NEWPORT COMMUNITY SCHOOL PRIMARY ACADEMY

Transcription

1 Registered number: NEWPORT COMMUNITY SCHOOL PRIMARY ACADEMY TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

2 CONTENTS Page Reference and administrative details of the academy, its trustees and advisers 1 Trustees' report 2-13 Governance statement Statement on regularity, propriety and compliance 18 Trustees' responsibilities statement 19 Independent auditors' report Independent auditors' assurance report on regularity Statement of financial activities Balance sheet 26 Cash flow statement 27 Notes to the financial statements 28-46

3 REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE ACADEMY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS Trustees Mrs E O'Driscoll Mr G Cockell Mrs M Mock Mr A Pethick Mrs K Macree (resigned 26 March ) Mrs L Wilkinson Mr A Cotton, Head Teacher Mr T Simons Mrs A Kent (resigned 26 March ) Mrs S Gibson Mrs J Bazley Mr J Williams (resigned 26 September 2012) Mrs D Connor Mrs D Chambers Mr D Davies Mrs C Clarke (appointed 29 November 2012) Mrs J Richards (appointed 17 January ) Mrs V Nel, Chair (appointed 29 November 2012) Mr D Brewer (appointed 14 May ) Company registered number Principal and Registered office Landkey Road Newport Barnstaple Devon EX32 9BW Company secretary Senior Leadership Team Independent auditors Mrs M Cann Andy Cotton, Head Teacher Gillian Courtenay, Deputy Head Teacher Frances Bell, Assistant Head Teacher Sue Gibson, Assistant Head Teacher Maureen Cann, School Business Manager Bishop Fleming Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors 2nd Floor Stratus House Emperor Way Exeter Business Park Exeter EX1 3QS Page 1

4 TRUSTEES' REPORT The Trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their annual report together with the audited financial statements of Newport Community School Primary Academy (the Academy Trust) for the ended 31 August. The Trustees confirm that the Annual report and financial statements of the academy comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the academy's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" issued in March STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT CONSTITUTION The Academy Trust is a company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity. The Charitable Company's Memorandum and Articles of Association are the primary governing documents of the Academy Trust. The Trustees act as the Trustees for the charitable activities of Newport Community School Primary Academy and are also the directors of the Charitable Company for the purposes of company law. The Charitable Company is known as Newport Community School Primary Academy. Details of the Trustees who served throughout the year except as noted, are included in the Reference and Administration Details on page 1. METHOD OF RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT OR ELECTION OF TRUSTEES The Academy Trust shall have the following Trustees as set out in its Articles of Association and funding agreement: up to 4 Trustees who are appointed by members. up to 6 Parent Trustees who are elected by Parents of registered pupils at the Academy. up to 4 staff Trustees appointed by Trustee board. up to 3 Co-opted Trustees who are appointed by the Trustee board. the Headteacher who is treated for all purposes as being an ex officio Governor. Trustees are appointed for a four year period, except that this time limit does not apply to the Headteacher. Subject to remaining eligible to be a particular type of Trustee, any Trustee can be re-appointed or re-elected. When appointing new Trustees, the Board will give consideration to the skills and experience mix of existing Trustees in order to ensure that the Board has the necessary skills to contribute fully to the Academy's development. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ADOPTED FOR THE INDUCTION AND TRAINING OF TRUSTEES The training and induction provided for new Trustees will depend upon their existing experience and knowledge of the academy but would always include the opportunity of a tour of the Academy and an opportunity to meet staff and pupils. All Trustees are provided with copies of policies, procedures, minutes, accounts, budgets, plans and other documents that they will need to undertake their role as Trustees. As there are normally only two or three new Trustees a year, induction tends to be done informally and is tailored specifically to the individual. Advantage is taken of specific courses offered by various bodies. A governor induction policy provides a clear process of support whatever the experience. Page 2

