Company number: 00984415 Charity number: 325073 

## **German School Association Limited Report and Financial Statements 31 August 2024** 



## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Reference and administrative details** 

**For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

|**Company number**|00984415||
|---|---|---|
|**Charity number**|325073||
|**Registered office**|Douglas House||
|**and operational**|Petersham Road||
|**address**|Richmond||
||Surrey,  TW10 7AH||
|**Management**|Members of the Management Committee, who are also trustees under||
|**Committee**|charity law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:||
||J P Weiland|Chair|
||J Hoffmann||
||K U Karl||
||Guido Kirschner||
||F J von Schubert|Treasurer|
||P Walter||
||C Williams||
|**Principal staff**|O Schmitz|Head Teacher|
||M Krauss|Commercial Director|
|**Bankers**|Landesbank Baden-Württemberg||
||Kleiner Schlossplatz 11||
||70173 Stuttgart, Germany||
||HSBC Plc||
||Bank House, High Street, Hampton Wick||
||Kingston upon Thames KT1 4DA||
||Coutts & Co.||
||440 Strand||
||London WC2R OQS||
|**Solicitors**|Russell-Cooke||
||2 Putney Hill||
||London, SW15 6AB||
|**Auditor**|Sayer Vincent LLP||
||Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor||
||110 Golden Lane||
||LONDON, EC1Y 0TG||



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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **Chair’s statement,** by Jan Peter Weiland 

## **Dear Members of the German School Association Ltd. and School Community,** 

on behalf of the governors of the Deutsche Schule London (the “School” or “DSL”) and the directors of the German School Association Ltd (the “Association”), I am pleased to introduce this annual report for the financial year of the Association and the school year of the DSL, each ended 31 August 2024.  This was the second year of Oliver Schmitz as Head Teacher and has seen several innovations, particularly in the school development processes.  Financially, strong student numbers have been helpful financially. The DSL started in September 2023 with 884 students, compared to 872 in the previous year.  Our cohort of Abitur graduates was 31 strong with an average Abitur grade of 2.0, the same as last year and again exceeding the German national average of 2.3.  For 2025, we expect a record number of nearly 60 students to graduate from the DSL including 2 students with Fachhochschulreife after attending a pioneering digital programme offered in cooperation with the international German School in Brussels (iDSB). 

Visible to all will also have been the new public appearance of the DSL, with a new, more contemporary and memorable logo as well as an updated overall design, introduced in January 2024.  It is the result of an internal and inclusive process that involved a design agency, members of staff and, most importantly, students.  It was thought that after a period of challenges such as Brexit and the COVID pandemic and on the occasion of a change in the head teacher it was a good time for a more vocal positioning of the School which is best expressed by new branding. 

As regards positioning, the School stays true to its mission statement expressed around the concepts of togetherness ( _Gemeinsamkeit_ ) and bridge building, as reflected in the School’s strategic plan (Agenda 2030).  The strategic plan is intended to guide decision making and is regularly reviewed by the board and the leadership. 

Whilst student numbers have held up, the effects of Brexit continue to affect the School by impacting the movement and the intake of students from overseas as well as staff.  The School has the necessary immigration licenses in place to recruit staff from German, but the new immigration rules allow for less flexible hiring, which can be a challenge when unplanned vacancies arise that need to be filled quickly.  There continues to be a shortage of teachers in Germany and the UK, which affects the School’s ability to recruit flexibly. We seek to actively manage the associated risks by continuing to make investments that ensure an attractive framework for our staff, pupils and the entire school community. 

Following the 2024 UK general elections, it was confirmed that new tax legislation will apply to independent schools resulting in the imposition of VAT on school fees; business rates will also be payable by independent schools.  A substantial increase in the cost to parents is therefore unavoidable.  Whilst this is a matter for the financial year of 2024/25, it should be noted that throughout this reporting period the school leadership has cooperated with the embassy in raising awareness with the Labour Party that the DSL and other similar international schools have a different character from the private schools the policy targets.  We are very grateful for the support of the German embassy for tirelessly making the case for the School through diplomatic channels. 

It is likely that some parents will find the increased fees difficult to finance, so increased bursary applications are expected.  The need for a sustainably financed accessibility fund is therefore apparent, and the Management Committee is taking steps toward realising this. 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

The student community continues to be as international as in previous years, with approximately half of the parents who responded to the School’s annual survey stating that they have no definitive plans to leave the UK in the foreseeable future, making the DSL also a local British school. 

The composition of the Management Committee has remained unchanged this year.  In response to continually increasing demand, a new sub-committee was instituted to advise the Management Committee on matters relating to special educational needs and related issues (the SEN Committee).  It will be chaired by Kai-Uwe Karl. Jan Peter Weiland continues to chair the Management Committee. 

## **Financial situation** 

The financial position of the Association has been positive for the reporting period, reporting a surplus in the financial year **2023/24** of **£746,153** . The original budget for the year assumed a deficit of  in the same region.  The improvement is explained by the decision to capitalise the School’s cost of replacing the roof of the main building amounting to £1,353,610. This has been a complex project with various iterations around the technical design, resulting in a new roof with a 30-year guarantee and including new roof lights, green spaces and solar panels. Other positive effects on the financial situation are thanks to higher student numbers than originally budgeted and a strong take-up of extracurricular activities. Tight cost control and recalibration where possible have also contributed to the positive development of the result. 

During **2023/24** the School continued to receive assistance in the form of a cash subsidy from Germany of **£439,418** and the secondment of 12 state-employed teachers (“ _Auslandsdienstlehrkräfte_ ” or “ADLK”). 

We are grateful for the continuous support of the of the German Government’s Central Agency for Schools Abroad (“Zentralstelle für Auslandsschulwesen”, “ZfA”) in Bonn and the German Foreign Office (“ _Auswärtiges Amt_ ”, “AA”) in Berlin, which underlines its commitment to German Schools abroad as a cornerstone of the German educational system. 

The School has granted **£74,247** of school fee relief to families in need. 

## **Achievements in 2023/24 and planned projects** 

The school has seen significant progress on its £3m investment programme with most of the planned measures completed during the school year. At its heart was the replacement of the roof of the main building and the creation of an additional classroom on the first floor of the East side of the building. Both projects have been worked on simultaneously with disruption to the school kept at a minimum. Despite technical difficulties, which are to be expected when touching a flat roof more than 40 years old, and adverse weather for large parts of the build, the project was delivered within the original budget and time frame. Use of the new class room, which eases pressure on space for our secondary school students, started in January. The roof works were completed during the last days of the summer holidays. Parts of the roof were fitted with a green roof, and a total of 320 sqm solar panels were installed on the roof of the second floor. Together with the existing solar panels on the sports hall, we expect that approximately 20% of the school’s average electricity consumption can now be generated from  these renewable energy sources. The roof works also included new roof lights, which will not only be much more energy efficient, but also allow more light into the Forum space. 

The main school building, which is home to our secondary school students’ class rooms and is also used by all other students in respect of cafeteria, Lernzentrum and Forum has been further enhanced by creating additional seminar and agile work spaces on the ground floor. The installation of a lift, which had been a consideration for many years, 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

completed the works in this area and will make the upper floors of the main building more accessible for all of our students. New flooring in the Forum and improvements of the Music facilities, in particular soundproofing, in the adjacent area are the final outstanding measures, and we expect those to be completed by the end of the school year 2024/2025. 

Other major achievements during the school year include the development and roll-out of a new corporate design in connection with a new, attractive and easy to navigate school website, which is one of the most important sources of information for prospective parents. Alongside our core external website, our parent portal and the staff website have seen an overhaul and they provide essential and timely information for our parent and staff community alike. 

In order to improve data management, the school has looked in detail into the roll-out of a potential integrated software solution. There is no standard off-the shelf software available for a German School in the UK, and following a phase of feasibility studies and fit-gap analyses, it has been decided to develop and enhance existing systems rather than implement a brand-new untested solution. The improvement in our software landscape is one of the most important  projects for the next years, with data integrity, increased efficiency and an improved customer journey at its core. 

The above investments are funded by the school without support from the German Foreign Office (“Auswärtiges Amt”, “AA”) in Berlin. However, we are extremely grateful for their significant support over the past 10-15 years, which has been essential to shape the school over the past years, and we hope we can continue to receive much needed funding for future projects. 

