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2024-08-31-accounts

The Gard'ner Memorial Ltd (A company Limited by guarantee) Trading as More House School Director's Report and Financial Statements For year ending 31"August 2024 Registered Charity number. 311872 Registered Company number. 523768

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Report of the Chair of Trustees

Our charity and school’s mission is:

‘ To empower cognitively able pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated Special Educational Needs, to transform their futures.’

I am delighted to report that the year to 31[st] August 2024 was particularly powerful in delivering on our mission; in realising transformative impact on the lives of our pupils, and of many far beyond our gates. Despite significant headwinds on the horizon to independent education, More House school has some exciting new prospects in the near future being developed through our strategic approach. Some headlines to frame early on are as follows.

Ten Headlines

1. Despite the particular Special Educational Needs for our boys, More House School again enabled our Year 11 and 13s to
outperform the national average for GCSEs, BTECs, and A’ Levels.
2. Yet again, More House School realisedOUTSTANDINGin every area for our Ofsted Social Care inspection in November 2023.
3. Our Performing Arts department delivered outstanding performances from ourJazz Bandat internal concerts, More House Proms
in the Park, and our More House More the Merrier Players delivered an exceptional performance ofTwelfth Night Fever, at
school, in the Haslemere Hall and a week’s run at the Edinburgh Fringe.
4. Our Outreach and teacher development programmeshelped over 500 professionals,on top of our own teaching community,
develop in their particular SEND understanding and professional practice, as well as support the national Independent Schools’
SEND Conference, and co-host a key Adaptive Teaching conference at Charterhouse School.
5. We were approved agrowth of 25 students(490 to 515) by the Department for Education to enable us to help more boys.
6. To maintain our continued operation, we secured our future by changing our approach to pensions. This capped our contributions
to the inflationary Teachers’ Pension Scheme, allowing the school to survive and also to give access to greater pension options
for staff.
7. As with other independent schools, we were notified of the intent to apply VAT to school fees. This will be partly mitigated by
the fact that 67% of our boys are Local Authority funded, and hence they will be able to reclaim the VAT.
8. Regardless, More House School has continued to deliver outstanding educational outcomes to499 boysin our unique model of
SEND adaptive teaching and fully timetabled Learning Development Centre (LDC) approach.
9. Forward looking sees us expecting planning permission for anoutstanding new all-weather playing surface, with associated
pavilion and new traffic approach, part-funded through the efforts of our new Development team; significant developments in
terms of progress toNet Zero; and a whole new St Matthew’s classroom and conference centre development. We are also
developing our approach to the roll out of pupil devices.
10. We recognise the incredibly successful and unique approach we have to SEND educational techniques and models at More House.
We aim to build on this over the coming years though ourOutreach and Training programmesto increase significantly our
support to other organisations and professionals.

We continued to drive excellence in our provision of daytime education and of residential care for our many boarders, delivering More House School’s unique model of adaptive, beyond-the-label teaching, exceptional specialist therapeutic and remedial intervention, and comprehensive pastoral support enabling our pupils to build both their self-esteem and aspirations, and to thrive, academically and socially.

This is celebrated in our pupils’ remarkable results in their accredited courses, following the summer 2024 public examination series, where our Year Eleven cohort beat the national averages for overall good passes at GCSE, achieving a good pass in GCSE English, and achieving a good pass in GCSE Mathematics. And again, a majority of our Upper Sixth leavers chose to progress to university degree programmes, as varied as Business, Computing, Engineering, Environment, History, Politics, Music and Sports.

More House School retained its ‘Outstanding in all areas’ grading from the Department for Education’s Office for Standards in Education inspectorate (Ofsted), re-awarded at our last full school inspection, in March 2023, when the inspectors wrote:

‘The school has been rated outstanding for some time, yet has not stood still in its ambition to evolve and to improve.’

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Ofsted, March 2023

Our provision for our weekly and full boarders was similarly praised following our November 2023 Ofsted Social Care inspection, which also reconfirmed the highest possible grades in every area.

Another showcase was the many performing arts successes of our pupils. Following a week’s run in our own theatre, our musical production, Twelfth Night Fever, based on one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays but with a distinctly disco vibe, was also staged for a public audience at Haslemere Hall, and then at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Our school Jazz Band performed a tour in New York, just before Easter, and joined our enormous number of eclectic musical ensembles at our summer Proms in the Park.

Our commitment to outreach and improving the experiences of children and young people with language and literacy-related special educational needs, expanded through the 2023-2024 academic year. We were delighted to provide training and consultancy for a large number of professionals, from both the state-maintained and independent school sectors, visiting schools to deliver training, and presenting at conferences. Notably, we partnered with Charterhouse School to deliver an Adaptive Teaching conference in March, attracting many delegates, and we delivered training sessions as part of the National SEND Conference for Independent schools, in association with the Independent Schools Council, in November. We remain closely involved in cutting-edge university research to inform our training and practice, and are currently involved in a number of projects with different institutions.

A consultation with teaching staff regarding pension arrangements, which remained unresolved at the end of the previous year, was quickly resolved in the early weeks of the Michaelmas (autumn) term 2023, with changes taking effect for relevant staff on the 1[st] of September 2024. This decouples the school from the risk of rising employers’ contributions to the national pension scheme for teachers, and offers greater choice for teaching staff.

We were delighted that our request to the Department for Education for a material change, to increase our maximum pupil capacity from 490 to 515 students, was granted. Through the year, we also examined our potential for expansion of our educational offering beyond our campus in Frensham, Surrey, enable us to achieve a long-term ambition – to provide education for girls as well as for boys.

The year was also characterised by growth in our board of trustees and governors as well as investment in the leadership of the school’s support departments, replacing the traditional Bursar role with that of a newly recruited Chief Operating Officer, and simultaneously strengthening the expertise within our Finance department.

The political changes which herald the planned implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) on school fees offer challenge for every independent school, even those where a majority of children are paid for by public money through the Education, Health and Care plan (EHCp) system. The vital role of schools such as ours, offering the highest standards of specialist provision at exceptional value for money, remain clearly evident. There has, arguably, never been a time when strong, forward-thinking and courageous governance and leadership are more valuable, and I know the opportunities ahead of us greatly outweigh the challenges.

We were honoured to host Strictly Come Dancing celebrity, Kai Widdrington, to present the awards and to share his own words of encouragement at our annual Founder’s Day ceremony, and announced the election of our headmaster, Jonathan Hetherington, to the national position of Vice-Chair of the Independent Schools Association (ISA) for the 2024-25 academic year; a post which, rightly, places More House School more in the spotlight. Jonathan is expected to become the national Chair of ISA from September 2025.

Our mission remains resolute and is the cause of continuous inspiration and commitment from all in our community. As we look forwards, so we recognise strategic priorities relating to the continued development of the quality of our people, to the continuous improvement of our facilities, to the expansion of our offer and to increasing the impact of our outreach services. The future remains as exciting as ever and I am pleased to report that we embrace it from a position of strength.

20 March 2025

Signature:

……………………………………………

Date:

…………………………………

G. Handley, Chair of Trustees

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Report of the trustees

The trustees of the Gard’ner Memorial Limited, who are also the charity’s directors for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, are pleased to present their annual report, together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31[st] August 2024, which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.

Objectives and activities

The objects of the charity are:

The advancement of education including, but not limited to, running the More House School, Frensham, and educating children, particularly those with learning difficulties, but also disseminating best practice in techniques of teaching and learning through training, consultation, assessment, research and related activities, both in the UK and internationally, so continuing the tradition of the late Reginald Joseph Gard’ner for the public benefit.

Too many children are failed by the mainstream education system, where typical methods of teaching and support in the classroom fail to uncover the true cognitive potential of children who experience weaknesses in their literacy and developmental language skills, and those affected by associated difficulties including Developmental Coordination Disorder and attention deficit conditions. Such children may be intellectually very capable but are left believing themselves not clever, disadvantaged by an education system which focuses the primary means of assessing ability on their areas of skill-weakness, and leaving their strengths unrecognised. Too many children believe themselves failures amongst their peers, and the threat to mental health and wellbeing is too frequently explicit.

