Annual Report 2020-21

Contents Introduction

If knowledge is power, we want to empower our community. Monkton has weathered the Covid storms and is now looking to a future where our pupils continue to be inspired by their teachers, the space they learn in and each other. This report highlights information from the academic year 2020-21, and shares our financial statements as well as our wider work as an educational charity.

So much of what we achieve is only possible thanks to the generosity of our community. Whether a one-off gift or a regular donation, the increasing number of donors to the school is allowing us to do more on our estate and, perhaps even more importantly, to offer the life changing chances of Monkton to even more pupils who would otherwise not be able to afford it.

I wish I could share with you the energy, joy, ambition, focus, determination and more of those pupils who come on bursary assisted places but I cannot find a way to do it. From those we have provided refuge from conflict (Egypt, Afghanistan, Ukraine) to those who have joined us from low-income backgrounds or foster care, there is an ever increasing army of young people heading out into the world ready to change it. And that’s the most extraordinary thing: the time they have here is only a tiny part of the impact of a gift - for years afterwards they go on to shape the world beyond our walls and bring all they have learned here to all the places they live and work.

Thank you to all those of you who have given this year. Thank you to those of you now considering making a gift. We literally could not do some of our most exciting work without you. Come and be a part of the journey.

Chris Wheeler Principal, Monkton Combe School

“For years afterwards they go on to shape the world beyond our walls and bring all they have learned here to all the places they live and work.”

Overall Financials

The diagrams below show the sources of income and how the funds were spent in 2020/21, and the amount reinvested back into the school.

Income

l Tuition £12,746,017

l Gain on disposal £727,641

l Other educational income £541,963

l Other income £504,164

l Trading income £317,818

l Donations £307,219

l Interest on investment £52,199

Total £15,197,021

Trading income 2.1%

Other income 3.3%

Other educational income 3.6%

Gain on disposal 4.8%

Donations 2%

Interest on investment 0.3%

Expenditure

l Staffing £9,610,163

l Teaching costs £1,480,006

l Premises £1,300,205

l Support costs £1,084,683

l Welfare £850,953

l Marketing £120,644

l Financing costs £97,849

l Trading expenditure £85,333

Total £14,629,836

Reinvested £567,185

Marketing 0.8%

Welfare 5.8%

Support costs

Premises

Teaching costs

Tuition

Total income £15,197,021 Expenditure £14,629,836 Reinvested £567,185

Financing costs 0.7%

Trading expenditure 0.6%

Donors and Supporters

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School received £292,942 in income from donations, gifts and legacies during the year. Donations came from across our community - our current parents, alumni, parents of alumni, staff, governors, trusts and foundations. The impact of donations to Monkton is far reaching, and you can read more about the pupils who have benefited from bursaries and the work we were able to complete on buildings over the coming pages.

as generously giving donations of money,

members of our community

their time to help organise events,

Bursaries

Helping those who could not otherwise afford an education at Monkton has always been a key part of Monkton’s philosophy. From its early days supporting the sons of the clergy to war time refugees, children of those in the armed forces to the provision today for those from socially or economically deprived communities, Monkton has a proud history of support and inclusivity.

Facts and Figures

Cost per year of one maximum bursary awarded

Tuition fees £20,120

Food £2,350

Boarding £14,235

Extra-curricular activity £1,000 Uniform and kit £500

Residential or overseas trip £600 Equipment £405

Total £39,210

Percentage of income

93 pupils received a bursary

Terminologies

Scholarships:

Scholarships were awarded at the Senior and Prep Schools based on academic achievement and achievement in other specified fields, such as sports and music, in scholarship examinations set by the Schools.

£1.67m

This year the School awarded £1.67m of scholarships, bursaries and other fee remissions which is 11.7% of gross income.

93

Bursaries:

Bursaries provide financial support to pupils whose families cannot afford private education, including clergy and missionary families. All bursaries are means tested and reviewed annually.

Other Fee Remissions:

The School continues to offer fee remissions to a number of specific categories of pupils such as siblings, children of HM Forces personnel (in addition to the MOD’s own Continuity of Education Allowance) and children of staff.

Royal Springboard Foundation: Monkton is proud to be a partner of the Royal Springboard Foundation (RSF) to offer a full boarding position to at least one disadvantaged pupil which is free at the point of delivery. Monkton works with RSF to find a pupil that will thrive. This has also encouraged donations to support these pupils. In the academic year 2020-21 we had two springboarders at the School.