5 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE The Board of Trustees normally meet twice in the autumn term and once in each of the spring and summer terms. The Board establishes an overall framework for the governance of the Academy and determines membership, terms of reference and procedures of Committees and other groups. It receives reports including policies from its Committees for ratification. It monitors the activities of the Committees through the minutes of their meetings. The Board may from time to time establish Working Groups to perform specific tasks over a limited timescale. There are two sub-committees as follows; Resources Committee - this meets at least six times a year and is responsible for monitoring, evaluating and reviewing policy and performance in relation to financial management, compliance with reporting and regulatory requirements and reporting, receiving reports from the Responsible Officer and drafting the annual budget including setting staffing levels. It also incorporates the role of an audit committee. It also deals with personnel, premises and health and safety matters. Curriculum Committee - this meets at least 5 times a year and is to, evaluate and review Academy policy, practice and performance in relation to curriculum planning, communications, target setting and assessment, examinations and all pastoral issues. The following decisions are reserved to the Board of Trustees; to consider any proposals for changes to the status or constitution of the Academy and its committee structure, to appoint or remove the Chair and/or Vice Chair, to appoint the Headteacher and Clerk to the Trustees, to approve the Annual Improvement Plan and budget. The Trustees are responsible for setting general policy, adopting an annual plan and budget, approving the statutory accounts, monitoring the Academy by the use of budgets and other data, and making major decisions about the direction of the Academy, capital expenditure and staff appointments. The Trustees and Board of Trustees have devolved responsibility for day to day management of the Academy to the Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The SLT comprises the Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, Assistant Head Teachers and the Business Manager. The SLT implement the policies laid down by the Trustees and report back to them on performance. The Head Teacher is the Accounting Officer. CONNECTED ORGANISATIONS, INCLUDING RELATED PARTY RELATIONSHIPS The PTA have Charitable Status in their own right, there are no staff members or governors of the academy named as trustees of the PTA. All Donations received from the PTA are declared through the statutory accounts. RISK MANAGEMENT The Academy has a formal risk management process to assess business risks and to implement risk management strategies. This process involves identifying the types of risk the Academy faces, scoring and prioritising the risks in terms of their potential operational and financial impact, assessing the likelihood of occurrence and identifying means of mitigating the risks. A Risk Register is maintained and reviewed on a regular basis. Areas of risk assessed include health & safety, trips, child protection, control of finance and educational outcomes. Page 3

6 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) TRUSTEES' INDEMNITIES Trustees benefit from indemnity insurance purchased at the Academy Trust s expense to cover the liability of the Trustees which by virtue of any rule of law would otherwise attach to them in respect of any negligence, default or breach of trust or breach of duty of which they may be guilty in relation to the Academy Trust, provided that any such insurance shall not extend to any claim arising from any act or omission which the Trustees knew to be a breach of trust or breach of duty or which was committed by the Trustees in reckless disregard to whether it was a breach of trust or breach of duty or not and provided also that any such insurance shall not extend to the costs of any unsuccessful defence to a criminal prosecution brought against the Trustees in their capacity as Directors of the Academy Trust. The limit of this indemnity is 5 million. PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES The principal activity of the Academy is to provide free education for pupils of different abilities between the ages of 3 and 11. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES OBJECTS AND AIMS The principal object and activity of the Academy is to advance for the public benefit education in the United Kingdom, in particular by establishing, maintaining, carrying on, managing and developing a school, offering a broad range of curriculum for pupils of different abilities. The principal object and activity of the Charitable Company is the operation of Newport Community School Primary Academy to provide free education and care for pupils of different abilities between the ages of 3 and 11. The Academy has a specialist provision for children with autism, known as the CAIRB (Communications and Interactions Resource Base). It runs this facility in conjunction with Devon County Council through a Service Level Agreement, reviewed annually. The aims of the Academy are as follows Learning Together, Achieving Together Personal Attributes of Pupils/Staff To foster and develop confident, open and receptive learners, who are able to communicate, think creatively and critically, and embrace challenge through: expectation modelling the academy s curriculum and other learning opportunities approach to teaching and learning relationships between all academy partners Page 4

7 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) Potential To encourage each individual to maximise their potential as highly motivated life long learners through: recognition of achievement building self-confidence promoting self discipline expectation embracing change commitment Learning Environment To provide a welcoming, well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing learning environment, with high expectations of behaviour, effort and achievement through: the School Code of Conduct, provision for health and Safety the highest staff expectations of pupils behaviour effective and responsive systems of monitoring individual pupil and staff performance. stimulating displays environmental responsibility Sense of Place To enable children to value and develop a sense of community through: celebrating our rich and varied local area participating in and leading local events opportunities to experience life and cultures both within the UK and the wider world Relationships To develop and promote positive relationships within the academy community, with parents and the wider world through: an active involvement in the learning process modelling expectation opportunities to collaborate high quality leadership effective communication systems family group Well Being To provide high quality social, moral and personal education, appropriate to the needs of the child, allowing each individual to lead a rewarding and happy life through: the Academy s curriculum, programme of collective worship school relationships opportunities to raise an individual s self esteem links to outside agencies. self respect and respect for others Page 5

