Annual Report 2000

Annual report 2000-01
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Cover: Red Flash, Eley Kishimoto's wallpaper and fabric design installation, shot at Lost and
Found, part of the British Design Season in Stockholm . Photograph © 71m Hall
In 2000-01 we worked in 229
towns and cities in 111 countries
Albania Algeria Argentina Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain
Bangladesh Belgium Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana
Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burma Cameroon Canada Chile China
Colombia Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark East
Jerusalem (West Bank and Gaza) Ecuador Egypt Eritrea Estonia
Ethiopia Finland France Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Hungary
India Indonesia Iran Irish Republic Israël Italy Jamaica Japan
Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Korea Kuwait Latvia Lebanon Lesotho
Libya Lithuania Macedonia (former Yugoslav Republic of) Malawi
Malaysia
Namibia
Malta
Népal
M auritius
Mexico
Morocco
Netherlands New Zealand
M ozambique
Nigeria
Norway
Oman Pakistan Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania
Russia Saudi Arabia Sénégal Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia
Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Sweden
Switzerland Syria Taipei Tanzania Thailand Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
USA
Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Yemen Yugoslavia Zambia Zimbabwe
R eport by th e Chair
6
D irector-G eneral's
re view
The British Council
Patron
Her Majesty The Queen
O bjective one
Vice-Patron
We w ill project the UK's
creativity, cultural diversity
and recent achievements,
and challenge outm oded
stéréotypés of the
UK abroad.
His Royal Highness
The Prince of Wales
The purpose of the British Council is to
enhance the réputation of the United
Kingdom in the world as a valued partner.
W e achieve our purpose by creating
opportunity for people w orldwide. Our
goal is to be recognised as the world's
most effective international cultural
relations organisation. In everything w e
do, w e value individuals, promote
internationalism and demonstrate integrity,
The British Council was established
by the Government in 1934. It was
incorporated by Royal Charter in 1940 and
granted a Supplemental Charter in 1993. The
British Council, registered in England as a
charity, no. 209131, is the United Kingdom's
international organisation for educational and
cultural relations.
O bjective fo u r
We w ill position the UK
overseas as a com m itted
partner in tackling key reform
agendas and prom oting
sustainable development.
O bjective tw o
O bjective th ree
We w ill build the UK's rôle
as a leading provider of
educational and cultural
services for people overseas.
We w ill prom ote w ider and
more effective learning of the
English language overseas,
especially as a means of
influencing young people's
views of the UK.
un)
O bjective fiv e
O bjective six
We w ill dem onstrate the
UK's com m itm ent to
strengthening ties w ith in
Europe and developing
European cultural and
intellectual exchange.
We w ill encourage a greater
international awareness in
the UK, especially among
young people, and enrich the
international dim ension of
British éducation and culture.
54
56
60
66
The British Council Board
A dvisory co m m itte es
C o rp o rate p erform ance
measures
The British Council
around th e w orld
S um m arised accounts
R eport by th e C h air
The British Council is ail about connection. At the heart of our w ork is a
com m itm ent to building relationships w ith people around the w orld and
this means partnerships not just w ith those w h o w e hope w ill benefit
from our work, but also w ith those institutions whose aims dovetail w ith
those of the British Council. I have been excited to see the British Council
strengthening its connections w ith international organisations that share
some of our interests. M ost significantly, in recent years our partnerships
w ith the W orld Bank and the BBC W orld Service have developed by leaps
and bounds. W orking relationships of this kind enable us to achieve more
and to e ffect genuine change. They are an intégral part of a new internationalism which I w ant the British Council to champion.
As a m em ber of the W orld Bank Institute’s External Advisory Council
I get to see both the macro and the micro at w ork in the collaboration
between the tw o organisations. Attending the annual Advisory Council
meetings gives me a great insight into the power of éducation in any
process of developm ent and the central rôle of governance and anti­
corruption stratégies in poverty alleviation.
At the other end of the spectrum I have observed, in our joint programmes,
the workings of the collaboration between the British Council and the
W orld Bank at ground level. In March 2001 I had the pleasure of meeting
participants in a W orld Bank-British Council seminar, Using Knowledge for
Development. This seminar brought together m inisters and other high-level
policy-m akersfrom China, Brazil and India, representing forty-five pe rce n t
of the world's population. It focused on enabling developing countries to
seize and exploit the opportunités that the knowledge révolution présents
for reducing poverty and promoting economic and social development.
The event w as an outstanding success - as each coffee break approached
the participants implored the seminar organisers not to stop. They just
wanted to keep talking.
W ith the BBC W orld Service, the British Council has engaged in a whole
range of projects, including the innovative Centres for English Language
Learning Support - CELLS - which are being developed in partnership w ith
the BBC and China Central Radio and Télévision University. The first centre
w ill be launched later in 2001, and w ill involve three-way collaboration on
multimédia learning, delivered through a w e b site to teachers and learners
throughout China. This joint approach expands the scope of our w ork by
allying our assets w ith the différent strengths and skills of the BBC and our
Chinese partners.
By w orking together w e speak to m ore people, to greater effect. This
has always been the case and no m ore so than in the arts. By team ing
up w ith the British independent media company, Som ethin' Else, w e have
produced a pioneering w eekly contem porary music show for radio, w hich
w ill be broadcast in over forty countries. M eanwhile, collaboration w ith the
Royal National Theatre enabled us to take HamletXo Belgrade in the aftermath
of the October révolution, where the production w as received w ith heartfelt
enthusiasm and w as m ovingly described as 'a real catharsis’ for Serbs.
Naturally, the British Council has an enormous am ount to offer, but the UK
w ill not best achieve its international objectives by working alone. These
new partnerships (which w e have been developing over recent years)
reflect a différent and novel approach to public diplomacy - a new set of
values which places great emphasis on m utuality - and w e aim to be a
w orld leader in this approach. Building bridges, engaging in dialogue and
showing a readiness to learn are crucial to generating the respect and trust
that are the key to successful public diplomacy. The British Council is
moving into a new era w ith huge energy and enthusiasm. It is w onderful
to be a p a rto f it.
Baroness Helena Kennedy oc
D irector-G en eral's
re v ie w
This w as the year w hen Tony Jones reopened our office in Tripoli after an
absence of tw enty-eight years and w hen Michael Sargent took us back to
Tehran after tw en ty years. It was the year w hen our team in Japan launched
our first mobile phone service and w hen w e took sports diplomacy on-line
(with w w w .footballculture.net). It was the year w hen Fidel Castro welcom ed
the Manie Street Preachers to our concert in Cuba and when w e laid out an
exhibition of Henry Moore's sculpture for the people of China to enjoy in an
impérial park in Beijing.
In other words, it was another good year for cultural relations and for the
dialogue between people, comm unities and nations, which the British Council
has been nurturing for over sixty years.
It was also a good year for our bottom line. The government's 2000 Spending
Review awarded us a nine per cent real-terms increase in our grant-in-aid
over three years, from £136 million in 2000-01 to £159 million in 2003-04.
It's less than w e asked for but it represents a clear récognition by the British
govem ment of the importance of people-to-people diplomacy and the rôle
of the British Council in enhancing the UK's réputation around the world.
The grant-in-aid now represents only one-third of our total income and w e
continue to set challenging targets for our revenue-funded services. The extra
money from the government will allow us to expand in China and Russia and
I w e nt to see for myself how w e are responding to the opportunités in both
of these countries.
In Chongqing, China, I opened our new centre, which will respond to the huge
interest in UK qualifications and contribute to our com m itm ent to the Prime
Minister's Initiative, which aims to increase the number of overseas students
studying in the UK. Chongqing is also the gateway to western China, where
there is a growing demand for our development and training services. And in
Beijing I discussed the plans for our new Centre for English Language Learning
Support, a partnership w ith the China Central Radio and Télévision University
and the BBC World Service which will provide teaching materials to some 250,000
teachers of English and has the potential to reach tens o f m illions of learners.
In Russia I discussed how w e will extend our network of tw elve offices to up
to eighteen and leamed of plans for a Knowledge and Learning Centre for
St Petersburg to provide fast Internet access and video-conferencing for distance
learning, information about the UK, and networking between young professionals
in Russia and the UK. The next five years will see us building a network of these
Centres across the world in an increasingly close partnership w ith the W orld Bank.
In Nizhny Novgorod, I was fortunate to be present at the opening of our Drawing
Distinctions exhibition of twentieth-century drawings and watercolours from the
British Council Collection. The partnerships arising from the event served as a good
reminder of the power of the arts and how they m ust remain a central aspect of
our work.
The them es of reshaping our network and reaching out to wider, younger audi­
ences in partnership w ith organisations that share our objectives are the core of
the five-year strategy for the British Council, which w e launched in November
2000. The strategy w ill shift resources to countries in transition where w e can
achieve significant impact for the UK, particularly in Eastern Europe and central
Asia. And it w ill manage investm ent in new services to target the young decisionmakers and opinion-formers to acquire the skills they are looking for from the UK.
If 2000-01 was a year when w e reopened in some countries, it was also a year
when w e closed in others. By reshaping our network and reducing our premises
and support costs w e will secure the sustainability of our opérations and the
form s and impact of our activity. But, sadly, the conséquence has been that w e
are closing our premises altogether in Ecuador, Belarus, Swaziland and Lesotho,
as w ell as offices in some régional cities, particularly in w estern Europe.
It is the people w ho work for the British Council, m y 7,300 colleagues ail over the
world, w ho make this organisation unique. W e have launched a five-year strategy
for staff that w ill focus on new recruitm ent procédures, staff planning, term s
and conditions, equality and diversity, leadership and professional development.
I would like to thank them for their continued dedication and com m itm ent.
W ithout doubt, 2001-02 w ill be another important year for cultural relations.
The world com m unity increasingly recognises that secure political and economic
relationships are rooted in cultural understanding and that conflict and dispute
often flourish where this is absent. I am confident that w ith the creativity and
com m itm ent of m y colleagues and the support and enthusiasm of our partners
w e w ill continue to ensure that the United Kingdom is recognised as a force for
good in the tw enty-first century.
David Green
cm g
We will project the
UK's creativity,
cultural diversity and
recent achievements,
and challenge
outmoded stéréotypés
of the UK abroad.
In the year o f Sw eden's EU Presidency w e marked our ow n sixtieth anniversary in that country w ith exhibitions
celebrating the distinctive and innovative nature of Britain’s design industry. W orking w ith local partners, the
Crafts Council, the British Embassy, the Design Council and Trade Partners UK, w e launched a British Design
Season. There w ere four exhibitions: Free Radicals, exploring the frontiers betw een art and design; Home Sw eet
Home, celebrating the renaissance in furniture and product design in the UK; Lost and Found, reflecting the
exciting interdisciplinary fusion of art, design and media; and M illennium Products, focusing on innovative
product developm ent. In the post-lkea âge of Scandinavian design, w e m ight have been accused of bringing coals
to Newcastle, but the Swedish headlines included 'B ritish design takes over S tockholm ' and 'Congratulations
Britannia - the battle fo r Stockholm is over'. Photographs © Tim Hall
The arts lead th e
Our worldw ide network of arts professionals builds partnerships locally to
w a y in p ro m o tin g
thousands of events focusing on the contemporary and targeting younger
th e c re a tiv ity and
audiences, so refreshing outdated perceptions of the UK and supporting our
inn o vatio n th a t are
a t th e h ea rt o f th e
create and fulfil demand for British products. This year w e have mounted
Creative industries, which represent sixteen per cent of British trade overseas.
One of our m ore provocative projects w as the exhibition Inside Out:
Underwear and Style in the UK, which focused on the originality (and com ic
UK's co n tin u in g
spirit) of British fashion. A fter an official opening at the Design M uséum in
eco n o m ic success.
London, the exhibition toured to Japan, w here visitors com m ented on the
'fine m ixture of self-control and eroticism ’ in the displays. Perceptions w ere
changed in the USA too w hen w e sent the gogmagogs to N ew York, where
their production, the gogmagogs gobbledygook, combined virtuoso string
playing, dramatic m ovem ent and inventive theatre. It w as voted the 'best
classical music event in 2000' by Time O ut N e w York.
This sense of enjoym ent was part o f our w ork even at its m ost serious.
W e took 118 w orks by Henry M oore to China, where the exhibition,
sponsored by BP, was seen by over 115,000 people in Beijing, Guangzhou
and Shanghai. The Times Educational Supplém ent described the exhibition
as 'the m ost im portant exhibition of W estern art in China since the
foundation of the People's Republic in 1949', but the real 'measure of the
show's success ... was the degree to which the [sculptures in Beihai Park
in Beijing] attracted the genuine and generous curiosity of the public, w ith
endless touchings and strokings and posing for photographs' (Financial
Times, 28 October 2000). It is this human interaction that is at the heart of
our w ork in the arts.
Art and politics touched in Cuba w hen Fidel Castro attended a performance
by W elsh group, the Manie Street Preachers, in Havana's Karl Marx Theatre.
It was the first visit by a W estern rock band and the launch of the Manies'
sixth album. W ith tickets costing the équivalent of 17p, it was an opportunity
for young Cubans to hear the first live airing of the new songs.
Top: the gog m a g o g s g o b b ledygook in the USA, in November. Photographs © Eric Richmond
Bottom: Inside Out: Underwear and Style in the UK, showing at the Design M uséum in
London, in June 2000. Photograph © Rocco Redondo
There w as another first in Scotland. Just over a year after the new
Parliament was formed, Scotland's First Minister, the late Donald Dewar,
spoke at the launch of The Bookcase, the first-ever
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showcase of contemporary Scottish writing, books
and literature. W orking in partnership w ith the
Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Scottish Arts Council, w e
brought together sixty of the country’s m ost.talented voices in five days of
literary ecstasy. The Bookcase attracted international publishers, journalists
and literary professionals from ail over the world, w h o listened to readings,
and joined in the debates and discussions.
Over the past year w e have w orked w ith a range of partners both in the
UK and overseas. In France w e w orked w ith the British Film Institute and
the Pompidou Centre to put on Typiquement British, sponsored by UIP
(France), Studio Canal and Eurostar UK. This was a five-m onth season
of British film s, seen by over 65,000 people, the majority o f them young
cinema-goers. The season affirm ed the quality and consistency of British
film culture, both the classic greats and the w ork of the next génération
of film-makers. A trailer called Le Fry-Up, comm issioned from students at
the National Film and Télévision School, was screened before the film s; it
featured 'a traditional egg, bacon and sausage breakfast and [went] down
a treat in the French capital' (Daily Mail).
The British Design Season in Sweden was the resuit of an extraordinary
level of co-operation between the British Council and the British Embassy
in Sweden and between the British Council, the Crafts Council, the Design
Council, Trade Partners UK and the FCO. The four exhibitions received
enthusiastic com m itm ent from Swedish partners as w ell and the local press
w as taken by surprise: headlines included 'British design takes Stockholm
by storm ' and 'Brits' daring design coup'.
As w ell as the high-profile 'firsts' and 'coups', there was a huge amount
of activity that w e n t unnoticed in the UK but changed lives overseas. Fifty
Moore in China. In addition to exhibitions in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, the British
Council and the Henry Moore Foundation displayed tw elve m onum ental bronzes around the
central lake of Beihai Park in Beijing. Seen by millions, this w as the first-ever showing of
contemporary works of art from the w est in this celebrated historic public site adjacent to
the Forbidden City. Photographs © Ricky Wong
i n t e r a c t i o n t h a t is at
t h e h e a r t of o u r w o r k in t h e a r t s
12
children from the W est Bank and Gaza took part in an Arts Sum m er Camp,
expressing them selves through music, dance and poetry and coming to
term s w ith the violent conflict in their country. Young disabled people in
Ethiopia explored w ays in w hich the non-disabled and disabled can w ork
together, through w orkshops led by Adam Benjamin from CandoCo Dance
Company. And arts administrators in India and Russia took advantage of
training courses in arts m anagem ent to develop new skills.