The school further developed its IT services and supported the training required by our pedagogical staff, in order to ensure a sophisticated remote learning programme for all of our students. We have further invested in IT resources and systems and continue to do so to keep the momentum and work towards hybrid learning forms, but also to be prepared should further lockdowns and school closures be necessary. 

The School continues to recruit high quality pedagogical staff; expand the integrated approach to safeguarding, inclusion, psychological support and social pedagogy ( _Beratungsquadrat_ ); invest in careers counselling, IT education and digitalisation; enhance Ganztag and extracurricular activities and facilitate English for beginners in order to support the bilingual challenges of a German School abroad.  The overall objective is to provide a high-quality, holistic and sustainable education. 

## **Head Teacher’s Comments,** by Oliver Schmitz 

## **School development** 

A new process for school development at the DSL was introduced in the 2023/2024 academic year. We set up a _Schulkonferenz_ (school council, consisting of 8 colleagues, 8 pupils and 8 parents, each elected for one year) to determine topics for school development and make related decisions. 

The _Schulkonferenz_ reviews the project proposals submitted by the school community and then, after intensive discussion, selects the projects to be worked on for the school year. There can be two to three projects per department. From then on, the steering group, headed by the PQM coordinator, takes over the organisation of the work on the development topics. Interested teachers, pupils and parents are invited to participate in the implementation. 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

The resulting development groups then meet independently with the support and advice of a steering group member and present the results of their work to the relevant committees over the course of the school year, who discuss and vote on them. The steering group has the task of accompanying and supporting the work process. The selected topics for the 2023/2024 school year were: 

- Promoting reading in the Primary School 

   - The concept, which was implemented immediately after the planning phase in the 2023/2024 school year, is based on three pillars: learning to read in German lessons, promoting reading motivation and promoting reading skills. 

- Media curriculum from Kindergarten to _Abitur_ 

   - The starting point for this project was the realisation that we are already working on media education for our pupils in the school’s individual departments, but not in a formalised or reliable way. 

   - The competencies now build on each other in a spiral curriculum. This spiral curriculum already exists for the competency ‘Presenting’, i.e. our pupils receive compulsory and reliable training in this competency in the 2024/2025 school year. The other competencies will follow in the coming school year. 

   - Further results of the project group include a new site on the staff homepage, which bundles all mandatory teaching plans for the subjects as well as extensive materials. Our teachers now have the opportunity to receive further training in the field of media education via the ‘fobizz’ platform, projects with external partners have already taken place and will be formalised. 

- Transforming the Forum into a learning and living space The Forum project has been completed, at least in terms of planning by the project group. In collaboration with pupils the group created a plan for new uses of the Forum, defining certain zones: Chill, Work, Quiet, Food, Recycling and Storage. The aim of the new concept is sustainable use of the Forum for the entire school community, taking into account the mission statement ‘Learning together and living together’. Additional rooms for the FOS, offices and storage rooms have also been created on the ground floor. The Forum has new flooring and some furniture has already been delivered. The music room is being soundproofed. 

- Anti-discrimination project 

   - As the topic of this project group was very extensive, four sub-groups were formed with the following objectives: to carry out a survey on the current status; to draw up a policy; to establish liaison roles within the school; and to clarify how the topic can be integrated into the school's learning and educational work. The survey on perceived discrimination at the DSL has already been carried out and analysed. It yielded some alarming results, for example that every second Secondary School pupil has felt discriminated against in the last 24 months. The perceived discrimination is almost exclusively of a linguistic nature, is mostly aimed at the areas of appearance and academic performance and the vast majority comes from fellow pupils. The proposal for a policy has already been finalised and will be presented to the Board for discussion and approval in this school year. 

The project group is proposing a new responsible role: a DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Coordinator. The decision on the implementation of this proposal lies with the Board and the school management. The first training course for all DSL staff on the topic of ‘Everyday racism’ was held on 4 October 2024, the first pedagogical day of the 2024/2025 school year. 

The topics for the 2024/2025 school year selected by the _Schulkonferenz_ at the end of the 2023/2024 school year are the following: 

- Individual support in the Kinderhaus 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

- ‘Wellbeing’ for the Kinderhaus, Primary School and Secondary School 

- Assessment and feedback culture in the Primary School 

- Coordinated differentiation concept between the Primary and Secondary School (learning plan / learning times) 

- More project-based learning for the Secondary School 

## **Bilinguality** 

One of the main goals in the school development programme remains academic bilingual competencies. Learning both German and English at native speaker level is one of our principal aims. As post-Brexit developments increasingly show that German is the language that needs to be promoted, bilingual teaching units in German language subjects have been reduced significantly. Geography, the last bilingual subject, was discontinued in the 2023/2024 school year. 

For the first time in years, a ‘German as a foreign language’ course was organised in collaboration with the Goethe Institut London. 

At the same time, we are not losing sight of our aim to promote English at native speaker level. In addition to the IB programme, in the 2023/2024 school year our pupils were able to choose the subject ‘English as a first language’ ( _Englisch als Landessprache_ ) for the first time in the qualification phase of the _Oberstufe_ and the majority of them did so. 

## **Qualifications and exams** 

Pupils graduating as part of our dual qualification programme (German International Abitur and International Baccalaureate) usually achieve good to very good results. Our graduate group consisted of 36 pupils in 2018, 34 in 2019, 51 in 2020, 32 in 2021, 44 in 2022, 39 in 2023 and 36 in 2024. 

In 2024, all but one pupil passed the German International Abitur, the German equivalent of A-levels, mastering 10-12 subjects and thus achieving university entrance level. The average mark of the International Abitur Diploma was 2.00 compared to 2.01 in 2023 and 2.09 in 2022. 

Out of these graduates, 17 pupils participated in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) in 2024 showing a decline in the number of full diplomas. 

The average mark of the German International Abitur of all graduates confirms that the introduction of the dual qualification has generally led to better overall performances at the school. Various strategies to improve exam results in the dual qualification itself have proved successful. 

## **Beratungsquadrat** 

In the 2023/2024 school year, the BQ department was successfully reorganised by external consultants. The BQ now has a coordinator (SenCo Anna-Lena Klenk), who also represents the BQ in the school leadership team. In addition, a new separate committee of the Executive Board was established for the SEN area. These two measures illustrate, among other things, that the DSL continues to clearly represent the area of inclusion. 

## **Cooperation with our host country** 

Our programme of exchanges with British and international Schools is flourishing.  An increasing number of pupils visit the School and gain an insight into German culture; and vice versa, more German pupils develop further perspective on English culture and life through their School visits. 

Pupils at the German School London also dedicate their time and commitment to support charitable and civic ventures, for example they successfully organised a Charity Dinner to raise funds for underprivileged local families. 

More than 70 students participate currently in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme in order to learn how to be responsible citizens. 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **Accountability** 

The School is subject to the “Bund-Länder-Inspektion”, a regular evaluation by the German Government and integral part of the quality management of German Schools Abroad. We were accredited _Exzellente Deutsche Auslandsschule_ at their last inspection in 2017, and we are looking forward to the next inspection scheduled for October 2025. In the meantime, a “peer review” took place at the beginning of November 2024. This official interim review from so called “critical friends” who visited us from the German School in Den Haag provides us with useful insights about our path to implement the development plan as agreed with the (ZfA) and the Management Committee of the Association which takes an active interest in educational performance. 

The School regularly participates in diagnostic exams in years 3 and 8 that are benchmarked against local German primary and secondary schools. This provides us with valuable data on how well our students are faring in comparison to Germany. Results are continuously ranking above their peers in Thuringia and Baden-Württemberg. 

## **Introduction.** by Matthias Krauss on behalf of the Management Committee 

The Management Committee is pleased to present its report together with the audited financial statements of German School Association Limited for the year ended 31 August 2024 in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice-Accounting and Reporting by Charities; SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102. 

## **Objectives of the Association** 

The main objectives as set out in the Memorandum of the Association are: 

- To establish, maintain and conduct for the benefit of the public a German School; 

- To educate children and adults in the language, literature and general culture of Germany; 

- To promote the education of German speaking persons of all ages resident in Germany and elsewhere in the language, literature and general culture of England; and 

- Generally to promote the study of German culture in England, and English culture in Germany. 

