities of trustees
As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities set out in the trustees’ annual report, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and report in accordance with regulations made under that Act.
20
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are set out below.
## Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:
- We enquired of management and the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, which included obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the charity’s policies and procedures relating to:
- Identifying, evaluating, and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
- Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected, or alleged fraud;
- The internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.
- We inspected the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.
- We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, focusing on those laws and regulations that had a material effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the charity from our professional and sector experience.
- We communicated applicable laws and regulations throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.
- We reviewed any reports made to regulators.
- We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and tested these to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.
- In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments, assessed whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias and tested significant transactions that are unusual or those outside the normal course of business.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater
21
regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charity's trustees as a body, in accordance with section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Judith Miller (Senior statutory auditor) Date: 18 October 2024 Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor 110 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TG
Sayer Vincent LLP is eligible to act as auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006
22
## British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Statement of financial activities
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
|For the year ended 31 March 2024|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Note
Income from:
2
3
3
3
3
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
7
18
Reconciliation of funds:
17
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Raising funds
Net expenditure for the period/year
Other (Overhead allocation allocated to
Total expenditure
Net (expenditure) / income before net
gains on investments
Charitable activities
Engagement programmes
Education programmes
Regions, branches and sections
Net gains on investments
Policy, Partnerships & Impact
Grants Programme
Investments
Total income
Expenditure on:
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Engagement programmes
Education programmes
Policy, Partnerships & Impact
Grants Programme|Unrestricted
£
175,093
109,283
216,581
149,606
-
34,676|Restricted
£
-
1,566,026
1,017,080
-
1,504,908
-|2024
Total
£
175,093
1,675,309
1,233,661
149,606
1,504,908
34,676|Unrestricted
£
84,196
65,700
244,922
136,109
-
20,260|Restricted
£
104,230
1,926,316
928,146
144,717
2,775,396
-|2023
(Restated)
Total
£
188,427
1,992,016
1,173,068
280,826
2,775,396
20,260|
||685,239|4,088,015|4,773,253|551,187|5,878,805|6,429,993|
||156,750
196,642
56,689
310,734
-
-
-|-
1,558,726
1,007,127
-
1,503,951
6,993
-|156,750
1,755,368
1,063,816
310,734
1,503,951
6,993
-|79,989
92,054
76,839
246,098
-
-
15,339|104,230
1,934,106
1,029,131
144,717
2,762,041
5,649
-|184,220
2,026,160
1,105,970
390,814
2,762,041
5,649
15,339|
||720,815|4,076,797|4,797,612|510,319|5,979,874|6,490,193|
||83,755
(35,577)|-
11,218|83,755
(24,359)|(52,415)
40,868|-
(101,068)|(52,415)
(60,200)|
||48,178
(2,300)|11,218
2,300|59,396
-|(11,547)
-|(101,068)
-|(112,615)
-|
||45,878
1,822,303|13,518
238,049|59,396
2,060,352|(11,547)
1,833,850|(101,068)
339,117|(112,615)
2,172,967|
||1,868,181|251,567|2,119,748|1,822,303|238,049|2,060,352|
All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 17 to the financial statements.
