Financial Information
Understanding how we utilise and manage our funds
Birkbeck and William Ellis Schools Trust is both a Company limited by Guarantee registered in England No. 04517407 and registered as a charity in England and Wales No. 1102334
Our financial year runs from April to March each year. We are required to ensure that our examined accounts are filed with Companies House within 9 months of the financial year end, and with the Charity Commission within 10 months of the financial year end. Our reporting history is on time, and you can find our most recent approved accounts for the 2023/24 financial year here as well as on both linked websites above.
Our Core Reserved Funds
Over time, we have received a number of donations from alumni and other supporters which have allowed it to build up our investment fund. Returns from this managed investment fund are used as income to fund our permanent and ongoing obligations, and grant giving to the school.
We are grateful to Canaccord Genuity for providing its investment management services on a pro bono basis. Our investment policy and oversight is carried out by an Investment Committee currently consisting of two trustees and one school governor.
We retain a long-term responsibility towards William Ellis School as we hold the lease for the school’s premises and are also statutorily required to provide a ten percent contribution to School Conditions Allowance funding on a permanent and ongoing basis.
We seek to plan our overall finances in five-year blocks with the aim of ensuring we remain able to provide this type of funding to the school, as well as giving grants to the teaching staff and senior leaders and the Mill to further their work.
All donations provided by alumni and other supporters will go directly towards funding the expansion of this work.
Other Income
We will also fundraise for specific projects and initiatives to support the school and the community such as the More than a Playground fundraising campaign, and will reserve these funds to be spent on this project as required.
We are deeply grateful to all who contribute financially to iour work. For those who wish to make a larger donation we will discuss how best to utilise this donation with the organisation or individual. This will cover both immediate prioritised projects and initiatives in line with their areas of interest, as well as building our investment fund to allow us to provide a greater level of ongoing support to the school over the longer term