The general goals for the School itself are documented in the School Profile of the German School London (the "School Profile”) as developed by the General School Conference and approved by the Management Committee from time to time.  The School Profile stipulates that the School strives: 

- To support the individual, social and academic development of its pupils by a well-founded broad education; 

- To offer a German curriculum as well as a final high school exam (Abitur) for transition back into the German system or into higher education in Germany; 

- To teach the English language and British culture and support integration into British society; 

- To help create a positive image of Germany through a wide array of cultural programmes, social activities and sporting events; and 

- To educate and encourage its pupils to be responsible and tolerant citizens in an intercultural society 

## **Structure, Governance and Management Overview** 

The German School Association Ltd was founded in 1970 and awarded charitable status in 1974. The School became operational in 1971 and provides education for German-speaking pupils from kindergarten to university entry level. The Association is governed by its Articles of the Association which were most recently updated on 6 March 2019. 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **Role and Composition of the Management Committee** 

The Management Committee manages the business and exercises all powers of the Association, of which the core responsibility is the operation of the German School London. In essence, the Management Committee determines the strategy of the School and ensures all prerequisites for the successful operation of the School, including:  determining the character and form of the School; adopting the curriculum; appointing the Head Teacher and teaching staff as well as administrative staff; determining School fees and expense budgets; arranging financing and investing the Association's monies; as well as making and amending the regulations for the governance of the School. The Association's goals can only be successfully pursued in close cooperation with the Head Teacher of the School, and any decisions relating to pedagogical matters are discussed with the Head Teacher.  In order for the Association to secure the essential support by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Management Committee must demonstrate that the Association and the School adhere to the Guidelines for German Schools Abroad, as issued by the Central Office for German Schools Abroad (“Zentralstelle fur Auslandsschulwesen", “ZfA”), a department of the Federal Office of Administration (“Bundesverwaltungsamt", “BVA”). 

The Management Committee currently consists of at least 6 and up to 12 members and 7 board members at the end of the reporting period, who are exclusively volunteers. No member of the Management Committee received any remuneration in respect of their services to the Association during the financial year 2024 (financial year 2023: £Nil). No members of the Management Committee received reimbursement of travel expenses in the year, (financial year 2023: £ Nil). All Management Committee members are directors of the company under the Companies Act 2006 and at the same time trustees of the charity. They are elected by the members of the Association.  Nominations may be made by the Management Committee and any member. 

## **Conduct of Business of the Management Committee** 

Management Committee meetings are held on a regular basis during the year. ln addition to the members of the Management Committee, the Head Teacher, the Commercial Director/Company Secretary, and a representative of the German Embassy as well as a parents' and a teachers' representative have a statutory right to attend but do not have voting powers. Moreover, the Deputy Head, the Head of the Primary School, the Head of Kindergarten and other staff when appropriate as well as a representative of the "Friends of Douglas House” are regularly invited to attend. 

The Management Committee is aware that its voluntary members have to ensure that the Management Committee’s responsibilities are performed to a high standard, reliably and, on a continuous basis. The possibility of significant change in the composition of the Management Committee constitutes an on-going challenge.  A structure has been put into place to ensure the effective performance of the Management Committee through suitable delegation and supervision as well as adequate internal organisation. 

## **Administration** 

The School Administration (through the Commercial Director) assumes day-to-day responsibility for the on-going management of the infrastructure and finances of the School and supports the Management Committee and the Head Teacher in their duties. A framework of Financial Regulations ensures effective control and supervision of the School's funds. 

## **Commercial Director** 

The Commercial Director reports to the Management Committee. He represents the Management Committee inside and outside the School and is the first point of contact for Management Committee matters. He ensures, in close cooperation with the Chair and the Head Teacher of the School, that the Management Committee deals with all relevant 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

issues at the Management Committee meetings as well as at Sub-Committee level and that adequate information is provided as a basis for the Management Committee's decisions. The Commercial Director is a member of all SubCommittees and co-ordinates between these. He monitors the implementation of Management Committee decisions, supervises the day-to-day financial management of the Association, and advises the Management Committee on any related risks. He does not have voting powers at Management Committee Meetings. As the representative of the Management Committee, the Commercial Director ensures effective cooperation and coordination between the Management Committee and the Head Teacher and minimises the need for day-to-day operational involvement of Management Committee members. 

## **Sub-Committees** 

The Management Committee has currently established 6 Sub-Committees: Finance; Communication; Personnel; IT, Health & Safety and Governance. The Sub-Committees prepare recommendations to the Management Committee and oversee the implementation of Management Committee decisions. They are chaired by a member of the Management Committee.  The Head Teacher or the Commercial Director may appoint other pedagogical or non-pedagogical staff to join Sub-Committees, in order to ensure relevant knowledge and up-to-date input from the School is considered as the basis of Management Committee decisions and for their execution. 

The Management Committee also invites members of the Association (who are not Management Committee Members) with relevant skills and experience to join the Sub-Committees as external members. Thereby the Management Committee has access to experts to help it fulfil its role effectively. 

## **Recruitment of Committee Members** 

In general, the Management Committee encourages members of the Association to get involved at a Sub-Committee level before seeking to be elected to the Management Committee. This ensures a much higher quality of decisionmaking in the appointment of new Management Committee Members, both from the Association's as well as the individual's point of view. This does not affect members' rights to nominate and elect persons who have not served on a Sub-Committee of the Management Committee. 

## **Trustee Induction and Training** 

New trustees are informed and introduced into their roles by the Chair and the Commercial Director and receive materials and training about trustees' responsibilities. 

The German School Association has taken out trustee indemnity insurance. This covers claims made against the School in respect of trustees' liability arising from any negligent act, error or omission committed in good faith. The premium for the insurance is included in the School's public liability premium. 

## **Fundraising practices review** 

All fundraising practices are framed within the values and principles of the organisation. Where expenditure is required to generate income, there is an analysis of the return on investment to ensure the organisation is able to make informed decisions regarding activities. 

The fundraising and partnership team are internal and the organisation does not use external professional fundraisers. We do not employ the services of any fundraising agencies or third parties, nor have we run a telephone or door to door fundraising campaign. Our relationship with our supporters is very important to us and we do not wish for our supporters to feel under any pressure to donate to the charity. Where we partner with corporates, due diligence is 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

conducted on the organisations and the amount of time and effort we as a charity needed to put in, versus the income we would likely receive. Clear parameters and responsibilities are then agreed between partners. 

We have ensured we are in line with the GDPR data protection regulations and all other relevant codes of conduct. No complaints have been received and the charity aims to protect vulnerable people. 

## **The Head Teacher of the School** 

The Head Teacher is responsible for all pedagogical matters. The Head Teacher has to ensure that the School is operated within both the German regulations and standards and the requirements of the Local Education Authority. The Head Teacher is assisted by a Deputy and the Heads of Primary School and Kindergarten and by an extended Leadership Team. All pedagogical employees report to the Head Teacher. The appointment of a Head Teacher who is seconded by the Federal Republic of Germany is one of the prerequisites for the extensive support for the Association provided by the Federal Republic of Germany. 

## **Relationship with the Federal Republic of Germany** 

The Association benefits from significant support from the Federal Republic of Germany, as the work of the Association is viewed as a key instrument of foreign cultural policy in the UK. The strong cooperation with and support provided by the Federal Republic of Germany is of great importance for the Association. The financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany consists of cash and non-cash contributions. 

The continuous financial support takes three main forms: 

1. Provision of teachers by secondment:  this accounts for approximately **57% (2023: 57%)** of the support. 

2. Rights to use the School premises and buildings, which are owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, free of rent: this accounts for approximately **26% (2023: 26%)** of the support, based on a rental evaluation carried out in December 2004. (The Association has to bear the cost of maintenance of the premises). 

3. Payment of a School subsidy:  this accounts for approximately **16% (2023: 16%)** of the support. 

The use of land and premises is governed by a usage agreement. In December 2006, the Management Committee reached agreement with the German Foreign Office to amend the usage agreement, which is the main precondition for future investments of the Association in buildings on the premises that are the property of the Federal Republic of Germany. The principal amendment is the exclusion of the ordinary termination right for the premises for up to 30 years once the Association has started the construction of a new School building. 

To ensure compliance with the rules and regulations that are the basis for the support, a member of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the German Embassy, acting as the representative of the German government, is invited to attend all Management Committee Meetings. In addition, the Federal Conference of the Education Ministries in Germany (“Bund-Länder-Ausschuss der Kultusministerkonferenz”) carries out inspections of the academic examination standards, through a process of evaluation of the exam tasks, performances and results. 

