Company Registration No. 07865850 (England and Wales) Magna Learning Partnership (a company limited by guarantee) Trustees’ report and audited accounts for the year ended 31 August 2020 Magna Learning Partnership Contents Page Reference and Administrative Details 1 Chair’s Statement 3 Trustees’ Report 5 Governance Statement 17 Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities 21 Statement on Regularity, Propriety and Compliance 22 Independent Auditor’s Report on the Financial Statements 23 Independent Reporting Accountant’s Assurance Report on Regularity 26 Statement of Financial Activities including Income & Expenditure Account 28 Balance Sheet 30 Statement of Cash Flows 31 Notes to the Financial Statements, incorporating: Statement of Accounting Policies 32 Other Notes to the Financial Statements 36 Magna Learning Partnership Reference and administrative details (continued) Members Mr I Gates Mrs E Liversage Mr N Owen Mr H Stephens Trustees Miss S Busby (Chief Executive Officer and Accounting Officer)* Mr M Allinson Mr N Beazley * Mr M Bower‐Dyke Ms N Coupe (Foundation) Ms C Grant (appointed 1/9/20) Ms J Hastings *(Foundation) Ms M Howarth * Ms S McKinley (resigned 4/10/19) Mr N Owen Ms K Penn* (Foundation) Mr P Radcliffe* (deceased 8/4/20) Mr W Tucker* (appointed 1/9/20) * members of Resources Committee Company Secretary Mrs C Sawyer Senior management team Chief Executive Officer Miss S Busby Headteacher Amesbury Archer Primary Mrs H Donnelly School (joined 1/10/20) Headteacher Bemerton St John CE Mr A Richards Primary School Headteacher Pembroke Park Primary Miss A Constantopoulou School (joined 1/9/20) Principal Salisbury Sixth Form College Mr S Firth Headteacher Sarum Academy Mr J Curtis (resigned 31/8/20) Mrs J Moore (appointed 1/9/20) Headteacher The Trafalgar School Mr S Roderick (resigned 31/8/20) Mr J Curtis (appointed 1/9/20) Headteacher The New Forest CE Mrs C Whittaker Primary School Headteacher Wyvern College, St Mrs N Bull Edmund’s Girls’ School Director of Finance and Business Mrs C Anthony 1 Magna Learning Partnership Contents Registered Office Church Road Laverstock Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 1RD Company Registration Number 07865850 (England and Wales) Independent Auditor Moore (South) LLP 33 The Clarendon Centre Salisbury Business Park Dairy Meadow Lane Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 2TJ Bankers Lloyds Bank PLC 38 Blue Boar Row Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 1DA Solicitors Stone King LLP 16 St John’s Lane London EC1M 4BS Magna Learning Partnership Chair’s Statement Overview of the year This year has been over‐shadowed by the global Covid 19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on the Trust, with school closures and none of the regular external examinations in the Summer. We also report the very sad loss of Peter Radcliffe, one of MLP’s founding Trustees, who died in April. His contribution to the work of the Trust was significant, with his most recent legacy being the introduction of The New Forest Primary School which joined MLP in July. Whilst progress in the schools is on track, this has not been externally validated. We have been pleased to see the enthusiasm from our students and staff as they returned in September. Our focus has been ensuring that everyone is in a good position to progress well despite the disruption of the pandemic. The situation has not prevented our Trust from working on our strategy and we are pleased to have further additions to our primary arm, with the New Forest Primary School joining us on 1 July 2020, Pembroke Park Primary planned to join on 1 September 2020 and Amesbury Archer Primary School on 1 October 2020. Ethos and Values As a mixed MAT of Foundation and non‐Foundation academies we recognise and support the individual ethos of all schools, whether they are Church or non‐faith institutions. Our schools have taken part in a wide variety of events over the past year that support and develop both Christian characteristics and British values. Our schools and sixth form college continue to develop their curricula, reflecting the ambition and intentions for the young people they serve. Infrastructure The central team has grown and has allowed further development of the services provided to the academies in the partnership. The harmonisation of central functions, whilst not without its challenges, is creating capacity for an economic distribution of resources and improved services to academies. A central HR database has been established, which will enable the Trust to better monitor metrics and provide a better service for staff. The pandemic has also enabled our staff to utilise technology more effectively; it is likely that we will benefit from this in the future, with effective appropriate use of online meeting tools, as an example. Collaborative working Collaborative working across local Trusts has continued this year. There is close collaboration