FINANCE, AUDIT & RISK / AGM, ACCOUNTS & ANNUAL REPORT

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MINUTES OF THE AGM ADVANTAGE MAT TRADING AS 'BERKELEY ACADEMY' HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2024

 

• 1. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS AGM (DECEMBER 2023)

• The AGM NOTED that the minutes of the previous AGM (for both companies), held in December 2023, had been UNANIMOUSLY AGREED at the spring 2024 meeting and the AGM UNANIMOUSLY RATIFIED them as an accurate record with no matter arising (that will not be covered in this agenda).
• For the record, the ATB NOTED that the CFO and Accounting Officer are not the same person in accordance with the requirement added to the Trust Handbook 2024. 

• 2. ANNUAL REPORT AND COMPANY ACCOUNTS (previous FY, 2023-24)

• Annual Reports and Financial Statements (ARFS)
• These were presented by the CFO and AGREED by the meeting.
• The meeting NOTED that Academy Trusts are independent charitable companies and are required to prepare an annual report and financial statements covering the financial period to the 31 August each year.
• The meeting NOTED that the academy financial year mirrors the academic year (i.e., from 1 September to 31 August) and that the ARFS must be submitted to the ESFA by 31 December each year. 
• The meeting NOTED that at various points during the year (in at least two visits), the Responsible Officer (Williams Giles) tests the financial controls through independent internal scrutiny. The meeting NOTED that the audit methodology can be found within the Internal Scrutiny Report,
• The meeting NOTED that, after the financial year end, the annual accounts are audited by independent registered auditors.
• The meeting NOTED that the webpage is updated after the accounts have been agreed at the AGM.
• The meeting NOTED that the accounts must be submitted to the ESFA by 31 December 2024.
• The meeting NOTED that the accounts and annual report (submitted to the ESFA) must be signed by the Chair of the Academy Trust, the academy's Accounting Officer and the academy's independent, external auditors along with the Letter of Representation (LOR) following the AGM. 
• The meeting NOTED that the annual report contains a summary of trustee attendance for each whole financial year. 
• The meeting NOTED that meeting attendance in the current year is published, normally once minutes have been agreed at a subsequent meeting (in person, or via communications media), on the 'Trustees and Key Staff' page of the website.

• A. Berkeley Academy (2023-24)

The meeting NOTED the MANAGEMENT LETTER 2023-24 (External Audit Report) for CRANFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, which was reviewed through a discussion with Stephen Meredith from Alliotts

The meeting NOTED the audit methodology, which can be found within the final management letter.

The MATB NOTED the following judgements found in the management letter (external audit report)

• The AGM NOTED that there are no unaddressed ‘control recommendations’ from the previous year.
• The academy was judged to be a healthy ‘going concern’, has healthy ‘revenue reserves’ and its ‘accounts’ were found to be accurate and well managed.
• The report notes the academy’s excellent inspection report September 2024.
• Any deficit spending for 2024-25 is planned, one-off and there is sufficient ‘headroom’ for this not to represent a negative ‘risk’.
• The net ‘pension deficit’ (only really of significance in the case of school closure) has reduced to just £3,000
•  ‘The Academy operates ‘acceptable accounting policies and practices.
•  ‘The ‘regularity’ over the use of the funds appears appropriate and in line with expectations.’
•  ‘No indications of ‘management bias’ were identified.’
•  ‘From the review of the ‘forecasts and budgets’ we conclude that management’s use of the going concern basis is appropriate.’
•  ‘We can conclude that there are no undisclosed ‘related party transactions (RPTs)’.’
•  ‘Income is recorded in the ‘correct period’.’
•  The academy has increased its roll at a time of significant and growing ‘surplus places’ in the area, the borough and London. 

The report notes no high risk control recommendations, and identifies two medium risk and one low risk control recommendations (see below). The trust has also outlined its responses. 

• LOW RISK 1: We recommend that the process of allocating donations in the accounts is reviewed to ensure that where income is received in the form of a donation, and it is to be spent on a particular purpose, that this is designated to a fund and recognised in line with academy accounting standards.
• TRUST ACTION: The trust's draft local financial procedures and guidance 2025-26 have been updated accordingly. Donations have always only been spent for the purposes they were donated.
• MEDIUM RISK 1: We recommend the Board reviews the expense claiming process in the Academy’s financial procedures to set a time limit by which claims need to be made. 
• TRUST ACTION: To remedy the risks associated with delayed claims, a reasonable period will be allowed (to the end of the 2024-25 financial year) for the reclaim of all expenses owed to employees by the academy. The trust has added a time-limit for claims and procedures for addressing late claims to its draft local financial procedures and guidance 2025-26.  
• MEDIUM RISK 2: We recommend the trustees debate any travel expenses prior to their authorisation to ensure they consider the value for money requirements.
• TRUST ACTION: Whilst the trust had fully and properly debated all such expenses, the minutes did not reflect the detail that went into the discussions in the minutes. To remedy, the trust will also introduce an ‘agenda item form’  so that all such information is captured in advance of approvals in a single, detailed document that can be appended to the minutes when future trip (and other such) decisions are made. This will again ensure transparency, including on value for money without making the minutes an overly-lengthy and unwield record of every discussion point prior to decision making. 
• HIGH RISK: No high risk comtrol recommendations were identified.

