BLOOMSBURY_INSTITUTE_LIMI - Accounts

The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 July 2023.

Bloomsbury Institute Limited’s principal activities during the year continued to be that of delivering higher education courses. The company delivers full-time undergraduate degrees in Business, Accounting and Law, and full time postgraduate degrees in Business & Accounting.

The company has three student intakes each academic year and recruits domestic and international students. The company’s first significant recruitment of international students was to its June 2022 intake. This coincided with the launch of its new degrees, that have been designed by the company and validated by Wrexham University (the awarding body).

In 2022-23 the company recruited students to each of its three intakes for the first time.

Turnover increased by 153% year on year. This was mainly due to a full year of recruitment of new students in 2022-23 to each of the company's three intakes.

The company’s net ​​​asset position at year end improved to an asset of £3.4m from a liability of £985k in the previous year. This is as a result of the decision of the Board of Directors to convert the company's shareholder loan to equity.

The loss before tax decreased by £715k mainly as a result of a full year of recruitment and associated costs. As a result, the company incurred a loss before tax of (£2.2m) compared to a loss of (£2.9m) in the previous year.

Below is a description of the risk factors that the directors and management believe could affect the company’s business operations. Not all factors are within the control of the directors and management and other factors not stated could also affect the company.

Compliance and regulatory risk

Higher Education is tightly regulated within England. Legislative and policy changes affect the company’s day-to-day business.

The company is registered with the Office for Students (OfS). The company is required to comply with the OfS Regulatory Framework, Notices and Advice.  This includes compliance with the OfS Conditions of Registration (both general ongoing conditions, and two specific conditions which the OfS has applied to the company). To monitor compliance with the Conditions of Registration in 2022-23, the company maintained an OfS Master Conditions of Registration document.

Certain OfS Conditions of Registration are separately included in the company’s Corporate Risk Register. The Corporate Risk Register is reviewed every two months by the company’s Senior Management Team, Board of Directors and Audit Committee (now titled the Audit and Risk Committee).

Competition

The provision of degree courses within London is very competitive, but London is a study destination of choice particularly for international students. Students can choose between public universities, private universities and private providers such as Bloomsbury Institute. The company has addressed the risk of competition by always maintaining high standards and quality teaching and by redesigning all its degrees with each of them having professional body accreditation (with the exception of the MSc Finance and Wealth Management). The company has always produced exceptional results in the annual National Student Survey, consistently exceeding the sector average.

Economic climate

The company is still operating in times of heightened uncertainty. The cost-of-living crisis has impacted the company, staff and students. Rising inflation, slowing economic growth, and the aftermath of the energy crisis alongside increasing interest rates, are challenges the company has had to face. The company has fixed as many costs as possible to mitigate these risks.

Credit risk

Credit risk refers to the risk that the company’s students or other debtors will default and fail to make payments in accordance with the agreed terms.

This risk has increased as the number of privately paying international students increased. However, the company requires a minimum 50% deposit before privately paying students start their course or, in the case of international students, are issued with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that is required before they can apply for a Student visa. The company instructs debt collectors, if required, to manage any residual risk.

Liquidity and solvency risk

The company has incurred another large financial loss in the current year. In order to maintain solvency, the Board of Directors capitalised into equity the loan with its parent company valued at £6.5m.

Any further liquidity and solvency risk is mitigated by ongoing parent company support.

Financial sustainability of the sector

The UK higher education sector has great strengths and has successfully grown domestic and international student numbers during the period 2017-18 and 2022-23.  However, higher education providers generally are experiencing financial challenges due to a real-terms decreasing unit of funding for domestic students. In England, fees for domestic students have been capped at £9,250 since 2017. This means funding per student is at its lowest level in over 25 years.  Higher education providers are also experiencing a decrease in grant funding, coupled with an increase in costs. While international fee income has grown by an average of 12% a year since 2017-18, providing a short-term boost to the sector’s financial sustainability, higher education providers remain under pressure.

On behalf of the board

The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 July 2023.