... [ t h e ] B r i t i s h C o u n c i l C o l l e c t i o n , of a p p r o x i m a t e l y
In Namibia w e designed projects for local artists to
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w ork w ith UKpractitioners through collaborations
and w orkshops: Black Voices, a British a cappella
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group, team ed up w ith Breath of Truth, a Namibian
group, for joint performances; dance choreographer Rosina Bonsu worked
w ith the University of Namibia's choir on ' an all-grown Namibian production';
and British poet Raman Mundair drew parallels between her experience
o f migrating to the UK and finding a voice in English w ith the experience
o f many Namibians for w hom English is the 'official' language.
Perhaps this less high-profile w o rk w as recognised w hen the relatively
unsung British Council Collection, of approximately 7,000 w orks of
contemporary art, was awarded one of Europe's biggest art fair prizes, the
ARCO prize for best international art collection. The Collection, which has
no land base in the UK but is constantly on the move, was judged to have
done the m ost to prom ote awareness and appréciation of contemporary
art. A t the award ceremony, our Director of Visual Arts said: T h e Collection
operates rather like a Land Rover, extraordinarily hard w orking and equally
at home in either Am sterdam or Almaty.'
A tour by jazz supremo Courtney Pine w as the m ain arts event of the year in Nigeria. Pine
played in Abuja and Lagos - sharing the bill at the Lagos concert w ith local cuit figure,
Lagbaja, which drew over 1,300 spectators; a jazz workshop later w as attended by some
of the biggest names in the Nigérian music industry. Photograph © Jide Adeniyi-Jones
Reaching out through sport
How do w e com pete successfully for the attention of a young Internet
génération that is growing ever m ore sophisticated and heterogeneous?
An effective w ay of doing this is by com m unicating w ith such people
through their interests, football being perhaps the m ost w idely shared.
Working w ith the BBC, w e have created the w eb site vwvw.footballculture.net
- a forum for people w orldw ide w ho are interested in the culture surrounding the ‘beautiful game'. Don't visit the site if you expect to find the latest
scores or player transfers. Instead, w e shall ask you to tell us your football
story in the You're O nl section. A lternative^, you m ight w ant to browse
through the Album - stunning football culture photographs - or read about
w h at unités (and divides) fans around the world.
But the project doesn't stop there. The w e b site, launched in March 2001,
is a resource for our offices around the world, to help them reach new
audiences and add value to those relationships. So British Council Malaysia,
for example, held an essay com pétition for young students to contribute
a story to the site. The com pétition w as held in partnership w ith a national
newspaper and gained widespread publicity.
W orking through our offices overseas, w e shall feature and develop talented
young w riters and photographers from around the w orld - always using
'the beautiful gam e' as their inspiration and subject matter.
The eventual aim is to develop an integrated on-line and off-line position for
the UK as a facilitator o f a user-led, global dialogue about culture - and to do
it in an im m ediately accessible way.
Two Chilean fans proudly w aving their W orld Cup 98 tickets before the m atch in France.
A scene from w w w .footballculture.net Photograph <D Alistair Berg
14
T h e c re a tiv ity of British science
In today's Britain, science is an increasingly im portant economic, social and
cultural driver, and our w ork in its prom otion overseas reflects its ingenuity,
breadth and imagination. A t the interface between science and industry,
such UK successes as the carbon fibre bicycle and the optical amplifier have
helped to create w ealth and em ploym ent. M any activities now cross the
boundaries betw een science and the arts. The com pany FrameStore, for
example, w ith its excellent robotics and animation capabilities, recently
produced the award-winning BBC docum entary sériés, Walking w ith
P a r t i c u l a r l y f o r t h e y o u n g , t e c h n o l o g y is c u l t u r e
D i n o s a u r s ' And in modern popular music' Performers
such as Radiohead and Massive A ttack use sampling,
mixing and other digital techniques to create distinctive new British sounds.
Particularly for the young, technology is culture.
Locating and excavating clandestinely buried human remains is a com plex
and highly specialised science. In the Netherlands, w e supported a joint
Project betw een the University of Birmingham and the University of
Am sterdam to identify a code of best practice in forensic archaeology.
The project w as particularly tim ely given the recent exhum ation of mass
graves in such locations as Bosnia and Kosovo.
Founder of Floating Point Science Theatre, Steve Mesure, visited China
to dem onstrate how effective science theatre is as a teaching tool and as
a means of popularising science. Over one week, he leapt about on stage
before several hundred children, teaching them about forces, gravity,
w e igh t and pulleys, and conducted workshops w ith a group of fourteento fifteen-year-olds w ho w anted to devise their ow n show about electricity.
Top: In February, the British Council and the Nehru Centre in M um bai organised a sériés of
electronics workshops, MADLAB, which provided budding scientists w ith challenging and
stim ulating hands-on activity. Photograph © Jon Spaull
Bottom: Heather Reid, scientist and w eather forecaster at the UK M et Office, is one of a
number of w om en featured in the on-line exhibition, W om en in Science: w w w .britcoun.org/
science/science/personalities/text2/index.htm Photograph © Jon Shard
15
Distinguished scientist Professor Stephen Hawking, author of the bestseller, A B rief History o f Time, was an invited speaker at the international
conférence, Strings 2001, in Mumbai. W e arranged for him to give a public
lecture, Science in the Future, in which he covered topics as diverse as
world population, particle physics and alien invasion. His lecture attracted
an audience of over 3,000 and received w ide media attention.
In November w e launched Culture Lab-UK (www.culturelab-uk.com ), a web
site to bring the UK's expertise in science, engineering and technology to the
attention of a young, global audience. Web-site designers, Intro, used Wired
magazine - w ith its visionary chronicling of the global technology révolution as their model. They created a lively, on-line meeting
place for a youthful audience to exchange ideas
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about the rôle of science in everyday life. Interactive
features included com putergam es, moving graphies,
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f o r a y o u t h f u l a u d i e n c e to e x c h a n g e i d e a s
a b o u t t h e r ô l e of s c i e n c e in e v e r y d a y l i f e
and video and music clips. The site divides contemporary culture into six
catégories: design, digital, fashion, film, life and music. Each contains articles
by writers w ith particular skills or insights, for example Mark Irving on the
Great Glasshouse in Wales, Ekow Eshun on digital fashion photography
and A ndrew Baker on the science of sport. The site also provides a detailed
listing, w ith e-mail links, of ail the leading institutions of scientific learning in
the UK, providing visitors to the site from abroad w ith an invaluable resource.
Culture Lab-UK is currently attracting over 5,000 individual users a month
and, as global marketing and personal recommendation take effect over the
next fe w months, w e anticipate an increase to 15,000-20,000 users. Culture
Lab-UK was one of six shortlisted sites selected from 2,000 entrants for this
year's prestigious Design W eek Awards. Com m ents have included: 'Very
informative and beautifully designed.' - United Arab Emirates; T h is site is
awesom e and the content too. It has really changed the impression in my
mind that Britain is old-fashioned and gloomy.' - Pakistan; and 'Full of info
about UK, absolutely great!' - Italy.
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Finding out about style, culture and technology in the UK by accessing Culture Lab-UK in
Chiang M ai, Thailand. Photograph © Marcus Rose
16
Building the information society
Our inform ation activities prom ote knowledge about British thinking, ideas,
creativity and recent achievements. Our 220 library and information services
are a gateway to information and knowledge about contem porary Britain.
The past year has been one of am bitious planning for our information and
knowledge services of the future. In November, w e published the first
business plan to explore the stratégie and operational issues of the global
information services network. The new information products and services,
it proposes, w ill have considérable im pact on our w ork overseas. In the
governm ent's 2000 Spending Review, w e succeeded in winning support
for one of those developm ents in particular - the Knowledge and Learning
Centre. This project w ill develop a netw ork of technical support for physical
and virtual conferencing, learning and knowledge services.
The British Council life lin e - Burm a
A t present no substantial co-operation is possible w ith any Burmese governm ent authority and Burma remains a relatively closed society. The Internet is
unavailable, local media are controlled, the quality of educational institutions
has suffered from closure and isolation, overseas print media are subject to
Learning English at the British Council's self-access M illennium Centre in Mandalay, Burma.
Photograph © Peter Barker
censorship and satellite télévision is restricted. In this context, w e are
uniquely placed to offer local people access to educational opportunity
and new knowledge. W e do this through our teaching centre in Rangoon,
our learning centres in Rangoon and Mandalay, and
through administering British examinations. This year,
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an FCO grant has enabled us to open ten millennium
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a c t i v i t i e s [ t h a t ] h e l p b r e a k t h e c y c l e of i s o l a t i o n
and c r e a t e o p p o r t u n i t i e s for
self-access centres, which offer ethnie groups in rural
areas the chance to learn English. These activities help break the cycle
of isolation and create opportunités for individuals to improve their lives.
Info rm ation society
Following the G8 Okinawa Summ it, w e took part in the Dotforce global
consultation exercise on the digital divide. Over the autumn, w e explored,
w ith our netw orks in South-East Asia, som e of the m ost im portant issues
of this exercise, in particular access, content, technology and em pow erment. W e did this through an electronic discussion hosted by One W orld
International. The discussion's findings, together w ith a list of recommendat­
ions for international intervention, will feature in the summ ary of the global
consultation exercise.
In a new resolve to w ork multilaterally, our offices in France, Germany and
Italy pulled their resources (finances, expertise and networks) together to
organise a pan-European conférence, Towards an Information Society for
Ail: A European Perspective. The great achievement of this conférence,
held in Bologna in early March 2001, was to translate one of the European
Union's political priorities into clear objectives for those in the forefront of
the inform ation society and to help build new partnerships across Europe.
As part of our M ém orandum of Understanding w ith the W orld Bank,
and w ith the support of the Organisation for Economie Co-operation and
Development, the FCO and other UK ministries, w e organised a major
stratégie forum, Using Knowledge for Development, at W ilton Park, Sussex,
in March 2001. The event was attended not only by senior policy-makers
from governm ent and civil society in India, Brazil and China but also by
several vice-ministers. It is likely to have a profound influence on the
économie and social planning in these countries over the com ing years.
The forum provided an excellent opportunity to demonstrate to an influential
audience the UK's achievement in developing a knowledge society.
w w w .w orldbank.org/w bi/w bikp/know ledge.htm l
The British Council's Thai-U K Education Festival 2001 achieved enormous impact in Bangkok
and Chiang M ai in January. It encompassed a kaléidoscope of professional and Creative
collaboration including w eb sites, télévision programmes, networking opportunities, student
compétitions, seminars and workshops. The Design Creativity Showcase gave users the
chance to experience some of the most innovative examples of British educational w eb sites
and software technology. Photograph © Marcus Rose
i n d i v i d u a l s to i m p r o v e t h e i r l i v e s
We will build the
UK's rôle as a
leading provider
of educational and
cultural services
for people overseas.
Educational links betw een the UK and Trinidad w e re strengthened through an innovative exchange program me
involving Nicole Greenidge, a teacher from St Ursula's Girls' Anglican Primary School in Port of Spain, and Karen
Mears from S tockw ell Primary School in London. Their exchange, managed by the Central Bureau, focused on
w ays o f using carnival in the curriculum. In both schools the children had the opportunity to becom e teachers as
they shared the ir culture w ith a foreign nation. In Stockw ell a resource pack - Carnival in the Curriculum - has
been produced for schools in the area. The pack gives excellent exam ples of how the them e of carnival can be
used in many subject areas including history, literacy, geography, music, science and art and design. Celia
Burgess-Macey, from G oldsm iths' College, accompanied Karen to Trinidad and, through her, this valuable
resource w ill be furthe r dissem inated to trainee teachers. Photographs © Tirri Hall
W e bring to g e th e r
our k n o w le d g e o f
éd u c a tio n in th e
UK and our
un d erstan din g o f
th e needs o f over
one hundred
Education UK
During 2000-01 w e launched the Education UK brand campaign in more
than tw e n ty countries. Marketing and communications campaigns targeted
at corporate and consumer audiences - éducation exhibitions, press confér­
ences, PR events and alumni réceptions, compétitions, media advertising
and merchandise - have aroused enormous interest. The w eb site
(www.educationuk.org) received over 15,000 visits in its opening week.
Education UK w ill ensure that w e continue to increase our share of the rapidly
growing student market. In China, for example, almost 12,500 student visas
c o u n tries to share
w ere issued last year - half as many again as in 1999 - and the number looks
e x p erien ce o f
set to rise again in 2001. A specially produced information portfolio, including
re fo rm and
provid e in fo rm a tio n
a b o u t é d u catio n
and tra in in g .
an adaptation of our Guide to British Education and a students' guide to
the UK, proved very successful. In November, in Guangzhou, Nanjing,
Shenzhen and Wuhan, w e piloted integrated éducation events, showcasing
the UK's educational excellence through over fifty démonstration classes.
The Education UK exhibitions in spring 2001 attracted almost 40,000 visitors
in six cities; three of these, Dalian, Changsha and Shenyang, staged the
exhibition for the first time. W e are also developing a nationwide network of
agents, and are providing them w ith professional development, training and
information packages.
April's brand launch in Russia revealed the size of the potential market there.
Media promotion reached an estimated 7.4 million people, leading to a fiftysix per cent increase in the number of enquiries. Four exhibitions enabled
prospective students and their parents to attend open classes, m eet British
alumni and discuss career prospects. In October the keenly contested
British-Russian schools football tournament, the first ever, cemented doser
links between private schools in Russia and the UK. This year the British
Alumni Club, for graduâtes of UK-Russia éducation and training schemes,
launched a newsletter and an interactive database, and held several high-
Scenes from the Education UK w eb site - an am bitious campaign designed to establish the
UK as the leading provider of éducation opportunity for people overseas and to achieve a
substantial increase in the number of students studying in the UK.
21
level professional meetings. The club is an important means of maintaining
contact w ith the new génération of reform-oriented Russians.
In Brazil Professor Anthony Giddens, Director of the London School of
Economies, and one of the UK's best-known commentators, launched
Education UK to the media and high-level influencers. The consumer
launch three m onths later took a very différent but no less effective form:
youth-oriented célébrations in nightclubs throughout the country.
Curriculum reform in th e C o m m on w ealth of Independent States (CIS)
The well-established Régional Academic Partnership Scheme (REAP) is funded
by DFID and managed by us. REAP is helping to develop new curricula,
teaching materials and methods to m eet the huge demand across the CIS for
expertise in new areas: environment, public health, public administration, law,
Police and prison reform, and small and medium enterprises. Ninety higher
éducation institutions from nine CIS countries have established partnerships
w ith UK counterparts. Many partnerships are now moving on to the crucially
important dissémination phase.
One example m ust stand for many. The University of Surrey has worked w ith
the Nizhny Novgorod Fédéral Commercial Institute of Higher Education to
develop training programmes in économies, taxation, retail management and
accounting - areas in which Surrey has a w orldw ide réputation. Through its
partnership w ith Surrey and Région Open College Network, the University
uses the National Open College Network system of validation and accréditation
to quality-assure and moderate these programmes. The courses have already
proved highly successful w ith staff, students and the business community,
and are now being customised for other régional collèges. According to
Igor Sarmentov, project manager in Nizhny Novgorod: 'The REAP link w ith
the University of Surrey has proved invaluable. It has enabled us to provide
high-quality and up-to-date éducation to our students and business partners.'
• ■ i
r .
•*
The Thai-U K Education Festival 2001, a m ajor éducation exhibition in Bangkok and
Chiang M ai, attracted over 6,000 Thai students w ho w anted information and guidance about
studying in the UK. Représentatives of sixty top UK educational institutions participated.