23
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Balance sheet
## As at 31 March 2024
|Note
£
Fixed assets:
12
13
Current assets:
14
1,682,216
973,942
2,656,158
Liabilities:
15
(1,904,128)
18
954,861
913,320
Total unrestricted funds
Approved by the trustees on2 October 2024 and signed on their behalf by
Total charity funds
Restricted income funds
Unrestricted income funds:
Designated funds
General funds
Debtors
The funds of the charity:
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
Investments
Cash at bank and in hand
Tangible assets|2024
£
13,191
1,354,527
1,367,718
1,754,114
1,650,368
3,404,481
(2,634,587)
752,030
2,119,748
251,567
1,031,691
790,612
1,868,181
2,119,748|2023 (Restated)
£
25,654
1,264,804|
|---|---|---|
|||1,290,458
769,894|
|||2,060,352
238,049
1,822,303|
|||2,060,352|
||||
> Hilary Newiss Neil Greenwood
> Chair of Council General Treasurer
24
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Statement of cash flows
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
|||2024||2023||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Note|||||
|||£|£|£|£|
|Cash flows from operating activities|20|||||
|Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities|||(702,122)||138,884|
|Cash flows from investing activities:||||||
|Dividends, interest and rents from investments||34,676||20,260||
|Purchase of fixed assets||(3,010)||(13,259)||
|Proceeds from sale of investments||360,218||366,128||
|Purchase of investments||(395,183)||(429,981)||
|Net cash provided by / (used in) investing activities|||(3,299)||(56,853)|
|Change in cash and cash equivalents in the period|||(705,421)||82,032|
|Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period|||1,686,763||1,604,731|
|Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period|21||981,342||1,686,763|
25
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 1 Accounting policies
## a) Statutory information
- British Association for the Advancement of Science is an unincorporated charity registered with the Charity Commission in England & Wales and Scotland. The registered office address is Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen’s Gate, London, SW7 5HD.
## 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 n 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 accounts 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) issued on 16 July 2014 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 except that investments held as fixed assets are carried at market value as at the balance sheet date.
- c) Public benefit entity
The Association 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 Association's ability to continue as a going concern.
The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.
## e) Income
Income is recognised when the Association 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 received for general purposes of the Association is credited to unrestricted funds. Income subject to specific wishes of the donor is credited to relevant restricted funds.
Subscription income is taken into the financial statements as a receipt in the year in which the subscription is received.
Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.
Provision is made in the financial statements for income tax recoverable on gift aid donations.
Gross income received from the Association's investment portfolio is reinvested with the Association's portfolio fund managers for the acquisition of further stocks.
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Association; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.
## f) Donations of gifts, services and facilities
Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the Association has control over the item or received the service, any conditions associated with the donation have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the Association of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised. The trustees’ annual report sets out more information about their contribution to the work of the Association.
## g) Fund accounting
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 charitable purposes.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.
26
British Association for the Advancement of Science
Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
- 1 Accounting policies (continued)
- h) 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:
- Costs of raising funds relate to the costs incurred by the Association in inducing third parties to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose
- Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of delivering services, exhibitions and other educational activities undertaken to further the purposes of the Association and their associated support costs
- Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
## i) Grants payable
Grants payable are made to third parties in furtherance of the charity's objects. Single or multi-year grants are accounted for when either the recipient has a reasonable expectation that they will receive a grant and the trustees have agreed to pay the grant without condition, or the recipient has a reasonable expectation that they will receive a grant and that any condition attaching to the grant is outside of the control of the charity.
- j) Allocation of support costs
Resources expended are allocated to a particular activity where the cost relates directly to that activity. However, support cost (the cost of overall direction and administration of each activity, comprising the salary and overhead costs of the central function) is apportioned on the bases of an estimate, based on staff time, of the amount attributable to each activity.
Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the Association. These costs are associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and include any costs associated with the strategic management of the Association’s activities. These costs are allocated to each activity based on staff time.
|Cost of Raising Funds:|7%|
|---|---|
|Engagement programmes:|40%|
|Education programmes:|26%|
|Policy, Partnerships & Impact|10%|
|New Grants programme|17%|
## k) Operating leases
Where assets are financed by leasing agreement that give rights approximating to ownership ("finance leases"), the assets are treated as if they had been purchased outright. The amount capitalised is the present value of the minimum lease payments during the lease term. The corresponding leasing commitments are shown as obligations to the lessor.
## l) Tangible fixed assets
Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £100. Depreciation costs are allocated to activities on the basis of the use of the related assets in those activities. Assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use.
Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:
- Office equipment
- Computer equipment
Straight line over 5 years Straight line over 3 years
## m) Listed investments
Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. Any change in fair value will be recognised in the statement of financial activities. Investment gains and losses, whether realised or unrealised, are combined and shown in the heading “net gains/(losses) on investments” in the statement of financial activities. The Association does not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial instruments.
The Association's Investment Fund is invested in accordance with the Powers of Investment set out in the Schedule to the 1977 Supplemental Charter, which requires that at least 15% of the fund must comprise investments in Government and/or fixed interest securities, including interest-bearing cash deposits. Council has determined that the primary objective of investment policy should be to maintain the capital value of the fund in real terms over the long term.
- n) 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
British Association for the Advancement of Science
Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 1 Accounting policies (continued)
## o) Cash at bank and in hand
- Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account. Cash balances exclude any funds held on behalf of service users.
## p) Creditors and provisions
- Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Association has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
The Association only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## q) Pensions
The Association operates under an auto enrolment scheme and auto enrols the new employees into the Government's NEST scheme. Pre 1 July 2014, employees are in an AEGON pension scheme. The Association matches the minimum 1% contribution and pays (on a sliding scale) up to two times the contributions made by employees to the schemes which can range between 1% and 5% of gross salary. The pension charge recorded in these financial statements is the amount of contributions payable by the Association in the accounting year.
## 2 Income from donations and legacies
|Other income
Donated services and facilities - office space
Subscriptions and donations|Unrestricted
£
5,682
72,428
96,983
175,093|£
-
-
-
-
Restricted|2024
Total
£
5,682
72,428
96,983
175,093|Unrestricted
£
9,353
70,182
4,660
84,196|2023
Total
£
£
-
9,353
-
70,182
104,230
108,891
104,230
188,427
Restricted|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
## 3 Income from charitable activities
|British Science Festival
Sub-total for engagement programmes
Policy, Partnerships & Impact
Grants Programme
Other engagement programmes
Total income from charitable activities
Education programmes|Unrestricted
£
34,000
75,283
109,283
216,581
149,606
-
475,470|£
399,354
1,166,672
1,566,026
1,017,080
-
1,504,908
4,088,014
Restricted|2024
Total
£
433,354
1,241,955
1,675,309
1,233,661
149,606
1,504,908
4,563,484|Unrestricted
£
-
65,700
65,700
244,922
136,110
-
446,732|2023
(Restated)
Total
£
£
1,056,562
1,056,562
869,754
935,454
1,926,316
1,992,016
928,146
1,173,068
144,717
280,826
2,775,398
2,775,398
5,774,576
6,221,308
Restricted|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- 4 Income from investments
|Income from investments|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Interest
Dividends|Unrestricted
£
17,239
17,437
34,676|£
-
-
-
Restricted|2024
Total
£
17,239
17,437
34,676|Unrestricted
£
15,248
5,012
20,260|£
-
-
-
Restricted|2023
Total
£
15,248
5,012|
|||||||20,260|
28
## British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 5a Analysis of expenditure (current year)
## Charitable activities
|Staff costs (Note 8)
Direct costs
Investment managers' fees
Office costs
Depreciation and disposals
Legal and professional
Irrecoverable VAT
Office service charge
Office equipment
Insurance
Marketing and PR
Support costs
Governance costs
Total expenditure 2024|Cost of raising
funds
£
83,383
3,301
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
86,684
58,097
1,969
146,750|Engagement
programmes
£
506,828
890,737
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,397,565
353,134
11,969
1,762,668|Education
programmes
£
332,839
491,209