## **Supporting Organisations, Friends of Douglas House** 

The German School Association is supported by the Friends of Douglas House (the "Friends"), Charity No. 268743. The charity was founded in 1972 and its members are predominantly parents of the School. The main objective of the Friends is fundraising for the School. They organise most School festivities and the Association grants them the use of the School's premises for this purpose free of charge. The Friends raised and contributed **£80,430 (2023: £6,491)** to the School. 

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## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

The Friends also play an important role with respect to the social integration of newly arrived families at the German School London, most of whom come from abroad and regard the School as one of their primary points of contact. 

## **Supporting Organisations, Swiss Parents Association** 

The Swiss Parents Association at the German School, Charity No. 1002961, was founded in 1991. The main objective of the Swiss Parents Association is to support the Swiss pupils at the School by supporting the employment of a Swiss teacher. The Swiss Government is supporting the Association in the form of a grant and Swiss parents are paying a supplement to the School fees charged by the School. 

## **The German School Association and the Community (Public Benefit)** 

The trustees of the German School Association strongly support the view that the School strives to play a full and responsible part in its local community. The Committee Members have regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit. The principal ways in which the School achieves this are as follows: 

- At any given time, a number of children are supported by the School with bursaries representing up to 100% of their School fees, providing economic support to families in need. In the period ended 31 August 2024, 13 pupils received bursaries at a total cost to the School representing 0.8% of gross fee income. 

- The German School Association directly passes on all grants and reductions it receives to its pupils. Apart from the principal benefits that the German School Association derived from its charitable status, it received grants from the German government in the form of secondment of teachers and provision of the premises free of charge, as well as a cash grant during the financial year ending 31 August 2024. 

- The German School London welcomes individuals who wish to undertake practical work in School as part of their teacher or childcare training. The School donates its resources free of charge to help in the training and17supervision of these students. 

- The School opens its facilities to neighbouring Schools, clubs and summer camps and provides a venue for the German Saturday School Richmond. 

- The School supports free-of-charge German language classes at neighbouring Russell School and invites English teachers teaching German and their pupils regularly for exchange visits. 

- The German School works closely with the local German churches (both Catholic and Protestant) and grants them the use of the School facilities for various activities. 

- By educating approximately 866 ]children on average during the year independently, pressure on places in the maintained sector is relieved. 

## **Strategic report** 

## **Review of Activities** 

At the end of the financial year, which coincides with the academic year, there were 889 pupils at the School, representing more than 35 different nationalities including those with multiple nationality. 

In 2024, 31 pupils passed the “Abitur”, the German equivalent of A-levels, mastering 10-12 subjects and thus achieving university entrance level. Out of these graduates, 2 students participated in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB) graduating with the Full Diploma and 15 as Course Candidates and all passed their courses successfully. 

During the academic year 2023/24, on average 12 teachers were seconded from the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition, a total of 104 (2023: 96) were employed locally by the Association. 

11 



## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **Income and expenditure account** 

An operating surplus (income over expenditure) was recorded for the financial year amounting to **£746,153 (financial year 2023:  £587,948)** 

Incoming resources during the period amounted to **£13,658,656 (financial year 2023: £12,405,568)** . 

This includes £8,102,469 for educational fee income (financial year 2023: £7,422,493) and £2,455,372 income from other educational activities (financial year 2023: £2,088,226). Other educational activities include a write back of £104,500 (financial year 2023: £0, Nil) of old unclaimed deposits dating back to 2006 and earlier. This amount is reported as designated funds, ringfenced to contribute towards the school’s social obligation from unrestricted funds. Income from Grants and Donations amount to **£2,759,171 (financial year 2023: £2,718,482)** , of which the German government’s Central Office for Schools Abroad (ZfA) provided financial support amounting **to £439,418 (financial year 2023: £443,416)** and made available to the Association 12 teaching staff. The German government also made available the rent-free use of land and buildings. The Association is dependent to this extent on the grants receivable and staff provided from the German Government. 

Average staff numbers during the year were 178 (2023: 162). Staff costs remain a major item of expenditure, at 61% (financial year 2023 : 62%) of total resources expended, including the staff provided by the German government. 

## **Balance sheet** 

The net assets of the Association on **31 August 2024 were £16,729,832 (financial year 2023: £15,983,678).** 

## **Reserves** 

The assets and liabilities attributable to the various funds by type are shown in note 21a. Note 22a also describes the various funds of the charity and summarises the year's movement on each fund. The **unrestricted reserves** of the Association amount to **£9,144,219 at 31 August 2024 (financial year 2023: £7,908,356)** including total designated funds of £2,033,563 split between capital projects £1,929,063, (financial year 2023 £1,815,820) and school accessibility fund £104,500 (financial year 2023 : nil). 

The Management Committee's policy is to build up reserves by means of annual operating surpluses. Reflecting the current economic circumstances and the necessity to plan ahead for continuous and future capital projects, such as sports hall and main building renovation and extension, it has been determined that the appropriate level of reserves should be at least equivalent to 6 months expenditure, with current general reserves being £7,110,656 (9 months expenditure cover) (financial year 2023: £6,092,535 or around 8 months’ expenditure.) 

As far as possible, the trustees endeavour to keep School fee increases as low as reasonably possible whilst ensuring that, in their opinion, the appropriate level of reserves is achieved and the financial resources are available to ensure the continuous operation of the School's day-to-day business in keeping with the School’s mission. 

## **Investment policy** 

The Management Committee has the power to invest in such assets as it sees fit. In view of the nature of the charitable company's activities and to safeguard the assets of the Charity, any surplus funds are currently invested in short-term fixed deposits only. The Management Committee has an Investment Policy which regulates non-fixed long-term investments. 

## **Remuneration Statement** 

We are committed to ensuring that we pay our staff a fair and appropriate salary while always making sure we have the ability to do so. We aim to pay staff a competitive salary that is appropriate for a School of our size and structure and relevant to the job market. We endeavour to provide a total remuneration package to enable us to attract and 

12 



## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

retain people with the right skills and therefore have the greatest impact in delivering our objectives in providing a first class education for our pupils. 

In setting senior leadership pay, the School takes account of the skills and experience required for each of the roles and the remuneration in the sectors from which suitable candidates for such posts would be found. 

- In accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice we disclose in note 10 to the accounts: 

- All payments to trustees (no trustees are paid) and expenses reimbursed 

- The number of staff with salaries of £60,000 and above 

- Total remuneration cost of the Senior Leadership Team 

- Pensions and other benefits 

## **Plans for the future** 

The German School Association provides the appropriate infrastructure for the German School London to achieve its educational programme and pedagogical goals. With the double qualification of IB (International Baccalaureate) and the German International Abitur, the School has valuable options available for its increasing number of internationallyoriented students. The School has been offering a programme making IB course and certificate offerings available for more Abitur candidates.  Since the schoolyear 2023/24, the School also offers the Fachhochschulreife to those who do not wish to study for Abitur. The programme is made available digitally and in cooperation with the international German School in Brussels (iDSB). 

The School is committed to delivering the highest level of educational quality and to providing first-class facilities to ensure excellence in all areas across the School. To achieve these objectives, the Management Committe ~~e,~~ the Head Teacher and his team have agreed to continue investing in teaching quality at the School in line with the School’s vision. 

A number of long-term key factors have been identified as high intake of pupils in the Early Years, as well as the number of registrations of pupils and retention throughout the School. This will be achieved by offering a comprehensive educational programme, extension of the School day and increased tuition in specialised groups and the introduction of the IB and other career paths within the school. Combined with the expansive site of the School with its various buildings from different centuries, some of which are listed buildings, create the need for constant attention to the maintenance of and investment in the School infrastructure. The refurbishment and constant upkeep of the existing School buildings remain a high priority on the trustees’ agenda. The German Foreign Office has recognised its responsibility to partially fund the refurbishment of the existing buildings. 