Photographs © Marcus Rose
' 1UÙVIîîflp
20C
Sonali Chander, a Chevening Scholar, attended the Thomson Foundation's Broadcast Journalists'
Programme. She is Sports Input-Editor at New Delhi Télévision and also a fam iliar face to sports
enthusiasts on Star News, their twenty-four-hour news channel. Photograph © Jon Spaull
Vocational éducation and training
23
The world is keen to know about the UK's system for vocational éducation
and training (VET) and especially its distinctive competence-based
Qualifications. It is not only an im portant UK export in its ow n right, it also
has the capacity to underpin other areas of the UK’s international trade.
British Training International (BTI) was foundedin 1997
h is n o t o n ) y a n i m p o r t a n t UK e x p o r t in i t s o w n
to prom ote the UK's VET system. It worked closely
n..ûreo
...
• ■
overseas w ith the British Council, w ho shared the vision
. .
.
.
r i g h t , it a l s o lia s t h e c a p a c i t y t o u n d e r p i n o t h e r
and strategy behind VET promotions. The need for a
co-ordinated approach w ithin the UK and overseas led to BTI merging w ith
the British Council in November. W e are delighted to announce the création
of the new VET Partnership Team, w ho are continuing to develop new
opportunités for the VET export sector.
An example of our VET Partnership Team w ork is in South Africa, where
the UK has been selected to w ork w ith the Departm ent of Education to
enhance capacity. Through the Tirisano Fellowships schem e ('tirisano' is
Setswana for 'w orking together'), middle managers from technical collèges
in every province spend three-m onth attachments at further éducation
collèges in the UK. Careful m entoring and support ensure that the Fellows
make the m ost of their stay. They shadow senior staff, get involved in
management and policy decision-making, and tackle real projects designed
to benefit both their ow n college and their host institution in the UK. One
hundred fellow ships are planned for this four-year project, which will help
to create a cadre of experienced college leaders equipped to guide South
African further éducation through the changes it is confronting.
Inform ation and co m m un icatio n technology (ICT) in éducation
The UK is leading developments worldw ide in the intégration of ICT and
éducation: in developing educational software, in supporting and extending
différent curriculum subjects, and in creating new ways of learning and new
opportunités for lifelong learning.
In January w e brought tw enty-six educationists from sixteen nations to
the UK to study educational technology in practice. As well as visits to the
m am m oth British Educational Technology Show at Olympia, where the latest
hardware and software were displayed, the tour included présentations from
leading experts and school visits to assess the successes and opportunités
of ICT in the classroom. Visitors were particularly
impressed to see the benefits that children with
spécial educational needs dérivé from using ICT.
_
c r e a t i n g n e w w a y s of l e a r n i n g a n d n e w
One delegate, Venezuela's Vice-Minister for Research and Innovation, has
already asked us to arrange study visits for five colleagues - evidence of
international respect for the UK's pioneering stratégies for ICT and learning.
o p p o r t u n i t . e s for l i f e l o n g l e a r n i n g
24
Exam inations
W e prom ote the use o f British qualifications as global benchm arks
fo r measuring achievem ent and com pétence as w e ll as fo r providing
individuals w o rld w id e w ith opportunities to use those qualifications
to achieve their life goals.
Our exam inations services play an im portant rôle in delivering British
exam inations to students around the w orld. W e maintain and respect
long-standing partnerships w ith exam ining bodies and the agreem ents
that support them . W e currently provide services to m ore than 150
exam ining bodies.
In 2000-01 w e delivered 700,000 examinations w orldw ide - an increase
of ten per cent over the previous year. Approxim ately forty-four per cent of
the examinations w ere in English, which reflects its importance as a global
language. Professional qualifications made
British q u a lif ic a t io n s are
i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y r e c o g n i s e d and h ig h ly r e g a r d e d
up tw enty-three per cent of the total number
o f examinations w e delivered last year and
the 143,000 schools examinations (principally O- and A-levels) w e delivered
clearly show that British qualifications are internationally recognised and
highly regarded.
IELTS
The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to
assess the language ability of candidates w ho plan to study or w ork w here
English is used as the language of communication. IELTS continues to
expand rapidly, w ith over 106,000 examinations being delivered in 2000-01
- an increase of more than thirty-tw o per cent over the previous year. The
test is becoming more and more w idely recognised in the USA, w ith over
150 tertiary institutions now accepting IELTS scores for entrance purposes.
China continues to be the biggest single market for these examinations,
w ith sales in 2000-01 of approximately 23,000 - an increase of sixty per
cent over the previous financial year.
Top left: In Barcelona, the British Council runs a range of IT-based courses, such as the design
of w eb pages, through the m edium of English. These complément our mainstream English
language courses.
Top right: A young learner in Lisbon. Photographs © Chris M artin
Benchm arking
The W orkplace English Campaign was recently launched by the Spécial
Adm inistrative Région governm ent in Hong Kong. It aims to disperse
approximately £4 million in matching funds, which w ill enable w orking people
to undertake the necessary training for the acquisition of specified levels of
English. Our w ork w ith the Hong Kong Education Department has ensured
that three of the four international English language examinations selected
as benchmarks are British.
The British Council has 1,230 students on-site at its young learners centre in Barcelona and,
during 200 0-0 1, taught a total of alm ost 11,000 hours. Over the past tw o years, the centre
has begun collaborating w ith local schools and now teaches 800 schoolchildren as part of
their extra-curricular programme. Photograph © Chris M artin
'''S
We will promote wider
and more effective
learning of the English
language overseas,
especially as a means of
influencing young
people's views of the UK.
In Hong Kong on 19 February w e held the W orkplace English conférence to mark the firs t year of the Spécial
A dm inistrative Région governm ent's campaign to im prove standards of English in the workplace. Companies that
took part included Standard Chartered, HSBC, représentatives o f the new econom y such as Pacific Century
CyberW orks and governm ent organisations. Small and m edium-sized enterprises - the main target of the
campaign - w ere also w ell represented. The conférence explored w ays of furthering the aims of the campaign,
and a discussion about setting up m ultim édia in-company study centres generated enorm ous interest.
Photographs © T im Hall
■
English is s till very
m uch th e global
language o f in te r­
n atio n al c o n ta c t.
The explosion o f
th e In te rn e t is no t
only chan gin g h o w
p eople use and
access English, bu t
also fa c ilita tin g
a g re a te r increase
in access to
Learners
o th e r languages.
W e provide opportunities fo r learners to improve their use o f English
as an international language in order to achieve their ow n life goals, to
access British products and services, and to develop their awareness
of contem porary Britain. W e run 138 teaching and training centres in
sixty countries; ail are financially self-supporting. W e em ploy m ore than
1,900 professionally qualified teachers who, in 2000-01, taught alm ost
1.2 million class hours worldw ide.
W e p r o v i d e o p p o r t u n i t i e s for l e a r n e r s to i m p r o v e
i r
i- i
• *
ii
t h e i r u s e of E n g l i s h as an i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a n g u a g e
in o r d e r t o a c h i e v e t h e i r o w n l i f e g o a l s
During the year w e o p e n e d our first teaching centres
in Romania and Ukraine and expanded our network
.
,
.* , _ .
in the United Arab Emirates. The young learners
segm ent of the market continues to develop, w ith
a new centre opening in Rome and général grow th being maintained elsewhere around the network. The teaching centre in Athens, for example,
launched young learner English courses for the first tim e this year, enroliing
250 students in September. W e launched tw o major British Council English
language teaching products: the Young Learner CD-ROM, a state-of-the-art,
multimédia product that will give teachers access to exciting supplementary
materials and allow students to pursue their studies on their PCs at home;
and W orld Class English for Business, a text-based distance learning course
produced in collaboration w ith the Open University.
Our LearnEnglish w eb site w e n t on-line in May 2000 and receives up to
50,000 visits and 500,000 page view s per month. It has been launched in
many différent ways overseas, including by one of India's m ost charismatic
writers, Kushwant Singh, and télévision news présenter Suneet Tandon.
The regularTreasure Hunt com pétition encourages users to find out more
about the UK to w in attractive prizes offered by UK course providers and
Top: Learning English on-line in Bangkok, Thailand. Photograph © Marcus Rose
Bottom: Kodi, the guide w ho helps young students navigate our Young Learner CD-ROM.
publishers. And our w rite r in residence, Tim Rhys of Cardiff, produced his
ow n Crazy World, set in the period November 2999 to March 3000.
Our emphasis on young learners and the media is reflected by W ord Up,
a radio quiz s ho w for fo u rte e n -to eighteen-year-olds in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. The questions helped dispel outm oded ideas about the UK and
raise awareness of the UK as a multicultural and innovative society. Teachers
used the programme in class to show how English could be fun and exciting,
while students leamed new skills and h ow to get their voices in the media.
Our partners in this project were the Soros Foundation, the US Information
Service, W orld University Service Austria and the University of Sarajevo.
Our tw enty-five Peacekeeping English projects in tw en ty-tw o countries
(funded by the Foreign and Com m onwealth O ffice and the M inistry of
Defence) n o w include courses to equip retiring armed forces personnel
w ith English language training toenhance their
The questions helped dispel outmoded ideas
job prospects. In Ukraine our teaching centre in
i/. ,
,
,,
.
,
Kyiv is managing a project to provide général and
sp e c ia lise d co u rse s,fu n d e d b yN a to ,fo ro ffice rs
.
a b o u t t h e UK a n d r a i s e a w a r e n e s s of t h e UK
as a m u l t i c u l t u r a l and i n n o v a t i v e s o c i e t y
in Kyiv, Sevastopol, Odessa and Uzyn. Re-employment of graduates has
reached an impressive fifty per cent and, in Uzyn, the project has led to a
remarkable initiative whereby the students have set up their ow n centre
to teach English to local residents, using UK-published materials.
M eanwhile our emphasis on peace is reflected in other countries. The Indian
newspaper, The Express, reported, 'Jammu and Kashmir gets British Council
to w rite textbooks w ith peace as the main them e' (16 November 2000),
while in Turkey w e provide English language training for officiais of the
M inistry of Justice and Police.
W e opened our teaching centre in Delhi in 1997 and enrolment has grown steadily since. Last
year w e taught over 3,000 students. English language skills are considered essential for career
development as India's economy libéralisés; the m ajority of people on our adult courses are
graduate or postgraduate students or young professionals. Photograph © Jon Spaull
29
Teachers
W e support networks of teachers as influencers to raise standards of
teaching and learning English and to present a balanced view of the U K
to their students.
The Vietnam English Teacher and Trainer Netw ork (VTTN) was launched
in M ay and, in its first year, has already reached eight provinces and
provided national and provincial w orkshops for 350 teachers and trainers.
The netw ork is supported by trainers from our teaching centres and the
University of Edinburgh. Pham Van Khai of the M inistry of Education and
Training com m ented: 'VTTN's programme has brought ail trainers and
teachers close together to share, to understand and to help one another
exchange, discuss and find the best solutions to improve m ethodology
in teaching English in upper secondary schools.'
Professionals from Vietnam have been involved in our ELT Contacts Scheme
(ELTeCS), which now has active régional networks in East Asia, China, Latin
America, South Asia, India, and Africa and the M iddle East. ELTeCS now
links over 4,000 top professionals globally. It encourages the dissémination
of good ideas through workshops, new sletters and electronic discussion
lists, and is supported by a range of partners, including publishers and
foundations. The A. S. Hornby Educational Trust has helped to facilitate a
num ber of régional training w orkshops in Cuba, India and Thailand, w ith
more to come.
The British Councit's teaching centre in N ew Delhi has begun to act as a resource centre for
English language teaching elsewhere in India. Over the past tw o years teachers from the
centre have facilitated trainer training as part of a major English language curriculum reform
project w ith the State Board of Education in Jam m u and Kashmir. Photograph © Jon Spaull
Markets
W e w ork w ith course providers, publishers and planners to help develop
and deliver quality English language teaching services and products, to
reach w ider audiences and markets, and thereby enhance the réputation
of the UK.
In Colombia w e provide ELT consultancy services to help institutions
develop quality-driven language centres. This year w e assisted tw en ty-tw o
schools and four universities around the country, and delivered over 1,000
training hours. One prestigious school asked us to take over their language
programme completely. W e agreed a contract w ith them that ensures w e
hand back the program me after three years.
For China w e established an ELT Advisory Com m ittee (ELTAC) UK to
provide stratégie guidance for our w ork in China, and to liaise w ith a parallel
com m ittee in China. The fifteen mem bers of the UK group represent subsectors of ELT in the UK, and form a bridge for knowledge and understanding
between UK and Chinese professionals and organisations. They played a
major rôle in co-ordinating study tours by ELTAC China members. These
have fostered partnership projects such as: 'interpreting China' between the
University of Westminster, Xiamen University, and the China Central Radio
and Télévision University (CCRTVU); an English language learning programme
for télévision between CCRTVU and English Film Services Télévision; and a
Masters in éducation distance-learning programme between the University
of Manchester and Beijing Normal University.
In the UK w e have w orked closely w ith our private- and public-sector
partners to renew the five-year agreem ent under which w e run
the English in Britain Accréditation Scheme. This
provides guarantees of quality to the hundreds of
thousands of international students w ho corne to
_
w e h a v e w o r k e d c | 0Se ly w i t h our
p r i v a t e - and p u b l i c - s e c t o r p a r t n e r s
the UK to learn English. Some 375 providers are currently accredited by the
British Council, including private language schools, collèges, independent
schools and university departments.
Each term , our teaching centre in Kuwait has about 200 adults learning général English and other students preparing for IELTS tests and British
professional qualifications, and following Business English courses. W e also teach children where the focus is on topic-based teaching such as
Internet projects and readers. Since January, Kodi (pictured on page 28) has been guiding the young learners through the CD-ROM. This year our
office has worked w ith BP, w ho provided funding to run tw o programmes for over 200 less-privileged Kuwaiti children in the Jahra Governorate.
Photographs <D Giles Barnard
We will position the
UK overseas as a
committed partner
intackling key
reform agendas and
promoting sustainable
development.
As part of our public diplom acy agenda in Africa, w e are keen to contribute to reform and sustainable
developm ent by drawing on British pioneering m ethods of training to build leadership skills for governm ent, civil
society and business sectors. This year w e set up the Africa Future Leaders Program me to create m utually
supportive netw orks of influence betw een South Africa and Nigeria and w ith the UK. On 22 January a group of
thirteen Nigérian and South African delegates began a pilot leadership course at M anchester University. This
included a four-w eek outdoor leadership challenge in the Lake District follow e d by tw o w eeks of professional
attachm ents to com plem entary organisations in the UK. Photographs © Tim Hall
We w o rk in
partnership w ith
governm ents,
th e private sector
and civil society
to help people
exercise their
rights as human
beings, using
British expertise
and experience
to respond to
local needs.
Programmes in India typify the w ay the British Council helps to facilitate
change by developing local skills and expertise.
In Punjab, w e com pleted a sixteen-month collaborative project, working
w ith the State Human Rights Commission and the Police Academy, to
develop the UK's multi-agency approach to child protection. District teams
w ere trained to deliver one-day programmes to increase understanding of
child rights and develop new child protection programmes. These attracted
over 10,000 people: police, éducation and health officiais, civic workers,
parents - and young people themselves. Grass-roots awareness campaigns
are continuing.
In Mum bai, w e marked the publication of the firs t book (by Pinky Virani)
on child sexual abuse in India by holding a workshop and forum for teachers,
counsellors and parents designed to develop skills in recognising signs
of abuse.
W om en w ere the focus of tw o projects. Less than ten per cent of Indian
police officers are wom en. The Springboard W om en's Developm ent
Programme, which was managed by us and funded by the FCO, has trained
eight senior w om en in the police to reach out to more than seven hundred
w om en in the low er ranks. Feedback has been positive. Individual w om en
have gained in self-belief and self-confidence, and the rôle of w om en in the
Policewomen in the Springboard Women's Development Programme in Delhi. In addition
to the personal benefits acquired, participants said th at the course helped them bring
about a qualitative change in the services they provide for wom en victim s of crime.
