Company registration number: 01141941 Charity registration number: 268989 

# British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited 

(A Company Limited by Guarantee) 

Annual Report and Financial Statements 

for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Contents (continued)** 

|Trustees' Report|1 to 18|
|---|---|
|Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities|19|
|Independent Auditors' Report|20 to 22|
|Statement of Financial Activities|23|
|Balance Sheet|24|
|Notes to the Financial Statements|25 to 35|





## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023** 

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (FRS102) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity. 

## **Reference and Administrative Details** 

|**Charity Registration Number**:|268989|
|---|---|
|**Trustees**:|P Armstrong (appointed 12 December 2023)|
||T Bush (appointed 12 December 2023)|
||S J Courtney (resigned 30 September 2023)|
||F Creaby|
||S Culshaw (resigned 31 March 2023)|
||C Donnelly|
||A Gardner-McTaggart (appointed 1 October 2023)|
||J E Hetherington|
||B Kelly|
||D M S Mifsud|
||B M Moreno|
||L Oberholzer (appointed 12 December 2023)|
||D E Outhwaite|
||I Potter (resigned 1 September 2023)|
||K Richardson (appointed 1 October 2023)|
||S Shah|
||V Showunmi|
|**Chair**:|I Potter (resigned 1 September 2023)|
||D E Outhwaite (appointed 1 September 2023)|
|**President and Vice-Presidents:**|Professor T Bush - President|
||Professor R Glatter - Immediate Past President|
|**Principal Office**:|Spaces Acero|
||1 Concourse Way|
||Sheffield|
||South Yorkshire|
||S1 2BJ|
|**Independent Examiner:**|Hawsons Chartered Accountants|
||Statutory Auditors|
||Pegasus House|
||463a Glossop Road|
||Sheffield|
||S10 2QD|



Page 1 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

The trustees present the annual report together with the financial statements and auditors' report of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2023. 

## **Structure, Governance and Management** 

British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited (“BELMAS” or “The Charity”) is registered as a charity. 

## _Organisational structure_ 

The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and its objects, powers and constitutional matters are set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. 

## _Recruitment and appointment of new trustees_ 

Each year, individuals are invited to stand for election, which takes place at the AGM. Members of the society are entitled to vote. 

## _Organisational structure_ 

The Society is a registered charity, number 268989, incorporated in the UK and is constituted under a Memorandum of Association dated 26th October 1973 and Articles of Association revised on 19th September 1998. The charity converted to a CIO on 18 January 2024. The Trustees of the society consist of the following: 

## The Chair 

The Vice-Chair 

The Honorary Secretary 

The Honorary Treasurer 

The Former Chair 

Up to nine Elected Council Members 

The Charity is governed by the Council which comprises the trustees and up to nine co-opted Council members. The Council meets at least three times in every calendar year. Elected Council members retire by rotation after three years’ service and three members retire at every annual general meeting. The officers of the society, as listed above, are elected annually. 

The executive board, comprising the officers of the society, supervises the day-to-day activities of the organisation and reports to the Council. 

## _Public benefit_ 

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. 

Page 2 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Structure, Governance and Management continued** 

## _Use of Volunteers_ 

All trustees, including council officers, are volunteers and give their time and expertise to the Society without recompense. Travel and subsistence expense are reimbursed where necessarily incurred. Other volunteers include research interest group leaders and those who facilitate BELMAS activities. 

## _Staffing_ 

Executive Officer, Membership Engagement Manager (Deputy Executive Officer), Finance & HR Officer and Membership Engagement Administrator. 

## **Financial instruments** 

## _Objectives and policies_ 

The Charity’s activities expose it to some financial risk governed by the charity’s policies approved by the board of trustees. The charity does not use derivative financial instruments. 

## _Cash flow risk_ 

The Charity’s activities encompass some exposure to the financial risks of change in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. These transactions are minimal and the use of derivatives is not deemed necessary. 

## _Credit risk_ 

The Charity’s principal financial assets are bank balances and cash, trade and other receivables. 

The Charity’s credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade receivables. The amounts presented in the balance sheet are net of allowances for doubtful receivables. An allowance for impairment is made where there is an identified loss event which, based on previous experience, is evidence of a reduction in the recoverability of the cash flows. 

The Charity has no significant concentration of credit risk. 

## _Liquidity risk_ 

In order to maintain liquidity to ensure that sufficient funds are available for ongoing operation and future developments the Charity monitors the level of reserves throughout the year. 

## **Risk management** 

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 errors. 

The trustees have considered the risks to which the charity is exposed and have put in place procedures for managing these risks. 

The trustees consider the major financial risks to be the reduction in revenue from royalties in respect of the charity’s journals – Educational Management Administration and Leadership and Management in Education. The journals are published through SAGE Publications Ltd who provide annual reports on revenue performance and forecast trends in addition to close working relationships throughout the year. The trustees review and monitor income and expenditure at every council meeting and determine strategy accordingly. 

Page 3 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Objectives leading into 2023 and Challenges Ahead** 

The board’s goal for 2023 was to restore BELMAS to a position of growth and deliver its charitable objectives. 

To achieve this, it implemented a management change with the EO (appointed in 2022) leading a full strategic review following a survey of the Board which highlighted: 

- 80% felt that decision-making was NOT effective. 

- 70% of the Board felt the current structure of Exec and Council was NOT fit for purpose. 

- 70% are NOT confident that BELMAS are compliant with financial regulations. 

These findings led to a set of prioritised tasks due to operational urgency. Financial issues in 2022 were addressed, and an HR expert was brought in to create current, relevant and business critical policies (28). 

The December 2022 Strategic Away Day provided a platform for its mission, vision and values to be agreed in early 2023, alongside a new constitution both supported by a measurable strategic roadmap for the next 3 - 5 years. 

Crucially, the process to convert the organisation to a CIO (completed January 2024) also began, with the trustee board engaged and informed of the benefits of the conversion. In addition, a new sub-committee structure was created, initially with a focus on financial controls in line with the CC8 guidance. 

A key action was to also ensure BELMAS delivered for its members. The focus was placed on restoring the annual conference to a financially viable and beneficial event, while focusing resource on member benefits through its core charitable activities. 

## **Membership Survey 2023** 

BELMAS conducted its first membership satisfaction survey in autumn 2023 with a completion target rate of 10% of the membership. 18% of the membership took part in the survey with some pleasing headline results: 

- 97% would recommend BELMAS to a colleague or friend. 

- 91% were satisfied or very satisfied with BELMAS overall. 

- 94% satisfied or very satisfied with the Journals. 

- 68% satisfied or very satisfied with Research Interest Groups. 