8 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) Curriculum - Skills / Knowledge To provide a rich curriculum that creates meaningful opportunities for the development of skills and knowledge through: a high quality curriculum a wide variety of approaches to teaching and learning allowing pupils to make mistakes supporting children in taking them to the edge of their learning Inclusion To allow all pupils to access the school s curriculum and participate in all areas of Academy life through: an effective equal opportunities policy highly inclusive and supportive learning environment OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES The main Academy Improvement priorities for were as follows: The Achievement of pupils at the school To raise the attainment and improve the progress of FSM pupils through examining provision and raising expectations To raise the number of pupils who are making 2 levels of progress from KS1 to KS2 in all four areas of writing, reading, science and mathematics through rigorous teacher assessment, implementation of the marking policy, understanding of levels of work (in particular mathematics), guided work and the new grouping systems Review provision for More able/talented pupils To review the Academy s marking policy and the setting of children s targets parent meetings, so that children, parents and staff are clearer as to the next steps in learning. To raise expectations of speaking & listening through implementation of the Talk for Maths project across the school. The Behaviour and Safety of Pupils in School To review Take Ten provision for KS2. To raise confidence levels of staff in dealing with parents through training The Quality of Teaching in School To develop a shared concept of learning for all stakeholders Review and update the Academy s curriculum reflecting upon the above discussion (see strategic Target Curriculum) To examine the viability of a 52 week nursery with provision of up to 10 hours per day To develop further subject open days & skills workshops for parents to enhance parent knowledge and understanding in supporting their child(ren) Create a blue print to remove the demountable buildings and improve the learning environment for Early Years children, including outdoor provision for To consider the purchase/lease of two minibuses for opportunities to extend curriculum Quality of Leadership in and Management of the School To consider how the Governing Body evaluates the work of the school, including governor visits. To set up effective induction system for new governors To secure greater accountability from subject leaders to identify problems and action planning to solve them To develop the capacity of subject leaders to effectively monitor through observation and analysis of data Page 6

9 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) To review the leadership systems of performance management, planning evaluation, work scrutiny and lesson observations to ensure a greater % of good and outstanding teaching and better consistency in the quality of teaching across the school To enhance teacher performance, through Senior Leaders working alongside teachers, allowing teachers to observe others and the use of learning walks For the long term development of the Academy, the Academy publishes a long term plan aimed at setting longer term strategic goals, as well as establishing aspiration. This is also available from the Academy office. The Key areas for development between are in the following areas:- Pupil Achievement Working with parents Premises development Governance improvements Curriculum development Extended school provision Communication across the academy Challenging standards of the more able/talented children The above spheres of work were established through whole Academy community review involving all stakeholders leading to the compilation of the Academy Strategic Plan The plan is well progressed and the review date has been brought forward to PUBLIC BENEFIT The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commissioner's general guidance on public benefit in exercising their powers or duties. They have referred to this guidance when reviewing the Academy's aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. The Academy provides facilities for community users for the community at large in the interest of social welfare and with the interest of improving the life of the community of Newport and North Devon. As an Academy we have a duty to support other schools and this is achieved through the work of senior leaders in school who are involved in a Teaching School known as DPSCITT and through the work of the Head Teacher as a National Leader in Education. We support several schools through the use of specialist skills, for example we provide outreach services for other schools in managing the needs of autism in the North Devon area. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE GOING CONCERN After making appropriate enquiries, the board of trustees has a reasonable expectation that the academy has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason it continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the Accounting Policies. KEY FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS The main financial performance indicator is the level of reserves held at the Balance Sheet date. In particular, the management of spending against General Annual Grant (GAG) requires special attention - the amount of carry forward restriction has been removed in the year. In period under review, 55,020 GAG was carried forward. Page 7