Photographs © Jon Spaull
police has been enhanced. Malini Agarwal from Rajasthan comm ented:
'I feel a com pletely changed person. I am a better manager, more confident
about myself, and know how to relate this course to real-life situations.'
The second project prom oted w om en's skills in leadership and decisionmaking. A third of local councillors in urban areas m ust now by law be
wom en. W e have trained trainers in Uttar Pradesh and
R . .,
.
najasthan to run three-day programmes to support newly
I f e e l a c o m p l e t e l y c h a n g e d person , I am a b etter
elected w om en représentatives. Topics include the law,
interpersonal skills, management and media-handling.
h o w to r e l a t e t h i s c o u r s e t o r e a l - l i f e s i t u a t i o n s '
Access to justice
The importance of non-custodial sentences in reducing reoffending is
w ell known. In Argentina, the embryonic probation service is struggling to
dem onstrate its effectiveness and to convince the courts to use probation
to eut the ever-increasing prison population. Senior officiais and judges,
plus practising probation officers, social workers and lawyers, attended a
seminar in Buenos Aires to discuss how to develop the probation service.
UK participants, led by Sir Graham Smith, HM Chief Inspecter of Probation,
included academic criminologists and Home Office and Probation Service
experts. Comparative research on probation in the UK and Argentina is
now underway.
Mem bers of Theatre of the Oppressed working w ith prisoners in an AIDS-awareness workshop in Sâo Paulo, Brazil. This is part of a sériés of
seminars and conférences the British Council held in Brazil. In September, in Recife, w e ran an international conférence, Changing the Scene II:
Theatre Building Citizenship, w hich dem onstrated how theatre can contribute to social development programmes. The conférence built on a
long-term association betw een the British Council and Queen M ary and W estfield College, University of London. Paul Héritage, their Director of
Drama, has now secured a British National Lottery grant of £100,000 to set up more Theatre in Prisons projects in Brazil. Photograph © Jon Spaull
New UN guidance for training prison staff based on human rights was
presented by one of its authors, Andrew Barclay of the International
Centre for Prison Studies at King’s College London, at a seminar in Ankara
in September. Although the Turkish governm ent is im plem enting reform,
Turkish NGOs remain bitterly critical of human rights abuses in the prison
system. The seminar brought governm ent and NGO représentatives
together to initiate dialogue and seek com m on ground. One human rights
activist said: 'I w ould not have attended, if it had not been the British
Council w ho invited m e.' Participants w ere impressed that UK experts
did not conceal weaknesses in their ow n prison system and w ere ready
to learn from the Turkish experience.
W om en and children
W e support many projects designed to help w om en and children
assert their human rights and claim a voice in societies where they are
traditionally overlooked.
In Sierra Leone, w e started a programme to increase w om en's participation
in governm ent and civil society. The im m ediate resuit w as the form ation
r p o l i t i c i a n s ar e old men w h o
t a k e w o m e n f o r g r a n t e d - w e re g o i n g to
s h o w t h e m w h a t ’s w h a t ’
of the 50/50 Group (modelled on the UK's 300 Group),
dedicated to fostering w om en's political skills and
e ncouraging them to stand in the élections expected
in 2002. The w om en them selves plan, w ith our support,
to offer training to widening circles of (mainly) wom en. According to one
Children at the Instituto Moderno Infantil de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil. This mother and
child institute is a referral hospital which offers free treatm en t for those in need. The British
Council has supported it through links w ith the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and
South Bank University, London. The links have led to the establishment of an urban planning
course resulting in th irty -tw o members of staff being trained as urban health planners and
decision-makers. Photographs © Jon Spaull
participant, a young journalist: 'O ur politicians are old men w ho take wom en
for granted - w e ’re going to show them w hat's w hat.'
In M auritius w e funded Nancy Durrell McKenna, a UK-based photographer,
to record Mauritian w om en at work: fishing for octopus, running the Stock
Exchange, presiding in court, w orking in sait pans. The resulting exhibition
raised awareness of the varied contributions w om en make to Mauritian
society. In Yemen, Children Painting their Rights revealed the child's-eye
view: the right to éducation, and to equality between boys and girls, were
the main themes. W orkshops for artists and teachers and an exhibition
helped prom ote the importance of art in éducation.
In May 2000 w e hosted a major international conférence in Belfast that
explored the them e Democracy, Rights and Equality from an international
perspective. The speakers, led by Brice Dickson, Chief Commissioner,
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, included experts from the
South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre, the South African
Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern
Ireland. The conférence w as opened by the Rt Hon. Peter Mandelson MP,
form er Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Lord Lester, the promin­
ent human rights lawyer. W e supported the conférence w ith a children's
film festival, Right Here Right Now, on the them e of the rights of the child.
Staged by Cinemagic, Northern Ireland's unique children’s film organisation,
the festival included international feature film s, shorts and animations as
w ell as masterclasses and w orkshops by film and télévision actors.
And our office in M exico City trium phantly achieved its ambition to bring
2,000 children through its doors in the year 2000. In fact 2,700 young
people - defined as anyone post-nappies but pre-university - came, to paint,
Write, dance, act, sing, and discuss their rights. The outcome? Several
thousand delighted youngsters; several exhausted British Council officers;
greater knowledge of the UK and especially of UK éducation; improved
contacts for us w ith governm ent and beyond; and a stronger, more youthful
image for the British Council in Mexico.
Some 700 people died in the Mozambican floods in 2000, about 500,000
w ere directly affected, and flood damage cost the country's fragile economy
about US$400 million. In February w e organised a six-day disaster
preparedness seminar in W hite River, M pumulanga. Officiais and NGO
and church représentatives from eight African countries took part in field
visits and studied how to develop detailed
disaster managem ent plans. In droughts,
, :
„
for instance, effective planning can do much
..
,
,
.
d is a s t e r s are fro m the l o c a l c o m m u m t y - and w e
to lim it damage. Yvone Pascoal of ActionAid
com m ented: 'The training w ill help us reorganise our contingency
plan. Ninety per cent of those w ho deal w ith disasters are from the
local c o m m u n ity -a n d w e have to g e t them trained and involved.'
Rescuing fam ilies trapped by the floods In Mozam bique. Photograph © Peter Andrews/Popperfoto
38
Support for Indonesian schools
This huge, £430 million programme is a joint initiative of the W orld Bank,
the Asian Developm ent Bank, the Dutch G overnment and the Indonesian
Government. Its purpose is to help Indonesian schools cope w ith the effects
of econom ic crises. It achieves this by providing scholarships and grants,
.. r a i s e d t h e U K ' s p r o f i l e a s a p r o v i d e r of
.. ,
,
,
,,
,
w e l l - d e s i g n e d and w e l l - m a n a g e d
and through the réhabilitation of schools that have
suffered as a resuit of conflict and natural disaster,
In partnership w ith British specialists in évaluation and
com m unity development, w e m onitor and evaluate activity against
program me procédures and objectives. This identifies the tangible changes
resulting from those activities.
Our rôle, in association w ith British expertise, has considerably raised the
UK's profile as a provider of well-designed and well-managed monitoring
and évaluation system s. In Indonesia this has helped dem onstrate the
enormous value o f independent m onitoring in the drive to improve the
quality of governance.
Légal and jud icial co-operation in China
This four-year program m e, w hich w ill continue until 2003, represents a
£9 million investm ent by the European Union and the Chinese Government
to develop the rule o f law in China. Through our m anagem ent of the pro­
gramme, the UK is placed at the centre of an im portant European initiative,
and also positions the UK as a valued partner in China's reform agenda.
W e manage this program me in collaboration w ith leading law and human
rights organisations in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain and the UK.
Significant UK partners are the College of Law and the School o f Oriental
and African Studies. Through this network, specially designed training
... p o s i t i o n s t h e UK as a v a l u e d p a r t n e r
in C h i n a s r e f o r m a g e n d a
programmes are arranged in the UK and Europe for
Chinese légal and media professionals, ail of w h om will
,
. .. ..
. .
make major contributions to improving the rule of law in
their country. For many of the programme's 200 participants, this provides a
first opportunity to see the law in action outside China, to explore European
|«
justice, légal procédures and attitudes to human rights, and to create
netw orks of relationships w ith their counterparts in the UK and Europe.
The im pact of this is already evident - as a resuit of last year’s programme,
the Chinese authorities are review ing pre-trial procédures, public access
to justice, and supervision o f the police.
I
We will demonstrate
the UK's commitment
to strengthening
ties within Europe
and developing
European cultural and
intellectual exchange.
Voices of W ales, w hich took place in Lisbon in March, w as an opportunity to focus on the diversity of the UK by
showcasing the pow erful W elsh tradition in literature and m usic as w ell as highlighting the recent political
changes in W ales. And, in this European Year o f Languages, w e also arranged fo r a W elsh teacher, Nicky Bailey,
to deliver a class in W elsh. One event brought together singer Julie M urphy and Portuguese Fado specialist
Camané and, at another, W elsh A ssem bly m em ber Rosemary Butler spoke about dévolution and comparative
approaches to régionalisation. Photographs © Tim Hall
The relevance and
diversity o f its recent
Through the enduring partnerships w e have form ed across Europe, w e
create positive and influential perceptions of the UK as a dynamic nation
at the forefront of change.
experience political, social,
technological, and
cultural - means
N e w fo rm s of governance
Across the continent, officiais, politicians, academics, journalists and
individual citizens are grappling w ith the challenges posed by an enlarging
and integrating Europe.
th a t th e UK has
much to offer,
and to gain fro m ,
fe llo w Europeans.
In Belgium, w here our presence serves both the national and the w ider
European and international com m unities, w e held the first of a sériés of
high-level Belgo-British conférences. The them e - Globalisation and
Régionalisation: W hat Are States For? - w e n t to the heart of contemporary
debate. W e also produced the first édition of Britain in Brussels, a guide to
how the UK is promoting its ideas and interests in the EU, Nato and Belgium.
In Valencia, Spain, in October, tw o days of lively discussion took place
on issues o f self-government, dévolution and diversity under the title,
Polycentric Europe. Young professionals from across Europe w ere joined
by distinguished academics and politicians, including David Trimble, First
M inister of the Northern Ireland Executive. Five m onths earlier, politicians,
officiais and com m entators from London and Berlin had gathered in Berlin
to discuss the challenges o f governing capital cities; the rôles of London's
new Mayor and new Assem bly w ere high on the agenda. And, in Dresden,
'fast-track' civil servants from the Saxon State Government and the National
Assembly for Wales m et to discuss régional policy-making in areas of mutual
concern such as éducation, health and social services.
In the Czech Republic w e w ork w ith a w id e range of inspiring people. W e start young our English language classes for young learners are increasingly popular and w e have
run language classes on behalf of the FCO for Czech policem en serving in the Balkans
as part of the international peacekeeping effort, and the M O D for soldiers in the Czech
armed forces working w ith Nato. Eva Simkova (far right) from PricewaterhouseCoopers
M u ltie th n ic societies
W ell over a hundred young and mid-career black professionals, among
them many wom en, m et in our Paris office to hear speakers from France
and the UK describe how they had overcom e difficulties and discrimination
in their careers. The forum emphasised the opportunities offered by
m entoring programmes. One com m ent was: T v e never heard anything like
it. This conférence is about m y life.'
The UK's experience of tackling ethnie and racial discrimination has informed
several im portant projects. In Bulgaria w e are co-operating w ith the BBC to
encourage journalists to be com m itted to promoting m ore positive images
of minorities. W e are also helping to develop
the skills o fy o u th leaders from m inority
i
un™ ,
u
groups. In March 2001, as the second leg
of an exchange programme, a small group
T h e U K s e x p e r i e n c e of t a c k l i n g e t h n i e
. . . .
- ■
and r a c i a l d i s c r i m i n a t i o n
inform ed se veral important proje cts
of UK minority youth leaders visited Bulgaria. A similar programme in Hungary
is training leaders of Roma groups in management skills and international
thinking on Roma issues.
In Sochi, on Russia’s Black Sea coast, w e are funding an innovative
training program me in citizenship skills at the city’s new m ulticultural
teacher training college. Experts from the University of Ulster are advising
on incorporating conflict-resolution and consensus-building skills in the
curriculum , as w e ll as on spécifié issues such as teaching history from
m ultiple perspectives. Sochi's citizens are drawn from every Caucasian
ethnicity, and the college is com m itted to strengthening inter-ethnic
harmony. In the w ords of one staff m em ber: 'If w e do not educate our
children to respect each other, a tornado of conflicts w ill hit our city.'
learned English at the British Council, too, and is helping to put the Czech Republic back on the
world business map. W e are also putting a smile on the face of the Président and challenging
stéréotypés of the strait-laced British - the Peat Bog Faeries treated young audiences to
some contem porary Scottish folk rock and the Royal N ational Theatre Company amused
and intrigued citizens of Prague in the courtyards of the President's Palace at Prague Castle.
Photographs © Dan Materna
44
The Commonwealth of Independent States
In Russia w e opened new centres in Irkutsk, in partnership w ith BP,
and in Samara. Both gained the enthusiastic support of the local authority.
W e now w ork from tw elve centres spread across ten tim e zones from
the Baltic to the Pacific. These provide im portant régional resources for
knowledge of the UK and for English language teaching, and also support
a w ide range of projects designed to assist the reform process.
An international conférence, G overnment Information and Democracy,
in St Petersburg, focused on public access to governm ent and légal
inform ation - a 'h o t' topic in contem porary Russia. UK speakers included
___
i .
.
,
.
,
W e n o w w o r k from t w e l v e c e n tres spread across
t e n t i m e z o n e s f r o m t h e B a l t i c to t h e P a c i f i c
the Directors of the House of Com m ons Library and
1
the Scottish Library and Information Council. Judges,
|awy ers anci 0ffjcja|s inv0|ved in human rights and légal
training attended an intensive course designed to develop their training
skills. And experts from the Kibble Care Centre in Glasgow advised a
project in the Ekaterinburg région that retrains teachers and social workers
to w ork w ith vulnérable young people. This is one of our projects that bring
far-reaching benefits at very m odest cost.
U krain e
In April 2000, the Rt Hon. Robin Cook MP, the then Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs, opened our n ew offices in Kyiv. W e are sharing these w ith
the Goethe Institut - a symbol of Europe's support for Ukraine's European
aspirations. A t the opening ceremony, Borys Tarasyuk, Ukraine's Foreign
Minister, praised our rôle in helping his country develop a cadre of highly
trained specialists - in administrative reform, law, com m erce, engineering
and other vital areas.
W e are giving similar assistance to other nations in the Southern Caucasus
and central Asia, building on English language skills as the gateway to
educational and governmental reform. This year w e appointed a resident
British director in Georgia, which is also enabling us to expand our
involvem ent in Armenia.
Preparing for accession
In Poland and the Czech Republic w e are helping officiais working on
accession to the EU by providing intensive English language teaching and
practical training in negotiating and com m unications skills. In the Czech
Republic w e are also setting up small self-access resource units in m inistry
offices to provide self-study materials and on-line advice.
In November, the second Antalya Conférence - Britain and Turkey in the New
Europe - took place in London. Erdal Inônü and the Rt Hon. Malcolm Rifkind,
form er Foreign M inisters of Turkey and the UK, chaired the sessions,
45
which examined the dynamics of change across contem porary Europe and
identified specific challenges for the UK and Turkey. Participants came from
the tw o countries and from several partner states.
W orking for a N ew Europe - the British-Croatian conférence held in Zagreb
in O ctober - examined critical themes, including the entrenchm ent o f civic
and individuel rights and responsibilities in contem porary Europe and the
impact on work, culture and values of the IT révolution.
