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2023-03-31-accounts

Charity number: 312425

The Portal Trust Annual Report and Financial Statements

For the year ending 31 March 2023

The Portal Trust

Reference and administrative details

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Charity number 312425
Registered office and 31 Jewry Street
operational address Aldgate
London
EC3N 2EY
Principal objective The Portal Trust is an independent charity whose principal objective is the promotion of
education of disadvantaged young people resident within the City of London, the Royal
Boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea and Greenwich, and the London Boroughs of Camden,
Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark,
Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and the City of Westminster.

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The Portal Trust

Reference and administrative details

For the year ended 31 March 2023

The Trust’s Board of Governors

Name Office Committee membership
Sophie Fernandes CC Chairman
Chairman of Investments (ex officio)
Chairman of Nominations (ex officio)
Chairman of Staff (ex officio)		 Grants, Nominations, Staff,
Investment
John Hall Grants
David Hogben BEM Chairman of Audit & Risk Audit & Risk, Nominations,
Investment
Denise Jones Deputy Chair
Chair of Grants		 Grants, Nominations, Staff
Brian Barker CBE KC Audit & Risk, Staff
Trevor Critchlow
(ex-officio)		 Nominations, Investment, Staff
Helen Folorunso Deputy Chair of Grants (until 9 March 2023) Grants, Nominations
Laura Jørgensen
(ex-officio)		 Grants, Audit & Risk
Jenny Moseley Grants, Nominations, Audit & Risk,
Investment (until 26 January 2023)
Fancy Sinantha Deputy Chair of Grants (from 9 March 2023) Grants,
Investment (from 26 January 2023)
Ratidzo Starkey Grants, Investment,
Audit & Risk (from January 26 2023)
Sarwar Zaman Audit & Risk, Staff,
Nominations (from 26 January 2023)

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The Portal Trust

Reference and administrative details

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Treasurer Emeritus (not a member of the Board)

Kevin Everett OSt.J DSc (Hon.) is Treasurer Emeritus.

Special Advisers

The Trust has several Special Advisers (not members of the Board), who are called upon from time to time to give advice relating to the Trust’s business in their specialised areas.

Baroness Sandip Verma

The Rt. Hon. Ruth Kelly

Professor David Rhind CBE

Peter Williams CBE

Professor Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield

Professor Graeme Atherton (appointed on 21[st] April 2022)

Ambassadors

Helen Meixner CMG

Graham Cole OBE

Anton Chambers

Diversity Consultant

Colleen Harris, MVO, DL

Principal Officer (Chief Executive) Richard Foley
Bankers Coutts & Co
Commercial Banking
440 Strand
London
WC2R 0QS
Solicitors Howard Kennedy FSi Gunnercooke LLP
Cavendish Square 1 Cornhill
London London
W1A 2AW EC3V 3ND
Property Managers Fletcher King
 Gryphon Property Partners
19-20 Great Pulteney
 15 St Helen’s Place
Street
 London
London
 EC3A 6DQ
W1F 9NF

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The Portal Trust

Reference and administrative details

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Investment Managers Sarasin and Partners
Juxon House
100 St. Paul’s Churchyard
London
EC4M 8BU
Pension Actuary Capita Hartshead Actuarial and Consultancy Services
(Formerly called Gissings Consultancy Services)
Ludgate House
2nd Floor
245 Blackfriars Road
London
SE1 9UF
Accountants Myers Clark
Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors
Egale 1
80 St Albans Road
Watford
WD17 1DL
Auditor Sayer Vincent LLP
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors
Invicta House
108-114 Golden Lane
London
EC1Y 0TL
Design Agency Red Stone
90-93 Cowcross Street
Farringdon
LONDON
EC1M 6BF
Secure Web Hosting SystemCore Ltd
Little Court
Broadwater Lane
Copsale
West Sussex
RH13 6QS
Grants Database Buzzacott (Blackbaud)
130 Wood Street
London
EC2V 6DL

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For the year ended 31 March 2023

The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

Chairman’s Report

I write again for this year’s report of 2022/23 in the post-Pandemic context, but still with the long shadow that it has cast over grant-makers, grant applications, and those that benefit as the final end-users of the grants.

This year the Trust has committed £1,800,030 – significantly less than the £5,186,186 in 2021/22, but still with a great impact, and all focused on furthering our mission to promote the education of young people in London.

As part of this and towards fulfilling our objectives, we have continued our ongoing support for a number of institutions and in addition to grants continued to provide rent-free buildings to the Aldgate School, Stepney All Saints Secondary School and Affordable Accommodation for Students Limited (equating to a direct cash benefit totalling approximately £3.8m).

I was also delighted this year along with other Governors, to see the Trust become a Living Wage Grant Funder, and I hope this is a small step in ensuring support for those that implement our grants through the current living crisis and beyond.

I look to the next year with certainty that we will continue to deal with the effect of Covid, but also that further challenges that we may be yet to identify will come our way both within London, and through evolving world events..

Sophie Fernandes

Chairman

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Objectives and Activities

The Trust is one of London’s largest independent educational charities and has a substantial endowment invested in equities and property. The Trust has interpreted the Scheme of Administration, as approved by the Charity Commission with all its amendments, and accordingly fulfils its charitable objectives through the vision, mission and values statements as shown below:

The Portal Trust is a progressive independent grant-maker which prides itself on supporting innovative approaches to providing educational opportunities for young people in London, especially to those facing disadvantage.

We are apolitical and work across all sectors of education, and are not afraid to take a risk in funding new or untried concepts or ideas; indeed, we very much see this as part of the unique role of the Third Sector.

Our Vision: For all young people in London to have the opportunities and support they need to meet their full potential.

Our Mission: To promote the education of young people in London through:

Our Values: Our core values provide the framework for the implementation of the Trust's mission. They shape the way we pursue our vision and underpin the way we behave with each other as well as the way we interact with the world around us.

Public Benefit

The Governors have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in the planning and operations of all its current and future activities. In particular, the Governors have given due regard to public benefit when awarding grants.

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Grants Strategy

The Trust’s Grants Strategy, which is regularly reviewed by the Grants Committee identifies six priorities as follows:

Grant Making

In fulfilling its objectives, the Trust makes grants to individuals and organisations and provides ongoing support to the following institutions:

The Trust provides rent-free buildings to the Aldgate School, Stepney All Saints Secondary School and the Affordable Accommodation for Students Limited; these equate to a substantial direct cash benefit totalling approximately £3.8m. The Trust is currently discussing a new lease for the City & Child Family Centre with the City of London Corporation. This is required because some of the activity at the centre falls outside the remit of the Trust as set out in the Scheme of Administration.

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Organisational Objectives

To maintain a stable infrastructure from which grant-making may be delivered and sustained the Board agreed to the following objectives:

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Grant Making

The Trust’s grantmaking is guided by the principle of ‘additionality’. We will not support projects where a public authority has a statutory duty to provide the services for which funding is being sought.

Actual performance

The Trust committed £1,800,030 (£5,186,186 in 2021/22) in grants during the year as follows:

Grants Programmes

Portal Trust’s Schools £187,710
Grants to Organisations working with Trust’s Schools £394,410
Organisations £1,178,659
Individuals £39,250
Returned funds £0
TOTAL £1,800,030

Portal Centre for Social Impact

We have continued to work with the London College of Fashion towards the completion of the Portal Centre for Social Impact, a £4 million investment by the Trust which will help young people from London’s most deprived communities benefit from the College’s world-leading teaching and careers advice. The Centre will be based at the College’s new campus in Newham, with activities also taking place at their Poplar Works site in Tower Hamlets. Trust staff and Governors were delighted to take part in the Royal Opening of the Portal Centre on 25 April 2023, when HRH the Duchess of Edinburgh visited the Poplar Works site and met beneficiaries. Staff and Governors also visited HMP Downview in March 2023 with representatives from the London College of Fashion, to meet beneficiaries and see first hand how Portal Trust funding is helping to equip participants with professional skills and qualifications within a supportive environment.