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
824,048
231,907
7,860
1,063,815|Policy,
Partnerships &
Impact
£
124,573
96,423
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
220,996
86,796
2,942
310,734|Regions,
branches and
sections
£
-
8,843
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
8,843
-
-
8,843|Grants
Programme
£
213,090
1,137,358
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,350,448
148,471
5,032
1,503,951|Governance
costs
£
27,990
-
-
1,784
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
29,774
-
(29,774)
-|Support costs
2024
Total
£
£
269,827
1,558,530
-
2,627,871
10,466
10,466
280,782
282,566
15,474
15,474
24,811
24,811
126,917
126,917
123,813
123,813
-
-
14,454
14,454
11,860
11,860
878,404
4,796,762
(878,404)
()
-
-
4,796,762|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29
## British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 5b Analysis of expenditure (previous year)
## Charitable activities
|Staff costs (Note 8)
Direct costs
Investment managers' fees
Office costs
Depreciation and disposals
Legal and professional
Irrecoverable VAT
Office service charge
Office equipment
Insurance
Marketing and PR
Support costs
Governance costs
Total expenditure 2023|Cost of raising
funds
Engagement
programmes
Education
programmes
Policy,
Partnerships &
Impact
£
£
£
£
86,431
467,487
323,891
153,550
30,635
1,195,446
530,421
127,750
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
117,066
1,662,933
854,312
281,300
65,433
353,914
245,205
106,706
1,722
9,312
6,452
2,808
184,220
2,026,160
1,105,970
390,814|Regions,
branches and
sections
Grants
Programme
Governance
costs
Support costs
£
£
£
£
-
187,940
24,037
233,052
5,649
2,443,414
-
48,985
-
-
-
10,310
-
-
-
250,948
-
-
-
13,902
-
-
-
23,807
-
-
-
180,607
-
-
-
131,103
-
-
-
221
-
-
-
11,452
-
-
-
9,156
5,649
2,631,354
24,037
913,542
-
126,943
-
(898,203)
-
3,744
(24,037)
-
5,649
2,762,041
-
15,339|2023
(Restated) Total
£
1,476,388
4,382,301
10,310
250,948
13,902
23,807
180,607
131,103
221
11,452
9,156|
|---|---|---|---|
||||6,490,193
.00
(.00)|
||||6,490,193|
30
## British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
- 6 Grant making
|Grant making||
|---|---|
|PPI Grants
Cost
At the end of the year
Wellcome Trust grants
Education Grants
Engagement Grants|2024
2023
(Restated)
£
£
845,754
2,097,716
292,816
151,425
87,271
112,750
-
-|
||1,225,842 2,361,891|
7 Net income / (expenditure) for the period
This is stated after charging :
||2024|2023|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|Depreciation|15,474|13,902|
|Operating lease rentals:|||
|Property|51,385|60,920|
|Auditors' remuneration (excluding VAT):|||
|Audit|14,450|13,500|
- 8 Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel
Staff costs were as follows:
|Staff costs were as follows:||
|---|---|
|Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Employer’s contribution to defined contribution pension schemes|2024
2023
£
£
1,357,988
1,275,583
138,343
134,811
62,199
65,995|
||1,558,530
1,476,388|
The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) during the period between:
||2024|2023|
|---|---|---|
||No.|No.|
|£60,000 - £69,999|1|1|
|£70,000 - £79,999|1|1|
|£90,000 - £99,999|-|-|
|> £100,000|-|-|
The total employee benefits including pension contributions of the key management personnel were £236,187.70 (2023: £220,430.58).
The Council members were not paid nor received any other benefits from employment with the Association in the year (2023: £nil). No Council member received payment for professional or other services supplied to the Association (2023: £nil).
Council members' expenses represent the payment or reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs totalling £925 (2023: £648) incurred by 4 (2023: 2) members relating to attendance at Council meetings.
31
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 9 Staff numbers
The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the period was as follows:
|Engagement programmes
Fundraising, marketing and public relations
Ideas Fund
Policy, Partnerships & Impact
Educational programmes
Support and Governance|2024
2023
No.
No.
5.7
5.3
8.8
9.1
6.8
7.8
6.0
5.0
3.4
3.0
6.6
6.1|
|---|---|
||37.3
36.2|
## 10 Related party transactions
There are no related party transactions to disclose for 2024 (2023: none).