Cyprus
In early 2001 w e ran a sériés of events designed to explore the implications
o f EU accession for the w hole island. These attracted an audience hungry
for knowledge and understanding of accession, and received much positive
feedback. Perhaps m ore remarkable, the events leapt over the Green Line,
attracting participants from both com m unities.
...
, „ , _
„
.
A fterw ards, Katie Economidou, a Greek Cypriot
supporter o f bi-communal approaches w h o s p e n t
,
,,
,
. .
, .
... a i l o f u s o n t h i s e a r t h d e s e r v e
last year in the UK as a Chevening Scholar, m ovingly described how she
had corne to understand Turkish Cypriot aspirations: 'A fte r ail, ail of us on
this earth deserve ou rfre ed om , w hich is sacred. I hope I can contribute to
a peaceful resolution o f the Cyprus question.' W e are continuing to build
on our long involvem ent in Cyprus and on the trust w e have established
w ith both com m unities.
On 18 July our Patron, Her M ajesty The Queen, and Prince Philip visited the new British
Council office in Berlin where they m et tw elve young British people and their German
counterparts, w ho have participated in programmes run by the Central Bureau and Connect
Youth International. The group, led by staff members U te Patzig and Sarah Nicholas,
comprised young people from Birm ingham , Leipzig, Lewisham and Berlin, and language
assistants and youth groups. Photograph © M atthias Lindner
o u r f r e e dom, w h i c h is s a c r e d
South-eastern Europe
Day One after sanctions are lifted: the British Council reopens its Belgrade
centre. The initial trickle of visitors soon becomes a steady stream; everyone
w elcom es our official return w ith undisguised warmth; after just tw o months
the centre has 2,500 m em bers, and activity flourishes.
A nother potent sym bol o f our co m m itm e n t to the région w as the Royal
National Theatre's visit to Belgrade. This w as the first by a major theatre
com pany since the recent conflict and tickets sold out w ith in tw o hours of
going on sale. The production - Simon Russell Beale’s stunning interprétation
o f H a m le t- c o u ld hardly have been m ore apt and the com pany received
standing ovations every night. As The Independeritori Sundaycritic wrote:
'Art and politics often touch. On this occasion, they were so intertwined that
it was difficult to tell where one began and the other ended.'
In Bosnia and Herzegovina w e have helped to rebuild a netw ork o f English
language teachers that bridges ethnie divides. This has resulted in renewed
contact, travel and trust between sections of com m unities recently at war.
In March w e hosted a forum that brought together ELT players from across
Bosnia and Herzegovina. This resulted in several co-ordinated action plans
designed to strengthen English language teaching in the w h ole o f the
country.In Kosovo w e are managing a DfEE-funded project to help Pristina
'A rt and p o l i t i c s ofte n t o u c h .
University develop new curricula and teaching
On t h i s o c c a s i o n , t h e y w e r e so i n t e r t w i n e d
.. .
.....
,
.
t h a t it w a s d i f f i c u l t t o t e l l w h e r e o n e b e g a n
methods and are runningbasic training seminars
for English te a c h e rs -th e first professional
,
,
.
.
,,
developm ent they have received for many
and th e o t h e r e n d e d
years. W e are supporting the development
of the National Theatre and other cultural and media institutions through
performances, visits and training designed to build lasting links w ith the
UK. For example, w e arranged a visit by the contem porary Random Dance
Company, and w e provided Radio Télévision Kosovo w ith 120 hours of
Channel 4 programmes. W e are also expanding our opérations in
Macedonia and Albania, and have appointed the first-ever resident British
directors there.
We will encourage
a greater international
awareness in the UK,
especially among young
people, and enrich the
international dimension
of British éducation
and culture.
Top: Visiting A rts has helped strengthen ties betw een the UK and Iran by organising events at the Edinburgh
Festival and in London. This still is from Shirin N eshat's DVD installation, Turbulent, w h ich w as show n at the
Fruitm arket Gallery, Edinburgh, in August. Photograph: courtesy of the Fruitm arket Gallery, Edinburgh
B ottom : The European Voluntary Service allow s young people aged eighteen to tw en ty-five to act as volunteers
for a period o f up to a year. A group, from several countries, is shown w orking on an organic farm as part of a
Scottish environm ental project.
W e w a n t to give
young people
in te rn a tio n a l
exp erience. W e
believe th a t
brin g in g young
people to g e th e r
lets th e m learn
a b o u t each o th e r
and teach es
th e m m ore
a b o u t them selves.
In 2000-01 the Central Bureau for International Education and Training
supported over:
•
•
•
•
1,000 schools for international projects
1,000 teachers for Teachers' International Professional Development
4,000 language assistants in the UK and thirty-five other countries
4,000 trainers and trainees for vocational projects across Europe.
C itizenship éducation
In Novem ber w e launched Developing Global Citizens: tw o professional
developm ent packs - comprising video, booklet, and w eb site - for primary
and secondary schools to help teachers bring a global dim ension into
... t h e p a c k s s h o w h o w g l o b a l c i t i z e n s h i p i s s u e s
c a n be k n i t t e d i n t o d i f f é r e n t s u b i e c t s ,
citizenship teaching. Full of practical ideas,
plus examples from schools around the UK,
r,
.
.
,
, , ,
.
the packs show how global citizenship issues
can be knitted into diffé re nt subjects, and how
controversial topics can be tackled. The Times Educational Supplém ent
described the packs as 'an excellent w ay into teaching citizenship'.
The program m es w ere broadcast on the BBC Learning Zone in M ay 2000.
In te rn atio n al professional d evelopm ent for teachers
The Rt Hon. Estelle Morris MP, the then M inister of State for Education,
launched our innovative programme of overseas study visits in M ay 2000.
Groups of teachers from schools in the same area in England travel abroad
to study a particular them e - for example, boys' underachievement, or the
productive use o f ICT. The visits are intensive and hands-on. The teachers
study classroom practice, curricula, materials, m a n a g e m e n tsyste m s-a n d
often teach as well. On their return they dissem inate good practice. During
Each year the Central Bureau helps foreign language assistants from French-, German-,
Spanish- and Italian-speaking countries to help teach their m other tongue in British schools.
Pupils get the chance to learn the language from a native speaker and find out more about the
country's culture. Language assistants from Colombia and France are shown helping to teach
their visit to Hungary, primary teachers from the East Riding of Yorkshire
observed young children using mathematical language correctly and
confidently, and returned home determ ined to develop new approaches
in their ow n teaching.
T ransnational w o rk placem ents
The International Association for the Exchange of Students forTechnical
Expérience (IAESTE) organises overseas placements for undergraduates
studying technical subjects. In 2000, IAESTE UK, which w e manage, sent
229 UK students abroad and organised 393 UK placements for overseas
students. Such placem ents bring an international dim ension to the
students' studies and to their CVs and enhance the global com petitiveness
of UK industry. They also present new challenges, both professional and
Personal. Soon after arriving in Brazil, Robert Johnston, w ho is studying
product design engineering at Strathclyde University, was asked to develop
a com plété design methodology: 'W ithin tw o w eeks I had corne from a
position of fear to one of fresh confidence in m y ow n abilities and in my
degree course - 1was preparing the m ost im portant docum ent of m y life
and loving it.'
The European dim ension
This year w e w ere delighted to be reappointed as a UK National Agency
for the European Union's Socrates and Leonardo programmes, which
encourage Europe-wide co-operation in éducation and vocational training.
These programmes offer extensive opportunités for professional educators,
young people, trainees and training providers to share ideas and approaches
and to gain new skills and experience through European co-operation.
Spanish and French in a north London secondary school. Amira Perez from Colombia said:
'I make videos of pupils in which they carry out a role-play. It is very useful and good fun
for students. They can not only check their mistakes but also discover their abilities.'
Photographs © M ark Hakansson
Connect Youth International mariages the European YOUTH programme,
Youth for Europe and European Voluntary Service. In 2000-01 it supported
13,000 young British people on exchange projects. The UK hosted 450 longterm volunteers, and sent a hundred more to undertake local placements.
The range of activities is extrem ely wide. For example, twenty-five-year-old
Helen W ray from W akefield joined tw o environmental projects in Turin
for six months: prom oting bicycling in the city centre and developing
recycling facilities in collaboration w ith a local w aste disposai company.
She is staying on for another six m onths to prom ote an environmental
éducation program me to schools and businesses. Causeway, the
B ritish-lrish exchange scheme, funded a w eek's visit by young travellers
mcre
sing self-estc
m
and r a i s i n g a w a r e n e s s of
fro m W re xh a m ,W a le s ,to m e e tIris h c o u n te rp a rts .T h e
trip w as an outstanding success, increasing self-esteem
. . .
..
„
..
....
and raising awareness of traveller culture and traditions:
'W e were no longer tw o separate groups but one group
w ho could find com m on goals and interests.' N ow the groups plan to
organise a trilatéral exchange including settled young people. The Silverdale
M usic Project in Reading stages hugely successful local m usic events
that focus on the dangers of drug abuse, crim e and racism, and also runs
workshops on DJ-ing and mixing music. The young people managing the
project are also working towards their ow n vocational qualifications in music.
Values Have No Boundaries w as the title of a conférence that brought
260 young people from disadvantaged m inority groups throughout Europe
to Coventry in August. They shared experiences, celebrated diversity and
planned future action to em pow er m inority young people.
Visiting Arts prom ûtes foreign arts in the UK as part of the w ider cultural
relations and public diplomacy agenda.
New developm ents this year included the launch of a prestigious four-year
project, funded by the Ford Foundation, to develop curricula for arts manage­
m ent training in Vietnam. W e are managing the international elem ents of
Foreign language assistants w ho w ork in the UK under the auspices of the Central Bureau.
Photograph © M ark Hakansson
this im portant programme, w hich relies significantly on the UK's arts
m anagement and training expertise. The first activity was a high-level study
tour to the UK, led by the Vietnamese Vice-M inister of Culture, to examine
how the arts w ork in a market economy.
Our arts m anagem ent placem ent program m e brought eighteen arts
managers from Russia and eleven from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan and Mongolia to the UK for seminars and hands-on experience
w ith som e of the UK's best-know n arts organisations. O utcom es included
enhanced managem ent skills and new netw orks betw een the UK and
participating countries. Plans for co-productions and artistic exchanges are
already underway.
A t short notice w e organised an exhibition at the Royal National Theatre of
the w ork o f Petre Otskheli, a prom inent Georgian theatre artist w ho died
in Stalin's purges. The exhibition marked the state visit of Président Eduard
Shevardnadze, for w h om it sym bolised the change in cultural relations
between the UK and post-Soviet Georgia.
W e supported several Iranian events at the Edinburgh Festival. These
stimulated interest in Iran's arts activities and helped people understand the
complex relationship between Islam and the W est. In M ay w e ran a highly
successful workshop in Udaipur for organisers of cultural festivals in India
and the UK. Six Indian participants came to Edinburgh three m onths later
for Festival workshops, and Indian and UK promoters are now discussing
projects. And, following a workshop organised w ith the Jamaican Ministry
of Education and Culture, the UK's first-ever Jamaican pantomime was
brought to London. The shows, staged on hms Président on the Thames,
w ere a justified sell-out and are set to become a regular feature of the
London calendar.
Heidi Heineken from Fintand is a European Voluntary Service volunteer. She joined an art
therapy project in Manchester where she worked w ith people w ith spécial needs.
Th e B ritish C o un cil
_
,
Board
The Board has stratégie responsibility for th e directio n of th e
British Council.
The rules governing m em bership o f the British Council's Board are set out
in its Royal Charter. W ith the exception of tw o mem bers nominated by the
Secretary o f State for Foreign and Com m onw ealth Affairs, m em bers are
appointed by décision of the Board. M em bers m ust be British citizens;
they are chosen from among those w ho occupy positions of recognised
em inence in British academic, professional and cultural life, and are able
to contribute relevant experience and expertise to the British Council in
its task of prom oting the UK abroad. The normal term of appointm ent is
five years, w ith the possibility of renewal. Proposais for élection to Board
mem bership are made through the Chair by a nomination com m ittee of
the Board. Appointm ent to the offices of Chair, Deputy Chair and not more
than tw o Vice-Chairs requires the prior approval of the Foreign Secretary.
M em bers of the Board are not normally remunerated but are reimbursed
reasonable expenses incurred in connection w ith Board business. If a Board
m em ber undertakes w ork in a professional capacity at the request of the
British Council, fees in respect of that w ork may be separately reimbursed.
The Board's Code of Best Practice requires m em bers to déclaré any
interest that may conflict w ith their responsibilities as Board m em bers.
This inform ation is available fo r inspection.
Chair
Baroness Helena Kennedy qc *
Deputy Chair
SirTim LankesterK C B 1 1
Président
Corpus Christi College
Oxford
Former Board members who served
during part of the reporting year
April 2000 M a rd i 2001
Lesley Abdela mbe
(until5December2000)
Senior partner for consultancies
Eyecatcher Associates and Shevolution
Chief Executive Project Parity
Professor David Crystal obe
(until6February2001)
Author on language and reference books
editor, and Hon. Professor of Linguistics
University of Wales, Bangor
Vice-Chair
The Rt Hon.Virginia Bottomley MP
Consecvative Member
of Parliament for
Surrey South-West
and Partner
Odgers Ray & Berndtson
Vice-Chair
Oona King m p
Labour Member of Parliament
for Belhnal Green and Bow
Member
SirMichael Bichard
Member
SirChristopherBland 1
Member
Professor Robert Boucher c b e
Permanent Secretary
Department for Education
and Employment
Chair, BBC
Vice-Chancellor
University of Sheffield
Member
Ffion Hague 1
Member
Dr John Hamming c m g
Member of Parliament
for North-East Fife
Libéral Democrat
Spokesman on Foreign
Affairs and Defence
and Member of Defence
Select Committee
Director, Léonard Hull
International pic
Chair, Hemming Publishing Ltd
Historian, formerly Director
and Secretary
Royal Geographical Society
Member
Sir John KerrKCMG * 1
Member
Gérard Lemos 1
Member
Penelope Lively o b e
Permanent Under-Secretary
of State, Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
Partner, Lemos & Crâne
Consultancy, training
research andpublishing
Writer
Member
The Rt Hon. Menzies Campbell c b e
qc m p
Member
HeatherRabbattsCBE 1
Joan SmythCBE
Chief Executive, Impower
Chair, Northern Ireland
Transport Holding Company
Member
Professor Eric Sunderland O B E
Member
Sir John Vereker k c b
formerly Vice-Chancellor
University of Wales Bangor
Permanent Secretary
Department for International
Development
and Vice-Chancellor
University of Wales
{SHlWCWs,
«
y y y .
*
1
Member
The Lord Stevenson
ofCoddenhamCBE^
Chair, Pearson pic
Chair, Halifax pic
and Chair
House ofLords
Appointments Commission
Member
The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn g c m g
Chancellor
University ofAberdeen
Ik
ai
Détails are correct asat3l March 2001.
*NominatedbytheSecretaryofStateforForeign
andCommonwealthAffairs
tMemberoftheAuditCommittee
MemberoftheBoard'sStandingCommittee
Photographs of Board members ® M ark Hakansson
A d viso ry
c o m m itte e s
Members of the
Advisory committees
are drawn from
across the UK and
offer guidance,
advice, expertise and
experience in their
chosen fields.
