Friends of the Abbey JMI School Registered Charity 802214 Annual report 2023-24 Frlends of the Abbey JMI School do Abbey CE VA Primary School Grove Road St Albans AL I I DQ
Contents Trustees Report Receipts and Payments Accounts Independent Examinerfs Report Friends of the AbbeyJMI School - Registered Charity 802214
Trustses Report The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report for the year ended 31 August 2024. Charltable Purpose The object of the Frlends is to advance the education of pupils at the Ablw CE VA Primary School Developing effective relationships between the staff, parents and others associated with the school; and Engaging in attivities or providing facilities or equipment which support the school and advance the education of the pupils. Activities during the year This year, the Friends has engaged in various fundraising events and activities to SUPPOrt the school. Efforts have been made to enhance communication with parents through email newsletters, social media updates. and online parent meetings. These efforts have helped in securing the necessary funding for the Learning Hub. Notable events this year were: . Welcome Back Borbecuel This early-evening barbecue event at the school included a bar and a large cinema screen. It was popular, brtnging people together at the start of the academic year and raising £1,997. • A brand new evenl Chinese New Year Fairl A Chinese New Year fair vfas chosen over a Christmas fair to celebrate the sd)ool's diverse cultures, raising £2,767. . Auction Portyl Following last year's smaller even¢ a more formal gathering was held at St Albans Rugby Club with food, drinl music, dancin& and an auction. Although a very impressive £4,768 was raised, there were difficulties faced with ticket sales. The auction itself remained the most profrtable fundraiser of the year, and it will continue to be scheduled for the upcoming year with a reconsideration of the accompanying social event. The Popular Summer fvir! The summer fair remained one of the most attended events of the year. benefiting from favorable weather conditions. This Yras the first event organised by the new Chair, Rebecca Murducl who maintained the successful format from previous years but also introduced a 'stage' for this year'5 evenL This allowed children, external performer& and members of St Albans Cathedral clergy to perform throughout the event. The magician's performance vrfas popular among the younger children. The event raised £4,139. Friends of the AbbeyJMI School- Reglstered Charity 802214
• Other eyents A variety of fundraising events were organised, including school discos, movie nights, bake sales. and unfform sales. A new concept of a Christmas Fun Day for the children to enloy a day of crafts and fun within school hours including a Santa's Grotto and an after school mince pie and refreshments with parents bought in £917. This enabled the Chinese New Year Fair to take place in early February to celebrate the whole school communlty and took a little pressure off the busy festive period and raised an impressive £2,767 as outllned above. The first wreath making event took place in December which was hugety successful and rnlsed £971. As The Leaming Hub vrns the biggest fundraiser there was a 'Sponsored Signature, initiative for a framed artwork with sponsors names to be added to the wall of the new space. This rdised an extra £1,457. The Friends, committee also continued to play a role as an informal sounding board for the Head for discussing other school Issues with the parent body, contributing towards our first object. Grants received During the course of the financial year two grants Vre awarded to the Friends. One of these was from the Shanly Foundation which viill be used to improve musical equipment and facilities at the school and the other from Hertfordshire Community Foundation. This was avnrded for Ukueles again to enhance the school music lessons and give the opportunity for every child to learn an instrumenL Donations to the school The Friends donated £71620 to the school this year, malnly for the Learning Hub. The now- complete space allows children to read, study quietly, meet with teachers, and more. It has transformed an underutilised area, and the Friends are proud to have funded this successful initiatNe. Other donations to the school were for the school to buy Ukueles for the children to be able to play in their muslc lessons. This donatlon vrfas funded by a grant received from the Hertfordshire Community Foundation. FOnancSal posltlon At the end of the year, the Charity held £15,613. The cycle of gmng has been such that we raise fijnds firs¢ and then donate these to the school. Historically, our policy has been to keep around six months of fundraising expenses in reserve, to enable us to both continue with our planned cycle of events and take advantage of new as yet unplanned fundraising activitles. Trnditionally