The results for the year are set out on page 12.

No ordinary dividends were paid. The directors do not recommend payment of a final dividend.

No preference dividends were paid.

The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

The company's principal financial instruments comprise bank balances, trade creditors, trade debtors and property leases. The main purpose of these instruments is to raise funds and to finance the company's operations.

Due to the nature of the financial instruments used by the company, there is no exposure to price risk. The company's approach to managing other risks applicable to the financial instruments is shown below.

In respect of bank balances, the liquidity risk is managed by always maintaining a positive balance by using the loan from the parent company, if necessary. The company makes use of bank deposit account facilities where funds are available.

The company is a lessee in respect of leased properties. The liquidity risk in respect of this is managed in the same way as loans.

Trade debtors are managed in respect of credit and cash flow risk by policies concerning the credit offered to students and the regular monitoring of amounts outstanding for both time and credit limits.

Trade creditors’ liquidity risk is managed by ensuring sufficient funds are available to meet amounts due.

As detailed in the Strategic Report, the company continued its business with current (continuing) students and the recruitment of new students, both domestic and international.

The directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The company has chosen in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, s. 414C(11) to set out in the company's strategic report information required by medium-sized Companies (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, Sch. 7 to be contained in the directors' report. It has done so in respect of: review of the business, development and performance, key performance indicators, compliance and regulatory risks.

So far as each person who was a director at the date of approving this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditor is unaware. Additionally, the directors individually have taken all the necessary steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of all relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditor is aware of that information.

We have audited the financial statements of Bloomsbury Institute Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 31 July 2023 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the statement of financial position, the statement of changes in equity, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 31 July 2023 and of its loss for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

• the information given in the strategic report and the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Opinion on other matters required by the Office for Students (OfS)

In our opinion in all material respects;

• Funds from the OfS for specific purposes have been properly applied to those purposes and managed in accordance with relevant legislation.

• Funds provided by the OfS have been applied in accordance with the Terms and Conditions of Funding and any other terms and conditions attached to them.

• The requirement of the OfS's Accounts direction have been met.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the OfS requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• The Institute's grant and fee income as disclosed in the note to the accounts has been materially misstated.

• The Institute's expenditure on access and participation activities for the financial year has been materially misstated.

As explained more fully in the directors' responsibilities statement, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

The objectives of our audit, in respect to fraud, are: to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements due to fraud; to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud, through designing and implementing appropriate responses; and to respond appropriately to fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both those charged with governance of the entity and its management.

Our approach was as follows:

• We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our general commercial and sector experience, and through discussion with the directors and other management (as required by auditing standards), and discussed with the directors and other management the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations;

• We considered the legal and regulatory frameworks directly applicable to the financial statements reporting framework (FRS 102 and the Companies Act 2006), the relevant tax compliance regulations in the UK and the requirements of OfS's Accounts direction;

• We considered the nature of the industry, the control environment and business performance, including the key drivers for management’s remuneration;

• We communicated identified laws and regulations throughout our team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit;

• We considered the procedures and controls that the company has established to address risks identified, or that otherwise prevent, deter and detect fraud; and how senior management monitors those programmes and controls.

Based on this understanding we designed our audit procedures to identify non-compliance with such laws and regulations. Where the risk was considered to be higher, we performed audit procedures to address each identified fraud risk. These procedures included: testing manual journals; reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation; performing analytical procedures; and enquiring of management, and were designed to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements were free from fraud or error.

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/Our-Work/Audit/Audit-and-assurance/Standards-and-guidance/Standards-and-guidance-for-auditors/Auditors-responsibilities-for-audit/Description-of-auditors-responsibilities-for-audit.aspx. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

The income statement has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

Bloomsbury Institute Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 7 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3RA.

The principal activity of the company continued to be the provision of higher education services.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

The company has taken advantage of the exemption under section 401 of the Companies Act 2006 not to prepare consolidated accounts. The financial statements present information about the company as an individual entity and not about its group

Bloomsbury Institute Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldwait Limited. The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of Goldwait Limited. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office: 6th Floor Kings House, 9-10 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4BP.