- 65% satisfied or very satisfied with the BELMAS Blog. 

- 59% satisfied or very satisfied with the Annual Conference. 

- 88% satisfied or very satisfied with the BELMAS Office team, with no members dissatisfied. 

- 78% satisfied or very satisfied with the work of the Board of Trustees, with no members dissatisfied. 

## **Operational Employee Restructure** 

In 2022, BELMAS reduced its staff capacity following a resignation, and not being in a financial position to recruit for the role. Following a better financial performance and forecast in August 2023, BELMAS conducted a resource review and restructured to return the staff capacity back to four. This restructure focused on membership engagement by changing the “Marketing and Communications Administrator” role to “Membership engagement Manager (Deputy Executive Officer) and recruiting for a part-time “Membership Engagement Administrator”. 

Page 4 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Accreditations And Memberships** 

BELMAS invested £188 to continue its membership with NCVO who delivered online training to new Trustees appointed in 2023, alongside a Governance Wheel session and Skills Audit at the 2023 Strategic Away Day in December. 

It also continued its members with the Academy of Social Sciences at a cost of £333 where the Executive Officer or Chair of the Board attends the monthly conferences group and the CEOs group. Here, BELMAS learns from other membership organisations and absorbs information from policy briefings affecting learned societies from a social sciences background. 

BELMAS renewed its Living Wage Employer status in line with its new organisation value of Social Justice at a cost of £60 and continued to be accredited as a “Disability Confident: Committed” Organisation. 

## **Development Of The 2023-2026 Strategic Plan** 

Following many years of having no strategy, the BELMAS Board approved its ambitious 2023-2026 strategic plan with three objectives that would ensure the sustainability of the organisation: 

- (1) Increase both the UK and International Membership 

- (2) Ensure the Organisation is Financially Sustainable 

- (3) Assure BELMAS good governance as a charity and membership organisation 

Through its new “KPI Dashboard” that tracks and monitors progress against targets, BELMAS achieved 65% of its objectives. 

Page 5 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Strategic Objective 1: Increase both the UK and international membership** 

## **Membership Numbers** 

In 2022, BELMAS recorded a 14.39% decrease in memberships in comparison to 2021 with 339 members which resulted in membership growth becoming the number one priority in the organisation’s new strategic plan. 

In 2023 BELMAS recorded an increase of 15.63% against 2022 to 392 members which is continuing to grow into 2024. 

## **Diversity, Inclusion and Equity** 

As part of the wider changes to Governance, BELMAS set up an EDI Committee, led by the newly established Vice-Chair EDI. The role of this committee is to establish and maintain an EDI Strategy and hold the organisation and trustees to account for all EDI related matters. The first meeting was held in October 2023 which outlined a clear objective for 2024 to create an EDI strategy that focuses holistically across the organisation, and against all protected characteristics and intersectionality. 

The EDI Committee will achieve this by: 

- (1) Understanding the demographic of BELMAS members and who it serves. 

- (2) Scoping the state of play at BELMAS in terms of EDI: 

   - (a) What exists currently and where? 

   - (b) What knowledge and practice do we already have in-house? 

   - (c) Where are our strengths and weaknesses? 

   - (d) What knowledge and support do we need to resource/finance? 

- (3) Collectively understanding clearly what EDI and intersectionality means through a BELMAS lens. 

- (4) Being clear on how BELMAS deals with ‘blindness’ through culture, community and practice. 

## **Research Interest Groups** 

Feedback from the membership survey highlighted that there was a good range of RIGs, but many were either inactive or poorly advertised. There had also been concerns relating to the lack of governance in which they operate including but not limited to: 

- Expenditure control 

- Appointment and removal of convenors 

- Event and project management 

As a result, BELMAS began reviewing its RIG procedures and in partnership with current convenors created a handbook with new processes and policies designed to ensure the good governance and efficiency of its RIGs, which was formally approved in December 2023 at the Strategic Away Day in Manchester. 

Below is a table of the actions taken by BELMAS based on member feedback in relation to RIGs: 

Page 6 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

**You said We Did RIGs need to be more** All RIGs are now required to conduct at least two activities per calendar **active.** year. This may not necessarily be a meeting, and could include: • Writing a blog post • Creating a podcast or a #LunchtimeSession • Funding/conducting research across its members 

- Holding a Q&A or Keynote (in-person or online). 

We have specifically used the word “activity” to take into consideration that not every RIG is the same, while recognizing that there is an expectation of members for all RIGs to be doing something **RIG activities need to** All events are now required to be submitted six weeks before delivery. **be communicated** There are now clear guidelines for marketing and communications with **better and more in** members in the build up to any event which is delivered by the BELAMS **advance.** permanent employee team. **Non active RIGs should** While the membership thought that RIG Convenors should be replaced **have the Convenors** after no activity for six months, BELMAS felt this was a little harsh, given **replaced after six (6)** that they must hold two events/activities per year. In this instance, the **months.** new Convenor handbook states that Convenors will be removed after 12 months of no activity. 

**Non-members of** When an event is created, our new website now enables us to identify if **BELMAS should not be** it is a RIG event. In this case, the set fee is automatically waived as **able to attend RIG** FREE if the person is logged in as a current member. Further **meetings, events or** consideration and provision has been made where non-members MAY **activities for free.** attend for free if they are doing so as a result of a joint event – or a dissemination of a BELMAS provided Bursary or Grant. The minimum fee for non-members to attend is set at £5, and all fees collected will be given to the RIG holding the event. 

**RIGs should hold more events and activities online.** 

The reduction in annual funds for RIGs in 2021 and 2022 was in recognition of more events being held remotely which it continues to encourage. However, BELMAS has committed additional funds including a further pot of money for grants to support RIG projects, including those events in-person. As RIGs can now “save” their funds into future financial years, with the commitment of taking part in at least two activities per year, BELMAS hopes that RIGs will be inclined to do more digital events to engage its community. 