There are no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business and no restricted donations from related parties.
## 11 Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.
## 12 Tangible fixed assets
|Tangible fixed assets||||
|---|---|---|---|
|Cost
Depreciation
At the end of the year
At the end of the year
At the start of the year
Charge for the year
At the start of the year
Additions in year
Net book value
At the end of the year
At the start of the Year|Fixtures and
fittings
£
30,211
365
30,576
28,730
693
29,423
1,153
1,481|Computer
equipment
£
43,578
2,645|
Total
£
73,789
3,010|
|||46,223|76,799|
|||19,404
14,781|48,134
15,474|
|||34,185|63,608|
|||12,038|13,191|
|||24,174|25,655|
All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.
32
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
13 Listed investments
|Listed investments|||
|---|---|---|
|Grant accruals
Shares listed on the London Stock Exchange
Cash
Trade debtors
Other debtors
Prepayments
Accrued income
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Accruals
Deferred income
Fair value at the start of the year
Additions at cost
Cash held by investment broker pending reinvestment
Historic cost at the end of the year
Net (loss)/gain on change in fair value
Fair value at the end of the year
Taxation and social security
Other creditors
Trade creditors
Debtors
Investments comprise:
Disposal proceeds|2024
£
1,228,408
395,182
(360,218)
83,755|2023
£
1,216,970
429,981
(366,128)
(52,415)|
||1,347,127
7,400|1,228,408
36,395|
||1,354,527|1,264,804|
||1,145,475|1,190,336|
||2024
£
1,347,127
7,400|2023
£
1,228,408
36,395|
||1,354,527|1,264,804|
||2024
£
443,734
915
74,159
1,163,409|2023
(Restated)
£
103,755
209
48,933
1,601,217|
||1,682,216|1,754,114|
||2024
£
144,139
72,474
61,487
188,037
677,285
760,707|2023
(Restated)
£
145,635
64,356
84,120
410,873
1,630,354
299,250|
||1,904,128|2,634,587|
14 Debtors
## 15 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
33
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 16 Deferred income
Deferred income comprises both fees received in advance of the delivery of the services and grants received for future financial periods.
|Balance at the beginning of the period
Amount released to income in the period
Amount deferred in the period
Balance at the end of the period
Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)
Tangible fixed assets
Net assets at the end of the year
Analysis of net assets between funds (prior period)
Investments
Net current assets
Net assets at the end of the period
Investments
Net current assets
Tangible fixed assets|£
13,191
1,354,527
500,462
1,868,181
£
25,654
1,264,804
531,845
1,822,303
Unrestricted
Unrestricted|2024
£
299,250
(299,250)
760,707|2023
£
460,577
(460,577)
299,250|
|---|---|---|---|
|||760,707|299,250|
|||Restricted
£
-
-
251,567|2024 Total
£
13,191
1,354,527
752,029|
|||251,567|2,119,748|
|||Restricted
£
-
-
238,049|2023 Total
£
25,654
1,264,804
769,894|
|||238,049|2,060,352|
## 17a Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)
17b Analysis of net assets between funds (prior period)
34
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 18a Movements in funds (current year)
|Movements in funds (current year)||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Total restricted funds
Total designated funds
Education programmes
Policy, Partnerships & Impact
Restricted funds:
Sections and regions
British Science Festival
Other engagement programmes
Policy, Partnerships & Impact
Unrestricted funds:
Designated funds:
British Science Festival
Other engagement programmes
Engagement programmes
Engagement programmes
Education programmes
Grants programme
Total unrestricted funds
Contingency for wind-down costs
Innovation Fund
Total funds
General funds|At 1 April
2023
£
()
-
69,403
-
148,024
20,623|
Incoming
resources &
gains
£
399,354
1,166,672
1,017,080
-
1,504,908
-|
Outgoing
resources &
losses
£
(392,054)
(1,166,672)
(1,007,127)
-
(1,503,951)