10 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) As funding is based on pupil numbers this is also a key performance indicator. The Academy is full with pupil numbers for at 508, (2012: 507). Another key financial performance indicator is staffing costs as a percentage of GAG. For this was 74%. REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES Pupil numbers are stable and the Academy is full with 508 children on roll as of January The Academy is heavily over-subscribed, especially when taking into consideration that Barnstaple has a small population. More than 90 pupils applied for 60 places in reception classes for -14. The Academy continues to receive tremendous support from parent volunteers who have been helping in the Academy this year. Their commitment to the children and the Academy is overwhelming. They help with reading, trips, social functions, PTA, curriculum enrichments and extra-curricular clubs. During the academy celebrated the opening of its new library with a visit from John Harris, story teller and author which was much enjoyed by children and adults alike. The academy also undertook complete refurbishment of the school hall, complete with new projector and IT system. The Academy s PTA raised over 8,000 during , A donation of 6,900 was made for the purchase of a new stage lighting system to go in the newly refurbished hall which will greatly enhance the experience for all pupils taking part in productions and performances, The Academy was successful in its bid for funding from the EFA to address drainage issues and replace 6 temporary classrooms with a purpose built EYFS classrooms. The academy has been working towards this outcome for several years and we were delighted to be working with local contractors, Pearce Construction and architects, PWH Associates on this exciting and vital project. Work commenced on site in June with completion estimated for the Spring In the Foundation Stage the data reflected a very positive year with levels across the Early Years Foundation Stage showing that on average across the areas of learning, at least 80% of children were making expected progress with an average of 21% of children making above expected progress. As this is the first new of a newly introduced assessment system, there are no local or national benchmarks available for comparison at the time of writing this report. At the end of Year One, results of the phonics testing showed that 87% passed the phonics test, an increase of 3% on last year. The national average pass rate for 2012 was 58%. At the end of Key Stage One (7 year olds: Year 2) results in all areas were considerably above national averages and in particular at level 3, reflecting attainment well above expected levels. 48% of pupils in maths achieved level 3 with only 22 % nationally. In reading and writing, Newport s level 3 s stood at 52% and 38% compared to national outcomes of 27% and 14% respectively. The results for 11 year olds (year 6) show many pupils achieving more than their 2 levels progress to achieve impressive results. This year saw the introduction of the English grammar, punctuation and spelling test where 59% of pupils attained the upper level level 5; There are no national statistics available for comparison for this test. In Reading 56% achieved level 5 compared to 48% nationally and in Mathematics, 59% achieved level 5 compared with 36% nationally. It is rewarding to see that the academy has again increased the number of pupils achieving Level 6. From 6% in Mathematics in 2012 to 11% in. In English grammar and Reading 7% and 8% respectively. This shows exceptional attainment, which reflects the school s ambition to challenge the most able children. At each phase of the school, the Academy achieves well above national statistics, but is not satisfied with its current position and has set very high targets for -14 to raise standards further across the school. Page 8

11 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) Further statistical information of pupil performance is available in the Academy s Prospectus, available from the office or the web-site. Academy achievement is only a small part of what we do at Newport and it was notable that performance has been strong in a variety of sports, where Newport has competed well against local, district and county opposition. In particular, running, gymnastics, athletics, netball and football have seen many honours earned, including winning the district athletics competition and performing in the County competition where Newport finished 2nd from 16 teams. In the arts, the academy held its annual arts week, which the children look forward to. The school choir has travelled around the community, performing at various events. Many pupils have attained their grade 1 & 2 in their chosen musical instrument and the school enjoyed the Christmas performances, as well as drama plays by years 3 and 4 in the spring and final year pupils in the summer. The Academy has been the lead partner, with Lampard Community School, Fremington Community School, and the North Devon Guitarists Fund in a Comenius Regio Partnership through the British Council with schools and community groups within Piemonte County Council in Italy. This saw representatives from Newport visiting the schools in Italy, a concert at the Conservatorio di Musica in Torino, Italy and a performance at the Queens Theatre in Barnstaple. The project culminated in a final conference with our Italian partners here at Newport School with key note speaker Professor Anna Croft. In addition to the curriculum on offer at the school, the children have had the opportunity to attend a wide variety of school clubs and residential visits. Residential visits to London, Italy, Nethercott Farm, Beam House and Paignton Zoo took place in with more than 150 pupils attending a residential visit. The academy s nursery was considerably oversubscribed for a further year with waiting lists. The nursery staff led by Alison McRae Spencer also support a family learning initiative, which values the contribution of adults to their child s learning. The Academy s CARIB, a specialist provision for pupils with autism, is full. Eight pupils are supported by 6 staff who provide inclusive opportunities for children in the classroom. Newport staff provide outreach services for other schools across North Devon. The Leaps & Bounds Breakfast and After School Club has formally become part of the Academy, dissolving itself as a Charity. The club is popular with parents and a waiting list is collated by the School Office. FINANCIAL REVIEW Most of the Academy's income is obtained from the DfE via the EFA in the form of recurrent grants, the use of which is restricted to particular purposes. The grants received from the DfE during the year ended 31 August and the associated expenditure are shown as Restricted Funds in the Statement of Financial Activities. The Academy also receives grants for fixed assets from the DfE and are shown in the Statement of Financial Activities as restricted income in the Fixed Asset Fund. The Restricted Fixed Asset Fund balance is reduced by annual depreciation charges over the useful life of the assets concerned, as defined in the Academy s accounting policies. During the year ended 31 August, total expenditure of 2,096,374 was covered by recurrent grant funding from the DfE 1,902,966, together with other incoming resources of 519,371. The excess of income over expenditure for the year (excluding restricted fixed asset and pension ) was 164,086. At 31 August the net book value of fixed assets was 4,196,870 and movements in tangible fixed assets are shown in note 16 to the financial statements. The assets were used exclusively for providing education and the associated support services to the pupils of the Academy. The land, buildings and other assets were transferred to the Academy upon conversion. Land and buildings were valued by the EFA on at 4,072,632. Other assets have been included in the financial statements at a best estimate, taking into account purchase price and remaining useful lives. Page 9