Page 7 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Research Interest Groups continued** 

**You said We Did Funds for RIGs should** BELMAS has sought advice from other charities and its auditors and has **be rolled over to future** found a solution which means that RIGs are able to build up their funds. **financial years.** Each RIG will have their own budget code within the BELMAS accounts which will be recognized as “Designated Funds”. Designated funds are pots of money set aside by the Board of trustees for a specific purpose – and in this case it will be the individual RIG. **There should be pots of** In addition to the annual budget provided by BELMAS (set as £500 for **money/grants available** 2023, and £500 for 2024) there will also be a pot of money which RIGs **for RIGs who do more** can bid for in smaller grants. For 2024 this pot has a value of £6,000, **“in-person” activity.** and will be determined by the Awards, Bursaries & Grants Committee. **Convenors should be** BELMAS is unable to offer free conference places for all Convenors **rewarded for their work** because each RIG can have up to 4 Convenors, and therefore, it would **within the BELMAS** need to be able to fund up to 52 places for a conference that is already **community.** at the ticket price limit and barely breaking even. However, BELMAS can commit to one place per RIG which can be determined from and amongst the Convenors. Convenors should be rewarded for their work within the BELMAS community. **Forms for events and** Convenors will need to complete one form that includes all the **activities should be** information required for the BELMAS Office team to administer the event **easy to use and not a** – from in-depth information of the event to speakers and funding. This **barrier for Convenors.** one-stop-shop will ensure that the process for taking an idea and making it a live event should be quick, easy and seamless. **There should be clear** All guidance on spending of funds is in the new Convenor handbook. All **guidance on what the** expenses must be in line with BELMAS policy, which is also available **RIG funds can be used** through the handbook and website. **for. Signing up for an event** All RIG events will be active on the BELMAS website, where tickets will **should be easy.** be available immediately on the side bar clearly marked “book now”. All marketing, communications and ticketing of RIG events coming through the BELMAS office and onto the BELMAS website will create consistency and therefore will be easier to navigate and more recognisable for members. **Convenors should have** All RIG events will now have a data agreement tick box on sign-up **access to the email** asking if the attendee is happy for BELMAS to share their email address **addresses of all** with the RIG Convenor. **attendees at their RIG meeting, event or activity.** 

Page 8 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Early Career Research (ECR) Month** 

New to 2023, BELMAS launched its annual October “ECR Month”. This initiative was created to deliver its charitable objects by supporting early career researchers in the field of Educational Leadership, Management and Administration. 

Across the month there were a total of 78 sign-ups from 41 members (13% of membership at point of delivery) with an attendance-to-sign-up rate of 83.33%. Below is a breakdown of the attendance for each event: 

“How to get published” in-person event at the University of Nottingham with the 16 attendees Editors of the BELMAS Journals, Prof Tony Bush and Dr Paul Armstrong “Publishing with Bloomsbury: An online workshop for ECR” online event 16 attendees “Publishing with a Blog Focus” online event with Dr Lizana Oberholzer 12 attendees “Developing an Early Career Researcher” online event with Prof. Helen Gunter 10 attendees “Submitting your Abstract for BELMAS Conference” online event with Dr 9 attendees Denise Mifsud and Ryan Beasley 

## **#Lunchtime Sessions** 

Another new initiative for 2023, the #LunchtimeSessions are an online platform for members to share their research or work within Educational Leadership, Management and Administration with the BELMAS community as a free event during short work-time breaks. 

Throughout 2023, there were two of these events: 

- (1) Evolution of Going Digital with Claire Indans; and 

- (2) Tackling Educational Inequality for Disadvantaged and BAME Pupils: Lessons from London Schools with Feyisa Demi. 

Direct engagement in these events were minimal as expected with any new initiative, however, there has been continued engagement throughout online platforms such as Youtube. These sessions are continuing to be planned into 2024 as BELMAS looks to encourage momentum. 

## **Awards, Bursaries and Grants** 

BELMAS prestigious “Distinguished Service Award” was presented to Prof. Paul Miller at the BELMAS Annual Conference and Awards in Belfast. 

No new Bursaries and Grants were provided by BELMAS in 2023 while the newly established Awards, Bursaries and Grants (ABG) Committee (sub-committee of the Board) conducted a review of funding and process. 

BELMAS has committed to spending £17,500 on its Awards, Bursaries and Grants for 2024, in addition to a further £5,000 in grants to support members to attend the BELMAS conference. 

The Awards, Bursaries & Grants for 2024 are broken down into the following: 

- (1) 2 x £3,000 Research & Development Grants 

- (2) 4 x £2,000 Bursaries 

- (3) 1 x £1,000 Leadership & Practitioner Award (£400 plus Conference Ticket & Travel) 

- (4) 1 x £500 Doctoral Thesis Award (Conference attendance support) 

- (5) 1 x £500 Distinguished Service Award (Conference attendance support) 

- (6) 3 x £500 Journal & Blog Awards (Conference attendance support) 

Page 9 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Elections and Democracy** 

2023 saw its highest ever number of candidates in an election to the Board with 17 candidates standing for 5 roles. This is a 240% increase from 5 candidates for 3 roles in 2022. 

From an EDI perspective, there was an increase in Black and Asian candidates from 20% (1) in 2022 to 29% (5) in 2023. 

29.33% of the membership voted in the elections - an increase of nearly 4% against 2022 (25.37%). 

## **New Website** 

The new BELMAS new website became live in April 2023 which has created a better user experience for members and employees by: 

- (1) Reducing maintenance costs by 56.25%. 

- (2) Ensuring membership renewal is possible once the renewal date has passed, reducing employee time of manual re-integration. 

- (3) Integration with stripe for international payments and therefore reducing the cost, staff time and GDPR risk of payment by phone which has been discontinued. 

- (4) Ability to host large-scale events (such as the annual conference) reducing the cost and manual work to develop a separate conference mini-site with a separate payment system. 

- (5) Making it easier for members to join, leave and re-join Research Interest Groups. 

- (6) Using a bespoke-designed wordpress based site which is manageable by non-specialist in-house staff reducing update time and costs for support. 

- (7) Generally being aesthetically more appealing and welcoming for new members in this period of growth. 

While there was an initial outlay of £34,000 in 2022, BELMAS saves on average £3,500 per year not including the staff time and resource to resolve issues relating to the previous website and is therefore seen as a long-term investment for the charity. 

## **Social Media and Communications** 

The BELMAS Twitter/X account following has continued to grow from 3,852 (2021), 4,016 (2022) to 4,231 (2023). This has seen rises of 4.26% (2021-2022) and 5.35% (2022-2023) with an overall increase over a two year period of 9.84%. 

Tweets Sent: 311 (419 - 2022, 464 - 2021) - Decrease of 25.78% 

Number of Impressions: 270k (234K - 2022, 100K - 2021) - Increase of 15.38% 

While there has been three quarters of the number of tweets sent in comparison to 2022, there has been a significant increase in reach meaning that each tweet is more impactful than in previous years. 

Page 10 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Strategic Objective 2: Ensure the Organisation is Financially Sustainable** 

## **BELMAS Conference** 

The 2023 annual conference was held in Belfast to promote BELMAS into the nations, making a commitment for Glasgow for 2024 and Cardiff in 2026 to ensure that the organisation is active across all nations within the UK in which it operates. 

There was a slight reduction in tickets sold against the previous year (11), however, 2022 was also held in partnership with CCEAM which would naturally bring in more attendees. 