Christian Leadership Bursaries: So many of our community responded to our call to help families that are doing mission work to enable their children to attend sixth form. We raised enough to fund two pupils through sixth form and we were delighted to welcome them to the School in September 2021.

Case Study

my life at Monkton. I met a lot of incredible people, I made lots of incredible friends. I had a lot of incredible experiences not only academic but on the sports pitch, in the music block but also a lot of it in the Maths and Science block. I am only studying at Uni today because of the incredible times

I had at Monkton.”

Estates

In order to support the School’s objectives and to enable the continued pursuit of excellence, including the recruitment and retention of quality staff and pupils, the Governors agreed to the next steps in the School’s strategic estates and capital projects programme. Total expenditure on capital projects during the year was £3m (2019-20: £1.3m).

The Pavilion

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to transform this iconic building into a space that matches its wonderful location. Originally given to the school in 1933 by OM parent Mrs Allen, it had become rather tired, but is now a place where our pupils, visiting teams and our wider community can enjoy and celebrate sport at Monkton. From a full paint job inside and out to a reconfigured club room and kitchen and improved changing facilities.

The Prep School

Over the summer of 2021, we were able to complete several projects including a much larger dining space across the ground floor of Hatton so our pupils can eat together, refurbishing the changing rooms, and major ground works to enable smoother drop-off in the car park as well as the new Yellow Brick Road. The way that pupils move around the School is hugely improved. With thanks to the Clarke family for their generous donation, matching all gifts from our parent community.

Farm House and Inner Quad

Thanks to a donation in a bequest, we have transformed our inner quad to make it a much more usable space for our pupils and bring it in keeping with the beautiful buildings of School and Farm boarding houses. This space is now a central hub for our pupils to meet, study together and enjoy our incredible valley surroundings. Farm House has seen a significant transformation with phase two taking place in summer 2022.

Partnerships at Monkton

Thinking differently and creatively about partnership during lockdown has led us into some new adventures here at Monkton.

At first, our efforts were around supporting local partners as best we could within the restrictions. These included Mr Judd, among many others, producing and distributing vast amounts of PPE; Mr Clark transporting elderly members of the community to medical appointments; Mr Brown and Mr Barstow leading a six week outdoor rowing experience for groups of Year 5 and Year 6 children from our nearest primary school; Sister Clark training first aiders from a variety of local schools, and developing our partnership with A Rocha a conservation organisation working with us to develop the site more internationally to meet key conservation goals.’

As the months went by, we began seeking new ways to engage with our local community, building relationships and links and specifically looking at how to tackle isolation. Over Christmas, every pupil at Monkton was given the opportunity to write at least one, but in many cases more, handwritten letters to members of the Monkton community who were over the age of 80, reaching out and sharing something of their life and experience. Clarendon House followed this up with another letter writing effort to the residents of a local care home as part of their Giving Fortnight.

In the new year, Mrs Robinson developed a series of child-led cooking video tutorials, together with recipe cards and packs of ingredients to be distributed weekly to families struggling to make ends meet. The idea of this was to develop a network of local mums from different backgrounds, all looking to provide something creative and confidence-building for their children, and all on a level playing field. Our team of Graduate Teaching Assistants raised all the funds needed to support this initiative by running a mile an hour for 24 hours through the snow one weekend, donating all their sponsorship money to this effort. Alongside this Mrs Thring and Mrs Sidders developed a series of beautiful art tutorial videos, along with packs of supplies and instructions, to share with the Bath Youth Offending Service as a way of supporting their valuable work with young people at this challenging time.

A real highlight of this year was hosting the inaugural meeting of the Bath Student Parliament, welcoming ten local senior schools for a morning of planning and innovating. Amisadai, who was one of the Monkton pupils to be chosen as a delegate, wrote this about the experience, “We, as a newly-founded but very excited community of schools, realised the importance of connection and collaboration in making positive change and working towards a shared goal. It was amazing to get to know people with different stories but the same hope for our future and for the changes we can, and will, make.”

Environmental

During the year, the School continued to implement changes and improvements in energy efficiency and environmental actions across the School, using the Energy Saving Opportunities (ESOS Phase 2) energy survey as its basis.

This included replacing lighting within the boarding houses with energy-efficient LED lighting. This replacement programme has also been extended to academic buildings and will progress during the next academic year. In addition, we have reassessessed the replacement and maintenance programme for existing heating installations, providing improved local control and an increased level of energy monitoring across the estate.

“We realised the importance of connection and collaboration in making positive change and working towards a shared goal.”