12 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) The Academy has taken on the deficit in the Local Government Pension Scheme in respect of its non teaching staff transferred on conversion. The deficit is incorporated within the Statement of Financial Activity with details in Note 26 to the financial statements. Key financial policies adopted or reviewed during the year include the Finance Policy which lays out the framework for financial management, including financial responsibilities of the Board, Head Teacher, managers, budget holders and other staff, as well as delegated authority for spending. Other policies reviewed and updated included Charges and Lettings, Asset Management and Insurance. Trustees have adopted a Responsible Officer Policy/internal audit policy and appointed Devon Audit Partnership to undertake a programme of internal checks on the financial controls. During the year, the Trustees received 4 reports from the Responsible Officer/internal audit which contained no matters of significance. FINANCIAL AND RISK MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Academy is exposed, in particular those relating to its finances, teaching, facilities and other operational areas. The Trustees have implemented a number of systems to assess and minimise those risks, including internal controls described elsewhere. Where significant financial risk still remains they have ensured they have adequate insurance cover. Whilst the Academy is over-subscribed, risks to revenue funding from a falling roll are small. However, the freeze on the Government's overall education budget, changes in funding arrangements for special educational needs and increasing employment and premises costs mean that budgets will be increasingly tight in coming years. The Trustees examine the financial health formally every term, reviewing performance against budgets and overall expenditure by means of regular update reports at all full Trustees' and Finance. Committee meetings. The Trustees also regularly review cash flow to ensure sufficient are held to cover all known and anticipated commitments. At the year end, the Academy had no significant liabilities arising from trade creditors or debtors where there would be a significant effect on liquidity. The Board of Trustees recognises that the defined benefit scheme deficit (Local Government Pension Scheme), which is set out in Note 26 to the financial statements, represents a significant potential liability. However as the Trustees consider that the Academy is able to meet its known annual contribution commitments for the foreseeable future, this risk from this liability is minimised. PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES The principal risks and uncertainties facing the Academy are as follows: Financial - the Academy has considerable reliance on continued Government funding through the EFA. In the last year 79% of the Academy's incoming resources was ultimately Government funded and whilst this level is expected to continue, there is no assurance that Government policy or practice will remain the same or that public funding will continue at the same levels or on the same terms. Failures in governance and/or management - the risk in this area arises from potential failure to effectively manage the Academy's finances, internal controls, compliance with regulations and legislation, statutory returns, etc. The Trustees continue to review and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to mitigate these risks through assurances by independent agents. Reputational - the continuing success of the Academy is dependant on continuing to attract applicants in sufficient numbers by maintaining the highest educational standards. To mitigate this risk Trustees ensure that student success and achievement are closely monitored and reviewed. Safeguarding and child protection - the Trustees continue to ensure that the highest standards are maintained in the areas of selection and monitoring of staff, the operation of child protection policies and procedures, health & safety and discipline. Page 10