And yet such children offer huge value for the future of our society and world. Many companies now recognise immense value in recruiting neuro-diverse teams. Our pupils have a great part to play in the future of our country, in all areas of education, industry and business. With the right educational approach at the right point in their lives, children and young people with specific learning difficulties, developmental language delay and associated conditions, can be enabled to see their strengths and their future. Once they are taught to believe in themselves, they can grow the courage to tackle the challenges in their educational paths and realise their true intelligence. With an appropriate educational environment, they can achieve success at GCSE and A Level, and pursue further and higher education and training, leading to promising careers and contributing to our society. Such a pathway is essential in order for such young people to become truly independent, supporting the state and society through maintaining strong mental and physical health, participating in worthwhile employment and paying tax, rather than failing to realise such outcomes, necessitating continuous support from society and the public purse throughout their adult lives.

Our vision is:

To lead in transforming the futures of intelligent children who experience Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, by empowering them.

Our mission is:

To empower our pupils to transform their futures.

Our values are:

Kindness, Spirit, Responsibility

Our specific aims are:

To support the individual needs of each pupil, as individuals, so that each thrives, adapting continuously teaching and support strategies to challenge appropriately pupils’ diverse strengths and weaknesses.

To provide all pupils with an environment in which they feel, and are, safe and confident in being themselves, and through which they develop effective skills to promote their mental health and wellbeing.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

To foster in all pupils a powerful desire to question and to learn, and to realise high aspirations for their future, in terms of continued education and learning, their professional career, and social relationships.

To provide a transformative learning environment and opportunities for our pupils so that they achieve outstanding academic results, above the national age-related averages, both at level two (GCSE level) and three (Advanced level), despite having Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions.

To develop our pupils to become confident and resilient young people, with the experience and skills that allow them to lead independent lives within a modern world, and with the desire to be involved in society.

To foster amongst all pupils an understanding, care and tolerance of all others, within the school’s Catholic ethos and in accordance with the fundamental values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

To collaborate with and promote research into the education and support of children and young people with language-related educational difficulties, and use research to improve educational outcomes for all pupils, and those in other educational settings.

During the year up to the 31[st] August 2024, the school’s governors monitored the implementation of the School Development Plan, realised through a comprehensive process of organisation-wide self-evaluation and development-planning. The plan is informed by the following six targets , approved by the Board of Governors:

Curriculum

To be a centre of excellence in the delivery of a broad academic and social development curriculum, ensuring pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions make the greatest possible progress, are empowered and prepared in the best possible manner for their futures.

Extra-Curricular

To be a centre of excellence in the delivery of developmental opportunities beyond the academic curriculum so that pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions extend their experience, developing social confidence.

Pastoral

To be a centre of excellence in the delivery of pastoral care for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, promoting the Safeguarding and wellbeing of all pupils and adults, pupils’ positive social development, and the best possible learning environment.

Residential

To be a centre of excellence in the delivery of residential care for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, ensuring pupils’ Safeguarding and wellbeing, and promoting their personal and social development.

Therapy

To be a centre of excellence in the delivery of Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Literacy intervention and Numeracy intervention for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions so that they make the greatest possible progress and are empowered.

Outreach

To be a centre of excellence in the provision of the highest quality training and support of external organisations, professionals, children and young people relating to Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, including collaboration with and participation in research.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Organisational structure

The Board of Governors of More House School comprises the trustees of the charity, who are also the non-executive directors and members of the company. The full board meets at least three times a year, with the Headmaster and Bursar or Chief Operating Officer (COO) in attendance. Appointments to the Board of Governors are conducted through a process of identifying opportunities for augmenting the complement of skills and experience afforded by the board, and recruiting accordingly. The process is overseen by the board’s Governance and Nominations Committee, which makes recommendations to the full board for such appointments. All appointments are approved at a meeting of the full Board of Governors

Members of the Board of Governors serve on one or more of the governor committees:

Each committee is chaired by a governor and comprises other governors. Each committee meets regularly according to an agreed programme and is attended by one or more members of the school’s most senior executive team, the Core Leadership Group, and often members of the school’s wider Senior Management Team (SMT).

It should be noted that this year has seen a considerable changeover of the Board of Governors as some have reached the completion of their terms of office, and as we have purposefully increased the board’s membership and areas of specific expertise. This change has been facilitated by strong handovers and a comprehensive training programme for new Governors.

The governors determine the general policy of the charity and school in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and with the adopted strategic development plan. The governors have responsibility for the company’s system of internal controls, for evaluating its effectiveness in meeting its aims, recruitment, induction of trustees, training and for continuous improvement. They delegate the dayto-day management of the school to the Headmaster, supported by the Bursar/COO and the Core Leadership Group.

The Core Leadership Group (CLG) comprises the following executive positions:

Chaired by the headmaster, the two main forums of the CLG and the SMT drive the delivery of the school’s outputs, the first on a weekly basis, and the second over a monthly basis. The SMT holds representation from a wider community across the school.

The structure of the academic teaching departments remains the same as the previous year, and similar to most other Independent schools in the sector, with the notable difference of the Learning Development Centre. The school’s staff of Speech & Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Literacy and Numeracy Tutors is led by the Head of the Learning Development Centre, who reports to and is supported by the Director of Assessment and Therapy. The Deputy Head (Pastoral) leads the school’s pastoral therapeutic provision, including the Mental Health Lead and other therapeutic counsellors. The full-time Head of Safeguarding oversees the school’s safeguarding team, and is supported by deputy DSLs.

The pay and remuneration for the key management personnel are set by the governors for the Headmaster and Bursar / COO, and by the governors from recommendations made by the Headmaster and Bursar / COO, in respect of the other members of the Core Leadership Group.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Main aims and achievements

Our primary aims through the 2023-2024 academic year comprised:

Education and outcomes

The number of children and young people supported by the school’s specialist approach and provision increased for the 2023-24 academic year, with an average of 499 on the pupil roll compared with the previous year’s 477 (2023) and previously 493 (2022). This was in line with the new 515 limit; a material change approved by the Department for Education in October 2023. Whilst the start number for the year was 494, and the year ended with 502, these numbers could have been higher as the demand on 6[th] form and Junior year places were healthier than expected. Modelling suggests that overall demand will stay healthy moving into the next academic year as even VAT on school fees is implemented by the UK Government.

----- Start of picture text -----
Average number of pupils on-roll
510
500
490
480
470
460
450
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Average number of pupils on-roll
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Outcomes for pupils in the 2023-24 academic year were empowering, with our senior school pupils and our Sixth Form students celebrating impressive results in their final awards for GCSE, A Level and equivalent qualifications.

Public exam results

Our Year Eleven and Upper Sixth pupils achieved excellent results in their final grades for accredited courses at Level 2 (GCSE and equivalent) and at Level 3 (A Level and equivalent).

Year Eleven results, summer 2024:

Nationally, GCSE results in the summer of 2024 were down on the previous years’ listings as grade boundaries were adjusted to bring the distribution of grades into line with pre-pandemic levels. This is evidenced in the statistics published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ). This followed the years of Centre-Assessed Grades (CAGs), Teacher Assessed Grades (TAGs) and artificially inflated examination grades to compensate for COVID-19 disruption. Summer 2024, therefore, witnessed a nationwide endeavour to pull back grades, despite this cohort also having experienced very significant disruption to their educational experiences, academically and socially.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

In spite of this, and also noting that summer 2024’s More House School Year Eleven cohort had the highest ever proportion of pupils whose complex special educational needs were recognised by an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCp), our pupils triumphed in their public examinations, beating the national averages (England, male) for:

All 61 of our Year Eleven candidates overcame the challenges of Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder or associated Special Educational Needs, and 77% of candidates were the subjects of Education, Health and Care plans.

Whilst the number of candidates has fluctuated over the past five years, there has been a trend of a greater proportion of candidates being the subject of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), indicating a greater degree of special educational need.

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Year 11 candidates year-on-year comparison
100
80
60
40
20
0
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Number of candidates % of candidates holding an EHCP
Year 11 results year-on-year comparison
100
50
0
% 9-6/A-B/Dist- % 9-4/A-C/Dist-L2 % 9-4 GCSE English % 9-4 GCSE Maths % 9-4/equiv. Science %Five 9-4/eqiv. Inc.
Merit Pass Eng. & Maths
2018-19
2019-20 (Teacher-assessed grades)
2020-21 (Centre-assessed grades)
2021-22 (Return to formal examinations)
2022-23 (Nationally-inflated grade-boundaries)
2023-24 (National adjustment of grade-boundaries to bring back into line with pre-pandemic levels)
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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Upper Sixth results – summer 2024

All 27 Level 3 (Advanced Level and equivalent) candidates overcame their challenges of Dyslexia, Developmental Language Disorder or associated Special Educational Needs, and 71% held Education, Health and Care plans (a significant increase, of nine percentage points, compared with the previous year).