we ralse a lot of funds in late June and July - and we only agree spending of these at the start of the next term. The financial statements are prepared on a cash basis {i.e., without accruing for spending commitrnents or income pledged but not yet recelved). The money is held in an account at HSBC. The genernl cycle of ralsing funds co be donated to the school within twelve months means chat the charity does not currently have an investment portfolio and therefore has no investment policy. Future plans With the Learning Hub complet< the next fundraising focus is a dedicated music room. This will be created by converting a storage area in the main hall. Currently, there is no specific room for music lessons, $0 thls new space will be ideal for them. Additionally, efforts wlll be made to enhance the school's oucdoor spaces, includlng the recently estsblished forest school area. Friends of the Abbey JMI School- Registrred Charity 802214
Governance The Friends are an unincoorated association, registered as a charity (802214) with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Friends adopted the current constltutlon in 2018-19, following the model set out by Parentkind, the representative body through which we get our insurance as well as advic< resources, access to discounts and our Vobce at a national level to governmenL The advantage of adopting this model constitution is that it is pre-approved by the Charity Commission. The revised constitution also ermbles the Friends to register for Gift Aid. The Trustees who senied durlng the year were: Sasha Brooke-williams {resied l June 2024) Louise Abel (resigned l June 2024) Natalie McEvoy Rebecca Murduck (appolnted l June 2024) Elizabeth Srton (appointed l June 2024) Publlc beneflt In carrying out their activitles. the Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public beneflL Safeguarding The Trustees have adopted the School's safeguarding policy in full, save that (as a matter of law), concerns musc be reported to the Trustees rather than to the School. The TruseS received no concerns in respect of safeguardlng during the year. Approved by the Trustees Natalie McEvoy, Tru ee Frlends of the AbbeyJMI School - Registered Charlty 802214
Rece Paents Falrs Chlnese New Year Summer 3.437.78 5.619.49 9,057.27 (670.59) (1,480.84) (2.ISI.43) 1767.19 4.138.65 6,905.84 Parent fundralslng events Welcome bad( BBQ Auction pary 2.556.47 8.192.39 10,748.86 (559.20) (3,424.2B) (3.983.48) 1.997.27 4.768.11 6,765.38 Smaller events UniForm sales Break the Rules Day St Alban5 Fun Run Christmas Fun Day Wreath making Nativity Movie Nlgh¢ Bake and ice cream sales School ¢thscos 59.48 59.48 49.18 49.18 406.22 916.70 916.70 971.15 40.31 971.15 175AO) (41CA)) (63AI) (690.30) (871.51) (35.29) 624.79 34137 187.49 666.79 405.98 877.79 4,393.60 3,522.09 Charitable income Sponsored slgnatures- The Hub Treeasy Easylundraslng Christmas C¥ds Glft ald Sponsored sports kits Grant income Mlscellaneous glvlng 1.457.21 6&50 1,457.21 6&50 101.83 235.20 468.19 150.IXI 4.000.CK) 101.83 235.20 468.19 150.00 4.IXKI.00 6.884.97 6,884.97 Charltable 8ivin8 Donations to school 172,619.63) (72.619.63) <72.619.63) (72.619.63) Governance expenses Bank charge5 Parenrkind membership including inSurae Just Giving subsidies (86.24) (174.00) (72.00) (3J2.24) (86.24) (174.fA)) (332.24) 31.084.70 (79.958.29) (48.873.59)
Openlng bank balance as at 1109123 Receipts Payments Closing bank balance as at 31108124 64.486.46 31,084.70 (79,95829) 15.612.87 Balance sheet i.e. statement of assets and Ilabllltles as at 31108124 Bank 15.612.87 15,612.87
Independent examlnÈrfs report to the trustees of the Frlend$ of the Abbey JMI School- ftertered charlty 802214 I report to the rru5tees on my examination of fhe receipts and payments accounts of the Friends of the Abbey JMI Sthool for the year ended 3110812024. Charltable Purpose As the tharity trustees of the Frlends of the AbbeyJMI School. you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charl¢les Ac¢ 2011 f'the Act.). I report In respect of my examlnati¢)n of the Friends of the AbbeyJMI Sch¢)ol accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Art and In carrylng out my examination. I have followed the appllcable Direttions glven by the Charity Cornmlssion under section 145(5)(b) of the ACL Independent examinerfs statement I have Completed my examination, I confirm that no material matters have come to my attentyon in connectlon with the examination giving me cause to belleve that In any material res accounting records were not kept In respect of the Frlends of the AbbeyJMI School as requlred by section 130 of the Ac(. or the accounts do r¢ ¥cord with those record& I have no concern5 and have come a¢ros$ no other matters In connection with the examlnatlon to whith attentlon should be drawn in thls report in order ¢0 enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Elizabeth Heycock ACA IS414 J une 2025