13 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) Staffing - the success of the Academy is reliant on the quality of its staff and so the Trustees monitor and review policies and procedures to ensure continued development and training of staff as well as ensuring there is clear succession planning. Fraud and mismanagement of - The Academy has appointed a Responsible Officer/internal audit to carry out checks on financial systems and records as required by the Academy Financial Handbook. All finance staff receive training to keep them up to date with financial practice requirements and develop their skills in this area. The Academy has continued to strengthen its risk management process throughout the year by improving the process and ensuring staff awareness. A risk register is maintained and reviewed and updated on a regular basis. Governors and senior staff have received training in this area. RESERVES POLICY The Governors review the reserve levels of the Academy annually. The Governors feel it is important that funding received during a financial year is spent for the benefit of the pupils on roll at that time, whilst recognising the need for prudent accounting. Governors have determined that the appropriate level of free cash reserves in any one year should be approximately 50, ,000 of this is treated as an in-year contingency to meet costs such as maternity / redundancy and any remaining in-year contingency released at year end to develop resources. The Governing Body aim to set a year end reserve of 20,000 in to provide sufficient working capital to cover delays between spending and receipt of grants and to provide a cushion to deal with unexpected emergencies such as urgent unforeseen maintenance. The Academy s current level of reserves (total less the amount held in fixed assets and pension reserves) is 164,086, of which 100,066 is free reserves. News of the successful bid for ACMF funding led to a review of the budget to ensure sufficient fund were available to meet the needs of this significant build and the following from the reserve figure have been identified as follows: 130,000 towards the replacement of the temporary classrooms. MATERIAL INVESTMENTS POLICY Due to the nature of funding, the Academy may at times hold cash balances surplus to its short term requirements. The Trustees have authorised the opening of additional short term bank investment accounts covered by the Financial Services Compensation to take advantage of higher interest rates. No other form of investment is authorised. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The Academy will continue to strive to provide outstanding education and improve the levels of performance of its pupils at all levels. The Academy will continue to aim to attract high quality teachers and support staff in order to deliver its objectives. The Academy has set targets to drive this improvement as follows. The Achievement of Pupils at the School To raise the % of pupils making outstanding progress( FFT Top 15% band KS2; 5NCP in KS1 in writing, reading, mathematics and science by setting targets in each cohort to place the Academy in the top 15% of schools nationally by the end of FS, KS1 and KS2 as defined by Family Fischer Trust Data (3 year target) and other national data sources To raise the level of attainment (average point score) and progress of FSM children above the national averages at the end of KS2 in maths, reading, writing and science by setting above average point score targets for each cohort and intervening to support progress.( 2 year target) Page 11

14 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) To raise attainment and progress of maths in line with literacy as defined by cohort targets ( 2 year target refer to target one) To review the identification, policy and provision for more able and talented pupils to ensure children are making outstanding progress (defined by Ofsted) and opportunities are available to meet their needs in the arts and PE. The Behaviour and Safety of Pupils in School Improve children s access to fresh water and in particular in the Foundation Stage Refurbishment of children s toilets phase 3 KS2 To raise attendance of FSM/EAL/SEN children to above 96% ( 2 year target) thereby raising attendance of pupils in the whole school to 97%+ To extend children s understanding of their own performance and their next steps in learning to support pupil progress and improve further attitudes to learning To develop further subject open days & skills workshops for parents to enhance parent knowledge and understanding in supporting their child(ren) including open mornings The Quality of Teaching in School To implement the Academy s new curriculum by Sept 2014 to ensure that the aims of the curriculum are met and progress and attainment are improved To increase % of outstanding teaching to 60%+ (minus NQT teaching) by supporting teachers to move from good to consistently outstanding (2 year target) To challenge and remove satisfactory teaching from the Academy within the Autumn term To review the provision for IT to allow teachers and children to embed IT within the curriculum successfully (Phase 1) To review use of guided work to inform assessment and support pupil attainment and progress To deploy a specialist music teacher to raise standards and progress in music ( 2 year target) To formulate a coherent plan for providing a high quality learning environment for Early years in the new building to ensure high quality EYFS/Y1 outcomes Quality of Leadership in and Management of the School To coach middle leaders (where applicable) in supporting/leading lesson observations and working with colleagues to improve teacher performance no action plan NPQML course To train middle leaders in reviewing termly cohort pupil data and in holding teachers to account for poor progress (middle leader course) no action plan as above To effectively track and support teachers in improving their own practice in the classroom by implementing a new approach to appraisal and by creating a visual system of displaying strengths and areas for development Following the notification of a successful capital funding bid in, the Academy is in the process of constructing its new Early Years Foundation Stage unit, replacing the existing temporary classrooms. The board of trustees plan to utilise the majority of existing reserves and any surplus from /14 towards this project which is due for completion in the Spring Term. FUNDS HELD AS CUSTODIAN The Academy and its Trustees do not act as the Custodian Trustees of any other Charity. Page 12

15 TRUSTEES' REPORT (continued) FIXED ASSETS Where, in the opinion of the trustees, the market value of land and buildings is materially different to the book amount included in the balance sheet a note indicating the difference in value should be included. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO AUDITORS Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees' report is approved has confirmed that: so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware, and that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any information needed by the charitable company's auditors in connection with preparing their report and to establish that the charitable company's auditors are aware of that information. This report was approved by order of the board of trustees on 12 December and signed on its behalf by: Mrs V Nel Chair of Trustees Page 13