Staff and Governors also made a visit to the Argoed Llwyd Outdoor Education Centre in Wales to witness the inspiring work of the centre giving pupils from the Trust schools, and other young people from Inner London, an experience of various outdoor pursuits in a rural setting.

In July 2022, Stepney All Saints CE Secondary School was featured in a BBC Radio 4 Documentary “Schools Apart,” which focused on Diversity and Inclusion in the Education Sector. The show was presented by Anwar Akhtar of The Samosa

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Media, a charity working to embed diversity in the arts and humanities curriculum in schools, colleges and universities, which we are proud to have supported since 2017.

We will also be reviewing our Grants Strategy during 2023/24.

Annual Education Lecture

We held our annual lecture on the 22nd of February 2023 at Bayes Business School, part of City, University of London. Professor Rosie Meek spoke on The importance of sport and physical activity in supporting education and rehabilitation in prisons. Professor Meek is a leading expert on sport in prisons and Head of the Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London. She spoke inspiringly on the transformative effect sport can have on young people in prison not only by giving a boost to mental and physical health, but by opening routes into employment, training and education.

We are dedicated to providing spaces for discussion and learning for London’s education sector, and we were delighted that the event attracted a large and diverse array of attendees from education, government, charities and criminal justice, along with those who had themselves spent time in prison and made positive changes to their lives through sport. This meant that a fascinating and wide-ranging Q&A session followed Professor Meek’s lecture, with contributions drawing on a breadth of experiences and perspectives.

Primary School Library Alliance

The Trust has been concerned for some time by the surprising statistic that 1 in 7 primary schools does not have an inhouse library.

We are proud to have joined organisations including Arts Council England, Oxford University Press and the Marcus Rashford Bookclub as a flagship partner of the Primary School Library Alliance. The Alliance is a cross-sector collaboration, founded in November 2021 by the National Literacy Trust and the publishers Penguin Random House, that works to increase investment in primary school libraries.

As part of our commitment to increasing access to books for primary school pupils, we carried out a major survey of all state primary schools in our beneficial area, to help improve understanding of where and how funding and interventions can be best targeted.

Gypsy, Romany and Traveller Research

In November 2022, we were delighted to launch a major update to More than Luck, Professor Graeme Atherton’s landmark 2020 Report on enabling access and success in Higher Education for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Communities. Professor Atherton is the Trust’s Special Adviser on Levelling Up and Widening Participation. His original report had brought attention to the exceptionally low proportion of GRT young people progressing to Higher Education in the UK, and made recommendations to Government and providers to help improve access. The new update assesses the progress made since 2020 along with the additional challenges presented by the Pandemic. It updates and expands upon the recommendations from the first report, reflecting the changing policy landscape and continuing need for action. Copies of both reports have been submitted to the House of Commons Education Select Committee.

The report launch, which took place in our in-house Events Space, included a Q&A and contributions from representatives from projects involving the GRT community, including Professor Margaret Greenfields, Professor of Social Policy and Community Engagement at Buckinghamshire New University.

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

We have also commissioned research relating to Levelling Up and its effects on London, that will be published in the coming year.

Living Wage

We are proud to have been accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage Employer since 2017, and in August 2022 we also received accreditation as a Living Wage Funder. The Trust is acutely aware of the current cost of living crisis and the fact that one quarter of Third Sector workers earn less than the Living Wage.

The effect of accreditation on the Trust’s grantmaking is that we expect those we support to be Living Wage Employers. Where this is not currently the case, we will initiate a dialogue with a view to persuading the grantee of the merits of becoming a Living Wage Employer and to encourage them to begin moving in this direction.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We have been pleased to continue to retain Colleen Harris MVO DL as our Diversity Consultant, and have continued to make diversity, equity and inclusion a priority in all areas of our work. Our Diversity Consultant has worked over the past year on the Trust’s new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, which was approved in July 2023. We have also created a new Board-level role of Diversity Champion, and have been delighted to appoint one of our Board members, Fancy Sinantha, to this role. In April 2023 the Board also approved a new Vision, Mission and Values statement. The Trust’s office and meeting space is fully accessible, and we have HR systems in place to ensure all colleagues receive the support they need to carry out their work and develop their careers to their full potential.

Monitoring & Evaluation

The Trust’s monitoring and evaluation policy operates as follows:

All organisations must provide information relating to the anticipated outputs and outcomes with their proposal, along with the costs and methodology to be used to collect and analyse the information.

Successful applicants submit evaluation reports throughout the life of the project and future payments of grants are contingent upon receiving satisfactory reports. The Trust reserves the right to withdraw funding where an organisation has not submitted an evaluation report or where the project has not achieved its objectives.

Monitoring and evaluation are expected wherever possible to be organised by the receiver rather than the Trust. It can be undertaken by the organisation itself, by an independent body or by an external consultant appointed by the Trust. The cost of the evaluation is included in the applicant’s budget, and each application is considered on a case-by-case basis, with the Grants Committee deciding how proportionate and appropriate evaluation will be arranged.

Promotion & Communications

As part of our rebranding exercise in 2021, we committed to overhauling our approach to communications to help us promote our grant programmes to a wider base of potential applicants. A survey of our stakeholders showed a need for a more direct and friendly style and to refocus on celebrating our beneficiaries’ achievements.

The creation of a new role of Communications Officer has had a decisive effect in this area, increasing our presence and reach on social media as well as building a body of case studies and news stories, which has dramatically improved our ability to demonstrate the impact of our funding to a wide audience.

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

We have also commissioned a new short film and Impact Report, detailing our work and the achievements of our beneficiaries, which will be launched in the coming year.

Relationships with other charitable, public and private sector organisations

The Trust regularly engages with other institutions, particularly the Aldgate School and Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School, and appoints Governors to the Governing Body of each school as per the Governing Document and as a result of the substantial ongoing financial investments made by the Trust in its Schools. The Trust is also the sole trustee and voluntary aiding body for both the Aldgate School and Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School.

The Trust also makes nominations to:

The Trust keeps pace with changes in education policy through contact with local education authorities, the Department for Education and other public sector and charitable organisations.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Nature of governing document and how the charity is constituted

The Trust is an unincorporated charity regulated by a Scheme made by the Secretary of State for Education and Science on 28 April 1970 under Section 18 of the Charities Act 1960, as amended by the Schemes made by the Charity Commissioners on 22 October 1979, 20 March 1992, 15 June 1993, 17 December 2008, 4 November 2010, 27 July 2011, December 2012, February 2014, September 2014, April 2015, January 2021 and July 2022.

Membership and Role of the Board

There are twelve members of the Board; two ex-officio and ten co-opted. The co-opted members serve a five-year term but are eligible for re-appointment at the end of their five-year term. The Board is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Trust and the day-to-day management is carried out by the Chief Executive and the staff.

Methods of recruiting and appointing new Board Members

The recruitment of new co-opted Board members is based on the Trust’s Board member role description and person specification and all new Board members complete a skills audit questionnaire upon appointment. The skills audit analysis is updated to determine the specialist skills to be sought when filling Board vacancies.