----- Start of picture text -----
Upper Sixth candidates year-on-year comparison
50 100
40 80
30 60
20 40
10 20
0 0
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Number of candidates % of candidates holding an EHCP
Upper Sixth results year-on-year comparison
150
100
50
0
% A-A/Dist-Dist %A-C/Dist-Merit Pass rate A Level/L3 BTEC
2018-19
2019-20 (Teacher-assessed grades)
2020-21 (Centre-assessed grades)
2021-22 (Return to formal examinations)
2022-23 (Nationally-inflated grade-boundaries)
2023-24 (National adjustment of grade-boundaries to bring back into line with pre-pandemic levels)
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Leavers’ destinations

Of our 27 Upper Sixth students who completed their studies in summer 2024, 63% applied to university degree programmes. Of those, 93% secured places and 73% achieved their first-choice destination, going on to study a wide breadth of degree courses, including:

Acoustical and Audio Engineering, History and Politics, Business Management, Humanities, Computer Science, Music Production, Countryside Management, Politics and International Relations and Engineering and Technology, Sports Performance and Coaching.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Others progressed from our Upper Sixth to specialist Further Education or vocational training, into a gap-year pending deferred entry to university, or directly into employment.

Progress

All pupils’ development of independent living skills is tracked through the annual review system and remains a focus within the school’s Learning Development Centre curriculum, especially in Occupational Therapy sessions, and Residential boarding curriculum. Pupils are supported to develop social confidence and social inference, and to lessen potential vulnerabilities. They build competence in managing money and in using public amenities, such as shops and public transport. They are taught to develop independence in preparing food. The independent living skills facility within our senior boarding house, St Anthony’s, continued to afford older boarding pupils access to a working, domestic-style kitchen, including domestic facilities for clothes-laundering. Boarders are supported to develop confidence and skills in managing domestic functions in preparation for independent living after school, and they have enjoyed preparing their own breakfasts and evening meals, managing their laundry, and ironing.

External inspections

Ofsted

In November 2023, the school underwent the annual residential provision inspection, with the continuation of the Outstanding grading, across the following areas;

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people Outstanding How well children and young people are helped and protected Outstanding The effectiveness of leaders and managers Outstanding Date of inspection; 7 – 9 November 2023 Overall judgement: Outstanding

The inspectors wrote;

‘Pupils are truly at the heart of this provision’

Ofsted, November 2023

In terms of the grading of the school’s Educational provision, in the year ending 31[st] August 2024, we maintained the ‘Outstanding in all areas’ judgement awarded in the March 2023 full school inspection, with the graded areas detailed:

Overall effectiveness Outstanding
The quality of education Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership and management Outstanding
Sixth-form provision Outstanding
Overall effectiveness at previous inspection (March 2019) Outstanding
Does the school meet the independent school standards? Yes

The inspectors wrote:

‘The school has been rated outstanding for some time, yet has not stood still in its ambition to evolve and to improve.’

Ofsted, March 2023

CReSTeD

More House School is approved by the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic pupils (CReSTeD), within their Specialist Provision category. The school’s accreditation in this respect is reviewed three-yearly requiring a quality-assurance visit conducted by CReSTeD. Our most recent re-accreditation visit was in February 2020; the outcome was the school’s re-accreditation for a further three years, although CReSTeD has extended this to 2024 owing to a backlog of quality-assurance visits resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

The report of the quality-assurance visit conducted by CReSTeD is published by CReSTeD on their website, and on the school’s website, together with the assessor’s overall summary comment:

I fully recommend that More House School continues to be registered in the SPS category with CReSTeD. Teaching and learning are very sound and meeting the social and emotional needs of the pupils continues to be a high priority. The extensive mainstream curriculum and support sessions are successfully timetabled for individual needs. Staff are energetic and the pupils were seen to respond well to them. The school was recently judged as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and it is very evident to see why when visiting. The school aims to continually move forward embracing new ideas to advance the provision for the pupils and SEND work in the wider community. A new 6th Form Centre, ‘Crosslanes’, was opened last year and houses an LDC drop-in support service for the sixth formers. The school runs conferences and training for local schools to help enhance the provision for SEND pupils beyond its doors. It is a popular day and boarding boys school set in the Surrey countryside with a commitment towards ensuring that the pupils achieve highly and develop as individuals.

CReSTeD, 2020

A re-accreditation quality assurance visit is expected in the autumn of 2024.

Teacher-training, staff-development and external professionals’-training

During the 2023-24 academic year we continued our commitment to developing the skills and efficacy of the school’s practitioners and of professionals working with neuro-diverse pupils beyond More House School, through teacher-training programmes, ongoing staffdevelopment, and the training of educational professionals external to More House School.

Teacher-training

During the 2023-24 academic year, we supported three unqualified teachers in the school through our More House Introduction to Teaching programme, completed successfully. We also guided three qualified members of our teaching staff through the first year of their Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction course, and a further two through their second ECT year. We were supported by the Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel (IStip) who monitor our work in this area to ensure compliance and quality.

New Staff Induction

The school continued to operate a comprehensive induction and training programme for all new employees, with special focus areas for those whose roles are involved in the delivery of teaching, therapy, classroom or teaching department support, or the residential provision, especially promoting employees’ understanding of, and competence in meeting the needs of pupils with Developmental Language weaknesses, Specific Learning Difficulties, and associated conditions. 28 employees embarked on this induction programme through the course of the year ending 31[st] August 2024.

Professional Qualifications

More House School has taken advantage of fully-funded National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), with six staff successfully completing programmes during the 2023-24 academic year and one embarking on a programme.

During the course of the year, six members of the residential staff team have been supported to study on NVQ level 3 (x5) and NVQ level 5 (management x1) in Residential Care.

Other higher qualifications

One middle-leader amongst the teaching staff has been supported by the school to pursue the Master of Arts Apprenticeship

programme: MA Educational Leadership Apprenticeship, awarded by Coventry University. This was completed in July 24.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Other miscellaneous training opportunities

Other training to support the school’s staff has included:

Accredited CPD courses

The school supported its staff and other, external professionals, to develop their understanding and skills relating to pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder, Autism and associated Special Educational Needs, through its suite of Level 3 and Level 4 CPD Standards accredited training and awards. These professional-development programmes are designed, published and delivered by More House School.

Learning Beyond the Label Training Course

The school recognises the unique higher level knowledge base in SEN, and in order to share this for the benefit of a broader cohort, developed a course, launched in Sept 23, introducing practitioners to supporting SEND through the support of key cognitive functions and reflecting the evidence base from the University of Cambridge’s CALM research project. All employees completed this course in Jan 24 and it was also made available to practitioners in mainstream and other specialist providers. The course was completed by over 250 external users in the period leading up to August 24.

Lecturing/Training

Provision of external, outreach training activities during the course of the year ending 31[st] August 2024 included:

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ISA professional development - delivered 3 x Language is the Charterhouse conference attended by 52 teachers and SENDCOs,
Basis of Everything, Executive Function and SEND in the with focus on language, support, and working memory from MHS
Classroom expert practitioners
Level 3 courses online through Thinkific (5) ‘Learning Beyond the Label’ through Thinkific (351)
Level 3 courses online through Thinkific (3) ‘Learning Beyond the Label’ through Thinkific [for parents] (58)
Surrey CC holiday activity club training package (90) ‘Lets Talk About’ series of videos for parents on concentration,
problem solving, confidence, processing, and reasoning
Winchester Uni PE PGCE student session delivery I2i placements through Weydon MAT for 5 trainee teachers
Abbey International, Cambridge consultancy PGCE SEND placement for one week
Slindon college consultancy Discussion hub on ‘Beyond the Label’ online
Lord Wandsworth School – all staff completed Beyond the Label Hoe Bridge School – 25 staff completed Beyond the Label
Egerton Rothesay School, Berkhamsted – sharing expertise Governor Training at Andrews Endowed Primary School, Alton
Executive function training at Andrews Endowed Primary School Unicorn School, Abingdon – sharing expertise
----- End of picture text -----

Research projects

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Other events and projects

Safeguarding

The safeguarding report highlights a comprehensive approach to ensuring the safety and well-being of pupils, staff, and stakeholders. Key initiatives include extensive safeguarding training for staff, focusing on KCSIE updates, adolescent neglect, and child protection. A proactive system monitors pupils’ concerns through tools like the "Worry Button," enabling prompt intervention. The DSL team actively collaborates with external agencies, meets regularly to review cases, and ensures that policies, including safeguarding and social media, are updated. Strengths include effective communication with pupils via assemblies and posters, real-time monitoring systems like Impero, and safeguarding newsletters for stakeholders. However, areas for improvement include conducting a pupil safety survey, enhancing CCTV, addressing staff workload in the safeguarding team, and implementing further training on reporting language and CPOMS use. Regular audits and parent workshops on online safety are also planned. These measures reflect the school’s commitment to a safe and supportive environment.