(6,993)
(4,076,797)
(188,713)
(7,929)
(56,689)
(310,734)
-
-
(564,065)
(156,750)
(720,815)
(4,797,612)|Transfers
£
(7,300)
-
-
-
-
9,600|At 31 March
2024
£
()
-
79,356
-
148,981
23,230|
||238,049|4,088,015||2,300|251,567|
||100,828
90,000
120,001
205,000
500,000
15,861|34,000
75,283
303,559
149,606
-
-||53,885
(57,354)
(157,871)
86,128
-
-|()
100,000
209,000
130,000
500,000
15,861|
||1,031,690|562,449||(75,212)|954,861|
||790,613|206,545||72,912|913,320|
||1,822,303|768,994||(2,300)|1,868,181|
||2,060,352|4,857,008||-|2,119,748|
## 18b Movements in funds (prior period)
|Movements in funds (prior period)||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Total restricted funds
Total designated funds
Designated funds:
Grants programme
Sections and regions
Unrestricted funds:
Restricted funds:
Engagement programmes
British Science Festival
Other engagement programmes
Education programmes
Policy, Partnerships & Impact
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds
Contingency for wind-down costs
Innovation Fund
General funds
Engagement programmes
British Science Festival
Other engagement programmes
Education programmes
Policy, Partnerships & Impact|At 1 April
2022
£
-
17,392
170,388
-
134,666
16,672|
Incoming
resources &
gains
£
1,056,560
869,754
928,146
144,717
2,775,398
-|
Outgoing
resources &
losses
£
(1,046,960)
(887,146)
(1,029,131)
(144,717)
(2,762,040)
(5,649)
(5,875,643)
(14,071)
(77,983)
(76,839)
(246,098)
-
-
(414,991)
(199,559)
(614,550)
(6,490,193)|Transfers
£
(9,600)
-
-
-
-
9,600|At 31 March
2023 (Restated)
£
()
-
69,403
-
148,024
20,623|
||339,118|5,774,574||-|238,049|
||80,000
80,000
145,000
225,000
500,000
15,861|-
65,700
244,923
136,110
-
-||34,899
22,283
(193,083)
89,988
-
-|100,828
90,000
120,001
205,000
500,000
15,861|
||1,045,861|446,733||(45,913)|1,031,690|
||787,990|156,269||45,913|790,613|
||1,833,851|603,002||-|1,822,303|
||2,172,969|6,377,576||-|2,060,352|
35
British Association for the Advancement of Science
Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 19 Movements in funds - descriptions
## Purposes of restricted funds
## Festival of Science
These are funds received specifically to deliver the Festival of Science and have been fully spent in the year.
## Other engagement programmes
These are funds received specifically to deliver Engagement Programmes and have been fully spent in the year.
## Grants Programme
These are funds received directly to deliver the Ideas Fund programme. At the year end some grant funding had not been fully spent and has been carried forward.
## Education
These are funds received predominantly to deliver work relating to Educational programmes including CREST Awards. At the year end some grant funding (£60k) has been carried forward for use on the CREST Website development and the remainder is unspent grand funding from 1851 which is to be spent in 2024/35.
## Policy, Partnerships & Impact
These are funds received in order to deliver PPI Programmes and have been fully spent in the year.
## Sections
Sections raise their own funds as well as receive contributions from the engagement programmes. The majority of the balances are restricted funding from the British Science Festival.
- 19 Movements in funds - descriptions (continued)
## Purposes of designated funds
## Engagement
These are funds set aside by management in order to support the activities of the Engagement team in the coming financial year if required.
## Education
These are funds set aside by management in order to support the activities of the Education Team in the coming financial year if required. There are also funds £109k) designated towards the continuing development of the CREST Website.
## Policy, Partnerships & Impact
These are funds set aside by management in order to support the activities of the PPI Team in the coming financial year if required.
## Contingency for wind-down costs
We currently hold £500,000 in designated reserves as a contingency in the case of wind down.