## **Principal Risks and Uncertainties** 

The Management Committee acknowledges its responsibility for ensuring that the major risks to which the Association is exposed are identified and systems are designed to manage those risks. In addition to the routine health and safety assessments undertaken by the School's staff, the Management Committee conducts an annual risk inventory and also regularly assesses the risks to which the charity is exposed, agrees how those risks may be best mitigated and takes the appropriate action to manage them. The Management Committee takes the issue of risk management with the utmost seriousness and risk assessment is a routine item on its agenda. Of particular concern to the Management Committee are: 

- The German School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the health and welfare of its community members; pupils, staff, volunteers, parents, third party contractors and visitors. Health and safety of our pupils and of our staff are paramount. We have conducted and reviewed thorough risk assessments in all areas of the school in order to minimize risks staff and our pupils face, recognizing that they cannot be eliminated completely. 

13 



## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

   - We have worked through a system of controls in order to establish essential measures to prevent spreading the Coronavirus and to response properly to any infection. 

- The introduction of VAT on school fees imposes a great risk to the school. Some parents will find the increased fees difficult to finance, so increased bursary applications are expected, and worst case we will see parents having to de-register their children from the school. In some instances this will mean that they have to depart from the UK to find an affordable place where the German education for their children can continue.  Unless new students enrol in replacement, this could lead to a fall in student numbers which could have financial implications for the School. 

- The pandemic(the effects of which are still being felt) as well as the increased use of online platforms and social media have increased the risk of mental health issues and cyber bullying. We have a strong safeguarding team in place and provide education and awareness programmes for students and staff. 

- The effect of the United Kingdom having left the EU on 31.12.2020 continues to have an impact on our ability to recruit adequate staff and to admit pupils from families who have migrated to the UK from Europe. Appropriate immigration licenses have been required in order to manage staff recruitment, and for the recruitment and retention of pupils marketing activities are being increased. 

- German support contribution is also dependent on achievement of performance in Abitur grading and could have a detrimental effect on the value of teaching resource provided by Germany. Continual review of the attractiveness of the Abitur and having a strong basis of secondary School pupil numbers is undertaken. 

- Any crisis that has a significant impact on the ability to operate the School, such as a fire or terrorist attack, may impact widely in terms of harm to staff and pupils, operational costs and longer term damage. Such circumstances are the subject of extensive risk management scrutiny and processes to not only ensure compliance with statutory obligations but to achieve material reduction in the likelihood of such events occurring. 

## **Statement of responsibilities of the Management Committee** 

The Management Committee (whose members are directors of the German School Association Limited for the purposes of company law) is responsible for preparing the report of the Management Committee including the Strategic Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). 

Company law requires the Management Committee to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Management Committee is required to: 

- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; 

- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and 

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

The Management Committee is responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. It is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

14 



## **German School Association Limited** 

## **Report of the Management Committee** 

## **For the Year ended 31 August 2024** 

- In so far as the Management Committee is aware: 

- there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware; and 

- the Management Committee members have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information. 

The Management Committee is responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. 

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 August 2024 was 7 (2023: 11). Members of the Management Committee are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. Members of the Management Committee have no beneficial interest in the charity. It is noted that in 2024 most members of the Management Committee were parents of pupils at the School. 

## **Auditor** 

Sayer Vincent LLP was re-appointed as the charitable company's auditor and has expressed its willingness to continue in that capacity. 

The Report of the Management Committee, which includes the Strategic Report, has been approved by the Management Committee on 2 December 2024 and is signed on its behalf by 

Jan Peter Weiland Chair of the Management Committee 

15 



**Independent Auditor’s Report** 

## **To the members of** 

## **German School Association Limited** 

## Opinion 

We have audited the financial statements of German School Association Limited (the ‘charitable company’) 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 significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). 

## In our opinion, the financial statements: 

- Give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 August 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended 

- Have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice 

- Have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 

## 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 charitable company 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 German School Association Limited'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, including the strategic report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The 

16 



**Independent Auditor’s Report** 

## **To the members of** 

## **German School Association Limited** 

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. 

## Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit: 

- The information given in the trustees’ annual report, including the strategic report, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and 

- The trustees’ annual report, including the strategic report, has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. 

## 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 trustees’ annual report including the strategic 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 : 

- Adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or 

- The financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or 

- Certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or 

- We have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit 

## Responsibilities of trustees 

As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities set out in the trustees’ annual report, the trustees (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 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 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 trustees either intend 

17 



**Independent Auditor’s Report** 

## **To the members of** 

## **German School Association Limited** 

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. 

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

## Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities 

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

- We enquired of management, and the finance committee, which included obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the charity’s policies and procedures relating to: 

   - Identifying, evaluating, and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance; 

   - Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected, or alleged fraud; 

   - The internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations. 

- We inspected the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance. 

- We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, focusing on those laws and regulations that had a material effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the charity from our professional and sector experience. 

- We communicated applicable laws and regulations throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit. 

- We reviewed any reports made to regulators. 

- We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and tested these to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations. 

- We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud. 

- In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments, assessed whether the judgements 

18 



**Independent Auditor’s Report** 

## **To the members of** 

## **German School Association Limited** 

made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias and tested significant transactions that are unusual or those outside the normal course of business. 

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation.  This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater 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 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. 

Noelia Serrano (Senior statutory auditor) Date 

for and on behalf of Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor 110 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TG 

19 



## **German School Association Limited** 

**Statement of Financial Activities** _(incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account)_ 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

|Note<br>**Income from:**<br>2<br>Charitable activities_- Educational fee income_<br>3<br>Other educational activities<br>4<br>5<br>**Total income**<br>**Expenditure on :**<br>Charitable activities_- Educational costs_<br>7<br>Foreign exchange Loss / (Gain)<br>6<br>**Total expenditure**<br>**Net movement in funds**<br>**Reconciliation of funds**<br>Funds brought forward<br>**Total funds carried forward**<br>21<br>Investments<br>Net income / (expenditure) and net movement in<br>Income from Grants & Donations<br>Net gains on investments|Restricted<br>£<br><br>10,000<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>10,000<br>499,709<br>499,709<br>(489,709)<br>-<br>(489,709)<br>8,075,322<br>7,585,613|Unrestricted<br>£<br>2,749,171<br>8,102,469<br>2,455,372<br>341,645<br>13,648,656<br>12,577,047<br>3,565<br>12,580,612<br>1,068,045<br>167,818<br>1,235,863<br>7,908,356<br>9,144,219|**2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**2,759,170**<br>**8,102,469**<br>**2,455,372**<br>**341,645**<br>**13,658,656**<br>**13,076,756**<br>**3,565**<br>**13,080,321**<br>**578,336**<br>**167,818**<br>**746,153**<br>**15,983,678**<br>**16,729,832**|Restricted<br>£<br>21,900<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>21,900<br>511,610<br>-<br>511,610<br>(489,710)<br>-<br>(489,710)<br>8,565,032<br>8,075,322|Unrestricted<br>£<br>2,696,582<br>7,422,493<br>2,088,226<br>176,367<br>12,383,668<br>11,350,658<br>(4,935)<br>11,345,723<br>1,037,945<br>39,713<br>1,077,658<br>6,830,698<br>7,908,356|2023<br>Total<br>£<br>2,718,482<br>7,422,493<br>2,088,226<br>176,367|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||12,405,568|
|||||||11,862,268<br>(4,935)|
|||||||11,857,333|
|||||||548,235<br>39,713|
|||||||587,948<br>15,395,730|
|||||||15,983,678|



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 21 to the financial statements. 