During the year the company incurred a loss before tax of £2,188k and at the balance sheet date had net assets of £3,367k, following capitalisation of the loan of £6,540k due to its parent company, Goldwait Limited. true

The company depends on its parent company's financial support and has received an undertaking that this support will remain available for at least 24 months from the date of signing these financial statements.

Based on this, the directors have concluded that the company has adequate resources to continue in its operational existence. The company therefore continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements.

Turnover from the provision of education services, fee income is recognised when the services has been provided, over the period in which students are studying, when the amount of revenue can be measured reliably and it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the entity.

Turnover of fee income is stated gross of any expenditure which is not a discount. Scholarships are accounted for gross as expenditure and not deducted from fee income.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to profit or loss.

At each reporting period end date, the company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Cash at bank and in hand are basic financial assets and include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the company's statement of financial position when the company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.

Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.

Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in profit or loss.

Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the company transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors loans from fellow group companies are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.

Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as being measured at fair value through profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the company’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the company.

The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the income statement because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. The company’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting end date.

Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all timing differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits. Such assets and liabilities are not recognised if the timing difference arises from goodwill or from the initial recognition of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the tax profit nor the accounting profit.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each reporting end date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered. Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period when the liability is settled or the asset is realised. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the income statement, except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when the company has a legally enforceable right to offset current tax assets and liabilities and the deferred tax assets and liabilities relate to taxes levied by the same tax authority.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to profit or loss on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leases asset are consumed.

Government grants are recognised at the fair value of the asset received or receivable when there is reasonable assurance that the grant conditions will be met and the grants will be received.

Other grant income, including any grants for the purchase of fixed assets are recognised in the statement of Comprehensive Income in the year in which they are receivable.

A grant that specifies performance conditions is recognised in income when the performance conditions are met. Where a grant does not specify performance conditions it is recognised in income when the proceeds are received or receivable. A grant received before the recognition criteria are satisfied is recognised as a liability.

In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

The estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are as follows.

Estimation is applied in determining the value and timing of certain income for tuition fees to be recognised in the financial statements. This includes determining the tuition fee income received for courses that have not been fully completed at the balance sheet date.

Specifically income for tuition fees received in advance, for students commencing courses pre year end and continuing courses post year end. The estimation relates to how many students have paid for 2 or 3 terms in advance. The assumption made is undergraduates advanced payments are for 2 terms and post graduate advanced payments are for 3 terms.

In the opinion of the directors there are no other significant judgements or areas of estimation uncertainty.

The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

Included in the figures above are staff costs of £43,830 (2022 - £41,400) which are already included in Note 6 to the financial statements.

Our approved access and participation plan can be found at:

https://www.bil.ac.uk/access-and-participation-plan-2020-21-to-2024-25/

The actual charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected credit for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:

At 1st April 2023 the corporation tax rate changed from 19% to 25%.

Details of the company's subsidiaries at 31 July 2023 are as follows:

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.

On 31 July 2023 the company issued 6,540,380 £1 Redeemable Preference shares. All of the shares were called up and fully paid.

At the reporting end date the company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

During the year, the company paid expenses of £52,404 (2022: £49,506) on behalf of its immediate parent company, Goldwait Limited.

The company has a long term loan with Goldwait Limited and was charged interest of £160,167 (2022: £153,330) on the balance outstanding.

As per the terms of the loan, the valuation changes on the investments are reflected in the loan account. Profit or loss on disposal of the fixed asset investments are reflected in Goldwait Limited.

On 31 July 2023 Goldwait Limited acquired 6,540,380 £1 Redeemable Preference shares in the company.

The balance due to Goldwait Limited as at 31 July 2023 was £nil (2022: £6,165,673) following the capitalisation of the debt.

The ultimate parent company is Goldwait Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. Goldwait Limited prepares group financial statements and copies can be obtained from 6th Floor King's House, 9-10 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4BP.

The ultimate controlling party is M Barnard.