## **BELMAS Conference continued** 

Financially, there was a 105.29% reduction in deficit against 2022, resulting in a £5,500 surplus. This can be attributed to: 

- Accurate monthly budgeting and monitoring through the Conference & Events Committee, and regular reporting to the Board of Trustees. 

- Removal of the cost of an events management partner and managing in-house. 

- Removal of large staging and other production costs. 

- Reduction in plastic badge printing with environmental sustainability a priority. 

- Change to programme to reduce third-day (Friday) costs. 

- Removal of the financial burden of including accommodation costs as a result of becoming VAT registered. 

- Reduction in photography costs managing in-house. 

Below is a table of the actions taken by BELMAS based on member feedback in relation to Conference: 

**You said** 

**There should be Bursaries to support members to attend the BELMAS Annual Conference.** 

## **We Did** 

For the first time, we have launched a “Conference Support Fund Bursary” up to the value of £300 each, with 20 available. These are to support anyone who meet one or more of the following criteria: 

• Students 

- Members from developing countries 

- Independent researchers 

- Teachers & practitioners 

- Full-time parents & carers 

- Unemployed 

- Retired 

• People with registered disabilities which requires them to stay additional nights. 

**“Good value for money” would represented by tickets being priced between £250-£400 depending on what was included.** 

Earlybird tickets start at £350 for student members, retired members or members from developing countries. This can be reduced to just £50 if you receive one of 20 BELMAS Conference Support Fund Bursaries. 

Page 11 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **BELMAS Conference continued** 

**You said** 

## **We Did** 

**Free membership** We have introduced an initiative where non-members who purchase **should be included in** inflated tickets will receive one-year free BELMAS membership. **the price of tickets. BELMAS normally** We have included a Friday welcome lunch on arrival, Friday evening **provides all lunches** BBQ, Saturday lunch, Saturday Gala dinner, Sunday departure lunch **and evening meals** and regular refreshment breaks throughout. **within the price. This changed for 2023, and while we didn’t expect an evening meal, we did expect lunch on arrival. There should be more** We have introduced a “new to BELMAS Conference meet and greet” **networking** with the BELMAS Trustees on the arrival. This will be a space for any **opportunities,** new members, or those on their first or second BELMAS conference to **particularly for new** meet other new people to help them feel less isolated in a Conference **members and those at** where many people know each other. **their first BELMAS conference, removing the “clique”. There should be** We have provided space for ‘Power Poster Presentations’ which are **different types of** similar to ‘lightening talks’. All presenters of posters will have the **‘conferencing’ and** opportunity to talk through a digital copy of their poster in less than five **Poster Presentations** minutes in the main auditorium during the busiest day of the conference **should hold the same** (Saturday). Posters will also be visible in the breakout area which is **visibility and respect as** where the refreshments and open networking will take place and **other presentations.** therefore given a position with the highest footfall. **The conference needs** We have changed the submission dates for abstracts from February to **to be more agile or deal** November which will allow reviews to take place and accepted papers to **with the issue of** be completed before the winter break in December. Following this, the **presenters dropping** Earlybird tickets which all presenters must purchase has a deadline of **out and leaving just** the 1st March 2024; any presentation without at least one presenter **one person presenting** signed up to the conference by this date will be removed from the **during a session.** programme. This will ensure that the conference programme is accurate and reduces risk of presenters dropping out at the last minute. This is also in line with other Learned Societies. **More should be done to** We understand that post-covid we should be offering a hybrid experience **hold the BELMAS** to BELMAS members. The difficulty in this is the delivery of a full **Annual Conference** conference experience against the overhead costs split across a small **online.** number of attendees; it becomes simply unaffordable. There is also a concern for the drop in-person attendees as a result of holding it online, and therefore a negative experience for those attending. However, for 2024, we will be streaming all keynotes LIVE and FREE to BELMAS members. We will also be recording symposia and panels for the BELLMAS website for anyone to watch back. We believe that this provides some free content for paying members, while holds the integrity of a BELMAS conference all within the financial constraints of a small conference. 

Page 12 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **BELMAS Conference continued** 

**You said We Did The best month for the** From the data, 49% said the best month for the BELMAS conference is **BELMAS Conference is** July, and we intend to keep the conference in this month. **in July. BELMAS should hold** We recognise that most people mentioned Birmingham as a good **its conference in a** destination for a conference, while many also mentioned that we should **central location with** hold one in Wales soon as part of our approach to visiting the nations **good links.** (Belfast in 2023, and Glasgow in 2024). We are also conscious that following feedback, we don’t want to follow BERA conferences (Liverpool in 2022, Birmingham in 2023). We also recognise that we need to provide the best value for money for members, so some larger cities, such as London, would be too expensive. Therefore we have committed to search for venues in Birmingham, Leeds or Oxford for 2025, and Cardiff or Swansea for 2026. 

## **Development of Finance & Risk Committee** 

The Finance & Risk Committee has developed since it’s first inception at the beginning of 2023 to include Risk within its remit. It meets a week before each board meeting to discuss the management accounts in detail and assess the risks to the organisation which are both then reported to the wider Board. 

This has enabled scrutiny and support of management of the organisation in relation to risk and finance which was part of the issues relating to the challenges outlined in 2022. 

## **Legacy Bank Accounts** 

BELMAS had a legacy bank account which was highlighted as a risk as it couldn’t be accessed due to previous trustees on the mandate no longer being on the Board or involved with the organisation, and was losing money against charges. This has since been resolved and closed down. 

## **International Conferences and Engagements** 

One of the risks from 2022 was the lack of financial control against charitable objectives within international conference and travel expenditure for Trustees. New processes have been put in place to ensure that all international travel was focused on the charitable purposes of BELMAS. 

As a result, BELMAS has increased its outputs from international visits whilst reducing its spend on from £17,250 (2022) to £12,469 (2023). 

In 2023, BELMAS attended the following conferences: 

## _EARDA in Ankara, Turkey – April 2023 (Dr Denise Mifsud)_ 

The 16th International Congress of Educational Administration, ‘Rethinking Schools and Educational Administration’ 

Potential outcomes from visit: 

- (1) In two years’ time in 2025 invest in the Leading School Principals Society Conference or the EYEDDER-EARDA Conference in Istanbul by: 

   - (a) Sending a delegation of Council to do a Symposium on Educational Leadership (across the various education levels) in the UK 

   - (b) Meet with the Executive of EYEDDER-EARDA at the Conference 

   - (c) Sign an MOU that outlines the partnerships with specific reference to EARDA promoting and encouraging colleagues to write for the BELMAS blog in their native language 

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## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

   - (d) Bring free copies of EMAL and MiE and promote the BELMAS Journals 

- (2) It was clear that there is a lot of interesting work in the EMLA field being published in Turkish journals that is not accessible to non-native speakers, so will provide more opportunities and advertising for the Dual Language Blogs (as above). 

