Charity Registration Number: NIC107662
Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association Trustees Report and Financial Statements 30 September 2023
Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association (SUPPA)
Trustee’s Annual Report
Year Ended 30 September 2023
The trustees present their report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2023
Reference and Administrative Details
Registered Charity Name: Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association
Charity Registration Number: NIC107662
Principal Office
The Trustees
Julia Kelly Eleanor Markey Jill Sizer Alice McClure Giulia Kelly
Independent Examiner: Christina Byrnes FCA c/o Sullivan Upper School Belfast Road Holywood BT18 9EP
Structure, governance and management
The Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association is a registered charity with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, number 107662
The principal address of the charity is Sullivan Upper Preparatory Department, Dromkeen House, 1 Alexandra Park, Holywood, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, BT18 9ET.
The charity’s governing document is the Constitution dated 1 September 2018
The charity is managed by its trustees. Trustees meet regularly throughout the year.
Objectives and Activities
Public Benefits
The trustees present their Trustee’s report in accordance with and having regard to the guidance issued by the Commission under section 4(b)’ of the Charities Act (the public benefit requirement statutory guidance).
The purpose of the Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association is to advance the education of the pupils of the school with a focus on:
(i) Improved relationships between home and school
The direct benefits that flow from this objective include bridging the gap between teachers and parents. Through a combination of organised events and meetings at school there is an organic opportunity for parents and teachers to interact. An opportunity to exchange views, work together and to develop essential mutual trust and confidence. Each of these opportunities represents a benefit to the children of Sullivan Prep. In addition, the events organised not only raise vital funds to provide much needed equipment that enhance and improve the children’s learning experience, but they allow parents, teachers and children, as well as the wider community to attended events in a relaxed environment.
This purpose does not lead to any harm and there is no private benefit. The benefit is for all the children at Sullivan Upper Preparatory Department.
Charity Trustees (members of the Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association) are also parents at the school which their children attend and hence gain benefit in the same way as all other beneficiaries. This benefit is incidental and necessary to ensure the benefit is provided to all beneficiaries.
(ii) Advancing the education of the pupils in the school
The direct benefits that flow from this objective include using the funds for multiple purposes. These cover but are not limited to:
Providing travel in furtherance of pupil education.
Visits to live theatre performance to enhance literary knowledge.
The purchase of vital equipment and additional resources to advance and further the education both in the classroom and through sporting activities.
The development of the school’s outdoor garden as a classroom facility to encourage the children to learn focus, patience, cooperation, teamwork, social skills and an appreciation for the world around us. Conducting activities in the garden increases environmental awareness and time spent outdoors reduces levels of stress and anxiety among the children.
This purpose does not lead to any harm and there is no private benefit. The benefit is for all the children at Sullivan Upper Preparatory Department.
Charity Trustees (members of the Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association) are also parents at the school which their children attend and hence gain benefit in the same way as all other beneficiaries. This benefit is incidental and necessary to ensure the benefit is provided to all beneficiaries.
(iii) Provide opportunities for parents to be informed of matters of school policy
The direct benefits that flow from the purpose include the sharing of school policies put in place to guide the day-to-day functioning of the school as well as to make it a safe and effective place for learning. The policies are concerned with key processes within schools and relate to interactions between the school, pupils, parents and community. These allow parents to know of any problems arising and how the school is tackling them. It helps provide the parents with an understanding of all the school is doing to improve and to secure the best education for each child attending.
This purpose does not lead to any harm and there is no private benefit. The benefit is for all the children at Sullivan Upper Preparatory Department.
Charity Trustees (members of the Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association) are also parents at the school which their children attend and hence gain benefit in the same way as all other beneficiaries. This benefit is incidental and necessary to ensure the benefit is provided to all beneficiaries.
(iv) Engage in charitable activities to further social responsibility with the pupils
The direct benefits that flow from the purpose include the children, teachers, parents and wider community working together in enjoyable and inspiring ways to raise funds for a number of charities.
This purpose does not lead to any harm and there is no private benefit. The benefit is for all the children at Sullivan Upper Preparatory Department.
Charity Trustees (members of the Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association) are also parents at the school which their children attend and hence gain benefit in the same way as all other beneficiaries. This benefit is incidental and necessary to ensure the benefit is provided to all beneficiaries.
