Sunderland Education Action Zone Account 1 April 2004 to 9 January 2005 HC
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SCHOOL STANDARDS AND FRAMEWORK ACT 1998 Account, prepared pursuant to Schedule 1, para 7(1) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, of the Sunderland Education Action Zone for the period ended 9 January 2005, together with the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Certificate and Report thereon. (In continuation of House of Commons Paper No. 1165 of 2003-2004) Presented pursuant to School Standards and Framework Act 1998, Sch. 1, s 11, para 7(3) Sunderland Education Action Zone Account 1 April 2004 to 9 January 2005 ORDERED BY THE HOUSE OF COMMONS TO BE PRINTED 23 FEBRUARY 2005 LONDON: The Stationery Office 20 May 2005 HC 357 £7.75 The National Audit Office scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament. The Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir John Bourn, is an Officer of the House of Commons. He is the head of the National Audit Office, which employs some 800 staff. He, and the National Audit Office, are totally independent of Government. He certifies the accounts of all Government departments and a wide range of other public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority to report to Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which departments and other bodies have used their resources. Our work saves the taxpayer millions of pounds every year. At least £8 for every £1 spent running the Office. This account can be found on the National Audit Office web site at www.nao.org.uk Sunderland Education Action Zone Account 1 April 2004 to 9 January 2005 Contents Page Legal and Administrative Information 2 Report of the Trustees 4 Statement on Internal Control 8 Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities 10 The Certifi cate and Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General 11 Statement of Financial Activities 13 Income and Expenditure Account 14 Balance Sheet 15 Cash Flow Statement 16 Notes to the Financial Statements 17 Accounts Direction 25 1 Sunderland Education Action Zone Account 1 April 2004 to 9 January 2005 Legal and Administrative Information Trustees C Walker Pennywell School (Chair of Forum) C Lynch St Anne’s RC Primary School (Vice Chair) A Seekings Governor (Chair of Finance) E Meikle Bishop Harland CE School M Acklam Broadway Junior School H Dickinson (resigned as school closed 16 July 2004) Carley Hill Primary School J McKay Castle Green Special School C Robson English Martyrs RC Primary School Cllr Forbes Grindon Infant School J Caldwell Havelock Primary School D Clark Hylton Red House Nursery School A Knapper Hylton Red House Primary School M Boundy Hylton Red House School D Horne Maplewood Special School S Thomson Pallion Primary School J Donnelly Pennywell Nursery School K Haswell Quarry View Primary School E Brown South Hylton Primary School T Stoker Southwick Primary School T Barr (resigned as school closed 16 July 2004) St Hilda’s RC Primary School A Mackay St John Bosco RC Primary School P Briggs (resigned w.e.f 1 June 2004) Diocesan Representative C D Whittington (resigned w.e.f 1 April 2004) Diocesan Representative C Craig City of Sunderland College M Stephenson Sunderland University K Hinchcliff e (resigned w.e.f 31 August 2004) Community Representative S Common Parent Governor G Roberts Youth Off ending Team Cllr P Stewart Sunderland City Council Cllr P Smith Sunderland City Council Dr B Comiskey Sunderland LEA H Brown Professional Associations L Spuhler Sunderland Association Football Club B Cole DfES Finance Committee A Seekings Governor (Chair of Finance) J Flanders Project Director (Chair of Transformation) C Walker Pennywell School (Chair of Forum) T Stoker Southwick Primary School T Barr (resigned as school closed 16 July 2004) St Hilda’s RC Primary School Cllr P Smith Sunderland City Council M Little (Attendee Only) City Treasurer’s Dept, Sunderland LEA 2 Sunderland Education Action Zone Account 1 April 2004 to 9 January 2005 Personnel Committee J Flanders Project Director (Chair of Transformation) C Walker Pennywell School (Chair of Forum) M Boundy Hylton Red House School (Chair of Personnel) C Craig City of Sunderland College C Lynch St Anne’s RC Primary School (Vice Forum Chair) J Donnelly Pennywell Nursery School Transformation Committee J Flanders Project Director (Chair of Transformation) C Walker Pennywell School (Chair of Forum) C Craig City of Sunderland College A Knapper Hylton Red House Primary School C Lynch St Anne’s RC Primary School (Vice Forum Chair) T Stoker Southwick Primary School K Hinchcliff e (resigned w.e.f 31 August 2004) Community Representative Secretary Bankers Governors Clerking Unit National Westminster Sunderland LEA 52 Fawcett Street Sunderland SR1 1SB EAZ Offi ce The Downhill Centre Solicitors Killarney Square Sunderland City Legal Services SR5 4AY Sunderland City Council Tel: (0191) 553 6987 Civic Centre Fax: (0191) 553 6931 Sunderland SR2 7DN Auditors Comptroller and Auditor General National Audit Offi ce 