- (3) As part of a future International Strategy, BELMAS commits funds for a Joint Research Paper on Educational Leadership and Management. This must be written by both Turkish and British Academics. As part of the funds BELMAS would commit to: 

   - (a) Providing a one-off Bursary for both authors 

   - (b) Pay for the British author to attend the EARDA Conference to co-present 

   - (c) Pay for the Turkish Author to attend the BELMAS Conference to co-present 

   - (d) Pay for both Authors to attend the 2025 Conference in Istanbul to present the paper funded by BELMAS. 

## _WLE in Manilla, Philippines – July 2023 (Dr Victoria Showunmi)_ 

Women Leading Education across Continents 

Potential outcomes from visit: 

- (1) Increase in membership, and attendance at the 2024 conference in Clydebank, Glasgow although there is currently no way of tracking this. 

- (2) More widespread and deeper engagement with BELMAS activities. 

- (3) Confirmed WLE symposium at the 2024 BELMAS Conference. 

- (4) Planned Higher Education and Leadership Conference, spring 2024. 

- (5) Initiative resulting in an International Reading Group including WLE - first meeting planned for 16th October 2023. 

## _ECER in Glasgow, UK – August 2023 (Dr Deb Outhwaite & Dr Denise Mifsud)_ 

Potential outcomes from visit: 

- (1) Increase in membership, and attendance at the 2024 conference in Clydebank, Glasgow although there is currently no way of tracking this. 

- (2) Opportunities for BELMAS to liaise better with ECER & BERA, and in particular attendance at ECER in Cyprus with the opportunity for a symposium. 

- (3) BELMAS stand confirmed for BERA Conference in September. 

- (4) BELMAS stand offered at the UCL Centre for Educational Leadership Conference in 2024. 

_BERA in Birmingham, UK – September 2023 (Dr Deb Outhwaite)_ 

Potential outcomes from visit: 

- (1) Increase in membership, and attendance at the 2024 conference in Clydebank, Glasgow although there is currently no way of tracking this. 

- (2) Contributors to the #BELMAS Lunchtime talks series, particularly on EDI topics. 

- (3) Joint Ed Leadership SIG Symposium with BELMAS at either at BERA in Manchester next September. 

Page 14 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

_IEAL-J in Kingston, Jamaica – October 2023 (Dr Deb Outhwaite)_ 

Potential outcomes from visit: 

- (1) Promotion of the BELMAS journals, 2024 conference and new BELMAS website which is used by many across the Caribbean islands with two BELMAS presentation slots. 

- (2) Attendance at the CCEAM AGM with an invite for the Chair and Executive Officer to attend their conference before ECER in Cyprus, with a follow up of a joint conference with BELMAS in the future as part of wider MOU review. 

- (3) Attendance at a CASEA meeting which opened opportunities to more formal agreements and partnerships due to the overlap with CCEAM as Canada are part of the commonwealth. 

Page 15 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Strategic Objective 3: Assure BELMAS Good Governance as a Charity and Membership Organisation** 

## **Conversion to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)** 

The biggest achievement of 2023 was the conversion to a CIO. The draft of the Constitution was presented in December 2022 at the Strategic Away day with amendment considered at the March 2023 Board meeting before finally being approved by the Board of Trustees on 12th May 2023. 

The Chair of BELMAS and the Executive Officer ran five consultation meetings with members prior to the AGM, where members unanimously passed the conversion on 6th July 2023. 

BELMAS sought legal support from Shakespeare Martineau to complete the conversion which was approved by the Charity Commission on 8th January 2024, adopting its new Constitution and By-Laws. 

## **Development of Mission, Vision & Values** 

The Board of Trustees approved its new Mission, Vision and Values following lengthy consultation with the membership and stakeholders. They are: 

## _Mission_ 

Our mission is to be the place where research meets practice in Educational Leadership Management and Administration. 

## _Vision_ 

Our vision is to be an innovative, globally recognised and respected Learned Society for the development of Educational Leadership Management and Administration. 

## _Our Values_ 

Integrity: We are transparent, honest and hold ourselves and others to high standards 

Scholarship: We are a global learning community that embraces difference of opinion 

Social Justice: We are brave and equitable 

Inclusion: We recognise many voices and celebrate diversity in all of our work 

## **New Sub-Committees** 

Following the approval of the new constitution as part of the conversion to a CIO, all new sub-committees of the Trustees Board are active with each holding the following minimum number of meetings in the calendar year: 

- Appointments & Remuneration Committee (A&RC): 1 

- Awards, Bursaries & Grants Committee (ABG): 4 

- Conference & Events Committee (C&EC): 4 

- EDI Committee (EDIC): 4 

- Finance & Risk Committee (F&RC): 5 

Page 16 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Induction and Training for Trustees** 

All Trustees have induction and annual refresher training delivered by NCVO during the BELMAS strategic away day. Where new Trustees are appointed to the Board away from the strategy day, BELMAS provides funding for online half-day courses, again delivered by NCVO. 

All new Trustees have an induction session with the Executive Officer and Chair of the Board that looks at the CC3 document, Constitution and focuses on the challenges and opportunities of the charity. In addition to this they are required to complete a Skills Audit and Conflict of Interest Register. 

## **Financial Position** 

In 2023, BELMAS made significant strides financially which can be attributed to success in the Journals, restoring the annual conference to a breakeven model, a review of financial governance and control against CC8 (internal financial controls for charities) and an increase in investment relating to bank interest. 

This has resulted in income of £338,899 (2022: £332,720) and expenditure of £304,201 (2022: £416,234) and therefore net incoming resources of £34,690 (2022: net outgoing resources of £82,514). 

While expenditure was reduced by £112,033 between 2022 and 2023, there has been an increase in measurable impact against the charity’s objects. The reduction in loss of the year and turnaround of £117,204 is a testament to the ongoing work of the BELMAS Board to sustain the charity for the future. 

## **Reserves Policy** 

Following the introduction of new management accounts and processes for robustly reporting on budgets and forecasts throughout the year, BELMAS has adopted a new Reserves Policy in line with the sector on the basis of 12 months operating costs. This provides enough resource and time for the Trustees to plan in event of a financial crisis, and to honour any contracts. 

The council monitors financial performance throughout the year and adjusts the society’s development plans accordingly to ensure that reserves are maintained at agreed levels. 

This policy is reviewed by the Council annually. 