## Innovation Fund
The availability of this fund encourages our staff to develop and implement ideas that contribute to our strategic goals during the year.
## Transfers between funds
Transfers have been made between funds to enable the right reserves to be available in the right areas as described above.
36
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
- 20 Reconciliation of net income / (expenditure) to net cash flow from operating activities
|Reconciliation of net income / (expenditure) to net cash flow from operating activities||
|---|---|
|Net income / (expenditure) for the reporting period
(as per the statement of financial activities)
Depreciation charges
(Profit)/loss on the disposal of fixed assets
(Gains)/losses on investments
Dividends, interest and rent from investments
(Increase)/decrease in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities|2024
2023
£
£
59,396
(112,615)
15,474
13,169
-
345
(83,755)
52,414
(34,676)
(20,261)
71,897
127,601
(730,459)
78,231|
||(702,122)
138,884|
21 Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
|Cash at bank and in hand
Cash awaiting investment
Total cash and cash equivalents|At 31 March
2023
Cash flows
At 31 March
2024
£
£
£
1,650,368
676,425
973,942
36,395
(28,995)
7,400
1,686,763
647,430
981,342|
|---|---|
## 22 Operating lease commitments
The charity's total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases is as follows for each of the following periods.
|
following periods.||
|---|---|
|Less than 1 year
1 - 5 Years
Over 5 years|2024
2023
£
£
69,115
67,102
276,460
268,408
967,610
1,006,529
Property|
||1,313,185
1,342,039|
The commitment relates to the service charge due under the Wellcome Wolfson Building lease. The term of the lease is for 40 years from 29 September 2003 increasing by inflation each year.
37
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 23 Detail of branches, and sections and regions restricted funds
|Sections and regions
Agriculture & Food
Anthropology
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Economics
Education
Engineering
General
Geography
Geology
History of Science
Mathematics
Medical Sciences
Physics
Psychology
Science & The Arts
Sociology
Total sections and regions
restricted funds|At 1 April
2023
834
(157)
338
5,073
1,871
1,465
3,065
1,270
2,336
1,007
568
1,352
795
219
2,398
136
352
22,923|Incoming
resources &
gains
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|Outgoing
resources &
losses
(439)
(172)
(465)
(468)
(125)
(176)
(416)
(839)
(218)
-
(471)
(866)
-
(200)
(625)
(1,149)
(363)|
Transfers
At 31 March
2024
450
845
450
121
450
323
(1,400)
3,205
450
2,196
450
1,739
450
3,099
450
881
450
2,568
450
1,457
450
547
450
936
450
1,245
450
469
450
2,223
1,950
937
450
439
7,300
23,230|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||(6,992)||
38
British Association for the Advancement of Science
## Notes to the financial statements
## For the year ended 31 March 2024
## 24 Prior Year Adjustment: Charity Reserves Position
|Prior Year Adjustment: Charity Reserves Position|||
|---|---|---|
|Unrestricted
£
1,822,303
-
-
1,822,303
Unrestricted
£
(11,547)
-
-
(11,547)
Funds Previously Reported
Adjustments:
Ideas Fund Income
Ideas Fund Expenditure
Funds restated
Prior Year Adjustment: Charity Income and Expense
Funds restated
Ideas Fund Expenditure
Net movement of funds previously reported
Adjustments:
Ideas Fund Income|£
238,049
(409,061)
409,061
238,049
£
(101,068)
(409,061)
409,061
(101,068)
31 March 2023
Restricted
Restricted
31 March 2023|Total
£
2,060,352
(409,061)
409,061|
|||2,060,352|
|||Total
£
(112,615)
(409,061)
409,061|
|||(112,615)|
## Details of adjustments
Ideas Fund Income and Expenditure have been adjusted to reflect more accurate information provided in relation to committed dates for grants, meaning that too high a value of grants was recognised in the year to 31 March 2023.
39