Co-opted Board members are appointed through a formal competitive process which includes national press advertising, shortlisting and interviewing. The Trust retains monitoring statistics on the age group, gender, ethnic origin and disability of Board members.

Before the appointment, all Board members sign a declaration of eligibility following Section 178 of the Charities Act 2011.

Policies

The Trust maintains a suite of 20 Policies which give clear guidance to staff and Governors on important areas of work, including Safeguarding, Data Protection and Equal Opportunities. All policies are reviewed at least every two years by

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

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staff, using best practice advice and charity sector benchmarking, and the updated policies are presented to the Board for approval.

Board Member Declared Pecuniary Interests

The register of Board members’ interests is reviewed annually. All agendas contain a standard declaration of interests item and in compliance with the Trust’s Conflicts of Interests Policy, any Board member with a declared interest is excluded from participating and voting on that particular item.

Induction and Learning & Development

There is an induction and learning & development programme in place for both staff and governors.

The Trust’s governance framework determines the appointment of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, who are elected annually, and the nature, frequency and operation of Board and Committee meetings. The Board met four times during the financial year 2022/23.

The Trust has a Grants Committee, Audit & Risk Committee, Staff Committee, Nomination Committee and ad hoc Investment Committee which meets when necessary. The Terms of Reference of each committee were all considered and approved by the Board during the year.

Remuneration policy

The key management personnel pay scales are benchmarked against those of the City of London Corporation and are regularly compared with other similar charities and are approved on an annual basis by the Staff Committee.

Risk Management

Under the Trust’s Risk Management Process, the management team present a “Major Risk Summary”, which highlights the risks identified with a "major" risk score, at each meeting of the Trust’s Board of Governors. Examples of the major reported risks were:

Fundraising policy

The Trust does not currently engage in public fundraising and does not use professional fundraisers or commercial participators. The Trust nevertheless observes the relevant fundraising regulations and codes. During the year there was no non-compliance with any of these regulations and codes and the Trust received no complaints relating to its fundraising practice.

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Investment Strategy

The Board continued to adhere to the investment strategy to:

Ethical Investing and Investment Review

Between November 2022 and January 2023, we undertook a periodic review of our Investment Management arrangements, inviting proposals to manage our portfolio from 5 Companies including the incumbent. Our criteria for selection included a balanced approach to income generation while protecting our endowment, along with a renewed emphasis on ethical investing. We see our role as an ethical investor as not only excluding investment in certain types of industry, but also in using votes and other levers to influence the policies and priorities of companies. We also wished to ensure that the successful bidder could show commitment to inclusivity when hiring and developing their own personnel. The Review resulted in a unanimous decision of the Board to renew our contract with the incumbent Investment Manager.

Investment Performance

Income from the Trust’s investments decreased during the year from £4,058,292 to £3,742,621 as of 31 March 2023. This was primarily due to a reduction in the net present value of future rental income receivable as a result of increases in inflation.

The Trust’s listed investments declined in value from £48,897,859 on 31 March 2022 to £46,468,339 as of 31 March 2023. The Trust’s investment properties are reviewed annually and revalued when required.

Reserves and Funds Policy

The Board reviewed the reserves policy and reaffirmed its objectives:

• maintain a prudent level of operating reserves of £600,000, being approximately 12 months’ operating costs including pension costs and

• create and maintain a minimum grant enabling fund of £3m to accommodate future grant applications for projects that are likely to have a significant impact on the education opportunities for disadvantaged young people.

On 31 March 2023, the Trust’s general unrestricted funds were £6.2m of which £600,000 is the Trust’s operating reserve as indicated above. This leaves a fund of £5.6m towards future grant applications including the grant enabling fund mentioned above and the Trust’s commitments of £1.6m reported in note 20 to the accounts.

There are no material uncertainties about the Trust’s ability to continue as a going concern.

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Grant Making

The Trust awarded the following grants during the year:

Organisation name Detail Amount
Grants To Trust Schools £ 187,710.00
Stepney All Saints Church of
England Secondary School		 Annual Benefits include uniform support,
curriculum enrichment, prizegiving and
operational expenses.		 £92,565.00
Stepney All Saints Church of
England Secondary School		 Covid-19 emergency grant towards laptops for
all pupils.		 £55,000.00
Aldgate School Annual Benefits, including contributions
towards play therapy and counselling.		 £24,395.00
Stepney All Saints Church of
England Secondary School		 KS3 Spanish Trip to El Puerto de Santa María,
Cádiz, Spain		 £15,500.00
Aldgate School Primary School Library Survey £250.00
Grants To Organisations working
with Trust Schools		 £ 394,410.36
Argoed Lwyd Outdoor Education
Centre		 Outdoor Learning Partnership 2020 – 2023: to
develop the work of the Centre in providing
outdoor learning to young people from Trust
Schools and other Inner London areas.		 £120,000.00
Argoed Lwyd Outdoor Education
Centre		 Outdoor Learning Partnership: to develop the
work of the Centre in providing outdoor
learning to young people from Trust Schools
and other Inner London areas.		 £90,000.00
Argoed Lwyd Outdoor Education
Centre		 Strategic Improvements Project: securing
adjacent land for accommodation and
sustainability improvements, including carbon
offsetting.		 £80,000.00
The Samosa Curriculum resources to mentor, support and
empower marginalised young people across
London		 £55,000.00
City, University of London Schools Engagement programme £45,000.00
The World Reimagined The World Reimagined - Learning Programme £4,410.36
Before including the value of accommodation, grants made to support education at the two Trust schools
amounted to approximately £200 per pupil.

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Grants To Organisations £ 1,178,659.81
King Edward's School Witley Portal Trust Bursary Scheme £71,429.00
National Literacy Trust The Portal Primary Library Programme £48,114.50
National Youth Theatre of Great
Britain		 Playing Up £40,000.00
Institute of Education, University
College London		 Promoting the Education, Employment and
Training of Care Leavers		 £35,007.00
Future Frontiers Supporting disadvantaged young people in
inner London to fulfil their potential (years two
and three)		 £35,000.00
The Federation of London Youth
Clubs		 Digital Talent £35,000.00
Phosphoros Theatre Phosphoros Creative Engagement Programmes £33,000.00
Single Homeless Project Achieving Potential for Young People £32,487.50
Independent Film Trust Talent Led Youth £30,000.00
XLP School Exclusion Reduction Programme £30,000.00
Unicorn Theatre for Children Schools' Partnership Programme £30,000.00
University of Westminster Care Leaver Completion bursaries 2021-2023 £30,000.00
The Brilliant Club The Scholars Programme in Inner London £30,000.00
London Academy of Music and
Dramatic Art		 LAMDA Pathways £28,677.00
Oxford Gardens Primary School Enhanced provision for children who identify as
Travellers of Irish Heritage at Oxford Gardens
Primary School		 £27,000.00
Goldsmiths, University of London Bursaries at Goldsmiths, University of London
(Equity Awards)		 £27,000.00
Katherine Low Settlement Higher
Education
and
Employability
Partnerships Manager for Young People from
Refugee Backgrounds		 £25,600.00
Refugee Education UK Access to further education for young asylum
seekers and refugees		 £25,000.00
Oasis Children's Venture The
Right
Track
Project:
empowering
disenfranchised young people to reach their
potential		 £25,000.00
The Arts Emergency Service Arts Emergency: creative mentoring for young
Londoners		 £25,000.00