Report on Activities and Performance throughout the Year
The Sullivan Upper Prep Parents Association supported the above purposes through events and activities throughout the year.
“Twice as Nice” uniform moved on line to www.suppatime.com which has been set up and managed by SUPPA committee member Kerry Longmore . Parents continue to express their appreciation of this scheme which provides a new home for
unwanted uniform and sports kit where profits benefit all the children in the school. The total raised was £606.40
Parent voluntary subscriptions totaled £414.00
SUPPA made a calendar which featured all of the school children and centered around the theme of ‘Outdoor Learning’ in line with the development of being able to purchase an outdoor classroom for the school. Annually this project is very well received by children, parents and the wider community and this year, it was very special to let the children demonstrate how much they enjoy learning outdoors, and the various ways in which they integrate into subjects. The total raised by the calendar was £1,761.45
SUPPA also provided children the opportunity to design their own Christmas cards/tea towels/ mugs/ wrapping paper etc. Parents and people in the wider school community were able to order these to have or as gifts. The total raised was £856.45
With the pandemic behind us SUPPA organised their first Christmas Fair engaging local businesses, community crafters and caters to sell their wares at the fair. The school choir and a local acapella choir provided seasonal entertainment as friends and families of the school enjoyed picking up some last minute Christmas shopping. Total raised for SUPPA was £1,510.03. As part of the season of giving SUPPA facilitated a Shoe Box Appeal for Samaritans Purse Operation Christmas Child, which was well supported by families.
The summer season seen SUPPA host an adults ‘Sundowner’ evening at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, which was a lovely social gathering for many parents to catch up and meet new people, this brought in £900. The end of year finale was the ‘Family Fun Day’ which followed on from the schools ‘Sport’s Day’ morning. This was a hugely popular event which was helped by a day of great weather. Rather than a fixed fee for entry, SUPPA sought a ‘donation’ in exchange for a BBQ and inflatables such as bouncy castles and slides for the children. Further refreshments and sweet treats where available to purchase. Initial thoughts seen event as a good will, a loss leading event due to a heavy outlay in cost for the BBQ and inflatables provision, SUPPA were therefore delighted to have made £177.66 profit!
Also raised during the year were smaller amounts through Easyfundraising and smaller standalone fun activities throughout the school year which the school largely managed to facilitate with teaching staff during the school day, examples include; Halloween fun day (SUPPA provided a disco at a cost of £170) and Crazy Hair day. Funds raised range from £100 - £450.
SUPPA made several donations to the school throughout the year in the furtherance of its objectives and achieving its charitable purpose. SUPPA provided £1,008 to allow the school to purchase a Mathletics online subscription for P3-P7 and £122 for a Maths Game Subscription for P1 and P2. These subscriptions permit the pupils to use an online platform to develop their mathematic skills through games and challenges both independently and through group activities.
SUPPA provided money to for the whole school to visit the Lyric theatre to experience their Panto ‘Hansel and Gretel’. This was greatly enjoyed by the children and supports their education in literacy and drama. Further seasonal engagement included the provision of Christmas Gifts for all the children delivered by Santa himself. Easter quizzes and games were facilitated as well as Easter Eggs given out as the school broke up for half term. These tokens and events really boost the spirits of the children, through being able to celebrate occasions together and reaffirming their enjoyment at school.
The largest donation made to date by SUPPA has been for the installation of the outdoor classroom. This was an investment of £17,922.48 and was the result of many years of fundraising and diligent financial management to make such an investment for the school. What the benefit to the children and the school would be was clear, but as it was such a significant financial commitment many quotes where sought and reviewed both by a dedicated sub-committee within SUPPA and by relevant parties within the grammar school. With due diligence undertaken ‘Play and Leisure Services’ were appointed to install the classroom with work getting underway in August 2023.
Thanks are due to the SUPPA Trustees and to all members of the Committee who gave up their time to support the school. Thanks is also due to the teachers and especially Mrs Ballard and Mrs Gordon who assisted SUPPA this year.
Financial Review
The charity records a total income of £15,028.55 and had an expenditure of £26,765.36 in the year, giving a net deficit of £11,736.81. This left a closing balance of £7,329.81 as at 30 September 2023.
Signature and Declaration
I declare that in my capacity of charity trustee, I am authorised to sign this report on behalf of the Trustees.
Signature
Laura Wray
Trustee
12 June 2023