The AGM NOTED that many other primaries of Berkeley’s size (including very locally) are having to reduce their Pupil Admission Numbers ‘PAN’ and consequently must operate on reduced funding with cuts to staffing and are hence more vulnerable to be forced to merge with other schools by becoming part of a larger MAT.

Significant and sudden reductions in PAN normally lead to an inward spiral otherwise {pupil numbers reduce, funding reduces, staffing reduces, economies of scale are lost, the curriculum quality and outcomes may be adversely affected, the school becomes less popular, it reduces size further and the cycle repeats but with smaller numbers (radii)}.

The Annual Report and Accounts for 2023-24 were received and UNANIMOUSLY ENDORSED.

• The meeting NOTED that the next confirmation statement for Berkeley Academy will need to be submitted by 31 March. The accounts for Berkeley Academy up to the previous 31 August will also filed be with Companies House by 31 May each year.
• The meeting NOTED that the annual reports and financial statements for at least the previous two financial years (September - August) are also always available on the academy’s website.

• 3. REVIEW & APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS (current FY, 2024-25)

• ALLIOTTS LLP was INVITED TO CONTINUE for 2024-25 as the academy's and the Trading Company's Independent, External Auditors.

• Williams Giles was UNANIMOUSLY RE-APPOINTED for 2024-25 as the academy's Independent, 'Responsible Officer' (Internal Scrutineers).

• 4. DISCLOSURE OF AUDITORS’ REMUNERATION (2023-24)

The meeting NOTED that the auditor remuneration for the year covered by the audit of the previous financial year as follows:  

• ALLIOTTS, £16,040
• WILLIAMS GILES, £2,200

and NOTED the fees for:

• Legal services contracted to Winckworth Sherwood, £5,600

• HR/Finance Advisory Services from CEFM (£995 ) including its subsidiary OHP, Medigold, and
• HR Support Services from Hounslow Council’s Schools HR and CAS  (£3,470)

• 5. APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES

The meeting NOTED the appointment of Oscar Johnson and Mahavir Ladva as Trustees with effect from 18 April 2024. 

6. MEMBER PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS 2024

The AGM NOTED that there were NO RESOLUTIONS PROPOSED for Advantage Multi Academy Trust / Berkeley Academy and hence no corresponding Member Votes, and there was no other business.

• 7. NOTICE OF NEXT AGM MEETING

The meeting UNANIMOUSLY AGREED that notice of the next AGM be posted on the academy website as follows:

NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) 2025 The annual report and company accounts for the financial year (up to 31 August each year) are discussed and agreed annually at the academy's Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is open to the public and normally held in December each year. Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting for:Advantage Multi-Academy Trust ( Company 10969334, Incorporated: 19 September 2017) The meeting will be held with the public and externals attending in person in accordance with any necessary community health precautions in winter 2025/26. TO ATTEND THE MEETING: You must register at least 48 hours in advance by providing your name, email address, phone number and connection with the academy on an email to clerking@cranford.hounslow.sch.uk (Company Secretary & Governance Professional) The date, time, location, and agenda for the next AGM is advertised in advance on this website: DATE: WEDNESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2025 TIME: 9am  LOCATION: PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CENTRE, CONFERENCE ROOM 1. CRANFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, TW5 9PD Visitors must report to Reception and sign-in electronically there by selecting their name on the Inventry machine. Visitors will be accompanied at all times whilst on the academy site.  Their photo ID much be always visible whilst on-site and will be checked prior to admission to the AGM. ​ PROPOSING RESOLUTIONS Please notify the Company Secretary if you wish to propose a resolution: By email to clerking@cranford.hounslow.sch.uk  or By letter to The Clerk (AGM MATTERS), Cranford Community College, High Street, Cranford, Hounslow TW5 9PD Proposed resolutions MUST be correctly received by 9am on Wednesday, 19 November 2025. Important Note: Members are entitled to appoint a proxy to attend and vote on their behalf at the AGM. AGM 2025 AGENDA 1. Minutes of previous meeting(s) 2. Reports and Accounts 2024-2025 DRAFT Annual Accounts & Annual Reports 2024-25 will be presented at the meeting by the Chair / CFO 3. Appointment of Auditors 2025-2026 To review, re-appoint or agree to procure external auditors (Currently The Reckoner) / Internal Scrutineers (Currently Williams Giles) 4. Disclosure of Auditors’ Remuneration for the audit of the Financial Year 2024-25 Confirmation of auditors’ fees (presented at the meeting by the CFO) The auditor remuneration for the year covered by the audit of the previous financial year (2024-25) is as follows:   ALLIOTTS £17,000 (+6%) Williams Giles, £2,420 (+10%) and NOTED the fees for: Legal services contracted to Winckworth Sherwood, £2,870 (last year £5,600) HR/Finance Advisory Services from CEFM, £1,115 (+12%) including its subsidiary OHP, Medigold and HR Support Services from Hounslow Council’s Schools HR and CAS, £4,635 (+34%). 5. Appointment of Charity trustees 2024-2025 Appointment, confirming appointments in the year and nominations (Details will be included in the Annual Report, on this website and on the GIAS website).  6. Members proposed resolutions 2025 Details will be given once proposed resolutions are received. Proposed resolutions should be sent to the Secretary by noon (14 days prior to the date of meeting). A revised agenda may be issued by (7 days prior to the meeting) if necessary. The annual report and accounts are submitted to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), normally by the following 31 December, and filed with Companies House normally by the following 31 May. From 2020 onwards, the annual reports and financial statements for, at least, the previous two financial years (September - August) will always be available on this web page (see above).

End.

 

 

Signed Documents Received by the Clerk 2024-25 (CURRENT)

2024-2025	Annual Declaration of Interest(s)	Disqualification from Serving on a GB/AT	Protocol for the Academy Trust	Financial management Competencies
Phil Dobison (Chair)	√	√	√	√
Veronique Gerber (Vice Chair)	√	√	√	√
Peter Stumpf	√	√	√	√
Mudassir Sarwar	√	√	√	√
Oscar Johnson	√	√	√	√
Mahavir Ladva	√	√	√	√

 

Academies Financial Handbook (AFH), Advantage Multi Academy Trust's Local Financial Procedures & Guidance (LFPG), Internal Scrutiny and External Audit (Management Letter).

The Academies Financial Handbook (AFH), now known as the Academies Trust Handbook (ATH), is reviewed, updated if necessary, and published annually by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), normally late in the summer term each year for implementation from 1 September each year.

The AFH is designed to help Academy Trusts to understand and comply with public standards of financial accountability.

 The AFH sets out the financial management, controls and reporting requirements which apply to Academy Trusts.

The annually updated AFH takes effect from 1 September each year and is normally posted on the website on or before that date. 

The updated version is reviewed and ratified by the Academy Trust along with Advantage Multi Academy Trust's Local Financial Procedures and Guidance (LFPG), normally in October or November as confirmation that the changes have been noted and understood.

Together, the AFH and the LFPG ensure that there is an adequate framework of monitoring, controls, procedures, and policies:

To ensure excellent financial management and sensible investment,

To deter and prevent fraud, 

To demonstrate probity,

To encourage good value for money, and

To achieve Advantage Multi Academy Trust's local vision, objects, aims, and ambitions.

Advantage Multi Academy Trust's local financial procedures and guidance (LFPG) determines the practical detail necessary to complement the strategic and broad content set out in the Academies Financial / Trust Handbook and to achieve the academy's local vision and objects.

2024-25 Click here for the Academy Trust Handbook 2024 The ATH 2024 should be read with ADMAT’s LFPG 2024-25 Internal Audit Report 2024-25 may be found HERE (NOVEMBER 2025) External Audit Report (FY 2024-25) may be found HERE (circa December 2025) 2023-24 Click here for the Academy Trust Handbook 2023 The ATH 2023 should be read with ADMAT’s LFPG 2023-24 Internal Audit Report 2023-24 may be found HERE External Audit Report (FY 2023-24) may be found HERE 2022-23 Click here for the Academy Trust Handbook 2022 The ATH 2022 should be read with ADMAT's LFPG 2022-23 The Internal Audit Report for 2022-23 may be found HERE The External Audit Report for FY 2022-23 may be found HERE   ARCHIVE ​2021-22 Click here for the Academy Trust Handbook 2021 The ATH 2021 should be read with ADMAT's LFPG 2021-22 The Internal Audit Report for 2021-22 may be found HERE The External Audit Report for FY 2021-22 may be found HERE

 

STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS

The Academy Trust maintains other strategic documentation in the Trustee's Secure Area of this website such as the academy's: Articles of Association Memorandum of Association Certificate of Incorporation ADMAT MASTER Funding Agreement Berkeley Supplementary Funding Agreement Sponsor Approval 125 Year Site Lease

In Ocober 2024, the ATB UNANIMOUSLY AGREED THAT 'NO CHANGES' ARE REQUIRED TO THESE DOCUMENTS FOR  2024-25. They will roll forward from previous years without amendment. Current Terms of Reference: Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee.  The Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee terms of reference may be found HERE Current Terms of Reference: Finance and Monitoring Committee. The Finance and Monitoring Committee terms of reference may be found HERE Current Terms of Reference: Safeguarding, Wellbeing and Health and Safety Committee.  The Safeguarding, Wellbeing and Health and Safety Committee terms of reference may be found HERE The Current Anti-Fraud Policy Checklist. The anti-fraud checklist can be found HERE The Current Conflicts of Interest Policy. The Conflicts of Interest Policy may be found HERE The Current Charging and Remissions Policy. The Charging & Remissions Policy may be found HERE The Current Trustee Conduct Protocols. The trust board protocols can be found HERE The Current Chair and Vice Chair Election Procedures:  These can be found HERE The Current DBS & Disqualification Declaration Tool: These can be found HERE The Current Skills Audit Tool. The Annual Skills Audit Tool can be found HERE The Current Financial Competencies Audit Tool. The Annual Financial Competencies Audit Tool can be found HERE The Current Critical Incident, Contingency and Recovery Plan. The plan can be found HERE ESFA 'Musts' Questionnaire.  The ESFA 'Musts' questionnaire can be found HERE The Current Scheme of Delegation. The scheme of delegation may be found HERE  All  the above documents were last reviewed: October 2024

 

Whistleblowing Policy (Current) General Principles: Whistleblowing encourages and enables employees to raise any serious concerns within the academy rather than overlooking a problem or ‘blowing the whistle’ outside. A full copy of the current policy is posted in the staff secure area of the academy's website, along with the full range of HR policies and procedures and other important employee information. The purposes of the academy's Whistleblowing Policy are: To encourage colleagues to raise serious concerns within the academy so that they can be addressed and remedied internally. To provide colleagues with a clear and safe route for reporting genuine, serious concerns. To gather information about concerns and, once evaluated and/or investigated, to determine whether further action needs to be taken. Where it is decided that further action is necessary, this will be conducted under the appropriate HR policy. It is the duty of all colleagues to raise any serious concerns about known, or probable wrongdoing through this policy. Colleagues who reasonably raise a genuine concern without malice will not be at risk of losing their job or suffering any form of retribution as a result. If colleagues make malicious or deliberately disproportionate allegations or use the policy for harassment of other colleagues or for personal gain, action may be considered under the disciplinary policy. Complaints relating to an individual’s personal circumstances should not be raised under the whistleblowing policy. Where colleagues are aggrieved about issues directly affecting them, they should use the academy's Grievance Procedure to pursue their concerns which can also be found, along with all HR policies, in the staff secure area of the academy's website.  If an employee has a genuine concern about suspected serious wrongdoing at work, they should report it, and may do so under this Policy.  ‘Wrongdoing’ covers a wide range of matters including criminal offences, failure to comply with legal obligations, miscarriages of justice, financial maladministration, endangering the health or safety of individuals and damage to the environment. It additionally covers the deliberate concealment of any of the foregoing. The ATB HAS UNANIMOUSLY AGREED TO NO CHANGES TO THE POLICY FOR 2024-25 The full Whistleblowing Policy 2024-2025 can be found HERE Other Trust Policies may be found on the Key Policies page and/or the relevant page (e.g., Admissions)

 

RISK REGISTER Risks and Risk Assessments may dynamically change throughout the year by agreement between the Chair and Accounting Officer: The next cycle of updates will complete by January 2026, when the review cycle starts again. Risk Register 2025-26: The contemporary risk register is found HERE (last updated 24 April 2025) REM: The AT is researching investing in a commercial risk assessment tool.

 

OTHER FINANCE DOCUMENTS The academy general annual grant allocation guide sets out a detailed explanation of each aspect of the allocation statement: GAG GUIDE 2021-22 GAG GUIDE 2022-23 GAG GUIDE 2023-24 GAG GUIDE 2024-25 GAG GUIDE 2025-26 More information on academies revenue funding, including information on funding paid outside of GAG is found HERE

 

Executive Pay 2024-25 (> £100,000): ZERO EMPLOYEES

EMPLOYEE	SALARY
NONE

End.

 

 

 

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