16 GOVERNANCE STATEMENT SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY As trustees, we acknowledge we have overall responsibility for ensuring that Newport Community School Primary Academy has an effective and appropriate system of control, financial and otherwise. However such a system is designed to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve business objectives, and can provide only reasonable and not absolute assurance against material misstatement or loss. The board of trustees has delegated the day-to-day responsibility to the Head Teacher, as Accounting Officer, for ensuring financial controls conform with the requirements of both propriety and good financial management and in accordance with the requirements and responsibilities assigned to it in the funding agreement between Newport Community School Primary Academy and the Secretary of State for Education. They are also responsible for reporting to the board of trustees any material weaknesses or breakdowns in internal control. GOVERNANCE The information on governance included here supplements that described in the Trustees' report and in the Trustees' responsibilities statement. The board of trustees has formally met 7 times during the year. Attendance during the year at meetings of the board of trustees was as follows: Trustee Meetings attended Out of a possible Mrs E O'Driscoll 7 7 Mr G Cockell 6 7 Mrs M Mock 7 7 Mr A Pethick 5 7 Mrs K Macree 3 4 Mrs L Wilkinson 0 7 Mr A Cotton, Head Teacher 7 7 Mr T Simons 5 7 Mrs A Kent 4 4 Mrs S Gibson 6 7 Mrs J Bazley 6 7 Mr J Williams 0 0 Mrs D Connor 5 7 Mrs D Chambers 4 7 Mr D Davies 6 7 Mrs C Clarke 4 4 Mrs J Richards 4 4 Mrs V Nel, Chair 4 4 Mr D Brewer 2 2 The Finance and General Purposes Committee known as the Resources Committee is a sub-committee of the main Board of Trustees. Its remit also includes the functions of the Audit Committee. Terms of Reference specific to the Resources Committee 1. To provide guidance and assistance to the Headteacher and the governing body in all matters: i. relating to the budgeting and finance, health and safety, equal opportunities, caretaking and ii. cleaning, maintenance of the building, care of the grounds and the community building. 2. To prepare and review financial policy statements, including consideration of long term planning and resourcing for agreement by the whole governing body and to prepare a Financial Policy for the governing body to include recommended levels of delegation. To be reviewed annually 3. To consider each year relevant school improvement plan priorities, the publication of the Management Plan and present an annual budget to the governing body for approval. 4. To monitor the income and expenditure of all public (eg. budget share, and any other devolved by the EFA and report the financial situation to the governing body each term. Page 14

17 GOVERNANCE STATEMENT (continued) 5. To ensure that the standards of any relevant quality assurance process are maintained and monitored. 6. To vire, if necessary, within limits set by the governing body. 7. To receive and, where appropriate, respond to the Internal Audit report. 8. To monitor non-financial data affecting budgets. 9. To ensure that the principles of Best Value are followed in making decisions. 10. To make recommendations on the purchasing of services. 11. To monitor, keep under review and make recommendations on policies dealing with personnel issues and report to the full governing body. 12. To monitor the Teacher s Appraisal Policy and Support Staff Appraisal Arrangements and report to the full governing body. 13. To make arrangements for interviewing and appointing staff. 14. Redundancy - to draft and review, in consultation with staff, criteria for redundancy for approval of the governing body. 15. Salaries: a. to establish the annual and longer term salary forecasts and other costs relating to personnel b. review staff salaries annually and make decisions on pay 16. Staffing structure - to review the staffing structure whenever a vacancy occurs and at least annually in relation to the school s improvement plan. 17. To ensure the school meets all safeguarding legislation and requirements. 18. To monitor and review all matters related to the Academy s Health and Safety procedures and outcomes. 19. To receive the outcomes of the various audit processes. 20. To review policies for full Governing Body approval in accordance with the Policy Schedule and Governor Cycle of Business. Attendance at meetings in the year was as follows: Trustee Meetings attended Out of a possible Mr A Cotton, Head Teacher 5 6 Mrs S Gibson 4 6 Mrs J Bazley 6 6 Mrs D Chambers 3 6 Mrs E O'Driscoll, Chair 5 6 Mr T Simons 3 6 Mr D Davies 6 6 Ms V Nel 3 4 Mrs C Clarke 2 4 Mr D Brewer 2 2 THE PURPOSE OF THE SYSTEM OF INTERNAL CONTROL The system of internal control is designed to manage risk to a reasonable level rather than to eliminate all risk of failure to achieve policies, aims and objectives; it can therefore only provide reasonable and not absolute assurance of effectiveness. The system of internal control is based on an ongoing process designed to identify and prioritise the risks to the achievement of academy policies, aims and objectives, to evaluate the likelihood of those risks being realised and the impact should they be realised, and to manage them efficiently, effectively and economically. The system of internal control has been in place in Newport Community School Primary Academy Page 15