## **Going concern** 

All risks, including long term financial sustainability risks to BELMAS are recorded in the new Risk Register and are reviewed at every other Trustee Board meeting (at least twice per year). 

## **Publications** 

Publications continue to be BELMAS largest contribution in terms of funding and resource. Although there is less risk relating to print journals as previously envisioned, the Board recognise that as the main and almost sole source of income, journals remain a high risk area. 

There are still KPIs in the strategic plan relating to third journal with a pay-to-publish format in addition to development of other smaller income streams. 

## **Conference** 

While the annual conference has seen significant turnaround financially, the Board are clear that this needs to remain a significant risk until proven sustainable. The Conference & Events Committee are continuing to monitor budgets and event management accordingly and will reassess at the end of 2024. 

Page 17 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **Change Management and Sustainability** 

There is a highlighted risk to the organisation that it has gone through considerable change and success, which may cause ‘blindness’ to further risks. The Board have agreed to fund an organisation-wide external risk audit relating to finance, governance, reputation and sustainability in 2025 which will be the final year of the current strategic plan. 

## **Disclosure of information to auditor** 

Each trustee has taken steps that they ought to have taken as a trustee in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity's auditor is aware of that information. The trustees confirm that there is no relevant information that they know of and of which they know the auditor is unaware. 

## **Reappointment of auditor** 

A resolution for the re-appointment of Hawsons Chartered Accountants as auditors of the charity is to be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. 

`18/06/2024` The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on .................... and signed on its behalf by: 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
.........................................<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


......................................... D E Outhwaite Trustee 

Page 18 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities** 

The trustees (who are also directors of British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable law and regulations. The law applicable to charities requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: 

- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; 

- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and 

- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the constitution. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. 

Page 19 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Opinion** 

We have audited the financial statements of British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited (the 'charity') for the year ended 31 December 2023, which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, and Notes to the Financial Statements, including a summary of 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 December 2023 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; and 

- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011. 

## **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 charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the original financial statements were 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. 

## **Other information** 

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, including the trustees’ 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. 

Page 20 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited (continued)** 

## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception** 

In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees' Report. 

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion: 

- the information given in the trustees' report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or 

- sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or 

- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; 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 on page 19, 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 Responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements** 

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder. 

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. 

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below: 

The charity is subject to laws and regulations that directly and indirectly affect the financial statements. Based on our understanding of the charity and the environment it operates within, we determined that the laws and regulations which were most significant included FRS 102 and the Charities Act 2011. We considered the extent to which non-compliance with these laws and regulations might have a material effect on the financial statements, including how fraud might occur. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to the posting of inappropriate journal entries to improve the charity’s result for the period, and management bias in key accounting estimates. 

Page 21 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Independent Auditor's Report to the Members of British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited (continued)** 

Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included: 

- Discussions with management and those responsible for legal compliance procedures within the charity to obtain an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to the charity and how the charity complies with that framework, including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud; 

- Reviewing minutes of Trustee meetings; 

- Identifying and assessing the design effectiveness of controls that management has in place to prevent and detect fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations; 

- Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their significant accounting estimates. 

- Identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal entries posted with unusual account combinations or posted by senior management. 

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the more removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we are to become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion. 

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 trustees, as a body, in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act. Our work has been undertaken so that we might state to the trustees those matters we are required to state to trustees in an auditors' 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 its trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
......................................<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


...................................... Hawsons Chartered Accountants 

Statutory Auditor Pegasus House 463a Glossop Road Sheffield S10 2QD 

`18/07/2024` Date:............................. 

Hawsons Chartered Accountants is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006. 

Page 22 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2023** 

|||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**||**Total**|||**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**||**funds**||**2023**|||**2022**|
||**Note**|**£**||**£**||**£**|||**£**|
|**Incoming resources**||||||||||
|Charitable activities|3|323,454||7,000||330,454|||329,062|
|Investment income|2|8,445||-||8,445|||4,658|
|**Total incoming resources**||331,899||7,000||338,899|||333,720|
|**Resources expended**||||||||||
|Charitable activities|5|1,400||-||1,400|||4,500|
|Operating costs|4|295,801||7,000||302,801|||411,734|
|**Total resources**||||||||||
|**expended**||297,201||7,000||304,201|||416,234|
|Net incoming||||||||||
|resources/(outgoing||||||||||
|resources)||34,698||-||34,698|||(82,514)|
|Transfer between funds||-||-||-|||-|
|Net movement in funds||34,698||-||34,698|||(82,514)|
|**Reconciliation of funds**||||||||||
|Total funds brought forward||402,716||-||402,716|||485,230|
|Total funds carried forward|17|437,414||-||437,414|||402,716|



All of the charity's activities derive from continuing operations during the above two periods. 

The notes on pages 25 to 35 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 23 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **(Registration number: 01141941) Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2023** 

|||**2023**|||**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Note**|**£**|||**£**|
|**Fixed assets**||||||
|Intangible assets|10|-|||-|
|Tangible assets|11|8,698|||4,780|
|||8,698|||4,780|
|**Current assets**||||||
|Debtors|12|71,587|||114,757|
|Cash at bank and in hand||389,237|||316,857|
|||460,824|||431,614|
|**Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year**|13|(32,108)|||(33,678)|
|**Net current assets**||428,716|||397,936|
|**Net assets**||437,414|||402,716|
|**Funds of the charity:**||||||
|**Unrestricted income funds**||||||
|Unrestricted funds||437,414|||402,716|
|**Total funds**|17|437,414|||402,716|



For the year ending 31 December 2023 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of the accounts. 

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime. 

As this company is a charity, it is subject to audit under the Charities Act 2011. 

The financial statements on pages 23 to 35 were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue on .................... and `17/07/2024` signed on their behalf by: 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
.........................................<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


......................................... D E Outhwaite Trustee 

The notes on pages 25 to 35 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 24 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023** 

## **1 Accounting policies** 

The following accounting policies have been used consistently in dealing with items which are considered material to the charity's affairs. 

## **Statement of compliance** 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the second edition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. 

## **Basis of preparation** 

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. There has been no material departure from these standards. 

The functional and presentational currency of the charity is GBP. 

## **Going concern** 

After due consideration of all relevant factors the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the annual report and accounts. 

## **Income and endowments** 

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probably that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. 

Income derived from events and royalty income is recognised as earned (that is, as the related goods or services are provided). 

Investment income is recognised on a receivable basis. 

Income from charitable activities includes income recognised as earned (as the related goods or services are provided) under contract. 

Income is the amount derived from the provision of services and stated net of any discounts and sales taxes. The charity is registered for VAT. 

Page 25 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

**Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **1 Accounting policies (continued)** 

## **Expenditure** 

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probably that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. 