Northern Ireland Committee
Welsh Committee
JoanSmythcbe
ProfessorEricSunderlandobe
Chair
Chair, Northern Ireland Transport
Holding Company
Chair
formerly Vice-Chancellor, University of Wales
Bangor, and Vice-Chancellor, University
of Wales
Members
ArthurAughey
JudithEveose
BrianFerran
PatrickGallen
MichaelHoulihan
JenniferJohnston
DrAideenMcGinleyobe
VeryRevdProfessorMartinO'Callaghan
DameMaryPeterscbe
LadyMoyraQuigley
MarieSmyth
AnnTate
ChrisWilson
Members
SybilCrouch
GeraldDavies
RichardJ.Davies
DrEleriEdwards
CatherineEva
AndrewGreen
RudiPlautcbe
ProfessorGarethPrice
CherryShort
TonyDeyes
Secretary
Central Bureau observer
British Studies
MaryMcGeown
ProfessorSusanBassnett
PeterLynerobe
Chair
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Warwick
Secretary
Members
Scottish Committee
TheLordWilsonofTillyorngcmg
Chair
Chancellor, University ofAberdeen
Members
DrSheilaBrockobe
ProfessorAliceBrown
LesBrown
AllanCampbell
TheHon.LordClarkeoc
BarbaraDoig
EleanorEmberson
TheHon.LordGill
TessaJackson
NickKuenssberg
DouglasOsier
ProfessorSeonaReid
FionaRitchie
ProfessorWilliamStevely
ProfessorJoanStringer
ProfessorMichaelByram
DrMaurnaCrozier
ProfessorNicholasDeakin
DrPyrsGruffudd
DrMartinMontgomery
ProfessorLolaYoungobe
NickWadham-Smith
Secretary
Business advisory panel
Members
BrianBaldockcbe
SirDerekBirkinto
SirPeterBonfieldcbe
SirJohnBrowne
MichaelCassidy
SirRonaldHampel
J.KeithOates
SirDavidScholey
SirRichardSykes
MichaelBirdobe
Secretary
JohnCoopeobe
Secretary
Committee for International Co-operation
in Higher Education (CICHE)
Orania and dance
ProfessorRobertBouchercbe
Chair
Vice-Chancellor, University of Sheffield
Chair
formerly General Manager
Royal Shakespeare Company
ProfessorJohnR.Tarrant
Members
Vice-Chair
Vice-Chancellor, University of Huddersfield
MartinBanham
MichaelBillington
SueHoyle
BaronessMclntoshofHudnall
JudithMackrell
BarbaraMatthews
TomMorris
KennethRea
DrMichaelReilly
SarahRubidgc
DeborahWarner
Members
AlexandraV.Burslem
ProfessorRayCowell
ProfessorIvorM.Crewe
SirJohnDaniel
ProfessorPatrickJ.Dowlingcbe
ProfessorRoyEvans
ProfessorJanetV.Finch
ProfessorSirBrianSmith
ProfessorSirStewartSutherland
ProfessorLeslieWagner
Co-opted members
DrJohnM.Ashworth
ProfessorCliveBooth
ProfessorSirAlecN.Broers
ProfessorSirGraemeJ.Davies
ProfessorDerekFraser
ProfessorV.DavidVandeLinde
ProfessorRogerWilliams
DavidBrierley
Observers
ElizabethAdlington
HilaryCarty
.NicolaThorold
Arts Council ofEngland
PhilipHammond
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
English in Britain Accréditation
Scheme Advisory Committee
WilliamCallaway
Chair
Professor Emeritus, The London Institute
Members
KarenAdams
SueBromby
JanelleCooper
SimonFreeman
IvorFried
OliviaGoulden
NancyHall
RobinLaidlaw
MichaelLeechobe
HelenMattacott
PaulMenniss
JaneMerrick
JohnNaysmith
JennyPearson
TimPotter
HilaryRees-Parnall
WendyTeraoka
GrahamWhite
CherryGough
Secretary
AnnaHolmes
Arts Council of Wales
English in Britain Accréditation
Scheme Board
Ex officio members
DavidTaylor
TonyO'Brien
ProfessorHowardNewby
DrAnnStewart
Arts Council of Scotland
Chair
Director, ELT Group, The British Council
British Council représentatives
Secretary
DrLloydAnderson
PeterUpton
SallyCowling
Education Counselling Service Board
of Directors
DFID représentatives
ProfessorJohnArcher
DrRodTyrer
DrMarkWaltham
Chair
Principal, Heriot-Watt University
Observers (ex officio)
ProfessorSirBrianFendercmg
ProfessorM.Gibbons
JanetMorrison
DrMichaelReilly
LingThompson
DavidTupman
GregWade
PeterWilliams
DrRobertMonro
Secretary
Members
SuzanneAlexander
HowardClough
lanCockbain
MichaelHamlett
PaulHigham
DrEricH.Jones
DavidLowe
JohnPhillips
DrMichaelReilly
ProfessorPeterScott
DrTimothyJ.Seller
HughWilliams
British Council représentatives
MartinDavidson
HectorMunro
PeterUpton
PieraGerrard
Secretary
Members
TimothyBlake
ProfessorWilliamCallaway
RichardDay
NicoledeLalouvière
StuartHiggins
MichaelHilton
RhodriJones
TonyMillns
PeterUpton
AndrewWaite
CherryGough
Secretary
English teaching
Law
ChrisKennedy
WilliamBlackburnobe
Chair
Director, Centre for English Language Studies
University of Birmingham
Chair
formerly Company Secretary, IBM UK Group
Members
ProfessorKevinBoyle
RtHon.TheLordJusticeBrooke
JonathanGoldsmith
SirChristopherJenkinskcb qc
BaronLesterofHerneHillqc
AnnOwers
RodgerPannone
TheHon.LordProsser
SarahSpencer
GeorgeStapleoc
VivienSterncbe
AlasdairWallace
Members
JeanBrewster
ProfessorDavidCrystalobe
NicoledeLalouvière
RobFrancis
DrPeterHargreaves
JohnMcGovern
DrPaulineRea-Dickins
DrMichaelReilly
RichardRossner
DrPhilidaSchellekens
DrCarewTreffgarne
NieUnderhill
DrCatherineWalter
SylviaBluck
Secretary
TonyO'Brien
Secretary
Scottish law
TheHon.LordClarkeoc
Films and télévision
DuncanKenworthyobe
Chair
Senator of the College of Justice for Scotland
Chair
Producer
Members
Members
ChrisAuty
MichelleCass
FionaClarke-Hackston
SteveNorris
JohnParsons-Smith
SimonPerrycbe
PaulWebster
ColinYoungcbe
PeterBeaton
ProfessorA.Bissett-Johnson
ProfessorJ.W.G.Blackie
SarahFleming
JoelleGodard
DonaldC.Rae
W.D.H.Sellar
MichaelBirdobe
Secretary
PaulHowson
Libraries and information
Secretary
BruceRoyan
Health
Chair
Chief Executive, Scottish Cultural Resources
ProfessorStephenTomlinson
Chair
Department ofMedicine, University of
Manchester
Members
ProfessorSirLeszekK.Borysiewicz
DrPaulDarragh
ProfessorLiamDonaldson
ProfessorChrisHam
ChristineHancock
LordPatel
DrMichaelReilly
ProfessorBrianJ.Rowlands
ProfessorCrispianScully
ProfessorMarkWalport
Members
ChrisBatt
RogerBowes
ProfessorPeterBrophy
JohnCannell
ProfessorNickySineadGardner
MargaretHaines
DerekLaw
BobMcKee
NigelOxbrow
DrMichaelReilly
DavidRusson
JuneStephen
DrSandraWard
ChrisEdwards
DrDouglasJ.Buchanan
Secretary
Secretary
Literature
Publishing
Visual arts
MichèleRoberts
DavidAttwooll
RichardCalvocoressi
Chair
Novelist and poet
Chair
Managing Director, Helicon Publishing Group
Chair
Keeper, Scottish National Gallery of
Modem Art
Members
Members
ProfessorSusanBassnett
TonyBianchi
JennyBrown
JohnBrown
DrPeterBush
HelenDunmore
ProfessorAlanDurant
MayaJaggi
ChrisKennedy
MarkLeFanuobe
ProfessorHermioneLee
AndréaLevy
PenelopeLivelyobe
GaryMcKeone
ChristopherMacLehose
DrMichaelReilly
MichaelShaw
DrAnthonyThwaiteobe
JohnBlake
RobertCampbell
LorraineFannin
LordHardingeofPenshurst
ColinHayes
JessicaKingsley
AnthonyRead
DrMichaelReilly
lanTaylor
NedThomas
ColinWhurr
RonnieWilliams
MargaretMeyer
Secretary
Music
LordBirkettofUlverston
Chair
Président, British Recording industry Trust
Schooi
Chair, Management Committee, Park Lane
Group
Chair, National Sound Archive
Members
HilaryBoulding
SallyGraves
SteveHeap
JulianJoseph
NodKnowles
SimonLovell-Jones
AnnMcKay
RobertMaycock
JasperParrott
DrMichaelReilly
lanRitchie
KathrynTickell
JohnWallace
JohnKieffer
Secretary
Members
ProfessorSirBrianFendercmg
MarjorieAllthorpe-Guyton
DrRobertAnderson
LewisBiggs
DrAlanBorgcbe
SusanFerlegerBrades
DrStephenDeuchar
RichardDorment
DrDavidJaffé
CatherineLampert
TimLlewellyn
ChristopherLloyd
SirRichardMacCormaccbe
AndrewNairne
DrMichaelReilly
StephenSnoddy
LadyVaizey
RichardWentworth
Chair
Chief Executive, HEFCE
AndréaRoseobe
SueBuckwell
Secretary
Science, engineering and environment
Secretary
ProfessorJ.H,D.Prescott
Deputy Chair
formerly Principal, Wye College
University of London
Members
ProfessorRobertBouchercbe
ProfessorJeffBurleycbe
DrPhilipCampbell
SirNeilCossonsobe
ProfessorSirGraemeDavies
ProfessorMarkW.J.Fergusoncbe
ProfessorGeorgeFleming
ProfessorSusanGreenfield
ProfessorMichaelJ.Gregory
ProfessorWendyHall
DrJohnHemmingcMG
JohnHodges
ProfessorMalcolmW.Horner
ProfessorPeterS.Liss
ProfessorFabianCharlesMonds
DameBridgetM.Ogilvie
ProfessorBarryS.Plumb
PhilipJ.Robson
RichardSandbrookobe
ProfessorJanetSprentobe
ProfessorRobinWilliams
Observers
RobHolland
BillKelly
UrsulaSparrow
DrMichaelReilly,Head,CulturalRelations,
ForeignandCommonwealthOffice,attends
themajorityofthesecommitteesex officio.
DrLloydAnderson
Secretary
Détails are correct asat31 March 2001.
C o rp o ra te
p e rfo rm a n c e
m easures
In 1998, the British Council agreed seven corporate performance indicators
w ith the Foreign and Com m onw ealth O ffice for introduction from
1999-2000. Some of these indicators w ere in use before, so earlier figures
are available. For others, data are available for only the past tw o years.
In addition to these indicators, w e com m ission annual impact évaluations
of grant-funded activities overseas. In 2000-01 w e com m issioned external
évaluation of our proactive inform ation services in Russia and Ukraine, and
o f our science w ork in France, Portugal and a number of other countries.
W e are currently developing a performance score-card which w ill lead to
the introduction of new stratégie and operational indicators throughout the
organisation from 2002 to 2003 onwards.
97/98
98/99
PerceptionsoftheUK
|%ofusersofBritishCouncilserviceswho
haveafavourableimpressionoftheUK)
99/00
00/01
65%
65%
Numberofinternationalstudents
inUKhigheréducation1
207,771 213,119 218,823 223,465
Numberofinternationalstudents
inUKfurtheréducation1
58,865
61,728
62,989
93%
94%
94%
85%
93%
91%
CountryopérationsratedbyHeadsofMission
asmakinganessentialorimportantcontribution
totheachievementofPostobjectives2
Satisfactionratingonusersurveys
Private-sectorsponsorshipl£m)
8.3
16
9.4
13.6
Corporateoverheadsasapercentageofturnover
4.5
4.4
4.3
4.1
Notes
1 Figures for international students in higher and further éducation are
compiled by the Higher Education Statistics Agency and the Further
Education Funding Councils. At the tim e of publication, the m ost recent
data available are 2000-01 figures for higher éducation and 1999-00 figures
for further éducation.
2 During 2000-01 w e changed the rating scale from a 5 -to a 6-point scale.
Prom pt p aym en t
W e seek to observe in full the principles of the CBI Prompt Payment Code.
Our paym ent policy in respect of third-party creditors is to settle on the
contractual payment date or w ithin thirty days from the date of invoice,
provided that the relevant goods and/or services have been supplied.
During the financial year 2000-01, ninety-four per cent of valid invoices
w ere paid w ithin the target period. This figure excludes payments of
Senior M an ag em en t Team
Director-General
DavidGreencmg
Deputy Director-General
TomBuchanancbe
Director Europe
DrRobinBaker
grants and stipends and relates only to UK activity. The sample covered
Director Human Resources
75,201 payments.
CarolCockcroft
Equal o pportunities
Director Development and Training
Services
W e continue our com m itm ent to equal opportunities. As part of this w e are
pleased to report that w e have embarked on the process of developing a
global diversity strategy, which w ill emerge from our Equal Opportunities
Policy. It will be premised on the concept of 'mainstream ing' and linked to
our cultural relations rôle.
DrDavidCookeobe
Director Americas and East Asia
MartinDavidson
Director Planning, Research and
Evaluation
AndrewFotheringham
Director Resources
In the com ing year w e will:
GerryListon
Director Finance
•
•
set new UK targets for gender, race and disability in order to achieve
MargaretMayne
a m ore représentative workforce
Director Educational Enterprises
establish a global diversity network to help us gather and centralise
RodPrydeobe frsa
related information as a basis for planning and development
•
undertake related monitoring and auditing
Director Africa, Middle East and
South Asia
•
share diversity job objectives and good practice through our diversity
DrJimTaylor
w eb site, w hich w e shall be launching later in 2001.
Acting Director Communications
ChristopherWade
The Chair, Director-General and Deputy Director-General have ail signed
the Commission for Racial Equality Leadership Challenge. They and the
Director Grant Services UK
DrAnneWozencraft
Board remain fully com m itted to the British Council playing its part in the
governm ent's Modernising Government Programme in order to achieve
a fairer and more inclusive society.
E n viro nm en tal c o m m itm e n t
In the past year, w e have built upon our earlier collaboration w ith the
Foreign and Com m onw ealth O ffice in improving our environmental
perform ance in line w ith the requirements o f the Greening Government
Initiative. A new Global Environmental Policy was launched in June 2000
and w e have since embarked on a sériés of initiatives to reduce waste and
minimise our consumption o f w ater and energy. The British Council's
Facilities Group is now introducing an Environmental Management System
in our main offices in London and Manchester, for which w e aim to have
accréditation to IS014001 (the internationally recognised standard) by
sum m er2001.
In 2001 -0 2 w e shall be working closely w ith a num ber of our overseas
offices to introduce ’greener’ working practices, and shall be developing an
environmentally-friendly design brief for future refurbishments to buildings
w ithin our overseas estate.
Détails are correct a s a t3 l March 2001.
S u m m arised
accou nts
S u m m arised s ta te m e n t of fin a n c ia l a c tiv itie s for th e year ended
31 M arch 2001
Statem ent of the Trustées
The sum m arised accounts are a sum m ary o f inform ation extracted from
the full annual accounts and do not contain sufficie nt inform ation to allow
for a full understanding o f the financial affairs of the British Council.
For further information, the Trustées' annual report, the full annual accounts
and the auditor's report on those accounts should be consulted. These are ail
contained in the Trustées' annual report and accounts, copies of which may be
obtained, free of charge, from The Secretary to the Board, The British Council,
10 Spring Gardens, London SW 1A2BN.
The annual report and full accounts w ere approved on 22 June 2001 and
w ill be subm itted to the Charity Commission. The full annual accounts from
which the summary is derived have been audited by the National Audit Office,
w ho gave an unqualified audit opinion.