between SEND teams at Springfields, operated by Reach South at the Sarum site, and Sarum Academy. Additional activity between Trusts has created secondments for some of our staff to other schools, working in finance and other non‐teaching roles and we have provided leadership support for a local maintained primary school. Internally, our annual conference for MLP staff in Autumn 2019 was an engaging opportunity for collaborative working. During the lockdown period, we benefitted from our collaborative infrastructure which supported those working at home using tools such as Google, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. The Trust has captured all of the positive learning from lockdown so that we can continue to capitalise on this, reducing travel time for internal meetings for example. Student numbers Student numbers grew over the last year in most academy sites excluding the primary school which operates close to full capacity and Salisbury Sixth Form College. At Wyvern College the incoming Year 7 achieved the planned admission number for the first time in ten years, The Trafalgar School is almost full in all year groups and Sarum Academy has seen a significant uplift in numbers in all year groups. Salisbury Sixth Form College has not achieved the expected growth in numbers expected in September 2020, this may in part be due to the increased offering from the local Grammar Schools. 3 Magna Learning Partnership Chair’s statement (continued) Looking to the future Our focus for the future is on ensuring we provide the best quality of education in the academies in our Trust, despite the constraints of the ongoing pandemic. Our budget for 2020‐21 includes a significant additional investment in school improvement across the Trust. We were successful with a Trust Capacity Fund application to the DfE in the summer which we expect to use to support our primary development work, notably with Pembroke Park Primary School over the coming year. Having successfully expanded our Primary arm, significant focus will be on the Trust to show that we can make educational improvements in this area. Salisbury Sixth Form College should return to student number growth and a stronger financial base. We will continue to explore structural and efficiency improvements that improve education across the Trust, and where sensible, further expansion of the Trust. Mr Neil Owen Chairman 4 Magna Learning Partnership Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 August 2020 The trustees present their Annual Report together with the Financial Statements and Auditors’ Report of the charitable company for the year ended 31 August 2020. The Annual Report serves the purposes of both a trustees’ report, and a directors’ report under company law. Magna Learning Partnership is a multi‐academy trust comprising nine academies in the Salisbury area. As at 1 September 2019, there were three 11‐16 secondary academies in the Trust, an 11‐19 academy, a sixth form college and two primary schools. The New Forest Primary School, joined the Trust on 1 July 2020. Since the year‐end, two further primary schools have joined the Trust, Pembroke Park Primary School on 1 September 2020 and Amesbury Archer Primary School on 1 October 2020. Pupil Admission Number on Roll at Name of Academy Number census (October ‘20) Amesbury Archer Primary School 60 396 Bemerton St John CE Primary School 30 205 Pembroke Park Primary School 60 245 Salisbury Sixth Form College 220 315 Sarum Academy (both Year 7 and Year 12) 150 536 St Edmund’s Girls’ School 168 877 The New Forest Primary School 30 148 The Trafalgar School at Downton 135 776 Wyvern College 99 438 Structure Governance and Management Constitution Magna Learning Partnership 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 are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of Company Law. The charitable company operates as: Magna Learning Partnership; Amesbury Archer Primary School; Bemerton St John CE Primary School; Pembroke Park Primary School; Salisbury Sixth Form College; Sarum Academy; St Edmund’s Girls’ School; The New Forest Primary School; The Trafalgar School at Downton; and Wyvern College. Details of the trustees who served during the year are included in the Reference and Administrative Details on page 1. Members’ Liability Each Member of the Charitable Company undertakes to contribute to the assets of the charitable company in the event of it being wound up while they are a Member, or within one year after they cease to be a Member, 3 Magna Learning Partnership Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 August 2020 (continued) such amount as may be required, not exceeding £10.00 for the debts and liabilities contracted before they ceased to be a Member. Trustees’ Indemnities Since the incorporation of the charitable company on 30 November 2011 every Trustee is indemnified out of the assets of the company against any liability incurred in the capacity of trustee.