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

The Social Mobility Foundation Aspiring Professionals Programme - inner
London		 £25,000.00
Future Men Boys’ Development Programme £25,000.00
The Place2Be Supporting in-school mental health services
project		 £25,000.00
Spark Inside The Hero’s Journey: Transforming the Lives of
Vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in
HMPYOI Isis		 £25,000.00
St Giles Trust SOS+ Embedded Mentor/ Facilitator Embedded
within Tower Hamlets Schools		 £24,914.50
First Star Academies UK Annual League Table - Update/Report Card
Leaving Care		 £22,000.00
Theatre Peckham Future Leaders £20,000.00
The Big House Theatre Company The Open House Project £20,000.00
Battersea Arts Centre Life Is What U Make It (LIWUMI) £20,000.00
Redthread Youth Youth Violence Intervention Programme at St
George's Hospital		 £20,000.00
The Frontline Organisation Coaching for newly qualified social workers £20,000.00
Caritas Anchor House Community Partnerships - Education Training
and Employment		 £19,999.00
The Literacy Pirates The Young Authors' Project: Hackney £17,500.00
Streets of Growth INSPIRE Fashion Programme £16,040.00
The Wellington Trust Future Maritime Engineers £15,058.00
British Exploring Society British Exploring Society: Overseas Expedition
Programmes 2023 - 2025		 £15,000.00
Clod Ensemble Clod
Intensive:
a
talent
development
programme		 £15,000.00
The Postal Museum Sort it! Early Years Maths Programme £14,115.00
Number Champions Primary school maths support £13,500.00
London Music Fund LMF Scholarships Programme 2022 £13,333.33
Live Music Now South East Music Residencies in Special Schools £12,250.00
ecoACTIVE ecoACTIVE Forest School: outdoor learning for
children living in areas of high deprivation		 £11,886.00
Capital Kids Cricket Multisports Activities and Life Skills Workshops
in Pupil Referral Units		 £11,623.50

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

The Photography Foundation Photography Foundation Training Programme £10,000.00
The AHOY Centre Charity Sailing For All £10,000.00
Woolwich Creative District Trust
(Woolwich Works)		 Woolwich Works Apprenticeship Scheme £10,000.00
Pembroke College The Portal Trust Undergraduate Cambridge
University Scholarship		 £10,000.00
Scarabeus Aerial Theatre Flying into Physics £10,000.00
Tara Theatre Young Creatives Programme – Changing
Perspectives Through Creativity		 £10,000.00
Face Front Inclusive Theatre The digital rollout of three Theatre in Education
projects		 £8,250.00
Girls’ Friendly Society
(Application for GFS Mile End)		 GFS Mile End Growth Project £6,000.00
SETPOINT London East Forest School @ the Soanes Centre £5,250.00
Fitzrovia Youth in Action Peer Education Programme £5,000.00
SOAS University of London Scholarships and Junior Researcher programme
for talented, young, black academics of the
future at SOAS		 £4,500.00
The Autism Project (CareTrade) The Autism Project – Live Music Band £3,175.48
Alderbrook Nursery and Primary
School		 Primary School Library Survey £500.00
Oxford Gardens Primary School Primary School Library Survey £250.00
Building Crafts College Most Improved Student, Year One Carpentry &
Joinery		 £200.00

Grant Making to Individuals

Grants to individuals £39,250.00 Total Organisation Grants £1,760,780.17 Grand Total £1,800,030.17

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Bursaries totalling £27,250 were made to 20 young people from London, who had applied to the Trust as a consequence of disadvantages impacting their ability to study. Seven of these were students who had previously attended either the Trust’s primary or secondary school.

The grants that were made varied in size, depending on study costs, fees for courses, and the statutory support available to individuals.

Over the Financial Year, the Trust provided funding to projects which assisted approximately 17,000 young people across the 14 Inner London local authority areas which make up our area of benefit.

Forward Look

Although the Trust’s strategic priorities in grant-making remain unchanged, the opportunities for grant-making will continue to be affected by the ongoing economic situation. During the next year the Board will be considering and approving the following activities:

Statement of Responsibilities of the Governors

The Governors are responsible for preparing the Governors’ reports and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (the United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Governors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the Governors are required to:

The Governors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the Scheme. They are

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The Portal Trust

Trustees’ annual report

For the year ended 31 March 2023

also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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

Auditor

Sayer Vincent LLP was re-appointed as the charity’s auditor during the year and has expressed its willingness to continue in that capacity.

Approved by the Board on 2 November 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Sophie Fernandes Chairman of the Board

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Independent auditor’s report

To the trustees of

The Portal Trust

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Portal Trust (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (the 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

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on The Portal Trust's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other Information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

20

Independent auditor’s report

To the trustees of

The Portal Trust

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

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

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities set out in the trustees’ annual report, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the Trust’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditors under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with regulations made under section 154 of that Act.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is set out below.

The capability of the audit in detecting irregularities

In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and noncompliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:

21

Independent auditor’s report

To the trustees of

The Portal Trust

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 more than 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 is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities . This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity's trustees as a body, in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor Invicta House, 108-114 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TL

9 January 2024

Sayer Vincent LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

22

The Portal Trust

Statement of financial activities

For the year ended 31 March 2023

General
Designated
Note
£
£
Income from:
3
7,598,241
-
4
37,500
-
7,635,741
-
260,643
-
6,216,442
-
5,000
-
5a
6,482,085
-
12,13
(567,039)
-
586,617
-
18
15,801
(15,801)
602,418
(15,801)
11
(63,452)
-
16
(16,616)
-
522,350
(15,801)
Reconciliation of funds:
5,645,922
8,437,543
6,168,272
8,421,742
Net income/(expenditure) before
transfers
Losses on revaluation of fixed assets
Actuarial gains / (losses) on defined
benefit pension schemes
Net movement in funds
Net income/(expenditure) before
other recognised gains and losses
Transfers
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Net gains/(losses) on investments
Investments
Other
Total income
Expenditure on:
Generating funds
Other
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure) before net
gains/(losses) on investments
Charitable activities
Promotion of education
Unrestricted
-
1,153,656		 General
Designated
Note
£
£
Income from:
3
7,598,241
-
4
37,500
-
7,635,741
-
260,643
-
6,216,442
-
5,000
-
5a
6,482,085
-
12,13
(567,039)
-
586,617
-
18
15,801
(15,801)
602,418
(15,801)
11
(63,452)
-
16
(16,616)
-
522,350
(15,801)
Reconciliation of funds:
5,645,922
8,437,543
6,168,272
8,421,742
Net income/(expenditure) before
transfers
Losses on revaluation of fixed assets
Actuarial gains / (losses) on defined
benefit pension schemes
Net movement in funds
Net income/(expenditure) before
other recognised gains and losses
Transfers
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Net gains/(losses) on investments
Investments
Other
Total income
Expenditure on:
Generating funds
Other
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure) before net
gains/(losses) on investments
Charitable activities
Promotion of education
Unrestricted
-
1,153,656		 General
Designated
Note
£
£
Income from:
3
7,598,241
-
4
37,500
-
7,635,741
-
260,643
-
6,216,442
-
5,000
-
5a
6,482,085
-
12,13
(567,039)
-
586,617
-
18
15,801
(15,801)
602,418
(15,801)
11
(63,452)
-
16
(16,616)
-
522,350
(15,801)
Reconciliation of funds:
5,645,922
8,437,543
6,168,272
8,421,742
Net income/(expenditure) before
transfers
Losses on revaluation of fixed assets
Actuarial gains / (losses) on defined
benefit pension schemes
Net movement in funds
Net income/(expenditure) before
other recognised gains and losses
Transfers
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Net gains/(losses) on investments
Investments
Other
Total income
Expenditure on:
Generating funds
Other
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure) before net
gains/(losses) on investments
Charitable activities
Promotion of education
Unrestricted
-
1,153,656		 Restricted
£
-
-		 Permanent
Endowment
£
-
-		 2023
Total
£
7,598,241
37,500		 2022
Total
£
7,913,912
40,017
7,635,741 - - - 7,635,741 7,953,929
260,643
6,216,442
5,000		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 260,643
6,216,442
5,000		 281,268
9,625,889
4,000
6,482,085 - - - 6,482,085 9,911,157
-
-		 -
-		 3,945,774
-		 3,378,735
1,153,656		 2,559,334
(1,957,228)
586,617
15,801		 -
(15,801)		 -
-		 3,945,774
-		 4,532,391
-		 602,106
-
602,418
(63,452)
(16,616)		 (15,801)
-
-		 -
-
-		 3,945,774
-
-		 4,532,391
(63,452)
(16,616)		 602,106
-
1,596
522,350
5,645,922		 (15,801)
8,437,543		 -
250		 3,945,774
250,506,466		 4,452,323
264,590,181		 603,702
263,986,479
6,168,272 8,421,742 250 254,452,240 269,042,504 264,590,181