On behalf o f the Trustées
Baroness Helena Kennedy
22 June 2001
qc,
Chair
Su m m arised s ta te m e n t of fin a n c ia l a c tiv itie s fo r th e year ended 31 M arch 2001
Unrestricted funds
00/01 £000
99/00 £000
(restated)
Income and expenditure
Incoming resources
Grants*
Feesandgrossincomefromservicesandothersources*
Contractandagencyreceipts
Investmentincome
141,946
170,940
114,842
2,013
138,484
161,101
127,992
1,983
Total incoming resources
429,741
429,560
299,378
114,842
7,027
288,755
127,992
6,912
Resources expended
Directcharitableexpenditure
Contractandagencyexpenditure
Otherexpenditure:managementandadministration
Total resources expended
(421,247)
(423,659)
Net incoming resources for the year
8,494
5,901
Notionalcostsandotheradjustments
(7,080)
(6,544)
Net outgoing resources after notional costs
1,414
(643)
Reversaiofnotionalcost
Transferfromcapitalaccount
6,920
1,429
6,539
827
Netmovementingénéralaccount
Changesinrevaluationaccount
Movementincapitalaccount
9,763
237
(1,429)
6,723
384
(827)
Netmovementinfunds
Fundbalancesbroughtforwardat1April
8,571
97,259
6,280
90,979
Fund balances carried forward at 31 March
* Comparative restated
105,830
97,259
64
Summarised balance sheet
31 March 2001 £000
31 March 2000 £000
Fixed assets
Tangiblefixedassets
90,820
92,012
45,793
, 62,530
41,598
54,404
Current assets
Stockanddebtors
Cashatbankandinhand
108,323
96,002
Liabilities: amounts falling due within one year
Creditors
(79,908)
(76,561)
Net current assets
28,415
19,441
Total assets less current liabilities
119,235
111,453
Liabilities: amounts falling due aftor more than one year
(13,405)
(14,194)
Net assets
105,830
97,259
Funds and reserves
Capitalaccount
Revaluationaccount
Generalaccount
85,390
5,430
15.010
86,819
5,193
5.247
S ta te m e n t of th e C om ptroller and A u d ito r G eneral to th e
Trustées of th e British Council
I have examined the sum m ary financial statem ents set out on pages 63
and 64.
Respective responsibilities of Trustées and A u d ito r
The sum m ary financial statem ents are the responsibility of the Trustées.
M y responsibility is to report to the Board m y opinion on their préparation
and their consistency w ith the full Trustées’ annual report and accounts.
Basis of opinion
I conducted m y audit in accordance w ith auditing standards issued by the
Auditing Practices Board. The audit of the summary financial statem ents
comprises an assessment of w hether the statem ents contain ail information
necessary to ensure consistency w ith the full Trustées' annual report and
accounts, and of w hether the detailed information required by law has been
properly extracted from those documents and included in the summary
financial statements.
M y report on the British Council's full financial statem ents includes
information on the responsibilities of the Trustées and auditors relating to the
préparation and audit of financial statem ents and on the basis of my opinion
on the financial statements.
O pinion
In m y opinion, the summarised financial statem ents are consistent w ith
the full Trustées’ annual report and accounts of the British Council for
the year ended 31 March 2001, and complies w ith the full requirements
of the Charities A ct 1993 and régulations made thereunder applicable to
summarised financial statements.
John Bourn
Comptroller and Auditor General
26 June 2001
National Audit Office
157-197 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London SW 1W 9SP
W om en are under-represented in form ai politics in Ethiopia and, prior to national, régional and local élections, w e
ran several phases o f a project to develop the cam paigning and lobbying skills of w o m en candidates from
govem m ent and opposition parties. The trainer was Almaz Seifu, w h o had herself been trained as a political
skills adviser by a Scottish NGO - the Active Learning Centre - in a 'training of trainers' project. She has since
conducted various training courses in Ethiopia for her party, the O rom o National Congress Party, in the party's
ow n language, Oromifaa. Of eighty-nine w o m en candidates standing in the national élection, fo rty-tw o w ere
elected and, in régional élections, 127 out of 366 candidates w on seats. Photographs © Tim Hall
68
The British C ouncil
around th e w o rld
For the latest list of ail
postal and e-mail
addresses and
téléphoné and fax
numbers, contact our
Information Centre on
téléphoné
+44 (0)161 957 7755
or fax
+44 (0)161 957 7762
or
www.britishcouncil.org
UK°ffices
7T~
Headquarters
10SpringGardens
LondonSW1A2BN
Téléphoné +44 (0)20 7930 8466
Fax +44(0)20 78396347
BridgewaterHouse
58WhitworthStreet
ManchesterM1 6BB
Téléphoné +44 (0)161 957 7000
Fax +44 (0)161 957 7111
Minicom +44 (0)161 957 7188
11PortlandPlace
LondonW1B 1EJ
Téléphoné +44 (0)20 7930 8466
Fax +44 (0)20 7389 3199
OurprincipalrégionalofficesareinBristol
Cambridge,Newcastle,Nottinghamand
Oxford,andwe havestaffinthefollowing
townsandcities:
Birmingham,Brighton,Canterbury,Coventry
Leeds,Liverpool,Loughborough,Norwich
Plymouth,Reading,Southampton.
Northern Ireland
TheBritishCouncil
2ndFloor
NorwichUnionHouse
7FountainStreet
BelfastBT15EG
Téléphoné +44 (0)28 9023 3440
Fax +44(0)289024 0341
E-ma iI peter. lyner@britishcouncil. org
Scotland
TheBritishCouncil
3BruntsfieldCrescent
EdinburghEH104HD
Téléphoné +44 (0)131 446 3000
Fax +44 (0)131 446 3045
E-mail michael.bird@britishcouncil.org
We alsohavestaffinAberdeenandGlasgow,
Wales
TheBritishCouncil
28ParkPlace
CardiffCF103QE
Téléphoné +44(0)292039 7346
f a x +44 (0)29 2023 7494
E-mail tony.deyes@britishcouncii.org
We alsohavestaffinBangor.
Above loft The Brazilian British Centre in Sào Paulo, developed by Cultura Inglesa, and also
housing the British Council, the British Consulate-General and the English Speaking Union.
Photograph © Jon Spaull
Above right: HRH The Prince of W ales is an extrem ely active Vice-Patron and supporter of our
work. On 6 December he visited our London headquarters and opened The Prince of Wales
Suite - our m ulti-purpose function space where w e hold seminars, réceptions and conférences.
Photograph © M ark Hakansson
Overseas offices
We haveoffices,teachingcentres,libraries,
andinformationandresourcecentresin229
townsandcitiesin111countries.
Albanie Tirana
Algeria Algiers
Argentins Buenos Aires
Australia Sydney
Austria Vienna
Azerbaijan Baku
Georgia Tbilisi
Germany Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg
Leipzig, Munich
Ghana Accra, Kumasi
Greece Athens, Thessaloniki
Hong Kong -seeChina
Hungary Budapest
Bahrain
Baltic States: Estonie Tallinn; Latvia Riga
Lithuania Vilnius
Bangladesh Dhaka, Chittagong
Belgium Brussels and Luxembourg
Bolivia La Paz
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo
Botswana Gaborone
Brazil Brasilia. Récité, Rio de Janeiro
Sào Paulo, Curitiba
Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan
Bulgarie Sofia, StaraZagora, Varna
Veliko Türnovo
Barma Rangoon, Mandalay
Cameroon Yaoundé, Bamenda, Douala
Canada Ottawa, Montréal
Chile Santiago
China Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou
Hong Kong, Shanghai
Colombia Bogotà
Croatia Zagreb
Cuba Havana
Cyprus Nicosia
Czech Republic Prague, Brno
Ceské Budëjovice, Olomouc, Ostrava
Pardubice, Plzeil Usti Nad Labem
Denmark Copenhagen
East Jerasalem /West Bank and Gaza)
Gaza, Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah
Ecuador Quito
Egypt Cairo, Alexandria
Eritrea Asmara
Ethiopia AddisAbaba
Finland Helsinki
France Paris, Bordeaux
Pakistan Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore
Multan, Peshawar
Peru Lima
Philippines Manila
Poland Warsaw, Krakôw
Portugal Lisbon, Coimbra, Oporto
Qatar Doha
India New Delhi, Kolkata, Chandigarh
Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore
Bhopal, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna
Pune, Trivandrum
Indonesia Jakarta, Surabaya
Iran Tehran
Irish Republic Dublin
Israël Tel Aviv, Nazareth, West Jerusalem
Italy Rome, Bologna, Milan, Naples, Turin
Jamaica Kingston
Japan Tokyo, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka
Jordan Amman
Kazakhstan Almaty
Kenya Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa
Korea Séoul
Kuwait
Lebanon Beirut
Lesotho Maseru
Libya Tripoli
Macedonia, former Yugoslav Republic of
Skopje
Malawi Liiongwe
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu
Kuching, Penang
Malta Valletta
Mauritius Rose Hill
Mexico Mexico City
Morocco Rabat
Mozambique Maputo
Namibia Windhoek
Népal Kathmandu
Netherlands Amsterdam
New Zealand Wellington, Auckland
Nigeria Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Ibadan, Kaduna
Kano, Port Harcourt
Norway Oslo
Romania Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca
Constata, laçi, Sibiu, Timi§oara
Russia Moscow, St Petersburg, Ekaterinburg
Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Novgorod
Omsk, Samara, Sochi, Volgograd, Yaroslavl
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Saudi Arabie Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah
Sénégal Dakar
Sierra Leone Freetown
Singepore
Slovakia Bratislava, Banskà Bystrica, KoSice
Slovenia Ljubljana
South Alrica Johannesburg, Cape Town
Durban
Spain Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia
Sri Lanka Colombo, Kandy
Sudan Khartoum
Swaziland Mbabane
Sweden Stockholm
Switzerland Berne
Syria Damascus, Aleppo
Taipei Kaohsiung
Tanzania Dar es Salaam
Thailand Bangkok, Chiang Mai
Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain
Tunisia Tunis
Turkey Ankara, Istanbul, izmir
Uganda Kampala
Ukraine Kyiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa
United Areb Emiretes Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Sharjah
USA Washington
Uzbekisten Tashkent
Venezuela Caracas
Vietnein Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City
Yemen Sana'a
Yugoslavia Belgrade, Podgorica, Pristina
Oman Muscat
Zambia Lusaka
Zimbabwe Harare, Bulawayo
Détails are correct a s a t3 l March 2001.
Commissioning Editor Nigel Semmens O riginating Editors Christopher Pick, Rosemary Hood Editor Sarah Maxey
Contributing Editor Christopher Wade Design Paul Wilson, Tony Bains, Steven Greensitt, Ann Marie Griffin
Production Christine Bruce, Andréa Ward
© The British Council 2001
Design by British Council Design Department
K001
Printed by Qualitech Print Ltd
The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for éducation and cultural relations. Registered in England as a charity.
In 2000-01 w e :
worked in 229 towns and cities in 111 countries
managed or supported some 3,000 arts events globally
administered 700,000 professional
and academic examinations
issued nearly 8 million books and videos to
350,000 British Council library members
dealt with almost 2 million enquiries in our libraries and
information centres and welcomed 5.5 million visitors
eamed revenue of £170 million from
clients and customers worldwide
organised more than 1,500 science events in over 60 countries
helped 13,000 young people take part in exchange projects
supported over 4,000 trainers and trainees
for vocational projects across Europe
employed more than 1,900 teachers in 138 teaching centres
overseas who taught almost 1.2 million class hours
www.britishcouncil.org
T ru s té e s ' a n n u a l r e p o rt a n d a c c o u n ts
fortheyearended31 March 2001
• o o t o o t rrn _
o • o • o • o 1 IlG
O O t d O O n
. .
,
Bntish
°*°*°*°
> o o # o o < Council
T h e British Council
Patron
Her Majesty The Queen
Vice-Patron
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales
The British Council was established by the
Government in 1934. It was incorporated
by Royal Charter in 1940 and granted a
Supplemental Charter in 1993. The British
Council, registered in England as a charity
no 209131, is the United Kingdom's
international organisation for educational
and cultural relations.
Design
The British Council Design D epartm ent
Printed by APS
i British Council 2001/K003
The British Council is the United Kingdom 's international organisation fo r éducation and cultural relations.
Registered in England as a charity.
Th e Board (The Trustées)
The follow ing are mem bers of the Board as at
The rules governing membership of the British Council's Board
31 March 2001:
are set out in its Royal Charter. With the exception of two
members nominated by the Secretary of State for Foreign and
Baroness Helena Kennedy
Sir Tim Lankester
kcb
qc
(Chair)+
(Deputy C hair)t:t
The Rt Hon. Virginia Bottom ley
Oona King
mp
mp
(Vice-Chair)
from among those who occupy positions of recognised eminence
contribute relevant experience and expertise to the Council in its
task of promoting the UK abroad. The normal term of appointment
Sir Christopher Bland 1
Professor Robert Boucher
is five years, with the possibility of renewal. Proposais for
CBE F.Eng
The Rt Hon. M enzies Campbell
CBE QC MP
élection to Board membership are made through the Chair by a
nomination committee of the Board. Appointment to the offices
Ffion Hague f
Dr John Hemming
of Chair, Deputy Chair and not more than two Vice-Chairs
cm g f
requires the prior approval of the Foreign Secretary. Members
kcm g * *
of the Board are not normally remunerated but are reimbursed
Gérard Lemos *
Penelope Lively
reasonable expenses incurred in connection with Board business.
obe
Heather Rabbatts
Joan Sm yth
the Board. Members must be British citizens; they are chosen
in British academic, professional and cultural life, and are able to
(Vice-Chair)
Sir Michael Bichard
Sir John Kerr
Commonwealth Affairs, members are appointed by décision of
If a Board member undertakes work in a professional capacity at
cbe *
the request of the Council, fees in respect of that work may be
CBE
The Lord Stevenson of Coddenham
Professor Eric Sunderland
Sir John Vereker
CBE *
separately reimbursed.
obe
The Board's Code of Best Practice requires members to déclaré
kcb *
The Lord W ilson of Tillyorn
GCMB
any interest that may conflict with their responsibilities as Board
members. This information is available for inspection.
Former Board m em bers w ho served during part of
the reporting year April 2000-M arch 2001 :
Lesley Abdela
m be
(until 5 Decem ber 2000)
Professor David Crystal
* NominatedbytheSecretaryofStateforForeignand
CommonwealthAffairs
t MemberoftheAuditCommittee
t Membero
ftheBoard'sStandingCommittee
obe
(until 6 February 2001)
Secretary
Auditors
Sarah Ewans
National Audit Office
157-197 Buckingham
Charity registration
Palace Road
number
Victoria
209131
London S W 1W 9S P
Principal address
Bankers
10 Spring Gardens
HSBC
London S W 1A 2B N
129 New Bond Street
London W 1A 2JA
Téléphoné
020 7930 8466
Trustées' annual rep o rt
for the year ended 31 March 2001
1 Légal status
■
build the UK's rôle as a leading provider of educa­
tional and cultural services for people overseas
The British Council Cthe Council') is registered as
a charity under registration num ber 209131. The
■
prom ote w ider and more effective learning of the
Council w as established in 1934 and incorporated
English language overseas, especially as a means
by Royal Charter in 1940. A Supplem ental Charter
of influencing young people's view s of the UK
of Incorporation w as granted in 1993.