Finances

Despite a second year impacted by Covid, with reduced fee income and increased bursaries, remissions and other grants, the school reported a good financial result.

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 August 2021

Income from: (£)

Fee income 12,746,017

Fee income, after scholarships and bursaries, totalled £12,746,017 (2020 - £13,314,889 – as restated). Scholarships, bursaries, remissions and other grants made to pupils amounted to £1,934,984 (2020£1,792,365 – as restated). At 15.2% (2020: 13.5%) of gross fees, these remissions represent a significant investment by the School in meeting its charitable objectives and providing public benefit. Total incoming resources of £15,197,021 (2020 - £15,589,817 – as restated) are after donations received of £307,219 (2020: £317,999) and also after gains on disposal of fixed assets of £727,641 (2020: £212,028).

Total resources expended decreased to £14,629,836 (2020 - £15,008,477 – as restated). With an overall increase in funds of £1,010,522 (2020 - £905,160), and effective management of the School’s working capital to fund capital projects during the year, the Group balance sheet as at 31 August 2021 shows net current liabilities at £2,543,801 (2020: £1,099,139) and an increase in total net asset balance to £25,149,464 from a prior year total of £24,138,942. Like many schools, the School ends the year with a net current liabilities figure.

The School spent £2,915,333 (2020: £1,273,322) on fixed assets, including the refurbishment of pupil boarding accommodation and further development at the Prep School.

Investment Policy

The School’s investment strategy, policy and investment performance is monitored by the Finance & General Purposes Committee. The investments are managed within a strategy which targets long term capital growth from investments with a medium risk. In reviewing the performance of the investments during 2020/21, the Governors note that the capital gain of 17.1% on the prior year investment balance of £2,898,469 exceeds the gain seen in the FTSE 100 during the same period. In 2021/22 the School will be reviewing its investment policies and funds to ensure that they remain appropriate to the long term needs of the School.

The School received investment income of £52,199 (2020: £50,607) from these funds.

Reserves

At the balance sheet date, unrestricted funds of the Group totalled £22,588,904 (2020 - £21,952,181). Unrestricted funds are committed to the fixed assets which are the operating assets of the School.

The focus of the Governors in relation to the level of unrestricted reserves required is on working capital and liquidity. With a year-end cash figure of £2,646,318 (2020 - £2,042,316), unrestricted investments of £1,396,775 (2020: £1,192,841), the Governors are satisfied that the School has sufficient financing available to meet its working capital and investment requirements in during the 2021 / 2022 financial year.

Trading 1,549,623

Other educational income 541,963

Donations & Legacies 307,219

Investments 52,199

Total Income 15,197,021

Expenditure on:

Providing Education 14,095,780

Marketing & Trading 436,207 Finance Costs 97,849

Total Expenditure 14,629,836

Balance Sheet as at 31 August 2021

Group (£) School (£)

Tangible assets 27,281,721 27,081,721

Investments 3,394,005 3,394,008 30,675,726 30,475,729

Current assets

Stocks 17,187 16,176

Debtors 331,083 1,013,192

Cash 2,646,318 2,542,555 2,994,588 3,571,923

Creditors: Amounts falling due within 1 year -5,538,389 -5,792,833

Net current liabilities -2,543,801 -2,220,910

Total assets less current liabilities 28,131,925 28,254,819

Creditors: Amount falling due after 1 year -2,982,461 -2,982,461

Net Assets 25,149,464 25,272,358

Capital & Reserves

Endowed reserves 1,269,518 1,269,518

Restricted reserves 1,291,042 1,291,042

Unrestricted reserves 22,588,904 22,711,798

Total funds 25,149,464 25,272,358

Prep School round-up

As for so many Schools, 2020-21 was a challenging year, with bubbles, lockdowns and restrictions. Our pupils and staff were extremely resilient and adaptable. Despite the challenges, we were still able to achieve so much. Our Magpie Magazine shows much more of the detail, but here are some highlights from beyond the classroom.

Sport

Music

All music recitals and concerts went online. In the lead up to Christmas, Mr Scott created us a fantastic Christmas single for the Prep School – “Go Tell the World!” Children from Reception to Year 8 all played a part in recording this catchy new number and we felt it made the perfect song to turn into a charity single for The Genesis Trust. Music exams were taken online with 85% of pupils achieving a merit or distinction. In addition a Year 8 pupil was offered a place at the Royal Welsh College Junior Conservatoire advanced course. We joined with the senior school for the Longmead Concert, our final event of the year.