The November 2023 inspection highlighted:

Safeguarding processes are excellent. The designated safeguarding lead is dynamic and knowledgeable. They have been instrumental in developing a strong safeguarding culture and disseminating their knowledge to staff.

The designated safeguarding lead ensures that staff and governors are knowledgeable about their safeguarding responsibilities. They use staff development days and bulletins to brief staff on current national and local trends. They have developed a superb, researched-informed safeguarding handbook, which is a key document for staff. When staff report safeguarding concerns, there is excellent monitoring from the headteacher. As a result, staff are confident in reporting concerns and know that they will be managed well.

Other achievements

Engagement in our community

Promoting amongst our pupils responsibility for the less fortunate in our international society has continued to be a very important element of the school’s activities.

In the year ending 31[st] August 2024, the More House School community donated more than £10,000 to charitable causes, supporting the following charities:

British Red Cross Young Epilepsy
Royal British Legion RNLI
Cancer Research Epilepsy Action
St Andrews Church Farnham Phylis Tuckwell

Staff and Structure

The previous academic year recognised the inability for the school to continue operating with the huge financial burden of the full Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS). The leadership and governors recognised this would seriously risk the financial viability of the school as a going concern as the government continued to increase the employer’s contributions with the most notable increase from 16.48% to 23.68% (with further increases planned) from 2020. Following a difficult consultation period, an agreement was reached with the teaching staff for a

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

hybrid-TPS scheme to be adopted, capping More House contributions at 21.3% with teachers to top-up (alongside their own employees’ contributions of between 7.4% and 11.7%) to the 2024 levels of 28.68%. An alternative Royal London Defined Contribution pension scheme was also initiated at the same time to allow teaching staff the option to switch to this scheme with the school funding the same 21.3% (comprised of 20% employers’ contributions and 1.3% Life Assurance and Income Protection Premium), but with full flexibility for the individual to add whatever they desire above a minimum of 2% Employee’s Pension Contributions.

In terms of structures, the role of Bursar was deemed to be too narrow, and allowed for the creation of a Chief Operating Officer in its place. This role was filled in June 2024, and, in turn, supported the recruitment of a new Development Director, charged with primary fundraising activities and development of a new school alumni approach.

Performances

In February 2024, senior years pupils staged their musical theatre production, Twelfth Night Fever, following on from their previous success of Rockbeth the previous year. Again in the same vein as the previous year, the success drove the performance to present at the Edinburgh Fringe, with great success for a second year. This was, again, a truly remarkable experience for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

The school’s musicians performed at the Frensham Fayre, providing entertainment for the crowds with the Steel Pan Band and the Jazz Band. They also provided music at the Christmas and Easter services, and at a multitude of concerts and other events throughout the year.

Self-evaluation and development-planning

In the year to 31[st] August 2024, the School Development Plan (SDP), adopted by the Board of Governors, guided the work of the Core Leadership Group and extended Senior Management Team in implementing improvements to the school and to its provision for all pupils. Focused on our school-wide vision – To lead in transforming the futures of intelligent children who experience Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated conditions, by empowering them – and on our specific aims.

The plan provides strategic development planning in eight key functions:

Capital projects

The two main projects in scope for this period were:

The first of these saw the current buildings condemned. The re-division of other larger teaching areas in the school allowed for the science provision to be maintained without impact to the curriculum, and has enabled a far better and modern science provision in the new classrooms. The buildings themselves will be demolished early in the 2024/2025 school year and replaced by a new multi-use space via a formal tender and assessment process.

At the time of writing this report, the second, and larger package of work has now received successful planning permission (in the November following the end of this academic years purview) following continuous pressure through the preceding 12 months. Local residents have been engaged in the process, and it is hoped to move forwards in full collaboration with them as we seek the best solution for the boys and other stakeholders alike. This is a very exciting development for the school, which will mitigate current waterlogging problems with our playing surfaces during the winter and solve many of the traffic problems prevalent on site and on the surrounding lanes. It is anticipated that it will take approximately 2 years to raise the funds needed and satisfy the planning conditions prior to breaking turf on this project.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

This will result in a full sized 3G playing surface with primacy with football and hockey, but application to any other sport as needs be, plus associated pavilion with home and away changing rooms, community space, and use for other school and Friends events too. The new roadway will alleviate traffic problems on the local roads and also provide for electric charge points for vehicles.

School and Community

More House School continued to provide an essential resource to the local and wider community. The School confirms that it has had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on Public Benefit. Through the year ended 31[st] August 2024 more than 500 pupils were educated by the school. Those pupils came from a wide breadth of social backgrounds and from a wide geographical area. 66.13% of the parents made no financial contribution to their sons’ educations since, owing to the severity of the young persons’ special educational needs, those placements were funded by local authorities – approximately thirty separate local authorities. The school afforded discounts to local authorities funding places in the school dependent on the total number of pupils funded by each authority. A third of pupils in the school were funded privately, and approximately a fifth of pupils received bursaries. Sixth Form students are provided bursaries relevant to the time spent in the school prior to entering the Sixth Form, and this support is afforded to privately funding families and to local authorities alike.

Although most of the school’s income was from public money, through fees associated with placements of pupils who are the subject of Education, Health and Care plans, the school was able to support a small number of families experiencing financial hardship, through the provision of exceptional bursaries or deferment of payment schemes, according to the school’s means-testing process, and funded by income not derived from local authority payments.

During the 2023-24 academic year, the school continued to support other educational professionals and their students far beyond the school’s gates, through the provision of free-of-charge, specialist SEND training. This was delivered through the well-established Spotlight Training seminar series. The school continued to deliver its Level 3 and Level 4 professional development awards, accredited by the CPD Standards Office (part of the Professional Development Consortium). The courses are provided to More House School employees free-ofcharge, and to non-More House School professionals at cost. We also continued to provide informal consultancy and advice for many individual teachers, other educational professionals, parents and schools throughout the year. We contributed our expertise within the delivery of a university-led initial teacher training programme.

Additionally, More House School supports a variety of other schools and charitable trusts by sharing expertise directly through serving on committees and boards. These include several state-maintained and non-maintained school governorships and independent school governorships, serving on the CReSTeD pre-registration committee, serving on the Independent Schools Council Advisory Group – SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), serving as a trustee and director of the Independent Schools Association, trusteeship of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity, and Safeguarding Officer for local children’s sports clubs and for the Guildford Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers.

The school has continued to support the local community, and especially youth groups, through the provision of specialist facilities and accommodation free of charge. During the 2023-24 academic year this included providing free access to sports pitches and training for Churt Juniors Football Club, free use of sporting facilities for the Hampshire Youth Disability Cricket programme, free use of our Music and Drama facilities for Farnham Music and Drama, free use of school multi-passenger vehicles for local Girl-Guiding and Rowledge’s St James’ Church Youth Group, and free use of our Music facilities for Farnham Youth Choir.

Strategic report

The average number of pupils on roll during the year was 499, realising a notable increase on the previous academic year’s average of 477. This is reflected through the successful application made to the Department for Education to increase the registered capacity by a further 25 pupils; from 490 to 515. This is expected to stabilise, despite the implementation of VAT with increased demand and an improved approach to pupil selection processes.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Of those 499 pupils’ placements, 68.3% were funded publicly, by approximately thirty different local authorities, for pupils in receipt of an Education, Health and Care Plan. This represented a broad flat-lining in funded placements compared to the previous academic year, but is expected to rise with the implementation of VAT in the next year.

Proportion Local Authority / Privately Funded

----- Start of picture text -----
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
4 10 7 10
----- End of picture text -----

Future plans

The key areas of focus for strategic management and development planning for the 2024-25 year and beyond comprise:

School Development Plan

The School Development Plan continues to focus on pupils progress, development of teaching and learning, pastoral development, support to the staff, training, mentoring, and communications, and also facilities, finance and IT developments.

Staff and professionals’ training

More House School remains committed to the effective training and continued professional development of its staff. Transferring the school’s approach to supporting the professional development of its employees to a coaching model is an important School Development Plan project. External training for all employees, and for managers has been conducted, and will lead to further training and support in the next academic year.