157-197 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 9SP 3 Sunderland Education Action Zone Account 1 April 2004 to 9 January 2005 Report of the Trustees The Trustees present their report and the audited fi nancial statements for the period ended 9 January 2005. Constitution and principal activities The Sunderland ‘Building Our Future’ Education Action Zone Forum is a corporate body and an exempt charity established on 1 April 2000 under the 1998 School Standards and Framework Act. The Forum does not have a share capital. This Act and its associated regulations are the primary governing documents of the Forum. The Trustees of the Forum were nominated by the City of Sunderland Partnership. This partnership consists of representatives from Sunderland LEA, Sunderland Health Authority, Sunderland Health Trusts, University of Sunderland, Sunderland City Council, City of Sunderland Careers Service, Education Business Connections and Sunderland AFC. The sole activity of the Forum is the operation of the Sunderland Education Action Zone (EAZ). In accordance with the Act the Forum has adopted an ‘Action Plan’ approved by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. The Action Plan specifi es, amongst other things, to review and develop the Early Years programme for children up to seven years and to enhance the involvement of parents in the education of their children, to tackle transience, to challenge disaff ection at Key Stages (KS) 2-4, and to provide Mentoring activities in addition to support for key skills courses using Business Partners. Future prospects Under the 1998 School Standards and Framework Act the Education Action Zone was given a statutory life of no more than fi ve years. As this period was completed on 9 January 2005 the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has passed an order closing the Zone with eff ect from this date. Going concern In view of the cessation of the Forum’s activities on 9 January 2005 the Trustees no longer consider the preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis to be appropriate. Upon closure the Zone’s assets and liabilities have been transferred to Zone schools at net book value. No adjustments have been necessary to the net book values of assets held immediately prior to closure. Organisation and objectives The principal objective of the Forum is to improve standards within the Schools that are part of its Education Action Zone. In order to further the objectives of the Forum, the EAZ has adopted City of Sunderland policies with regard to Recruitment, Personnel, Health and Safety, and Code of Practice for Members. There have been no material changes in policy since the last report. The operational management structure of the Zone consists of a Project Director and Deputy Project Director. These two posts comprise the EAZ Senior Management Team, which reports to the Forum. The aim of the management team is to involve schools and business partners and encourage involvement in decision making at all levels. The EAZ staff also comprises a fi nance and administrative offi cer, an early years project co-ordinator and two ICT technicians. The Forum has three other committees to which it devolves many of its day-to-day management responsibilities. These are a Finance Committee, a Personnel Committee and a Transformation Committee. The members of these committees are detailed on pages 2 and 3. 4 Sunderland Education Action Zone Account 1 April 2004 to 9 January 2005 The present Trustees of the Forum are set out on page 2. All the Trustees served throughout the period with the exception of CD Whittington, P Briggs and K Hinchcliff e who all resigned during the period and T Barr and H Dickinson who both resigned as the schools they represented closed. Developments, activities and achievements Sunderland EAZ is in its fi fth year of operation. In the last seven months we have continued to work extensively on enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in order to raise pupil performance levels. There has been a continuing focus on motivating children to write and to increase their sensitivity to language through initiatives such as Immerse In Verse and Playing With Words. We have continued to develop the capacity of primary schools to deliver the ICT curriculum. Successful secondary school programmes have included the Transition Programme and ICT. In addition we have worked on improving parental involvement in their children’s learning and Early Years provision. We have supported social inclusion and worked to combat disaff ection. In the past nine months we have seen marked success in our poetry and writing programme with a fi nal celebration of achievement which saw almost a thousand children taking part in poetry workshops and performing on stage in July 2004. We have discussed the sustainability of initiatives with schools and have received assurances that many schools will continue with aspects of our programmes. The percentage of children in the Zone attaining level 4+ English at KS2 SATs has risen this year by 2%.