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 18.

23

The Portal Trust

Balance sheet

As at 31 March 2023

Note
Fixed assets:
11
12
13
Debtors receivable in more than one year:
14
Current assets:
14
Liabilities:
15
15
16
18a
Total unrestricted funds
Investment properties
Net assets excluding pension liability
Debtors
Restricted income funds
Unrestricted income funds:
Designated funds
The funds of the charity:
Permanent endowment funds
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total net assets
Defined benefit pension scheme liability
Creditors: amounts falling due after one year
Grants payable
Investments
Cash at bank and in hand
Tangible assets
Rental income receivable
General funds
Total charity funds		 £
249,231
2,509,853		 2023
£
58,834,614
158,805,000
46,468,339		 1,160,641
3,205,335		 2022
£
58,904,427
151,880,000
48,897,859
264,107,953
4,765,347
1,547,204
(1,200,000)		 259,682,286
4,781,148
1,703,747
(1,400,000)
2,759,084
(1,211,880)		 4,365,976
(2,662,229)
8,421,742
6,168,272		 8,437,543
5,645,922
269,220,504
(178,000)		 264,767,181
(177,000)
269,042,504 264,590,181
254,452,240
250
14,590,014		 250,506,466
250
14,083,465
269,042,504 264,590,181

Approved by the trustees on 2 November 2023 and signed on their behalf by

Sophie Fernandes Chairman

David Hogben Chairman of Audit and Risk

24

The Portal Trust

Statement of cash flows

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Net income/(expenditure) for the reporting period
(as per the statement of financial activities)
(Gains)/losses on investments
Gains / (losses) on pension valuation
Dividends, interest and rent from investments
Depreciation
Increase in debtors
(Decrease) / increase in creditors
Increase / (decrease) in pension liability
Net cash (used in) operating activities
Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Cash at bank and in hand
Cash held as part of investments
Total cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Net cash used provided by investing activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Proceeds from sale of investments
Purchase of investments
Purchase of tangible fixed assets		 £
£
4,532,391
(3,378,735)
(16,616)
(3,742,621)
6,361
927,211
(1,650,349)
1,000
(3,321,358)
3,742,621
-
108,273
(1,156,001)
2,694,893
(626,465)
3,225,909
2,599,444
At 1 April 2022
Cash flows
£
£
3,205,335
(695,482)
20,574
69,017
3,225,909
(626,465)
2023		 £
£
4,532,391
(3,378,735)
(16,616)
(3,742,621)
6,361
927,211
(1,650,349)
1,000
(3,321,358)
3,742,621
-
108,273
(1,156,001)
2,694,893
(626,465)
3,225,909
2,599,444
At 1 April 2022
Cash flows
£
£
3,205,335
(695,482)
20,574
69,017
3,225,909
(626,465)
2023		 £
£
602,106
(2,559,334)
1,596
(4,058,292)
17,875
(459,796)
3,677,945
(16,000)
(2,793,900)
4,058,292
(11,336)
43,747,298
(43,988,113)
3,806,141
1,012,241
2,213,668
3,225,909
Other
changes
At 31 March
2023
£
£
-
2,509,853
-
89,591
-
2,599,444
2022		 £
£
602,106
(2,559,334)
1,596
(4,058,292)
17,875
(459,796)
3,677,945
(16,000)
(2,793,900)
4,058,292
(11,336)
43,747,298
(43,988,113)
3,806,141
1,012,241
2,213,668
3,225,909
Other
changes
At 31 March
2023
£
£
-
2,509,853
-
89,591
-
2,599,444
2022
3,742,621
-
108,273
(1,156,001)		 4,058,292
(11,336)
43,747,298
(43,988,113)
2,694,893 3,806,141
At 1 April 2022
£
3,205,335
20,574		 Other
changes
£
-
-
(626,465)
3,225,909		 1,012,241
2,213,668
2,599,444 3,225,909
Cash flows
£
(695,482)
69,017		 At 31 March
2023
£
2,509,853
89,591
3,225,909 (626,465) - 2,599,444

25

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

1 Accounting policies

a) Statutory information

The Portal Trust is an unincorporated charity registered with the Charity Commission in England & Wales.

The registered office address is 31 Jewry Street, Aldgate, London, EC3N 2EY.

b) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) - (Charities SORP FRS 102), The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.

In applying the financial reporting framework, the trustees have made a number of subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The nature of the estimation means the actual outcomes could differ from those estimates. Any significant estimates and judgements affecting these financial statements are detailed within the relevant accounting policy below.

c) Public benefit entity

The Trust meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

d) Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Trust's ability to continue as a going concern.

The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

Further information can be found in the Reserves and Funds Policy section of the Trustees' annual report.

e) Income

Income is recognised when the Trust has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably.

For rental income, the total amount receivable over the term of the lease is calculated and then recognised as income evenly each year.

Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

f) Donations of gifts, services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the Trust has control over the item or received the service, any conditions associated with the donation have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the Trust of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charity SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised.

On receipt, donated gifts, professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the Trust which is the amount the Trust would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

g) Dividends and interest receivable

Dividends are recognised once the dividend has been declared and notification has been received of the dividend due. This is normally upon notification by the investment manager of the receipt of the dividend. Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Trust; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

26

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

The Trust has a single permanent endowment. The bequest from Sir John Cass provides for the trustees to invest the capital in perpetuity but the income may be allocated at the trustees' discretion to the general purposes of the Trust, namely to promote the education of young people in London.

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable purposes.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.

Included in the Trust's expenditure on charitable activities is non-monetary support provided in the form of rent free accommodation to The Aldgate School, Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School and Well Street Halls of Residence. An estimate of the rent free accommodation provided is included in the accounts based on the space occupied by the tenants multiplied by an estimated rental value per square foot as provided by the Trust's property advisors.

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

Generating funds 16.66%
Promotion of education 29.17%
Support costs 25.00%
Governance costs 29.17%

Support and governance costs are re-allocated to each of the activities on the following basis which is an estimate, based on staff time, of the amount attributable to each activity

Generating funds 16.67%
Promotion of education 83.33%

Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the Trust. These costs are associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and include any costs associated with the strategic management of the Trust’s activities.

Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

27

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

1 Accounting policies (continued)

The freehold properties which are used for the purposes of the beneficiaries of the Trust are stated in the balance sheet at the most recent valuation less any subsequent impairment adjustment. These properties are valued at depreciated replacement cost, on the basis that they are specialised properties. The Trust occupies a small part of its freehold property at 31 Jewry Street and this is included in the balance sheet at a valaution carried out as at 31 March 2023. More details are provided in note 11.

The works of art capitalised in the balance sheet are valued every five years by professional advisors and are stated in the balance sheet at the most recent valuation less any subsequent impairment adjustment.

Neither these properties nor works of art have been depreciated. The Board Members are of the opinion that any potential depreciation charge would be immaterial to the accounts. The Board Members believe the estimated life of these assets to be very long and the estimated residual value of the assets are close to the carrying amounts.

Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £5,000. Individual items of furniture and computer hardware costing in excess of £5,000 are depreciated on a straight line basis over three years. Items costing less than £5,000 are written off in the year of purchase. Major components are treated as a separate asset where they have significantly different patterns of consumption of economic benefits and are depreciated separately over its useful life.

m) Investment properties

Investment properties are measured initially at cost and subsequently included in the balance sheet at fair value. Investment properties are not depreciated. Any change in fair value is recognised in the statement of financial activities. The valuation method used to determine fair value will be stated in the notes to the accounts.

n) Listed investments

Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. Any change in fair value will be recognised in the statement of financial activities. Investment gains and losses, whether realised or unrealised, are combined and shown in the heading “Net gains/(losses) on investments” in the statement of financial activities. The Trust does not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial instruments.

o) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Trust 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.

r) Financial instruments

The Trust only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

s) Pensions

The costs of contributions to personal pension plans of employees are charged in the statement of financial activities in the year in which the contributions are payable. These relate to employees who joined the Trust after 1990. Prior to this the Trust operated an unfunded defined benefit retirement pension scheme. Full provision has been made for the liabilities of this scheme on the basis of actuarial advice by a recognised firm of actuaries. The adequacy of the provision is reviewed annually.

28

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

2 Detailed comparatives for the statements of financial activities

Interest received
Dividends
Income from investments
Rental income
Rent free accommodation
Income from:
Donations and legacies
Investments
Other
Gains on revaluation of fixed assets
Total income
Expenditure on:
Generating funds
Charitable activities
Other
Total expenditure
Net expenditure before losses on investments
Net losses on investments
Net income / (expenditure) before other recognised
gains and losses
Transfers
Net income / (expenditure) before transfers
Actuarial gain on defined benefit pension scheme
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Designated
£
£
-
-
7,913,912
-
40,017
-
7,953,929
-
281,268
-
9,625,889
-
4,000
-
9,911,157
-
(1,957,228)
-
151,655
-
(1,805,573)
-
131,695
(131,695)
(1,673,878)
(131,695)
-
-
1,596
-
(1,672,282)
(131,695)
7,318,204
8,569,238
5,645,922
8,437,543
General
Unrestricted		 Designated
£
£
-
-
7,913,912
-
40,017
-
7,953,929
-
281,268
-
9,625,889
-
4,000
-
9,911,157
-
(1,957,228)
-
151,655
-
(1,805,573)
-
131,695
(131,695)
(1,673,878)
(131,695)
-
-
1,596
-
(1,672,282)
(131,695)
7,318,204
8,569,238
5,645,922
8,437,543
General
Unrestricted		 Restricted
£
-
-
-		 Endowment
£
-
-
-		 2022
Total
£
-
7,913,912
40,017
7,953,929 - - - 7,953,929
281,268
9,625,889
4,000		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 281,268
9,625,889
4,000
9,911,157 - - - 9,911,157
(1,957,228)
151,655		 -
-		 -
-		 -
2,407,679		 (1,957,228)
2,559,334
(1,805,573)
131,695
(1,673,878)
-
1,596		 -
(131,695)
(131,695)
-
-		 -
-
-
-
-		 2,407,679
-
2,407,679
-
-		 602,106
-
602,106
-
1,596
(1,672,282)
7,318,204		 (131,695)
8,569,238		 -
250		 2,407,679
248,098,787		 603,702
263,986,479
5,645,922 8,437,543 250 250,506,466 264,590,181
2023
Total
£
23,695
1,527,788
2,191,138
3,855,620		 2022
Total
£
279
1,538,512
2,519,501
3,855,620
7,598,241 7,913,912

All income from investments is unrestricted.

As indicated at note 11 the Trust does not charge the occupiers rental for the use of certain properties. The valuation of the rent free accommodation was updated in 2021 with reference to RPI over the previous 10 years.

29

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Other income
Administration for other grant giving charities
Other property income
Coronavirus job retention scheme grant		 2023
Total
£
37,500
-
-		 2022
Total
£
37,500
-
2,517
37,500 40,017

All other income is unrestricted.

30

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

5a Analysis of expenditure (current year)

Staff costs (Note 8)
Grants payable (Note 7)
Rent free accommodation (Note 7)
Maintenance of investments
Office costs
Professional fees
Auditors' remuneration
Board members' travel
Pension scheme - interest cost
Support costs
Governance costs
Total expenditure 2023
Total expenditure 2022		 Cost of
generating
funds
£
73,578
-
-
49,517
8,766
67,181
-
-
-		 Promotion of
education
£
128,827
1,800,030
3,855,620
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Governance
costs
£
110,411
-
-
-
-
-
12,150
1,470
-		 Support
costs
£
128,827
-
-
-
239,208
1,500
-
-
-		 Other
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5,000		 2023
Total
2022
Total
£
£
441,643
410,016
1,800,030
5,186,186
3,855,620
3,855,620
49,517
7,873
247,974
333,788
68,681
105,223
12,150
8,050
1,470
401
5,000
4,000
6,482,085
9,911,157
-
-
-
-
6,482,085
9,911,157
199,042
61,601
-		 5,784,477
307,934
124,031		 124,031
-
(124,031)		 369,535
(369,535)
-		 5,000
-
-
260,643 6,216,442 - - 5,000
281,268 9,625,889 - - 4,000

31

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

5b Analysis of expenditure (prior year)

Staff costs (Note 8)
Grants payable (Note 7)
Rent free accommodation (Note 7)
Maintenance of investments
Office costs
Professional fees
Auditors' remuneration
Board members' travel
Pension scheme - interest cost
Support costs
Governance costs
Total expenditure 2022		 Cost of
generating
funds
£
68,308
-
-
7,873
30,717
103,648
-
-
-		 Promotion of
education
£
119,602
5,186,186
3,855,620
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Governance
costs
£
102,504
-
-
-
-
-
8,050
401
-		 Support
costs
£
119,602
-
-
-
303,071
1,575
-
-
-		 Other
2022
Total
£
£
-
410,016
-
5,186,186
-
3,855,620
-
7,873
-
333,788
-
105,223
-
8,050
-
401
4,000
4,000
4,000
9,911,157
-
-
-
-
4,000
9,911,157
210,546
70,722
-		 9,161,408
353,526
110,955		 110,955
-
(110,955)		 424,248
(424,248)
-
281,268 9,625,889 - -

32

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

6
Promotion of education
Grants to institutions
Grants to individuals
Rent free accommodation
Grants to institutions
Grant making		 2023
£
1,760,780
39,250		 2022
£
5,161,186
25,000
1,800,030
3,855,620		 5,186,186
3,855,620
5,655,650 9,041,806

Details of grants awarded are set out in the Report of the Governors.