The techniques and structures employed at More House School at superb Value for Money, represent a wholly different, tailor made approach to the education of SEN children. This is the schools USP, and, along with the fully engrained raison d’etre for Transforming Outcomes, this is a model that More House wishes to share further in the future. This, as yet, relatively untapped stream, through development of the Beyond the Label concepts represent an exiting opportunity for More House and other schools (State and Independent) to reach more SEN children and transform their futures across the UK.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Capital development

The nature of the school site requires ongoing commitment to the maintenance and development of the school’s fabric and facilities. Of particular focus for the immediate future are the three projects of;

Expansion

The ambition to afford access to a More House education to a much wider population of children and young people with Specific Learning Difficulties, Developmental Language Disorder and associated special educational needs remains strong, and the school continues to investigate possible avenues to expanding the provision through the opening of a second school site. Enabling access for female pupils is a key aspect of this ambition, recognising the lack of suitable provision for intelligent children, of both sexes, who benefit from a mainstream, academic curriculum delivered in a manner which supports their cognitive profile and learning difficulties.

This expansion included specific review of a failing school with serious explorations as to the viability of a second campus. These allowed a focussed investigation and feasibility study to be conducted for operational, financial and educational aspects and whilst the risk outweighed the benefit in this instance driving the decision to not take the opportunity, the investigations serve as a strong foundation for further work in the future.

Strategy

Following a Strategy Day held with the Governors and Senior Management Team late in the year, a number of strategic themes and opportunities were explored and researched. As such, the new academic year has seen greater emphasis on development of the More House Strategy, certainly with an eye on the More House Centenary in 15 years time. Central to this will be the potential to expand provision to girls education, and also increase in the sharing of the More House Method of SEN education through a blend of current and new approaches via both heavily discounted and more commercial approaches. This is empowered by the new strength in the Governing body following the many changes over the last year, and by other changes in the school structures.

Risk

Risk management in More House School is considered regularly at CLG and Governor levels to ensure sufficient consideration is being applied. A change this year to the risk framework has seen the risk register reviewed and updated for a more considered pre- and postmitigation assessment of the key risks the organisation faces.

Prior years identified and framed risks surrounding VAT and business rates changes, which have now occurred to some extent. As the VAT risk has now been realised (notified in the timescale for this financial year, and implemented in the following year), the school has had no option but to flow this through to the parents and Local Authorities in full. The fact that 66% of the fees are covered through EHCPs whereby

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

the Local Authority can reclaim the VAT does afford a good deal of protection to the school. Equally, whilst the business rates risk rational has been realised, the specific conditions to it mean that the school is protected from the potential negative financial effects from it and continues with the same cost.

Other key risks revolve around the following areas, all of which have been assessed to be mitigated to acceptable levels;

Finance Review

The net income for the year comprised:

----- Start of picture text -----
2023-24 2022-23 Variance
Charitable Income £10,588,945 £9,686,923 £902,022
Investments £30,825 £16,796 £14,029
Voluntary Sources:
- Donations etc - Unrestricted £1,050 £3,096 (£2,046)
- Donations etc - Restricted £1,024,019 £31,006 £993,013
Total Gross Income £11,644,839 £9,737,821 £1,907,018
Raising Funds Expenditure £164,112 £142,312 £21,800
Charitable Expenditure - Unrestricted £10,483,032 £9,397,255 £1,085,777
Charitable Expenditure - Restricted £15,931 £25,012 (£9,081)
Total Expenditure £10,663,075 £9,564,579 £1,098,496
Net Income £981,764 £173,242 £808,522
----- End of picture text -----

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Investments in Fixed Assets during the year comprised:

----- Start of picture text -----
Fixed Asset Type Fixed Asset Project 2024 2023
Freehold Buildings St Matthews Development £35,189 £89,948
MUGA Pavilion & Roadway £9,200 £17,838
Site Development Project £52,935 £ -
£97,324 £107,786
Furniture & Equipment Gym Refurbishment £24,084 £19,574
IT Strategic Project £173,769 £273,274
Other Equipment Projects £64,276 £ -
£262,129 £292,848
Motor Vehicles Site Vehicle £7,080 £ -
Total Additions £366,533 £400,634
----- End of picture text -----

Resources

Resource was committed to the improvement of the school in a number of areas this year. This included the creation of two new science laboratory’s from re-allocation of existing classrooms, division of Media classrooms to make for better space, renewal of the Juniors play areas, re-location of Finance, Admissions and HR departments to more suitable locations, creation of a new meeting room and a new flexible working space. This was alongside the routine upkeep of the site and facilities.

Fundraising

The school carries out no fundraising activities with the public and consequently has had no complaints in this respect. (Last year there were no fundraising activities with the public either)

Investment powers, policy, and performance

The income and property of the company whencesoever derived shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the charitable objects of the company as set forth in the Memorandum. To achieve this, the school aims to implement an efficient structured and effective method of working to ensure More House School finances are kept safe and secure so as they can be made readily available to service the growing needs of the school. Investment regarding capital projects are authorised by the Board of Governors in conjunction with recommendations from the Finance & General Purposes Committee. More House School’s Financial Policy is for progression of the school to be achieved only as funds allow without the aid of additional borrowing. Here at More House educational needs must always be the driving influence. We are always attentive to the opportunities available that will optimise the teaching our students receive and the learning potential that can be gained. Financial management will show evidence whether sufficient funds can be made available to change a suggested possibility into reality. This policy has proved its worth over the many years that More House School has been growing and adapting itself to the ‘futures’ environment. Using external funding for the purchase of external assets such as land and housing which could in the future be sold off without detriment to the School is permissible under this policy.

Reserves

The schools policy is to maintain reserves totalling 3 months of full staff costs. At the end of this accounting year, this represented £2,024,002 equivalent to 19% of income, unrestricted funds (2023: £1,700,000 equivalent to 17.5% of income, unrestricted funds). These funds are kept in a separate account, and changes to the accounts for the school late in this accounting period now allow for higher interest to be drawing from monies held on account for longer periods of time.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

As with other schools, our cash flow is affected by our timing of the fees and receipts of payments from parents and Local Authorities. This will be made further complicated in the next accounting period with Education becoming a taxable supply for VAT, however, the school remains exposed to Local Authorities withholding payments, or paying late. As such, the school will review this position in summer 2025 following the second VAT submission and 6 months of operations in this new VAT regime.

At the end of the accounting period, the school held general reserves (ie, uncommitted cash but this also includes the reserve fund detailed above) of £3,250,306 (2023: 3,060,479). The school also has a designated the sum of £11,354,696 in a fixed asset fund (2023: £11,570,847), which represents the historic investment in the fabric of the estate and is therefore not deemed to be readily available.

Statement of Governors’ Responsibilities

The Governors, as directors of the charitable company, are responsible for preparing the Governors’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

So far as each of the directors is aware at the time the report is approved:

there is no relevant audit information of which the company's auditors are unaware; and

the directors have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

AUDITORS

A resolution proposing the re-appointment of HaysMac LLP as auditors to the company will be put to the annual general meeting.

In approving this Governors’ Report, the Governors are also approving the Strategic Report included here in their capacity as Company Directors.

Approved by the Board of Governors at its meeting on 20[th] March 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Waster

Glenn Handley (Chair of Governors)

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GARD’NER MEMORIAL LIMITED, MORE HOUSE SCHOOL

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of More House School, The Gard’ner Memorial Limited for the year ended 31 August 2024 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, Statement of Cash Flows 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 Financial Reporting Standard 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:

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

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to report to you where:

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GARD’NER MEMORIAL LIMITED, MORE HOUSE SCHOOL (continued)

Other information

The governors are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Governors’ Annual Report and the Report of the Chair of Governors. 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.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, 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 audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. 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

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Governors’ Annual Report (which incorporates the strategic report and the directors’ report).

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of governors for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the statement of governors’ responsibilities set out on page 21, the governors (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) 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 governors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GARD’NER MEMORIAL LIMITED, MORE HOUSE SCHOOL (continued)

In preparing the financial statements, the governors are responsible for assessing the charitable company’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 governors either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

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.

Based on our understanding of the charitable company and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliances with laws and regulations related to the regulatory requirements of the Charity Commission and OFSTED, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Companies Act 2006, Charities Act 2011, Charities SORP (2019) and payroll taxes.