Costs of generating funds are the costs of trading for fundraising purposes. 

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. 

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

Grants payable are payments made to third parties in the furtherance of the charitable objectives. Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of service or output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SoFA once the recipient of the grant has provided the specific service or output. 

Grants payable without performance conditions are only recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made and there are no conditions to be met relating to the grant which remain in the control of the charity. 

Provisions for grant are made when the intention to make a grant has been communicated to the recipient but there is uncertainty about either the timing of the grant or the amount of grant payable. 

## **Taxation** 

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. 

## **Intangible assets** 

Intangible assets are shown at historical cost. 

Development costs relating to the development of an animated video for use on the charity website have been capitalised. These development costs have a finite useful life and is carried at cost less accumulated amortisation and any accumulated impairment losses. 

## **Amortisation** 

Amortisation is provided on intangible assets so as to write off the cost, less any estimated residual value, over their useful life. Amortisation is included as under operating costs in the Statement of Financial Activities. 

**Asset class** Development costs 

**Amortisation method and rate** Straight line over 5 years 

Page 26 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

**Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **1 Accounting policies (continued)** 

## **Depreciation** 

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life: 

**Asset class Depreciation method and rate** Fixtures and fittings 15% on reducing balance 

## **Trade and other debtors** 

Trade and other debtors which are receivable within one year are initially measured at the transaction price. Trade and other debtors are subsequently measured at amortised cost, being the transaction price less any amounts settled and any impairment losses. 

A provision for impairment of trade debtors is established when there is objective evidence that the amounts due will not be collected according to the original terms of the contract. Impairment losses are recognised in profit and loss for the excess of the carrying value of the trade debtors over the present value of the future cash flows discounted using the original effective interest rate. Subsequent reversals of an impairment loss that objectively relate to an event occurring after the impairment loss was recognised, are recognised immediately in profit or loss. 

## **Trade creditors** 

Trade and other creditors payable within one year are initially measured at the transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost, being the transaction price less any amounts settled. 

## **Financial liabilities** 

Financial liabilities are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities. 

## **Fund accounting** 

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. 

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. 

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements. 

## **Pensions and other post retirement obligations** 

The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company’s pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate. 

Page 27 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **1 Accounting policies (continued)** 

## **Financial instruments** 

## _**Classification**_ 

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. 

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the charity after deducting all of its liabilities. 

## **Judgements** 

There are no significant estimates or judgements made in the process of applying the charity's accounting policies. 

## **2 Investment income** 

|||||**2023**||**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**£**||**£**|
|Interest|on|cash|deposits|8,445||4,658|



## **3 Income from charitable activities** 

||**Unrestricted**|||**Restricted**|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**fund**|||**funds**|||**2023**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|
|Annual conference revenue|51,874|||7,000|||58,874|||49,153|
|Publications|253,020|||-|||253,020|||265,797|
|Membership subscriptions|18,560|||-|||18,560|||14,112|
||323,454|||7,000|||330,454|||329,062|



Page 28 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **4 Expenditure on charitable activities** 

||**Unrestricted**|||**Restricted**|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**fund**|||**funds**|||**2023**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|
|Annual conference|46,021|||7,000|||53,021|||153,219|
|Staff costs|119,953|||-|||119,953|||112,717|
|Other staff costs|14,392|||-|||14,392|||7,064|
|Stipends|33,696|||-|||33,696|||24,092|
|Other charity operating costs|20,373|||-|||20,373|||31,846|
|Amortisation|-|||-|||-|||2,132|
|Depreciation|1,126|||-|||1,126|||593|
|(Profit)/loss on disposal of|||||||||||
|tangible fixed assets|-|||-|||-|||2,620|
|Website costs|6,310|||-|||6,310|||39,175|
|Storage|4,631|||-|||4,631|||1,985|
|Travel and subsistence|15,052|||-|||15,052|||7,914|
|Bank charges|2,070|||-|||2,070|||5,136|
|Rent and rates|-|||-|||-|||13,513|
|Insurance|604|||-|||604|||756|
|Telephone and fax|-|||-|||-|||17|
|Office equipment|7,300|||-|||7,300|||13,638|
|Printing, postage and stationery|287|||-|||287|||397|
|Sundry expenses|10,499|||-|||10,499|||(26,178)|
|Legal and professional fees|13,487|||-|||13,487|||21,098|
|Grants|1,400|||-|||1,400|||4,500|
||297,201|||7,000|||304,201|||416,234|
||**Unrestricted**|||**Restricted**|||||||
||**fund**|||**funds**|||**2023**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|
|**Allocated**|||||||||||
|Charitable activities|1,400|||-|||1,400|||4,500|
|Operating costs|295,801|||7,000|||302,801|||411,734|
||297,201|||7,000|||304,201|||416,234|



Page 29 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **5 Grants payable** 

The total grants paid to individuals during the year was as follows: 

|**5**<br>**Grants payable**<br>The total grants paid to individuals during the year was as follows:||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**||**2022**|
||**£**||**£**|
|Grants|1,400||4,500|



The support costs associated with grant making are nil. 

## **6 Net incoming/outgoing resources** 

Net incoming/(outgoing) resources for the year include: 

|**6**<br>**Net incoming/outgoing resources**<br>Net incoming/(outgoing) resources for the year include:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Audit fees|8,000|7,500|
|Depreciation of fixed assets|1,126|593|
|Amortisation|-|2,132|



## **7 Trustees remuneration and expenses** 

No trustees, nor any persons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the charity during the year. 

No trustees have received any other benefits from the charity during the year. 

In the year, trustees were paid expenses of £26,579 (2022: £20,046) in relation to reimbursement and payment to a third party of travelling expenses and £13,500 (2022: £13,500) in relation to editor services regarding the Management in Education journals which are issued four times a year. The total number of trustees reimbursed was 17 (2022: 14). 

Page 30 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **8 Staff costs** 

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows: 

|**8**<br>**Staff costs**<br>The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|
|**Staff costs during the year were:**|||||
|Wages and salaries|105,297|||105,645|
|Social security costs|5,460|||4,758|
|Pension costs|9,196|||2,314|
||119,953|||112,717|



The monthly average number of persons (including senior management team) employed by the charity during the year expressed as full time equivalents was as follows: 

||**2023**||**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**No**||**No**|
|Admininstration|3||3|



The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £66,197 (2022 - £66,623). The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the Senior Management Team, which at the year end comprises the Executive Officer. 

Pension costs are allocated between activities and between restricted and unrestricted funds on the basis of staff time. 

## **9 Taxation** 

The charity is a registered charity and is therefore exempt from taxation. 