20 



**German School Association Limited** 

Company no. 00984415 

## **Balance sheet** 

## **31 August 2024** 

|Note<br>**£**<br>**Fixed assets**<br>Tangible fixed assets<br>14<br>Managed Longterm Investments<br>15<br>**Current assets**<br>Stock<br>**59,695**<br>Debtors<br>16<br>**454,309**<br>Cash at bank and in hand<br>**8,281,037**<br>**8,795,041**<br>**Liabilities**<br>Creditors: amounts falling due within one year<br>17<br>**(9,209,354)**<br>**Net current (liabilities)/assets**<br>**Total net assets**<br>20a<br>**The funds of the charity :**<br>21a<br>Restricted income funds<br>Unrestricted funds<br>Designated funds<br>General funds<br>**Total charity funds**|**2024**<br>**£**<br>**15,936,613**<br>**1,207,531**<br>**17,144,144**<br>**(414,313)**<br>**16,729,832**<br>**7,585,613**<br>**2,033,563**<br>**7,110,656**<br>**16,729,832**|**£**<br>45,617<br>291,256<br>8,349,660<br>8,686,533<br>(8,133,330)|2023<br>£<br>14,390,762<br>1,039,713|
|---|---|---|---|
||||15,430,475<br>553,203|
||||15,983,678|
||||8,075,322<br>1,815,820<br>6,092,536|
||||15,983,678|



Approved by the Management Committee on 2 December 2024 and signed on its behalf by 

Jan Peter Weiland Chair 

21 



**German School Association Limited** 

## **Statement of Cashflows** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

|Note<br>**Cash flows from operating activities**<br>Net cash flow provided by operating activities<br>23<br>**Cash flows from investing activities :**<br>Investment income<br>Interest paid<br>Purchase of Investments<br>Purchase of tangible fixed assets<br>**Net cash flow used in investing activities**<br>Cash flows from financing activities:<br>Repayments of borrowing<br>Net cash flow used in financing activities<br>**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**<br>Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year<br>**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year**<br>**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents and net debt**<br>**Loans falling due**<br><br>Within one year<br><br>After more than one year<br>Cash at bank and in hand<br>Total|**£**<br>**341,645**<br>**(6,828)**<br>**-**<br>**(2,422,656)**<br>**(368,166)**<br>**At 01 Sept**<br>**2023**<br>(410,533)<br>-<br>(410,533)<br>8,349,660<br>7,939,127|**2024**<br>**£**<br>**2,387,382**<br>**(2,087,839)**<br>**(368,166)**<br>**(68,622)**<br>**8,349,660**<br>**8,281,037**<br>**Cash Flows**<br>410,533<br>-<br>410,533<br>(68,622)<br>341,910|£<br>176,367<br>(22,108)<br>(1,000,000)<br>(402,127)<br>(358,851)<br>**Other**<br>**Non-cash**<br>**charges**<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|2023<br>£<br>1,309,407<br>(1,247,868)<br>(358,851)|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||(297,312)<br>8,646,972|
|||||8,349,660|
|||||**At 31 Aug**<br>**2024**<br>**-**<br>**-**|
|||||**-**<br>**8,281,037**|
||||||
|||||**8,281,038**|



22 



**German School Association Limited** 

**Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **1. Accounting policies** 

## **a) Statutory information** 

German School Association Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in the United Kingdom. The registered office address is Douglas House , Petersham Road, Richmond , Surrey , TW10 7AH. 

## **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 Companies Act 2006. 

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

## **c) Public benefit entity** 

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

## **d) Going concern** 

The Management Committee consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern. 

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

## **e) Income** 

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

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. 

## **f) Donations of gifts, services and facilities** 

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity 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 charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. 

On receipt, donated gifts, professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity 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. 

23 



**German School Association Limited** 

**Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **1. Accounting policies** 

## **f) Donations of gifts, services and facilities (continued)** 

The Association is provided with a number of teachers free of charge by the German Government. An estimate of the cost of such teaching staff is included in expenditure and shown as a corresponding grant in income. 

The land and buildings at Petersham are occupied rent free by the School under the terms of an agreement with the German Government which owns the land and buildings. The rental valuation of these premises is shown in expenditure and as a corresponding grant in income. 

## **g) Interest receivable** 

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank. 

## **h) Fund accounting** 

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

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

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Management Committee for particular purposes. 

## **i) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT** 

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings: 

- Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of delivering core educational services undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs 

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

- Foreign exchange losses are charged based on changes in the value of foreign currency against the functional currency of the financial statements 

## **j) Allocation of support costs** 

Governance and support costs have both been duly allocated to educational costs , as this is the sole charitable activity. These costs are shown in more detail in notes 7 and 8. 

## **k) Operating leases** 

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

24 



**German School Association Limited** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **1. Accounting policies** 

## **l) Tangible fixed assets** 

The land and buildings at Petersham are occupied rent free by the School under the terms of an agreement with the German Government which owns the land and buildings. The German School Association Limited is unable to sell the land and buildings. Significant expenditure on assets held for charitable use, including land and buildings are capitalised, notwithstanding the agreement relating to the School's occupation of the land and buildings is cancellable at six months' notice by either party. Assets are reviewed for impairment if circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use. 

Building improvements costing more than £5,000, furniture and fittings costing more than £1,500 and computer equipment costing more than £1,000 are capitalised and carried in the balance sheet at historical cost. 

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. Depreciation costs are allocated to activities on the basis of the use of the related assets in those activities . The depreciation rates and useful lives are as follows: 

 Leasehold Property New buildings and related costs Over the life of the waiver (30 years from 1st September 2013 ) Refurbishment of existing buildings 15 years  Furniture and equipment 3-10 years  Computer equipment 3 years 

Assets in progress are in the course of construction and are not depreciated. 

## **m) 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. 

## **n) Cash at bank and in hand** 

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.  Cash balances exclude any funds held on behalf of service users. 

## **o) Creditors and provisions** 

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity 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. 

## **p) Pensions** 

The German School Association contributes to Employee Personal Pension Plans with the costs recognised in expenditure on a month-by-month basis. 

## **q) Foreign currencies** 

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are converted at the rate of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date and the gains or losses on transactions in the year are included in the income and expenditure account. Transactions during the year are converted at the rate of exchange ruling at the dates of the transactions. 

25 



**German School Association Limited** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

**2. Income from Grants and Donations** 

|Swiss Parents Association<br>Other donations<br>**Total Income from grants and donations**<br>Grants receivable from Central Office for Schools Abroad<br>(ZfA)<br>Provision of premises by German Government*<br>Cost of teachers provided by German Governments<br>Donations from Friends of Douglas House|Restricted<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>10,000<br>10,000|Unrestricted<br>£<br>439,418<br>700,000<br>1,529,157<br>80,430<br>-<br>166<br>2,749,171|**2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**439,418**<br>**700,000**<br>**1,529,157**<br>**80,430**<br>**-**<br>**10,166**<br>**2,759,171**|Restricted<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>21,900<br>-<br>21,900|Unrestricted<br>£<br>443,416<br>700,000<br>1,539,029<br>6,491<br>-<br>7,646<br>2,696,582|2023<br>Total<br>£<br>443,416<br>700,000<br>1,539,029<br>6,491<br>21,900<br>7,646|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||2,718,482|



*The provision of premises by German Government is a valuation of estimated annual rental cost of the donated land used by the German School. 

**3. Income from charitable activities** 

|**Income from charitable activities**<br>Gross school fees<br>Less: bursaries, scholarships and allowances<br>**Total Income from charitable activities**|Unrestricted<br>£<br>8,880,881<br>(778,412)<br>8,102,469|**2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**8,880,881**<br>**(778,412)**<br>**8,102,469**|2023<br>Total<br>£<br>8,019,962<br>(597,469)|
|---|---|---|---|
||||7,422,493|



All income from other educational activities in the current and prior year was unrestricted. 

|**4.**<br>**Income from other educational activities**<br>Rental income<br>School Accessibility Fund<br>Membership subscriptions<br>Registration fees<br>Infrastructure levy (School Development)<br>Provision of school bus<br>Sale of school books<br>School cafeteria<br>School trips and other activities<br>**Total Income from other educational activities**|Unrestricted<br>£<br>64,584<br>104,500<br>950<br>88,496<br>208,750<br>145,912<br>87,043<br>553,811<br>1,201,326<br>2,455,372|**2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**64,584**<br>**104,500**<br>**950**<br>**88,496**<br>**208,750**<br>**145,912**<br>**87,043**<br>**553,811**<br>**1,201,326**<br>**2,455,372**|2023<br>Total<br>£<br>55,123<br>-<br>1,075<br>91,028<br>184,375<br>150,526<br>85,657<br>456,283<br>1,064,160|
|---|---|---|---|
||||2,088,226|



All income from other educational activities in the current and prior year was unrestricted. 