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 risk was related to the recognition of voluntary income. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE GARD’NER MEMORIAL LIMITED, MORE HOUSE SCHOOL (continued)

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 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 for the audit of the financial statements is located 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 charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members 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 charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Kathryn Burton (Senior statutory auditor)

for and on behalf of HaysMac LLP, Statutory Auditor

10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG

Date: 11 April 2025

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds 2024 2023
INCOME FROM: Notes £ £ £ £
Charitable activities:
- School fees receivable 1 10,260,103 - 10,260,103 9,310,971
- Other school income 2 328,842 - 328,842 375,952
Investments – interest 30,825 - 30,825 16,796
Voluntary sources:
- Appeal and other donations 11 1,050 1,024,019 1,025,069 34,102
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
10,620,820 1,024,019 11,644,839 9,737,821
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
EXPENDITURE ON:
Raising funds:
- Fundraising and development 13,691 - 13,691 8,641
- Finance and other costs 150,421 - 150,421 133,671
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
164,112 - 164,112 142,312
Charitable Expenditure:
School operating costs
- Teaching costs 6,115,187 15,931 6,131,118 5,398,280
- Boarding and catering 1,470,638 - 1,470,638 1,416,133
- Premises 1,585,471 - 1,585,471 1,469,754
- Support and governance costs 1,311,736 - 1,311,736 1,138,100
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Total expenditure 3 10,647,144 15,931 10,663,075 9,564,579
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Net Income/net movement in funds (26,324) 1,008,088 981,764 173,242
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward 14,631,326 15,532 14,646,858 14,473,616
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Total funds carried forward 11 £14,605,002 £1,023,620 £15,628,622 £14,646,858
======== ======== ======== ========

A summary Income and Expenditure account has not been prepared as this information is given above. The results above are in respect of continuing activities.

The notes on pages 30 to 48 form part of these financial statements.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

BALANCE SHEET

BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 AUGUST 2024 COMPANY NUMBER 523768 COMPANY NUMBER 523768
2024 2023
Notes £ £ £ £
FIXED ASSETS 5 13,069,691 13,315,691
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors 6 139,154 211,076 211,076
Cash at bank and in hand 5,436,551 4,074,032 4,074,032
------------- -------------
5,575,705 4,285,108 4,285,108
CREDITORS: Amounts falling due
within one year
Fees in advance (761,204) (755,812) (755,812)
Other creditors 7 (570,575) (483,285) (483,285)
------------- -------------
(1,331,779) (1,239,097) (1,239,097)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 4,243,926 3,046,011
------------- -------------
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 17,313,617 16,361,702
CREDITORS: amounts falling due
after more than one year 8 (1,684,995) (1,714,844)
------------- -------------
TOTAL NET ASSETS 15,628,622 14,646,858
======== ========
FUNDS:
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS 11
– GENERAL 3,250,306 3,060,479
– DESIGNATED 11,354,696 11,570,847
RESTRICTED FUNDS 11 1,023,620 15,532
------------- -------------
TOTAL £15,628,622 £14,646,858
======== ========

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Governors on 20th March, 2025 and were signed below on its behalf by:

Glenn Handley (Chair) Andy Routley (Deputy Chair)

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
2024 2023
Notes £ £ £ £
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash provided by operating
activities 17 1,854,836 1,209,065
------------- -------------
Cash flows from investing activities:
Interest from investments 30,825 16,796
Interest payable on loans (126,760) (94,407)
Purchase of tangible fixed assets (366,533) (400,634)
Proceeds from sale of tangible fixed assets - -
------------- -------------
------------- -------------
Net cash used in investing activities (462,468) (478,245)
------------- -------------
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repayment of loan (29,849) (37,504)
------------- -------------
------------- -------------
Net cash used in financing activities (29,849) (37,504)
------------- -------------
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year 1,362,519 693,316
Cash and cash equivalents at the start of the year 4,074,032 3,380,716
------------- -------------
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year £5,436,551 £4,074,032
======== ========
ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET DEBT At 1 Other At 31
September non-cash August
2023 Cash flows changes 2024
£ £ £ £
Cash and bank 4,074,032 1,362,519 - 5,436,551
Bank loans payable within one year 9 (30,000) - - (30,000)
Bank loans payable after one year (1,714,844) 29,849 - (1,684,995)
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Net cash / (net debt) position 2,329,188 1,392,368 - 3,721,556
======== ======== ======== ========

The notes on pages 30 to 48 form part of these financial statements.

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The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

a) Basis of Accounting

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities (SORP 2015) (Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited More House School meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

b) Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

Having assessed the school’s financial position and plans for the foreseeable future, the risks to which the School is exposed including the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and inflationary pressures, and the detailed cash projections and budgets to August 2025, the Governors are satisfied it remains appropriate to prepare the accounts on a going concern basis. There are no material uncertainties regarding the School’s going concern status.

b) Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In the application of the accounting policies, Governors are required to make judgement, estimates, and assumptions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affected current and future periods.

In the view of the governors, no assumptions concerning the future or estimation uncertainty affecting assets or liabilities at the balance sheet date are likely to re result in a material adjustment to their carrying amounts in the next financial year.

Page 30 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

d) Income recognition

All income is recognised once the School has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income can be measured reliably.

Fees receivable and charges for services and use of the premises, less any allowances, scholarships, bursaries granted by the School against those fees, but including contributions received from restricted funds, are accounted for in the period in which the service is provided.

Voluntary incoming resources are accounted for as and when entitlement arises, the amount can be reliably quantified and the economic benefit to the School is considered probable. Voluntary income for the School’s general purposes is accounted for as unrestricted and is credited to the General Reserve. Where the donor or an appeal has imposed trust law restrictions, donation income is credited to the relevant restricted fund and incoming endowments are accounted for as permanent trust capital or expendable trust capital, according to whether the donor intends retention is to be permanent or not.

Investment income from bank balances and fixed interest securities is accounted for on an accruals basis.

e) Government grants

Government grant income represents the total amount received from the Department of Education under the Coronavirus Recovery Scheme).

f) Expenditure

Expenditure is accrued as soon as a liability is considered probable, discounted to present value for longer-term liabilities. Expenditure attributable to more than one cost category in the SoFA is apportioned to them on the basis of the estimated amount attributable to each activity in the year, either by reference to staff time or the use made of the underlying assets, as appropriate. Governance costs comprise the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements. Irrecoverable VAT is included with the item of expenditure to which it relates.

Page 31 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

ACCOUNTING POLICIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

g) Fixed Assets

All fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Expenditure on fixed assets is capitalised where the cost (or the value if donated) is in excess of £5,000.

Depreciation is provided to write off the cost of fixed assets, other than freehold land, using the following methods:

Freehold buildings - 50 years Furniture and equipment - 10 years Computer equipment - 4 years Motor vehicles - 5 years Leased assets - Over the life of the lease

h) Hire Purchase and Finance leases

Assets obtained under hire purchase and finance leases are capitalised as tangible fixed assets. These assets are depreciated over the shorter of the lease term and their useful lives. Finance leases are those where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership are assumed by the company. Obligations under such agreements are included in creditors net of the finance charges allocated to future periods. The finance element of the rental payment is charged to the Statement of Financial Activities so as to produce a constant periodic rate of charge on the net obligations outstanding in each period.

i) Pensions

Retirement benefits to employees of the School are provided through two pension schemes, one defined benefit and one defined contribution. The pension costs charged in the Statement of Financial Activities are determined as follows:

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme - this scheme is a multi-employer pension scheme. It is not possible to identify the College’s share of the underlying assets and liabilities of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on a consistent and reasonable basis and therefore, as required by FRS102, accounts for the scheme as if it were a defined contribution scheme. The School’s contributions, which are in accordance with the recommendations of the Government Actuary, are charged in the period in which the salaries to which they relate are payable.

Page 32 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Personal Pension Plan - this is a defined contribution group personal pension plan with Prudential or NEST. Employer’s pensions costs are charged in the period in which the salaries to which they relate are payable.

j) Funds

The different funds are defined as follows:

Restricted funds are those funds which are to be used in accordance with specific instructions imposed by the donor or trust deed.

Unrestricted funds are those funds available to the School for its general purposes.

It is the policy of the governors to retain in unrestricted funds, amounts which in their judgement, can help to mitigate the short-term effects of income volatility and retain funds to generate sufficient income to meet current and future operational activities of the School.

k) Debtors

Fee 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.

l) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes bank accounts, 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.

m) Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the School 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.