Page 31 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **10 Intangible fixed assets** 

|**10 Intangible fixed assets**||
|---|---|
||**Development**|
||**costs**|
||**£**|
|At 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023|10,668|
|**Amortisation**||
|At 1 January 2023|10,668|
|At 31 December 2023|10,668|
|**Net book value**||
|At 31 December 2023|-|
|At 31 December 2022|-|
|**11 Tangible fixed assets**||
||**Fixtures and**|
||**fittings**|
||**£**|
|**Cost**||
|At 1 January 2023|10,450|
|Additions|5,044|
|At 31 December 2023|15,494|
|**Depreciation**||
|At 1 January 2023|5,670|
|Charge for the year|1,126|
|At 31 December 2023|6,796|
|**Net book value**||
|At 31 December 2023|8,698|
|At 31 December 2022|4,780|



Page 32 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **12 Debtors** 

|**12 Debtors**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|
|Trade debtors|1,008|||2,266|
|Prepayments and accrued income|69,388|||106,014|
|Other debtors|1,191|||6,477|
||71,587|||114,757|



## **13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year** 

|**13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|
|Trade creditors|2,857|||10,501|
|Other taxation and social security|5,011|||2,289|
|Accruals and deferred income|24,240|||20,888|
||32,108|||33,678|



## **14 Deferred income** 

|||**2023**|||**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|||**£**|
|Balance|at 1 January|11,703|||7,832|
|Amount|released to income|(11,703)|||(7,832)|
|Amount|deferred in the year|9,861|||11,703|
|||9,861|||11,703|



## **15 Obligations under leases** 

## **Operating lease commitments** 

Total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows: 

||||**2023**||**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**£**||**£**|
|Within|one|year|1,486||-|



Page 33 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **16 Pension and other schemes** 

## **Defined contribution pension scheme** 

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The pension cost charge for the year represents contributions payable by the charity to the scheme and amounted to £9,196 (2022 - £2,314). 

Contributions totalling £318 (2022 - £318) were payable to the scheme at the end of the year and are included in accruals. 

## **17 Funds** 

|**17 Funds**|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Balance at 1**|||||||||**Balance at**|
||**January**|||**Incoming**|||**Resources**|||**31 December**|
||**2023**|||**resources**|||**expended**|||**2023**|
||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|
|**Unrestricted funds**|||||||||||
|General Funds|402,716|||331,899|||(297,201)|||437,414|
|**Restricted funds**|||||||||||
|Visit Belfast|-|||7,000|||(7,000)|||-|
|**Total funds**|402,716|||338,899|||(304,201)|||437,414|
||**Balance at 1**|||||||||**Balance at**|
||**January**|||**Incoming**|||**Resources**|||**31 December**|
||**2022**|||**resources**|||**expended**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|||**£**|
|**Unrestricted funds**|||||||||||
|General Funds|485,230|||333,720|||(416,234)|||402,716|



**Visit Belfast** Funding from Visit Belfast for hosting the annual conference in Belfast. 

## **18 Analysis of net assets between funds** 

|**18 Analysis of net assets between funds**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**||||
||**fund**|||**2023**|
||**£**|||**£**|
|Tangible fixed assets|8,698|||8,698|
|Debtors|71,587|||71,587|
|Cash at bank and in hand|389,237|||389,237|
|Current liabilities|(32,108)|||(32,108)|
|Total net assets|437,414|||437,414|



Page 34 



## **British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society Limited** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 (continued)** 

## **18 Analysis of net assets between funds (continued)** 

|**18 Analysis of net assets between funds (continued)**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**||||
||**fund**|||**2022**|
||**£**|||**£**|
|Tangible fixed assets|4,780|||4,780|
|Debtors|114,757|||114,757|
|Cash at bank and in hand|316,857|||316,857|
|Current liabilities|(33,678)|||(33,678)|
|Total net assets|402,716|||402,716|



## **19 Related party transactions** 

Transactions with Trustees have been disclosed in note 7. 

There were no other related party transactions in the year. 

## **20 Control** 

The ultimate controlling party is the board of trustees. 

Page 35 



## **SIGNATURE CERTIFICATE** 


**REFERENCE NUMBER 60D06BD3-C99E-4A4A-86A3-0A230C100983** 

**TRANSACTION DETAILS Reference Number 60D06BD3-C99E-4A4A-86A3-0A230C100983 Transaction Type Signature Request Sent At 07/18/2024 08:27 +01 Executed At 07/18/2024 09:15 +01 Identity Method email Distribution Method email** 

**DOCUMENT DETAILS Document Name BELMAS - Accounts 2023 Filename BELMAS_-_Accounts_2023.pdf Pages 37 pages Content Type application/pdf File Size 319 KB Original Checksum** 

**aa0a7caeeb33204bb2bde269cec517ca7e9c2e7b76c0b937c57b63779a27ecfd** 

## **Signed Checksum** 

**c10eebe6720ba6951dd311cec138b97a468f780dde3d692e87b2645551af6d7d** 

**Signer Sequencing Disabled Document Passcode Disabled** 

## **SIGNERS** 

|**SIGNER**|**E-SIGNATURE**|**EVENTS**|
|---|---|---|
|**Name**|**Status**|**Viewed At**|
|**Simon Bladen**|**signed**|**07/18/2024 09:14 +01**|
|**Email**|**Multi-factor Digital Fingerprint Checksum**|**Identity Authenticated At**|
|**slb@hawsons.co.uk**|**9a74b5000d8574a3bff6408e1fa00d9caa17099c37ee03800d8ffe16f12d8910**|**07/18/2024 09:15 +01**|
|**Components**|**IP Address**|**Signed At**|
|**2**|**51.52.147.30**|**07/18/2024 09:15 +01**|
||**Device**||
||**Chrome via Windows**||
||**Typed Signature**||




**Signature Reference ID 6DE3C44A** 

## **AUDITS** 

**TIMESTAMP AUDIT 07/18/2024 08:27 +01 07/18/2024 08:27 +01 07/18/2024 09:14 +01 07/18/2024 09:15 +01 07/18/2024 09:15 +01** 

**Ben Lomas (bl@hawsons.co.uk) created document 'BELMAS_-_Accounts_2023.pdf' on Chrome via Windows from 35.169.110.255. Simon Bladen (slb@hawsons.co.uk) was emailed a link to sign.** 

**Simon Bladen (slb@hawsons.co.uk) viewed the document on Chrome via Windows from 51.52.147.30. Simon Bladen (slb@hawsons.co.uk) authenticated via email on Chrome via Windows from 51.52.147.30. Simon Bladen (slb@hawsons.co.uk) signed the document on Chrome via Windows from 51.52.147.30.**