**5. Income from investments** 

|**5.**<br>**Income from investments**<br>Bank interest and deposit income<br>**Total Income from investments**<br>**6.**<br>**Foreign exchange transactions**<br>**Total Foreign exchange Loss (Gain)**<br>Year end Loss (Gain) on € current accounts|Restricted<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>Restricted<br>£<br>-<br>-|Unrestricted<br>£<br>341,645<br>341,645<br>Unrestricted<br>£<br>**3,565**<br>3,565|**2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**341,645**<br>**341,645**<br>**2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**3,565**<br>**3,565**|Restricted<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>Restricted<br>£<br>-<br>-|Unrestricted<br>£<br>176,367<br>176,367<br>Unrestricted<br>£<br>**(4,935)**<br>(4,935)|2023<br>Total<br>£<br>176,367|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||176,367|
|||||||2023<br>Total<br>£<br>(4,935)|
|||||||(4,935)|



26 



**German School Association Limited** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **7a Analysis of Expenditure (current year)** 

|Staff costs (See Note 10)<br>Direct educational costs<br>Governance costs (See Note 8)<br>Support costs (See Note 8)<br>**Total expenditure 2024**<br>Total expenditure 2023<br>**7b**<br>**Analysis of Expenditure (prior year)**<br>Staff costs (See Note 10)<br>Direct educational costs<br>Governance costs (See Note 8)<br>Support costs (See Note 8)<br>**Total expenditure 2023**|Educational<br>costs<br>£<br>6,307,056<br>136,147<br>-<br>-<br>**6,443,203**<br>5,991,057<br>Educational<br>costs<br>£<br>5,874,019<br>117,038<br>-<br>-<br>**5,991,057**|Governance<br>Costs<br>£<br>10,628<br>-<br>31,934<br>-<br>**42,562**<br>36,746<br>Governance<br>Costs<br>£<br>9,887<br>-<br>26,859<br>-<br>**36,746**|Support<br>Costs<br>£<br>1,705,504<br>-<br>-<br>4,885,486<br>**6,590,990**<br>5,834,465<br>Support<br>Costs<br>£<br>1,431,263<br>-<br>-<br>4,403,202<br>**5,834,465**|**2024         Total**<br>**£**<br>**8,023,188**<br>**136,147**<br>**31,934**<br>**4,885,486**<br>**13,076,756**<br>**2023**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**7,315,169**<br>**117,038**<br>**26,859**<br>**4,403,202**<br>**11,862,268**|2023      Total<br>£<br>7,315,169<br>117,038<br>26,859<br>4,403,202|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||**11,862,268**|
|||||||



27 



**German School Association Limited** 

**Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **8. Analysis of Support & Governance costs** 

Resources expended are allocated to the particular activity where the cost relates directly to that activity. 

The basis of apportionment of supports costs to the governance function is activity based. 

|Ancillary support<br>Maintenance and utilities<br>Insurances<br>Travel expenses<br>Copier costs<br>Professional and consultancy fees<br>Bank charges and interest<br>Entertainment costs<br>Audit fees & other services<br>Solicitors costs<br>SEN<br>Community service<br>Other general administration<br>Depreciation<br>Total<br>Support costs<br>Governance costs<br>Telephone, postage, print , internet and CI<br>Staff recruitment, training and welfare|Governance<br>costs<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>19,740<br>6,277<br>-<br>-<br>5,917<br>-|Support costs<br>£<br>1,284,040<br>2,174,997<br>117,364<br>9,883<br>59,099<br>51,823<br>15,525<br>109,996<br>15,901<br>18,157<br>-<br>10,042<br>26,818<br>115,037<br>876,805|**2024**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**1,284,040**<br>**2,174,997**<br>**117,364**<br>**9,883**<br>**59,099**<br>**51,823**<br>**15,525**<br>**109,996**<br>**15,901**<br>**18,157**<br>**19,740**<br>**6,277**<br>**10,042**<br>**26,818**<br>**120,954**<br>**876,805**|2023 Total<br>£<br>1,114,923<br>1,959,221<br>73,928<br>11,077<br>70,989<br>47,967<br>18,800<br>129,722<br>30,772<br>15,189<br>15,930<br>5,929<br>8,335<br>23,868<br>86,614<br>816,797|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||-<br>31,934|4,885,486<br>-|-<br>-|4,403,202<br>26,859|
||**31,934**|**4,885,486**|**4,917,420**|**4,430,061**|



## **9. Net income for the year** 

|This is stated after charging:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2024**|2023|
||**£**|£|
|Depreciation|**876,805**|816,797|
|Interest payable|**6,828**|22,108|
|Operating lease rentals:|||
|other|**29,952**|22,073|
|Auditor's remuneration:|||
|audit|**15,000**|14,100|
|other services|**1,740**|900|
|Management Committee members' expenses|-|-|



28 



**German School Association Limited** 

**Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **10. Analysis of staff costs, management committee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel** 

|Staff costs were as follows:<br>**2024**<br>**£**<br>Salaries and wages<br>**5,320,190**<br>Social security costs<br>**532,658**<br>Employer's contribution to pension schemes<br>**641,183**<br>Cost of12 teachers provided by the German Government (2023: 12)<br>**1,529,157**<br>**8,023,188**<br>£60,000 -  £69,999<br>2<br>£70,000 -  £79,999<br>3<br>£80,000 -  £89,999<br>9<br>£90,000 -  £99,999<br>3<br>£100,000 - £109,999<br>1<br>The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) during the year between:|**2024**<br>**£**<br>**5,320,190**<br>**532,658**<br>**641,183**<br>**1,529,157**|2023<br>£<br>4,777,619<br>477,237<br>521,284<br>1,539,029|
|---|---|---|
||**8,023,188**|7,315,169|
|||3<br>1<br>9<br>3<br>1|



The total employee benefits including pension contributions and employer national insurance of key management personnel were £563,224 (2023: £527,298) 

The Management Committee members were not paid or received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year (2023 :£Nil). No Management Committee member received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2023: £Nil). 

There were no expenses reimbursed for management committee members last year  (2023: £nil) . 

**11.** The full-time equivalent number of employees during the year was as follows: 

|Teaching (including seconded teachers)<br>Administration<br>Support|**2024**<br>No.<br>88.5<br>19.4<br>19.6|2023<br>No.<br>81.3<br>18.7<br>15.2|
|---|---|---|
||**127.5**|**115.2**|



The average weekly number of employees including volunteers and interns on a headcount basis was 178 (2023: 162) 

## **12. Related party transactions** 

Some Management Committee members of the school are parents of children attending the school. The places are funded in the same way as all the other places at the school and the children receive the same service and benefits as other children. 

Aggregate donations from related parties were **£** Nil (2023: £Nil) 

## **13. Taxation** 

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

29 



**German School Association Limited** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **14. Tangible fixed assets** 

|Cost<br>At the start of the year<br>Additions in year<br>Transfers in / (out) during year<br>At the end of the year<br>Depreciation<br>At the start of the year<br>Charge for the year<br>At the end of the year<br>Net book value<br>At the end of the year<br>At the start of the year<br>**15.**<br>**Investments**<br>Fair value at the start of the year<br>Additions at cost<br>Disposal proceeds<br>Net gain on change in fair value<br>Investments in made up of units held in a managed fund.<br>**16.**<br>**Debtors**<br>Prepayments<br>Other Debtors - Interest accrued<br>German Government Grant due<br>**17.**<br>**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**<br>Trade creditors<br>Fees received in advance<br>Security deposits<br>Social security and other taxes<br>Accruals<br>Other creditors<br>Loan due within one year<br>Pupils' accounts: fees, extras and recharges|Leasehold Property<br>£<br>20,457,958<br>1,198,776<br>1,353,610|Assets in<br>Progress<br>£<br>254,958<br>1,159,889<br>(1,353,610)|Furniture and<br>Equipment<br>£<br>573,082<br>22,719<br>-|Computer<br>Equipment<br>£<br>51,597<br>41,273<br>-|Total<br>£<br>21,337,595<br>2,422,657<br>-|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**23,010,344**|**61,237**|**595,801**|**92,870**|**23,760,251**|
||6,325,355<br>863,940|-<br>-|569,881<br>3,693|51,597<br>9,172|6,946,833<br>876,805|
||**7,189,295**|**-**|**573,574**|**60,769**|**7,823,638**|
||**15,821,049**|**61,237**|**22,227**|**32,101**|**15,936,613**|
||14,132,603|254,958|3,200||14,390,762|
|||||**2024**<br>£<br>**1,039,713**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**167,818**|2023<br>£<br>-<br>1,000,000<br>-<br>39,713|
|||||**1,207,531**|1,039,713|
|||||**2024**<br>**£**<br>**29,460**<br>**227,831**<br>**125,145**<br>**71,873**|2023<br>£<br>16,270<br>201,229<br>-<br>73,307|
|||||**454,309**|291,256|
|||||**2024**<br>**£**<br>**699,396**<br>**4,786,899**<br>**3,058,958**<br>**151,605**<br>**349,640**<br>**162,856**<br>**-**|2023<br>£<br>302,704<br>3,603,558<br>3,102,500<br>159,079<br>343,956<br>253,368<br>368,166|
|||||**9,209,354**|8,133,330|



## **18. Deferred income** 

Deferred income comprises of fees which are received in advance for the next academic year. 

|Balance at the beginning of the year<br>Amount released to income in the year<br>Amount deferred in the year<br>Balance at the end of the year|**2024**<br>**£**<br>**3,603,558**<br>**(3,603,558)**<br>**4,786,899**|2023<br>£<br>3,469,639<br>(3,469,639)<br>3,603,558|
|---|---|---|
||**4,786,899**|3,603,558|



30 



**German School Association Limited** 

**Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **19. Pension scheme** 

The German School Association currently contributes to personal pension plans. The assets of the scheme are in a fund independent from those of the charitable company. 