Page 33 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

1. FEES RECEIVABLE

FEES RECEIVABLE 2024 2023
£ £
Fees receivable consist of:
School fees 10,771,774 9,959,111
Less: bursaries, grants and allowances (511,671) (648,140)
------------- -------------
£10,260,103 £9,310,971
======== ========
CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES – OTHER INCOME 2024 2023
£ £
Extras and other educational income 97,464 94,066
Registration fees/FIL 49,032 34,497
Government grants 87,164 119,018
Sundry income 95,182 128,371
------------- -------------
£328,842 £375,952
======== ========
ANALYSIS OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE - 2024
Total Total
Staff costs Other Depreciation 2024 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Raising funds:
Fundraising and development - 13,691 - 13,691 8,641
Finance costs - 150,421 - 150,421 133,671
Charitable Activities:
School operating costs:
Teaching 5,680,334 450,784 - 6,131,118 5,398,280
Boarding and catering 877,888 592,750 - 1,470,638 1,416,133
Premises 274,533 698,405 612,533 1,585,471 1,469,754
Support and governance 878,280 433,456 - 1,311,736 1,138,100
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
£7,711,035 £2,339,507 £612,533 £10,663,075 £9,564,579
======== ======== ======== ======== ========

2. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES – OTHER INCOME

3. ANALYSIS OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE - 2024

Page 34 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

ANALYSIS OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE - 2023

Total Total
Staff costs Other Depreciation 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Raising funds:
Fundraising and development - 8,641 - 8,641 14,195
Finance costs - 133,671 - 133,671 69,603
Charitable Activities:
School operating costs:
Teaching 4,965,760 432,520 - 5,398,280 5,096,014
Boarding and catering 814,420 601,713 - 1,416,133 1,334,903
Premises 251,746 654,066 563,942 1,469,754 1,305,102
Support and governance 768,840 369,260 - 1,138,100 1,010,135
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
£6,800,766 £2,199,871 £563,942 £9,564,579 £8,829,952
======== ======== ======== ======== ========

Support and governance costs all relate to the direct operating costs of the school and principally comprise of:

2024 2023
£ £
Administrative staff costs 847,080 768,840
Termination settlement 31,200 -
Office running costs (see note below) (13,742) 37,707
Professional fees 196,832 166,992
Travel 612 411
Other 197,091 134,085
Governance costs 52,663 30,065
------------- -------------
£1,311,736 £1,138,100
======== ========
Expenditure includes:
Auditors remuneration: Audit 21,600 19,338
Auditors remuneration: Other services 12,540 1,620
Operating lease payments – plant, machinery and minibuses 35,083 34,282
Interest payable on loans 126,760 94,409
Depreciation 612,533 563,942

During the year historic telephone charges of £31,299 were refunded to the School. Office running costs for the year, subsequently ended as a credit balance of -£13,743 (2023: £37,707).

Page 35 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

4. STAFF COSTS: 2024 2023
£ £
Salaries and wages 6,142,563 5,496,094
Social security costs 606,635 537,650
Pension contributions 911,062 758,724
Apprentice Levy
19,575		 8,298
Termination Settlement 31,200 -
------------- -------------
£7,711,035 £6,800,766
======== ========
The average number of employees during the year was made up as follows:
2024 2023
Teaching 129 124
Other 58 58
------------- -------------
187 182
======== ========
The number of staff on a full time equivalent basis was as follows:
Teaching – full-time 72 75
Teaching – part-time 38 29
------------- -------------
110 104
Other – full-time 25 22
Other – part-time 22 24
------------- -------------
47 46
------------- -------------
Total full-time equivalent employees 157 150
======== ========
No trustee earned any remuneration in either the current or previous financial years. The School paid for
sixteen governors to have access to governance memberships, courses, conferences, webinars, forum
meetings, advice and training amounting to £11,923 course fees only, no travel (2023 The School paid for
eight governors to obtain training and to attend forum meetings amounting to £9,107 course fees only, no
travel). Due to Governor rotation, the School also paid recruitment fees of £6,600 to place new Governors
(2023: £4800). There were no reimbursed expenses to trustees in the year.

Page 36 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

The company is a registered charity and therefore not liable to taxation on its charitable income or capital gains.

During the year there were three higher paid employees earning between £60,000-£70,000, of which one being paid for part of the year; three between £70,000-£80,000; two between £100,000-£110,000, of which one being paid for part of the year; and one between £150,000-£160,000 (2023: three higher paid employees earning between £60,000-£70,000; one between £70,000-£80,000; one between £90,000-£100,000; and one between £110,000-£130,000). The school made employer’s pension contributions of £91,535 (2023: £69,522) on behalf of the higher paid employees.

Staff benefits (comprising of gross salary, employer's pension contributions, employer's national insurance contributions) paid to key management personnel amounted to £803,527 (2023 £608,604).

5. FIXED ASSETS Freehold Freehold Furniture & Motor
Land Buildings Equipment Vehicles Total
£ £ £ £ £
COST
As at 1 September 2023 1,321,036 15,333,765 1,711,110 49,052 18,414,963
Additions - 97,324 262,129 7,080 366,533
Disposals - - - - -
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
As at 31 August 2024 1,321,036 15,431,089 1,973,239 56,132 18,781,496
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
DEPRECIATION
As at 1 September 2023 - 4,153,406 899,653 46,213 5,099,272
Charge for year - 294,949 316,979 605 612,533
Disposals - - - - -
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
As at 31 August 2024 - 4,448,355 1,216,632 46,818 5,711,805
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 August 2024 £1,321,036 £10,982,734 £756,607 £9,314 £13,069,691
======== ======== ======== ======== ========
At 31 August 2023 £1,321,036 £11,180,359 £811,457 £2,839 £13,315,691
======== ======== ======== ======== ========

Page 37 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

6. DEBTORS 2024 2023
£ £
Fee debtors 7,242 50,085
Sundry debtors 6,183 96,758
Prepayments and accrued income 125,729 64,233
------------- -------------
£139,154 £211,076
======== ========
7. OTHER CREDITORS: amounts falling due within one year 2024 2023
£ £
Trade creditors 190,440 144,403
Social security and other taxes 150,773 130,757
Other creditors 126,376 121,018
Accruals 72,986 57,107
Bank loan (see note 9 below) 30,000 30,000
------------- -------------
£570,575 £483,285
======== ========
8. CREDITORS: amounts falling due after one year 2024 2023
£ £
Bank loan (see note 9 below) 1,684,995 1,714,844
------------- -------------
£1,684,995 £1,714,844
======== ========

Page 38 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

9. BANK LOANS 2024 2023
£ £
Bank loans are payable as follows:
Within one year 30,000 30,000
Within one to two years 30,000 30,000
Between two and five years 90,000 100,000
After five years 1,564,995 1,584,844
------------- -------------
£1,714,995 £1,744,844
======== ========

The above loan was renewed in the previous year (2023) at a rate of 1.75% above base rate This agreement runs until 2027 when it is expected to be renewed.

The loan is secured on the school’s freehold property.

10. MEMBERS GUARANTEE

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited is a company limited by guarantee. There is therefore no share capital. At 31 August 2024 there were fourteen members of the company, who were also the Governors. Each member guarantees to contribute 5p in the event of the company being wound up.

Page 39 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

11. MOVEMENT Balance at Balance at
IN FUNDS - 2024 1 September 31 August
2023 Income Expenditure Transfers 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted
- General Fund 3,060,479 10,620,820 (10,647,144) 216,151 3,250,306
- Designated Fund 11,570,847 - - (216,151) 11,354,696
Restricted
- Appeal Fund - - - - -
- Bursary Fund - 500,000 - - 500,000
- Facilities Fund 15,532 524,019 (15,931) - 523,620
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
£14,646,858 £11,644,839 (£10,663,075) £- £15,628,622
======== ======== ======== ======== ========

Facilities Fund consists of various donations towards various school facilities. During the year the School also received a donation of £500,000, restricted to improving the School's infrastructure (Facilities Fund) and £500,000, restricted to provide a bursary fund to assist those in hardship (Bursary Fund). These restricted funds will be utilised in subsequent years for worthy causes and projects.

Remaining donations and other income also relating to facilities were added to the restricted fund in the year. Any unspent income remains as restricted funds to be used in subsequent years.

The designated fund represents amounts tied up in fixed assets less mortgage loans in respect of those assets.