Drama

We staged an outdoor nativity ‘Silent Night’ using the backdrop of Hatton as the stage set. This involved all pupils from Years 1-4 and was filmed for parents to enjoy. Year 6 put on ‘The three trees’ based upon the Easter story in just three weeks in the lead up to Easter. Year 7 staged their show ‘Hagbane’s Doom’ that had been planned to be staged live just as the school closed at the start of the pandemic. This was reworked and filmed. The final year 8 production of the year was ‘The Pirates of the Curry Bean’.

Where some saw challenges in sport during 2020-21, Monkton pupils and coaches saw opportunities. Yes, there were scant few fixtures and limited external sporting opportunities, but our players revelled in the chance to focus on the fundamentals, spend time on skills, get creative in inventing their own internal competitions and truly enjoyed every small victory, whether that was House matches, the first interschool fixture of the year or having parents back on the boundary edge. We were delighted to still manage both sports days and every child from Nursery to Year Eight took part in our triathlon, thereby making over 250 children into triathletes in one fell swoop.

Beyond the classroom

A team of girls took our greenpower car racing at Castle Combe. Given the restrictions in place, there was no fully competitive racing but rather a series of practice sessions and sprints. We managed two ‘Wild Monkton’ days with all sorts of activities - low ropes course, orienteering, wild swimming, pond dipping, shelter building, paddle boarding, toasting marshmallows and even a little bit of foraging for garlic to make delicious garlic bread. It was wonderful to see the children all outside and engaging with the fantastic Monkton environment.

Senior School round-up

Academic Performance: Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our pupils achieved the following results: - GCSEs 2021: 70.9% of grades were 7-9 and 88.3% were 6-9. - A Levels 2021: 83.5% of A level pupils achieved grades at A*-B as well as continuing the trend that has seen pupils achieve 1 in 5 grades at A* over the last four years.

Sport In the Michaelmas term, Covid restrictions meant that only one match was played - the format was ‘Touch Rugby’. On the hockey pitch there were lots of internal matches played to keep the girls competitive and also focussed on skill development. We managed two fixtures for the 1st team and one for the Junior A team. The first half of the Lent term was online delivery for Boys Hockey and Netball. After half term, students trained in year group bubbles as we returned to school. In the last two weeks of term, we managed to join some year groups and play some internal competitive matches.

Music

Musical activities were seriously curtailed for the majority of the academic year due to the pandemic. Forty-seven pupils were entered for the new online music exams, with nearly 80% passing with either merit or distinction. We achieved 100% A* grades at A level. Our excellent facilities and creative skills allowed us to present other events, such as our SONG21 project, a musical advent calendar and the Carol Service online, and the Music Department has led the way in developing Monkton’s live-streaming capabilities. In the final few days of the summer term we delivered a House Singing Competition and our Longmead Concert, both on an outdoor festival stage, involving every single pupil in the senior school.

Drama

At the Senior School we mounted two full shows which were Covid compliant. A Christmas Carol in December 2020, and The Domino Effect in June 2021. Students also took Speech & Drama exams in person, and we ran informal performances in larger venues and outdoors, as well as a Monkton Midsomerset complete with judges and feedback, because the festival was cancelled. For A Christmas Carol, we worked with the Art Department and A level students made costume and set. We had four students successful in applications to the National Youth Theatre; two for Acting and two for Backstage.

The Summer term was delivered as normal as possible throughout the school; fixtures, Sports Days, whole-school triathlon for Prep, catch up hockey fixtures etc were all provided. The 1st XI Cricket squad played several matches as the summer Covid pressures eased somewhat and schools grew in confidence regarding the delivery of inter-school fixtures. The summer term saw a fairly full fixture list right through the term from U14 to 1st XI and despite a wet May the 1st XI played ten matches in the term with a couple of victories over Prior Park and Downside. At the National Schools’ Rowing Regatta we entered a boys’ eight and a girls’ double.The girls missed the chance of rowing at women’s Henley as one of the crew had Covid. The boys split down into a quad for Henley Royal Regatta but unfortunately didn’t qualify.

Enjoying the outdoors

Field days were able to continue during the pandemic and the whole school made the most of our outdoor spaces under the ‘Wild Monkton’ banner, which had myriad opportunities for pupils to engage in CCF activities, Conservation projects. gardening and building; as well as outdoor education based in our boat club down at the Dundas Aqueduct. The Duke of Edinburgh Award had 30 pupils in Year 12 signing up for Gold and over 50 in Year 9 for Bronze.