7 Net incoming resources for the year
This is stated after charging / crediting:
This is stated after charging / crediting:
2023 2022
£ £
Depreciation 6,361 17,875
Auditor's remuneration (excluding VAT):
Current year 12,150 10,550
Under/(over)-accrual in previous year - (2,500)

Staff costs were as follows:

Staff costs were as follows:
Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Employer’s contribution to defined contribution pension schemes		 2023
£
364,410
36,637
40,596		 2022
£
338,723
32,672
38,621
441,643 410,016

The following number of employees received employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (excluding employer pension costs and employer national insurance) during the year between:

2023 2022
No. No.
£90,000 - £99,999 1 1

The total employee benefits, including employer pension contributions and employer national insurance, of the key management personnel were £193,611 (2022: £185,611).

The charity trustees were not paid or received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year (2022: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2022: £nil).

Trustees' expenses represents the payment or reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs totalling £4,560 (2022: £426) incurred by 6 (2022: 3) trustees.

33

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

9 Staff numbers

The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was as follows:

Governance
Promotion of education
Support
Generating funds
Administration for other grant giving charities		 2023
No.
1.44
1.95
0.58
2.53
2.17		 2022
No.
1.35
1.82
0.54
2.36
2.01
8.67 8.08

10 Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

11 Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets
Historic cost - additions
Depreciation
At the start of the year
Additions
At the end of the year
At the end of the year
At the start of the year
At valuation/cost
Revalued in year
At the end of the year
At the start and end of the year
Net book value
Charged in year		 Charitable Use
£
£
2,906,395
53,670,000
-
-
-
-
2,906,395
53,670,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
2,906,395
53,670,000
2,906,395
53,670,000
-
-
Freehold
Art		 Freehold Property £
97,314
-
-
Fixtures,
Fittings and
Equipment		 £
58,987,161
(63,452)
-
Total
Own Use
£
2,313,452
(63,452)
-
2,906,395 53,670,000 2,250,000 97,314 58,923,709
-
-		 -
-		 -
-		 82,734
6,361		 82,734
6,361
- - - 89,095 89,095
2,906,395 53,670,000 2,250,000 8,219 58,834,614
2,906,395 53,670,000 2,313,452 14,580 58,904,427
- - 801,621 97,314 898,935

The Portal Trust owns four properties: The Aldgate School, Stepney All saints Church of England Secondary School, Well Street Halls of Residence and 31 Jewry Street. The Trust is unable to calculate the attributable historical cost of these assets as they have been owned for many years and no information is available.

The two Schools and the Halls of Residence are used for direct charitable purposes. The Trust does not charge the occupiers rental for the use of these properties, however, a valuation of the rent free accommodation is provided in note 4. The Primary School was revalued on 31 March 2020 and the other two properties were revalued on 31 March 2018 on a depreciated replacement cost basis by Fletcher King, Chartered Surveyors.

The property at 31 Jewry Street is partly occupied by the Trust and partly commercially let. The commercially let floors are included in investment properties (note 13). The space that is still occupied by the Trust has been retained in tangible fixed assets. The property was revalued by Fletcher King, Chartered Surveyors on 31 March 2023. The Trust is unable to calculate the attributable historical cost of this asset as it has been owned for many years and no information is available.

34

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

11 Tangible fixed assets (continued)

The Trust also has a collection of works of art and silver including a statue of Sir John Cass by the sculptor Louis Francois Roubilliac, a collection of painted panels by the artist Robert Robinson (dating from 1696) and an historic document archive. The Roubiliac statue is on permanent loan to the City of London Corporation and is on display in the Guildhall. The archive has also been moved to the City of London Corporation's Library at the Guildhall. The works of art were valued in 2016 and reappraised in 2020 by Sotheby's at £2,906,395 for insurance purposes, at the probable cost of replacing the items. The Trust is unable to calculate the attributable historical cost of these assets as they have been owned for many years and no information is available.

These assets have not been depreciated. This is in accordance with the Trust's accounting policy.

12 Investment properties

Investment properties
31 Jewry Street
Fair value at the end of the year
Retail/residential properties
Fair value at the start of the year
Net gain on change in fair value		 2023
Total
£
151,880,000
6,925,000		 2022
Total
£
151,880,000
-
158,805,000 151,880,000
132,255,000
26,550,000		 122,930,000
28,950,000
158,805,000 151,880,000

The Trust has seven investment properties. Three of the properties were revalued in 2023, three in 2021 and one in 2020. All valuations were prepared by Fletcher King, Chartered Surveyors who have advised that there is no significant change in value as at 31 March 2023, other than the three properties which were revalued on 31 March 2023.

13 Listed investments

Listed investments
Cash
Corporate Bonds
Disposal proceeds
Investments comprise:
Fair value at the start of the year
Additions at cost
Equalisation
Alternative Investments
Net gain/(loss) on change in fair value
Fair value at the end of the year
UK Equities
Global Equities
Liquid Assets
Property
Cash held by investment broker pending reinvestment		 2023
£
48,877,285
1,156,001
(108,273)
-
(3,546,265)		 2022
£
46,077,136
43,988,113
(43,747,298)
-
2,559,334
46,378,748
89,591		 48,877,285
20,574
46,468,339 48,897,859
2023
£
7,780,833
8,804,741
17,884,886
8,358,781
5,427,005
957,456
89,591		 2022
£
4,168,758
9,560,883
20,434,665
5,787,737
6,692,324
2,232,918
20,574
49,303,293 48,897,859

35

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Debtors: amounts receivable within one year
Trade debtors
Other debtors
Prepayments		 2023
£
1,483
180,073
67,675		 2022
£
1,082,470
69,204
8,967
249,231 1,160,641

Included in long term debtors on the balance sheet is rental income due of £4,765,347 (2022: £4,781,148). Rental income is recognised evenly over the term of the lease even though there may be periods where no rent or a lower amount of rent is paid. The amount included in long term debtors will therefore be recovered over the lease term which will be more than 12 months after the balance sheet date.

15 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade creditors
Taxation and social security
Grants payable
Accruals
Deferred income		 2023
£
71,557
34,562
418,860
48,805
638,096		 2022
£
5,993
34,442
2,432,525
12,681
176,588
1,211,880 2,662,229

Deferred income at 31 March 2022 was all recognised as income in 2023 and deferred income carried forward at 31 March 2023 will all be recognised as income in 2024.

Included in long term creditors on the balance sheet is a grant of £1,200,000 (2022: £1,400,000) which is payable at £200,000pa.

16 Pension scheme

Pension scheme
Balance at the end of the year
Benefits payable within one year
Benefits payable after one year
Balance at the start of the year
Benefits paid
Interest cost
Actuarial (gain) to future pension obligations
Pension liability		 2023
£
177,000
(20,616)
5,000
16,616		 2022
£
193,000
(18,404)
4,000
(1,596)
178,000 177,000
17,500
160,500		 21,000
156,000
178,000 177,000

The Trust used to operate an unfunded defined benefit pension scheme for employees of the Trust. This scheme was closed to new members in 1990. There are currently two members, all retired, and all obligations which exceed the accounted for liability are met out of unrestricted reserves. The pension provision is reviewed for its adequacy annually at the balance sheet date by a recognised firm of actuaries. The outstanding liability was estimated using FRS 102 methodology with the following assumptions:

36

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

16 Pension scheme (continued)

Pension scheme (continued)
Principal actuarial assumptions at the balance sheet date
Discount rate applied
Future pension increases
Mortality tables
History of experience gains and losses
Experience gain/(loss) arising on scheme liablities
Percentage of present value of scheme liabilities
Change in assumptions underlying the present value of scheme liabilities gain/(loss)
Percentage of present value of scheme liabilities		 2023
% per annum
4.7
5.0
S3PxA
CMI_2021
1.25%pa		 2022
% per annum
2.7
2.5
S3PxA
CMI_2021
1.25%pa
(46,000)
-25.8%
26,000
14.6%		 (14,000)
-7.9%
13,000
7.3%

The actuarial valuation of the liability over the preceding five years has been as follows:

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
574 444 193 177 178

17a Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)

Tangible fixed assets
Investment properties
Investments
Debtors receivable > 12 months
Net current assets
Creditors > 12 months
Defined benefit pension liability
Net assets at the end of the year		 General
£
8,219
-
6,804,551
-
881,332
(1,200,000)
(178,000)		 Designated
£
2,906,395
-
-
4,765,347
750,000
-
-		 Restricted
£
-
-
-
-
250
-
-		 Permanent
endowment
£
55,983,452
158,805,000
39,663,788
-
-
-
-		 Total funds
£
58,834,614
158,805,000
46,468,339
4,765,347
1,547,204
(1,200,000)
(178,000)
6,168,272 8,421,742 250 254,452,240 269,042,504

17b Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)

Tangible fixed assets
Investment properties
Investments
Debtors receivable > 12 months
Net current assets
Creditors > 12 months
Defined benefit pension liability
Net assets at the end of the year		 General
£
14,580
-
6,254,845
-
953,497
(1,400,000)
(177,000)		 Designated
£
2,906,395
-
-
4,781,148
750,000
-
-		 £
-
-
-
-
250
-
-
Restricted		 Permanent
endowment
£
55,983,452
151,880,000
42,643,014
-
-
-
-		 Total funds
£
58,904,427
151,880,000
48,897,859
4,781,148
1,703,747
(1,400,000)
(177,000)
5,645,922 8,437,543 250 250,506,466 264,590,181

37

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

18a Movements in funds (current year)

Restricted funds:
Total restricted funds
General funds
18b
Restricted funds:
Total restricted funds
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Endowment funds
Total funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds
Total designated funds
Grant enabling fund
Dept of Art, Architecture & Design at
London Metropolitan University
Total designated funds
Endowment funds
Unrestricted funds:
Designated funds:
Art reserve
Rental income reserve
Movements in funds (prior year)
Dept of Art, Architecture & Design at
London Metropolitan University
Grant enabling fund
Rental income reserve
Designated funds:
Art reserve
Unrestricted funds:		 At 1 April
2022
£
250		 Income &
gains
£
-		 Expenditure
& losses
£
-		 Transfers
£
-		 At 31 March
2023
£
250
250 - - - 250
2,906,395
4,781,148
750,000		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 -
(15,801)
-		 2,906,395
4,765,347
750,000
8,437,543
5,645,922		 -
7,635,741		 -
(7,129,192)		 (15,801)
15,801		 8,421,742
6,168,272
14,083,465 7,635,741 (7,129,192) - 14,590,014
250,506,466 3,945,774 - - 254,452,240
264,590,181 11,581,515 (7,129,192) - 269,042,504
At 1 April
2022
£
250		 Income &
gains
£
-		 Expenditure
& losses
£
-		 Transfers
£
-		 At 31 March
2022
£
250
250 - - - 250
2,906,395
4,912,843
750,000		 -
-
-		 -
-
-		 -
(131,695)
-		 2,906,395
4,781,148
750,000
8,569,238
7,318,204		 -
8,107,180		 -
(9,911,157)		 (131,695)
131,695		 8,437,543
5,645,922
15,887,442 8,107,180 (9,911,157) - 14,083,465
248,098,787 2,407,679 - - 250,506,466
263,986,479 10,514,859 (9,911,157) - 264,590,181

38

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

18 Movements in funds (continued)

Purposes of restricted funds

Dept of Art, Architecture & Design at London Metropolitan University - a donation was received to create a scholarship at the department. The scholarship award is intended for talented students who are in financial difficulty.

The Portal Trust - Lord Mayor Scholarship fund was established to support the Trust in providing scholarships of up to £7,000 per annum to scholars to assist with their undergraduate studies. The Portal Trust provides two-thirds of the funding for scholarships, with one-third of the funding coming from the Lord Mayor's office.

Purposes of designated funds

The Art Reserve represents the valuation of the artefacts including the Roubiliac statue of Sir John Cass.

The Rental Income Reserve represents rental income accrued under FRS 102 which will be received in future years.

The Grant Enabling Fund is to accommodate future grant applications for projects that are likely to have a significant impact on the education opportunities for disadvantaged young people.

19 Future commitments

At the balance sheet date the Trust had made future commitments in respect of grants made over a term of years, subject to conditions and subsequent Trust approval:

subject to conditions and subsequent Trust approval:
Within one year
Between one and five years
Due in more than five years		 2023
£
814,772
766,188
-		 2022
£
692,960
539,827
-
1,580,960 1,232,787

20 Operating lease commitments receivable

The Trust's total future minimum lease payments receivable under non-cancellable operating leases in respect of properties let out are as follows for each of the following periods:

properties let out are as follows for each of the following periods:
Due in more than five years
Between one and five years
Within one year		 2023
£
2,562,625
10,250,498
44,406,986		 2022
£
2,517,170
10,183,681
46,082,382
57,220,109 58,783,233

39

The Portal Trust

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Related parties - Current Year
Relatedparty Propertyarrangements Nominations by The Portal
Trust to Board of relatedparty		 Fees
received
Grants agreed
and/or paid in the
year

Benefits received in
theyear
Total grants and benefits
received in theyear
The Aldgate School Freehold of the School owned by
the Trust		 Four members of the
Governing Body		 £0 £24,645 £507,278 £531,923
Stepney All Saints Church of England
Secondary School		 Freehold of the School owned by
the Trust		 Five members of the Governing
Body
£0		 £163,065 £2,494,925 £2,657,990
Aldgate and Allhallows Foundation Shares offices and administered by
staff of the Trust		 £37,500 £0 £0 £37,500
City University Three Court Members £0 £45,000 £0 £45,000
Well Street Halls of Residence Freehold owned by the Trust £0 £0 £853,417 £853,417

Richard Foley is the Chief Executive and Denise Jones, John Hall and Laura Jørgensen are Trustees of Aldgate and Allhallows Foundation. All of the above grants were made in accordance with theTrust's normal grants policy.

Related Parties - Prior Year
Relatedparty Propertyarrangements Nominations by The Portal
Trust to Board of relatedparty		 Fees
received
Grants agreed
and/or paid in the
year

Benefits received in
theyear
Total grants and benefits
received in theyear
The Aldgate School Freehold of the School owned by
the Trust		 Four members of the
Governing Body		 £0 £30,365 £507,278 £537,643
Stepney All Saints Church of England
Secondary School		 Freehold of the School owned by
the Trust		 Four members of the
Governing Body		 £0 £152,030 £2,494,925 £2,646,955
Aldgate and Allhallows Foundation Shared offices and administered by
staff of the Trust		 £37,500 £0 £0 £37,500
City University Three Court Members £0 £0 £0 £0
Well Street Halls of Residence Freehold owned by the Trust £0 £0 £853,417 £853,417

Richard Foley is the Chief Executive and Denise Jones, John Hall and Laura Jørgensen are Trustees of Aldgate and Allhallows Foundation.

Dr Denise Jones is a trustee of the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation. During the year the Trust awarded a grant of £30,000 to the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation. All of the above grants were made in accordance with theTrust's normal grants policy.

40