MOVEMENT Balance at Balance at
IN FUNDS - 2023 1 September 31 August
2022 Income Expenditure Transfers 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted
- General Fund 2,767,428 9,706,815 (9,539,567) 125,803 3,060,479
- Designated Fund 11,696,650 - - (125,803) 11,570,847
Restricted
- Appeal Fund - - - - -
- Facilities Fund 9,538 31,006 (25,012) - 15,532
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
£14,473,616 £9,737,821 (£9,564,579) £- £14,646,858
======== ======== ======== ======== ========

Page 40 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

12. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS – 2024

Fixed Net Current Long Term
Assets Assets Liabilities Total
£ £ £ £
Unrestricted 13,069,691 3,220,306 (1,684,995) 14,605,002
Restricted - 1,023,620 - 1,023,620
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
£13,069,691 £4,243,926 (£1,684,995) £15,628,622
======== ======== ======== ========

ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS – 2023

Fixed Net Current Long Term
Assets Assets Liabilities Total
£ £ £ £
Unrestricted 13,315,691 3,030,479 (1,714,844) 14,631,326
Restricted - 15,532 - 15,532
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
£13,315,691 £3,046,011 (£1,714,844) £14,646,858
======= ======= ======= =======
13. CAPITAL COMMITMENTS 2024 2023
£ £
Commitments for future capital expenditure not provided for in these
accounts are:
Authorised and contracted for - -
======= =======

The School has set aside funds for capital expenditure projects. As at 31 Aug 2024 these projects were not contracted for and therefore capital commitments were zero (2023: zero).

Page 41 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

14. PENSION COMMITMENTS

Retirement benefits to employees of the School are provided through two pension schemes, one defined benefit and one defined contribution. The pension costs charged in the Statement of Financial Activities are determined as follows:

The School participates in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (“the TPS”) for its teaching staff. The pension charge for the year includes contributions payable to the TPS of £744,610 (2023: £605,348) and at the yearend £93,447 (2023: £73,358) was accrued in respect of contributions to this scheme.

The TPS is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefits pension scheme governed by The Teachers’ Pensions Regulations 2010 (as amended) and The Teachers’ Pension Scheme Regulations 2014 (as amended). Members contribute on a “pay as you go” basis with contributions from members and the employer being credited to the Exchequer. Retirement and other pension benefits are paid by public funds provided by Parliament.

The employer contribution rate is set by the Secretary of State following scheme valuations undertaken by the Government Actuary’s Department. The most recent actuarial valuation of the TPS was prepared as at 31 March 2020 and the Valuation Report was published in October 2023.

Following the McCloud judgement, the remedy proposed that when benefits become payable, eligible members can select to receive them from either the reformed or legacy schemes for the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2022. The actuaries have assumed that members are likely to choose the option that provides them with the greater benefits, and in preparing the 2020 valuation has valued the ‘greater value’ benefits for groups of relevant members.

The employer contribution rate for the TPS is 28.6%, and employers are also required to pay a scheme administration levy of 0.08% giving a total employer contribution rate of 28.68%.

Other staff are enrolled into the School’s defined contribution scheme to which the School contributes 6% of gross salary. There were contributions of £19,279 (2023: £15,094) owing in respect of contributions to this scheme at the year-end.

Page 42 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

15. OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS 2024 2023
£ £
At the year-end the school had future minimum lease payments under
non-cancellable operating leases as follows:
Within 1 year 22,429 33,399
Between 2 – 5 years 4,052 26,481
------------- -------------
£26,481 £59,880
======== ========

Page 43 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

16. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There were no related party transactions in either the current or prior year.

17. RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW
FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
2024 2023
£ £
Net income for the reporting period (as per the statement of financial
activities) 981,764 173,242
Depreciation 612,533 563,942
Interest receivable (30,825) (16,796)
Interest payable 126,760 94,407
Decrease/(increase) in debtors 71,922 (77,601)
Decrease in creditors 92,682 471,871
------------- -------------
Net cash provided by operating activities 1,854,836 1,209,065
======== ========

18. CONTROL

The school is controlled by the Board of Governors as disclosed in the Reference and Administrative Information on page 2.

19. SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES

The More House Foundation is a connected entity that is headed up by Mr Barry Huggett OBE, the former Headmaster of More House School. B Huggett has overall control of the Foundation which operates separately to the School, although promoting the services of the School but offering in its own capacity educational consultancy services. These services are delivered by B Huggett and others with specialist knowledge from their working experiences and qualifications. Separate accounts are collated by the Foundation.

Page 44 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

20. STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - 2023

Unrestricted Restricted Total
Funds Funds 2023
INCOME FROM: £ £ £
Charitable activities:
- School fees receivable 9,310,971 - 9,310,971
- Other school income 375,952 - 375,952
Investments – interest 16,796 - 16,796
Voluntary sources:
- Appeal and other donations 3,096 31,006 34,102
-------------- -------------- --------------
9,706,815 31,006 9,737,821
-------------- -------------- --------------
EXPENDITURE ON:
Raising funds:
- Fundraising and development 8,641 - 8,641
- Finance and other costs 133,671 - 133,671
-------------- -------------- --------------
142,312 - 142,312
Charitable Expenditure:
School operating costs
- Teaching costs 5,373,268 25,012 5,398,280
- Boarding and catering 1,416,133 - 1,416,133
- Premises 1,469,754 - 1,469,754
- Support and governance costs 1,138,100 - 1,138,100
-------------- -------------- --------------
Total expenditure 9,539,567 25,012 9,564,579
-------------- -------------- --------------
Net Income/net movement in funds 167,248 5,994 173,242
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward 14,464,078 9,538 14,473,616
-------------- -------------- --------------
Total funds carried forward £14,631,326 £15,532 £14,646,858
======== ======== ========

Page 45 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF INCOME

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 UNAUDITED

2024 2023
FEES RECEIVABLE £ £
Gross fees 10,771,774 9,959,111
Less bursaries, grants and allowances (511,671) (648,140)
-------------- --------------
10,260,103 9,310,971
Extras receivable and other educational income 97,464 94,066
-------------- --------------
10,357,567 9,405,037
BANK AND OTHER INTEREST 30,825 16,796
-------------- --------------
10,388,392 9,421,833
-------------- --------------
DONATIONS 1,050 3,096
OTHER INCOME
Registration fees 49,032 34,497
Other school income 182,346 247,389
-------------- --------------
231,378 281,886
-------------- --------------
TOTAL OPERATING INCOME 10,620,820 9,706,815
TOTAL RESTRICTED INCOME 1,024,019 31,006
-------------- --------------
TOTAL INCOME £11,644,839 £9,737,821
======== ========

Page 46 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

CHARITABLE EXPENDITURE 2024 2023
£ £
TEACHING COSTS
Teaching staff salaries 5,680,334 4,965,760
Cost of extras 120,339 107,470
Courses 28,444 41,744
Teaching materials 302,001 283,306
-------------- --------------
6,131,118 5,398,280
-------------- --------------
BOARDING AND CATERING
Catering staff salaries 253,277 230,891
Catering costs 516,106 514,467
Cleaning staff salaries 242,459 206,098
Cleaning costs 60,664 61,870
Laundry – staff salaries 17,120 846
Laundry – other 15,980 25,376
Care staff salaries 365,032 376,585
-------------- --------------
1,470,638 1,416,133
-------------- --------------
PREMISES
Insurance 55,072 51,887
Rates and water 38,564 46,203
Light and heat 304,431 255,012
Maintenance staff salaries 274,533 251,746
Garden and grounds 56,833 79,610
Repairs and maintenance 209,040 196,026
Trade refuse 34,465 25,328
Depreciation 612,533 563,942
-------------- --------------
1,585,471 1,469,754
-------------- --------------

Page 47 of 48

The Gard’ner Memorial Limited known as More House School

Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2024

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF EXPENDITURE
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024 2024 2023
£ £
OTHER SUPPORT COSTS
Staff salaries 847,080 768,840
Staff recruitment 59,685 14,082
Staff travel 612 411
Printing, postage and stationery 2,223 2,772
Telephone (15,965) 34,935
Motor 38,280 39,702
Sundry costs 65,993 53,456
Subscriptions and donations 30,826 25,501
H M Discretionary 2,307 1,344
Professional and other costs 196,832 166,992
Termination settlements 31,200 -
-------------- --------------
1,259,073 1,108,035
-------------- --------------
GOVERNANCE COSTS
Audit and accountancy 34,140 20,958
Governor expenses 18,523 9,107
-------------- --------------
52,663 30,065
PUBLICITY AND FUNDRAISING
Promotion 13,691 8,641
-------------- --------------
FINANCE COSTS
Bank charges and interest payable 10,007 9,040
Loan & mortgage interest 126,760 94,407
Bad debts
13,654		 30,224
-------------- --------------
150,421 133,671
-------------- --------------
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 10,663,075 9,564,579
TOTAL INCOME 11,644,839 9,737,821
-------------- --------------
SURPLUS FOR YEAR £981,764 £173,242
======== ========

Page 48 of 48