## **20a. Analysis of net assets between funds  (current year)** 

|**Analysis of net assets between funds  (current year)**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Tangible fixed assets<br>Managed Longterm Investments<br>School Endowment Fund<br>Current assets<br>Current liabilities<br>Net assets at the end of the year<br> **Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)**<br>Tangible fixed assets<br>Managed Longterm Investments<br>Current assets<br>Current liabilities<br>Net assets at the end of the year<br>School Endowment Fund|Restricted<br>funds<br>£<br>7,585,613<br>-<br>-<br>-|Designated funds<br>£<br>1,293,681<br>-<br>104,500<br>635,382<br>-|General funds<br>£<br>7,057,319<br>1,207,531<br>-<br>8,159,659<br>(9,313,854)|**Total funds**<br>£<br>**15,936,613**<br>**1,207,531**<br>**104,500**<br>**8,795,041**<br>**(9,313,854)**|
||7,585,613|2,033,563|7,110,656|**16,729,832**|
||Restricted<br>funds<br>£<br>8,075,322<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|Designated funds<br>£<br>1,389,188<br>-<br>104,500<br>426,632<br>-|General funds<br>£<br>4,926,252<br>1,039,713<br>-<br>8,259,901<br>(8,133,330)|**Total funds**<br>£<br>**14,390,762**<br>**1,039,713**<br>**104,500**<br>**8,686,533**<br>**(8,133,330)**|
||8,075,322|1,920,320|6,092,536|**16,088,178**|



## **20b. Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)** 

31 



**German School Association Limited** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **21a. Movements in funds (current year)** 

|**Restricted funds**<br>Swiss Parents Association<br>Other Donations<br>German Government Grant<br>**Total restricted funds**<br>**Unrestricted funds**<br>_Designated funds:_<br>Capital Project Fund<br>School Accessibility Fund<br>Main Building Renovation/Extension<br>Sports hall asset fund<br>_Total designated funds_<br>**General funds**<br> **Movements in funds (prior year)**<br>**Restricted funds**<br>Swiss Parents Association<br>German Government Grant<br>Total restricted funds<br>**Unrestricted funds**<br>_Designated funds:_<br>Capital Project Fund<br>Main Building Rennovation/Extension<br>Sports hall asset fund<br>_Total designated funds_<br>**General funds**<br>**Purposes of restricted funds**- As per the listing above.<br>**Total funds**<br>**Total unrestricted funds**<br>**Total unrestricted funds**<br>The narrative to explain the purpose of each fund is given a<br>**Total funds**<br>School Accesisbility Fund<br>Other Donations|At the start of the year<br>£<br>-<br>-<br>8,075,322|Incoming<br>£<br>-<br>10,000<br>-|Outgoing<br>£<br>-<br>(10,000)<br>(489,709)|Transfers<br>-<br>-<br>-|**At the end of**<br>**£**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**7,585,613**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||8,075,322|10,000|(499,709)|-|**7,585,613**|
||426,632<br>-<br>784,702<br>604,486|208,750<br>-<br>-<br>-|-<br>-<br>(71,878)<br>(23,629)|-<br>104,500<br>-<br>-|**635,382**<br>**104,500**<br>**712,824**<br>**580,857**|
||1,815,820<br>6,092,536|208,750<br>13,607,724|(95,507)<br>(12,485,104)|104,500<br>(104,500)|**2,033,563**<br>**7,110,656**|
||7,908,356|13,816,474|(12,580,611)|-|**9,144,219**|
||15,983,678|13,826,474|(13,080,321)|-|**16,729,832**|
||||Outgoing<br>resources & losses<br>£<br>(21,900)<br>(10,000)<br>(489,710)|Transfers<br>-<br>-<br>-|**At the end of**<br>**the year**<br>**£**<br>**-**<br>**-**<br>**8,075,322**|
||**8,565,032**|**31,900**|**(521,610)**|**-**|**8,075,322**|
||242,257<br>-<br>856,580<br>628,115|184,375<br>-<br>-<br>-|-<br>-<br>(71,878)<br>(23,629)|-<br>104,500<br>-<br>-|**426,632**<br>**104,500**<br>**784,702**<br>**604,486**|
||**1,726,952**<br>**5,103,746**|**184,375**<br>**12,239,006**|**(95,507)**<br>**(11,250,216)**|**104,500**<br>**-**|**1,920,320**<br>**6,092,536**|
||6,830,698|12,423,381|(11,345,723)|104,500|8,012,856|
||**15,395,730**|**12,455,281**|**(11,867,333)**|104,500|16,088,178|
|||||||



## **21b. Movements in funds (prior year)** 

**Swiss Parents Association -** This relates to funds contributed towards the employment of a Swiss teacher 

**German Government Grant** - This relates to the contribution received towards the building of the sports hall and refurbishment of the main building. 

## **Purposes of designated funds** 

**Capital project fund** - this represents money raised through the development levy which it designated towards future capital projects for upkeep and expansion of the school. 

**Sports hall & Main Building asset fund -** represents the contribution towards the construction of these assets from unrestricted funds. 

**Endowment Fund** - A newly established Fund whose purpose is to maintain accessibility for all students through scholarships and by supporting special abilities of students: 

1. Scholarships: The Endowment Fund’s primary objective is to provide financial assistance to children who are unable to afford school fees. 

2. Special Abilities: The Endowment Fund aims to identify and support students who demonstrate exceptional talents, skills or special needs. Dedicated scholarships and tailored support mechanisms can be funded by the Endowment Fund to foster the development of these unique abilities. The Endowment Fund is a capital preservation fund, using capital gains and income generated to support its purpose. 

32 



**German School Association Limited** 

**Notes to the financial statements** 

## **For the year ended 31 August 2024** 

## **22. Reconciliation of net incoming resources to net cash flow from operating activities** 

|**Net income for the reporting period**<br>**(as per the statement of financial activities)**<br>Investment income<br>Interest paid<br>(Increase) in debtors<br>(Increase) in stock<br>Increase in creditors<br>Depreciation<br>**Net cash provided by operating activities**|**2024**<br>**£**<br>**578,335**<br>**(341,645)**<br>**6,828**<br>**(163,053)**<br>**(14,078)**<br>**1,444,190**<br>**876,805**|2023<br>£<br>548,235<br>(176,367)<br>22,108<br>(31,022)<br>(11,679)<br>141,335<br>816,797|
|---|---|---|
||**2,387,382**|1,309,407|



## **23. Operating lease commitments** 

The charity's total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases is as follows , for each of the following periods 

|Less than one year<br>1 - 5 years|**2024**<br>2023<br>**£**<br>£<br>**23,815**<br>23,755<br>**11,678**<br>41,572<br>**35,493**<br>65,327<br>Equipment|**2024**<br>2023<br>**£**<br>£<br>**23,815**<br>23,755<br>**11,678**<br>41,572<br>**35,493**<br>65,327<br>Equipment|
|---|---|---|
||**35,493**|65,327|



## **24. Capital commitments** 

As at the balance sheet date the charity had capital £144,673 (2023:  £2,168,229) relating to Forum/Seminar space project. 

## **25. Legal status of the charity** 

The charity is a company limited by guarantee , incorporated in England and Wales, and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to £1. 

33