18 GOVERNANCE STATEMENT (continued) for the year 1 September 2012 to 31 August and up to the date of approval of the annual report and financial statements. CAPACITY TO HANDLE RISK The board of trustees has reviewed the key risks to which the academy is exposed together with the operating, financial and compliance controls that have been implemented to mitigate those risks. The board of trustees is of the view that there is a formal ongoing process for identifying, evaluating and managing the academy's significant risks, that has been in place for the year 1 September 2012 to 31 August and up to the date of approval of the annual report and financial statements. This process is regularly reviewed by the board of trustees. THE RISK AND CONTROL FRAMEWORK The academy s system of internal financial control is based on a framework of regular management information and administrative procedures including the segregation of duties and a system of delegation and accountability. In particular, it includes: comprehensive budgeting and monitoring systems with an annual budget and periodic financial reports which are reviewed and agreed by the board of trustees; regular reviews by the Resources Committee of reports which indicate financial performance against the forecasts and of major purchase plans, capital works and expenditure programmes; setting targets to measure financial and other performance; clearly defined purchasing (asset purchase or capital investment) guidelines. delegation of authority and segregation of duties; identification and management of risks. The board of trustees has considered the need for a specific internal audit function and has decided to appoint Devon Audit Partnership as internal auditor. The internal auditor's role includes giving advice on financial matters and performing a range of checks on the academy's financial systems. On a quarterly basis, the internal auditor reports to the board of trustees on the operation of the systems of control and on the discharge of the board of trustees' financial responsibilities. Devon Audit Partnership s role includes giving advice on financial matters and performing a range of checks on the academy trust s financial systems. On a quarterly basis, Devon Audit Partnership reports to the Board of Trustees on the operation of the systems of control and on the discharge of the Board of Trustees financial responsibilities. Devon Audit Partnership conducted four audit visits relating to the operation of the systems of control and on the discharge of the governing body s financial responsibilities for the period 1st September 2012 to 31st August on behalf of the board of trustees. Compliance in each visit area was rated as Good or Outstanding. There were no material control issues arising or significant recommendations made. Page 16

19 GOVERNANCE STATEMENT (continued) REVIEW OF EFFECTIVENESS As Accounting Officer, the Head Teacher has responsibility for reviewing the effectiveness of the system of internal control. During the year in question the review has been informed by: the work of the internal auditor; the work of the external auditors; the financial management and governance self-assessment process; the work of the executive managers within the academy who have responsibility for the development and maintenance of the internal control framework. The Accounting Officer has been advised of the implications of the result of their review of the system of internal control by the Resources Committee and a plan to address weaknesses if they arise and ensure continuous improvement of the system is in place. Approved by order of the members of the board of trustees on 12 December and signed on their behalf, by: Mrs V Nel Chair of Trustees Mr A Cotton, Head Teacher Accounting Officer Page 17

20 STATEMENT ON REGULARITY, PROPRIETY AND COMPLIANCE As Accounting Officer of Newport Community School Primary Academy I have considered my responsibility to notify the academy board of trustees and the Education Funding Agency of material irregularity, impropriety and non-compliance with EFA terms and conditions of funding, under the funding agreement in place between the academy and the Secretary of State. As part of my consideration I have had due regard to the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook (2012). I confirm that I and the academy board of trustees are able to identify any material, irregular or improper use of by the academy, or material non-compliance with the terms and conditions of funding under the academy's funding agreement and the Academies Financial Handbook (2012). I confirm that no instances of material irregularity, impropriety or funding non-compliance have been discovered to date. Mr A Cotton, Head Teacher Accounting Officer Date: 12 December Page 18

21 TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT The Trustees (who act as governors of Newport Community School Primary Academy and are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with the Annual Accounts Direction issued by the Education Funding Agency, United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable law and regulations. Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP; make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business. The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act They are 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. The Trustees are responsible for ensuring that in its conduct and operation the charitable company applies financial and other controls, which conform with the requirements both of propriety and of good financial management. They are also responsible for ensuring grants received from the EFA/DfE have been applied for the purposes intended. The Trustees are 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. Approved by order of the members of the board of trustees and signed on its behalf by: Mrs V Nel Chair of Trustees Date: 12 December Page 19