■
position the UK overseas as a com m itted partner
in tackling key reform agendas and promoting
2 Objects
The objects (as defined in its Royal Charter) for which
sustainable developm ent
■
dem onstrate the UK's com m itm ent to strengthen-
the Council is established and incorporated are to
ing ties w ithin Europe and developing European
advance any purpose that is exclusively charitable and
cultural and intellectual exchange
that shall:
■
■
promote a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom
■
develop a w ider knowledge of the English language
encourage a greater international awareness
in the UK, especially among young people, and
to enrich the international dimension of British
■
éducation and culture.
encourage cultural, scientific, technological
and other educational co-operation between
3
Organisation
the United Kingdom and other countries, or
The Charter grants the Council's Board authority
■
otherwise promote the advancement of éducation.
to conduct the Council's business. The Board
has established a Standing Com m ittee, as a sub-
The purpose of the Council is to:
com m ittee, to undertake certain responsibilities,
particularly those in connection w ith financial and
■
enhance the réputation of the United Kingdom in
business planning and performance monitoring.
the w orld as a valued partner
Agenda papers, in advance, and m inutes of ail
Standing Com m ittee meetings, subsequently, are
and its stratégie objectives are to:
copied to ail Board members. The Board also dele-
■
project the UK's creativity, cultural diversity and
w ho in turn delegates them in part or w holly to the
recent achievements, and to challenge outmoded
m embers of the Senior M anagement Strategy Team.
gates certain authorities to the Director-General,
stéréotypés of the UK abroad
4 Principal activities and review of the year
Our examination services w ork w ith more than
During the year the Council com pleted a review of its
700,000 examinations, an increase of 10% over
activities and developed a strategy for the five years
the previous year.
150 examining bodies. In 2000-01 w e delivered
from April 2001 to March 2006. In order to maximise
the impact and effectiveness of the Council's opéra­
The Council acted as the lead agency in supporting
tions, the strategy aims to create a global network
the Prime M inister's Initiative to increase the number
that is sustainable in the longer term , and to exploit
of further and higher éducation students coming to
new media and stratégie partnerships to reach w ider
the UK. Education UK was launched as a brand in
audiences and deliver new programmes and services.
more than tw en ty countries during 2000-01 as part
W here possible, the main operating décisions
of a programme to establish the UK as a leading
taken during 2000-01 w ere made in line w ith this
provider of educational opportunity. Particular success
stratégie direction so as to assure as sm ooth a change
was achieved w ith the launches in Russia and China,
as possible.
w ith a significant increase in the number of enquiries
and visitors to exhibitions.
The strategy realigns our geographical focus, w ith
emphasis on supporting transitional économies while
The Council managed or supported some 3,000
reducing resources invested in developed countries.
arts events.
During the year, the Council operated in 229 tow ns
and cities. Activities w ere expanded in Russia and
The level of contract activity undertaken on behalf
China w ith new régional offices being opened, as
of third parties has declined, continuing the trend of
w ell as main offices in Libya and Iran. W e intend to
several years. This w ork is operating in an
close in Ecuador, Belarus, Swaziland, Lesotho and
increasingly difficult environm ent, not least because
several régional cities, particularly in W estern Europe.
of the untying of aid by the Departm ent for
Investm ent in new media is an im portant plank of the
building up clients in other areas w e believe the level
strategy. During the year, w e continued to develop
of activity has now stabilised.
International Developm ent (DFID). However, by
our e-services, including speciallst w eb sites, as ways
of promoting communication and the exchange of
Ongoing activity in the area of people exchanges
information; footballculture.net and culturelab-uk.com
remains an important elem ent of the Council's work,
are both attracting many users each month.
including the Chevening programme for the Foreign
and Com m onwealth O ffice (FCO), acting as the UK
English language activity continues to grow. W e
National Agency for the European Union’s Socrates
opened our first teaching centres in Romania and
and Leonardo programmes and managing the Youth
Ukraine and expanded our netw ork in the United
for Europe programme.
Arab Emirates. There are now 138 teaching and
training centres in sixty countries. In addition, our
Learn English w eb site, which w e n t online in May
2000, reçoives up to 50,000 visits each month.
Trustées' annual report fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
5 Review of transactions and financial position
6 Reserves policy
The Council's total incoming resources have increased
The Council's policy is to establish a level of reserves
to £429.7 million. The base grant-in-aid was agreed
over and above that held in the capital account
in the Comprehensive Spending Review of July 1998
represented by fixed assets. This level w ill provide
and was calculated for the current year as £137.7
a stable financial base for the Council's continuing
million. Other grants for the Central Bureau amounted
activities. A t 31 March 2001 the balance on général
to £4.3 million. Total fees and income from services
account, which represents this reserve, was £15
and other income eamed in 2000-01 increased to
million in surplus.
£170.9 million and represent 39.7% of the total in­
coming resources. Contract activity has decreased
It is the policy of the Trustées to accumulate sufficient
by 10% to £115 million. The décliné in DFID work
surpluses from fee-earning activities to cover losses
has been partly o ffset by an increase in projects
that m ight arise from reduced opérations and to
funded by the European Commissions and others.
be able to maintain a consistent contribution to the
cost of essentiel central services. Although there has
The resuit of the latest Spending Review (SR 2000)
been a substantial increase in reserves during the
resulted in an increase in the grant-in-aid for 2001-02
year, the current level remains slightly short of this
of 5.1 %, bringing it to £145.1 million.
intended balance.
Resources expended on direct charitable expenditure
The Council m ust also manage its affairs to ensure
am ounted to £299.4 million, an increase of 3.7% over
that the level of reserves and related cash balances
the level of the previous year. Expenditure on manage­
is kept at a level agreed in conjunction w ith the
m ent and administration am ounted to £7 million, a
FCO through its responsibilities under govem m ent
level similar to the previous year.
accounting rules.
There was a balance of net incoming resources of
£8.5 million, which has been added to the général
7 Connected charities and organisations
account. The balance on the général account at
31 March 2001 was an accumulated surplus of
£15 million.
The Council co-operates w ith many organisations
in the pursuit of its charitable objectives but has no
direct relationship w ith any organisation other than
Cash balances are held to cover amounts due to
by w ay of normal contract.
third parties, future expenditure related to contract
and agency funds received, reserves and w orking
The Council is the sole corporate trustee of a
capital needs.
number of small trusts of which the Lefèvre Trust
is the largest.
Trustées' annual report fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
8 Fixed assets
11 Prompt payment
Tangible fixed assets are held for the Council's use
The principles of the CBI Prompt Payment Code
at current cost (or valuation) less an appropriate
have been adopted by the Council, which seeks to
provision for dépréciation. Changes in tangible fixed
observe them in full. The Council’s payment policy
assets during the year are summ arised in Note 71
in respect of third-party creditors is to settle on the
to the accounts. Actual additions at cost amounted
contractual payment date or w ithin thirty days from
to £8.3 million of which the main item s involved
the date of invoice, provided that the relevant goods
improving the quality of premises. Normal recurrent
and/or services have been supplied. During the
levels of replacing equipm ent and vehicles were
financial year 2000-01, 94% of valid invoices were
maintained. Proceeds from the sale of tangible fixed
paid w ithin the target period. This figure excludes
assets am ounted to £1.2 million.
paym ent of grants and stipends and relates only to
UK activity. The sample covered 75,201 payments.
9 Disabled employees
12 Audit
The Council complies w ith em ploym ent législation
w ith respect to disabled applicants for jobs. Its policy
These accounts have been audited by the Comptroller
is to ensure, in ail term s and conditions of service,
and Auditor General by agreement w ith HM Treasury
that disabled staff are not disadvantaged and that,
and are, w ith the Trustées' annual report, laid before
where appropriate, spécial facilities and training are
the House of Commons. The Comptroller and
provided to enable them to com pete equally for other
Auditor General's certificate (on page 8) is therefore
jobs and promotion.
addressed to the House of Commons rather than to
the Trustées.
10 Staff communications and involvement
13 Statem ent of the Trustées' and the Accounting
The Council ensures that ail employees are regularly
Officer's responsibilities
inform ed of current issues and achievem ents and
that they have the opportunity to contribute comments
Under Section 42(1) of the Charities Act 1993 the
and ideas. It has a w e ekly staff bulletin, a staff
Trustées are responsible for the préparation of
magazine published five tim es a year, an Intranet
financial statem ents for each financial year in the
site and a staff video sériés. In countries w here they
form and on the basis as may be prescribed by
are established, the Council recognises trades unions
régulations made by the Secretary of State for the
and staff associations. For UK-appointed staff there
Home Department. The accounts are prepared on
are trades unions and regular contact w ith manage­
an accruals basis and m ust give a true and fair view
m ent to consult on m atters of em ployee concern.
of the Council's incoming resources and application
of resources during the year and of its State of
affairs at the end of the year. In preparing those
financial statem ents the Trustées are required to:
T ru s té e s ' a n n u a l ro p o rt (o r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
■
observe the accounts direction issued by the
14 Audit Committee
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth
Affairs, including the relevant accounting and
In March 1994 the Board of the Council established
disclosure requirements, select suitable accounting
an Audit Com m ittee. The principal functions of the
policies and then apply them consistently
Com m ittee are to report to the Board on the adequacy
of the Council's internai financial control, to review
■
make judgem ents and estimâtes that are reason-
arrangements for compliance w ith regulatory and
able and prudent
financial reporting requirements, to agree a programme
for internai audit and to report on any other financial
■
State w hether applicable accounting standards
or accounting m atters that the Board m ight specify.
and statem ents of recommended practice have
been followed, subject to any departures disclosed
and explained in the financial statements
■
préparé the financial statem ents on the goingconcern basis, unless it is inappropriate to présumé
that the Council will continue in opération.
Baroness Helena Kennedy
The Trustées' responsibilities include keeping proper
Chair
accounting records. These disclose w ith reasonable
22 June 2001
accuracy at any tim e the financial position of the
Council and enable it to ensure that the financial
statem ents com ply w ith the Charities A ct 1993.
The Trustées are also responsible for safeguarding
the Council's assets and hence for taking reasonable
steps for the prévention and détection of fraud and
breaches of law and régulations.
The Accounting O fficer for the Foreign and Com m on­
wealth O ffice has designated the Director-General as
the Accounting O fficer for the Council. His relevant
responsibilities as Accounting Officer, including his
responsibility for the propriety and regularity of the
public finances and for the keeping of proper records,
are set out in the Non-Departm ental Public Bodies'
Accounting O fficers' M ém orandum issued by the
Treasury and published in Governm ent Accounting.
Trustées’ annual report fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
QC
S ta te m e n t o f th e system o f in tern ai fin a n c ia l co n tro l
for the year ended 31 March 2001
As Accounting Officer, I acknowledge m y responsi­
The British Council has an internai audit unit, which
bility for ensuring that an effective system of internai
operates to standards defined in the Government
financial control is maintained and operated by the
Internai A ud it Manual. The w ork of the internai audit
British Council.
unit is informed by an analysis of the risk to which
the Council is exposed, and internai audit plans are
The system can provide only reasonable and not
based on this analysis. The analysis of risk and the
absolute assurance that assets are safeguarded, that
internai audit plans are endorsed by the Council's
transactions are authorised and properly recorded, and
Audit Com m ittee and subsequently approved by me.
that material errors or irregularities are either prevented
A copy of the executive sum mary of each audit report
or would be detected within a tim ely period.
is given to me. I have received a statem ent from the
The system of internai financial control is based on
adequacy and effectiveness of the Council's system
a fram ew ork of regular managem ent information,
of internai financial control during the financial year.
Head of Internai Audit giving a positive opinion on the
administrative procédures including the ségrégation of
duties, and a system of délégation and accountability.
M y review of the effectiveness of the system of
internai financial control is inform ed by the work
The existing system of internai financial control
of the internai auditors, the Audit Committee, the
includes, specifically:
executive managers w ithin the Council w h o have
■
comprehensive budgeting system s w ith an annual
of the financial control fram ework, and com m ents
budget that is reviewed and agreed by the Senior
made by the external auditors in their management
M anagement Strategy Team
letter and other reports.
responsibility for the development and maintenance
■
regular reviews by the Senior Management
In addition I am aware of the recom mendations of
Strategy Team of periodic and annual financial
the Turnbull Com m ittee and am taking reasonable
reports that indicate financial performance against
steps to comply w ith the Treasury’s requirement
the forecasts
for a statem ent of internai control to be prepared
for the year ended 31 March 2002.
■
setting targets to measure financial and other
performance
■
clearly defined capital investm ent control guidelines and formai project management disciplines.
David Green
Director-General
22 June 2001
The c e rtific a te and rep o rt
of the Comptroller and Auditor General to the House of Commons
I have audited the financial statem ents on pages 10
I review w hether the statem ent on page 7 reflects
to 31, which have been prepared under the historical
the British Council's compliance w ith the Treasury's
cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of
guidance: 'Corporate governance: statem ent on the
certain fixed assets, and the accounting policies set
system of internai financial control.' I report if it does
out on pages 14 to 16.
not m eet the requirements specified by the Treasury,
or if the statem ent is misleading or inconsistent w ith
other information of which I am aware from m y audit
Respective responsibilities of the Trustées, the
of the financial statements.
Accounting Officer and the Auditor
As described on page 5, the Trustées and the Account­
Basis of opinion
ing O fficer are responsible for the préparation of the
financial statem ents and for ensuring the regularity of
I conducted m y audit in accordance w ith Auditing
financial transactions. The Trustées are also responsible
Standards issued by the Auditing Practices Board.
for the préparation of the Trustées' annual report. M y
An audit includes examination, on a test basis, of
responsibilities, as independent auditor, are established
evidence relevant to the amounts, disclosures and
by statute and guided by the Auditing Practices Board
regularity of financial transactions included in the
and the auditing profession's ethical guidance.
financial statem ents. It also includes an assessment
of the significant estim âtes and judgem ents made
I report m y opinion as to w hether the financial
by the Trustées and the Accounting O fficer in the
statem ents give a true and fair view and are properly
préparation of the financial statements, and of whether
prepared in accordance w ith the Charities A ct 1993,
the accounting policies are appropriate to the British
régulations made thereunder by the Secretary of
Council's circumstances, consistently applied and
State for the Home Department and directions issued
adequately disclosed.
by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Common­
wealth Affairs, and w hether in ail material respects
I planned and perform ed m y audit so as to obtain ail
the expenditure, income and resources have been
the information and explanations which I considered
applied to the purposes intended by Parliament and
necessary in order to provide me w ith sufficient
the financial transactions conform to the authorities
evidence to give reasonable assurance that the finan­
which govern them . I also report if, in m y opinion,
cial statem ents are free from material mis-statem ent,
the Trustées' annual report is not consistent w ith the
w hether caused by error, or by fraud or other
financial statem ents, if the British Council has not
irregularity and that, in ail material respects, the
kept proper financial accounting records, or if I have
expenditure and income have been applied to the
not received ail the information and explanations I
purposes intended by Parliament and the financial
require for m y audit.
transactions conform to the authorities which govern
them . In form ing m y opinion I also evaluated the
overall adequacy of the présentation of information
in the financial statements.
Opinion
In m y opinion:
■
the financial statem ents give a true and fair view
of the British Council's State of affairs at 31 March
2001 and of its incoming resources, application
of resources and cash flow s for the year then
ended and have been properly prepared in accord­
ance w ith the Charities A ct 1993, régulations
made thereunder by the Secretary of State for the
Home D epartm ent and directions issued by the
Secretary of State for Foreign and Com m onwealth
Affairs: and
■
in ail material respects the expenditure, income
and resources have been applied to the purposes
intended by Parliament and the financial
transactions conform to the authorities which
govern them.
John Bourn
Comptroller and Auditor General
26 June 2001
National Audit Office
157-197 Buckingham Palace Road
Victoria
London SW 1W 9S P
The certificateand reportofthe Comptrollerand AuditorGeneraltothe House ofCommons
S ta te m e n t o f fin a n c ia l a c tiv itie s
for the year ended 31 March 2001
1999-00
2000-01
Unrestricted funds
Notes
£'000
£'000
£'000
£'000
Income and expenditure
Incoming resources
Grants
3
141,946
138,484
170,940
161,101
114,842
127,992
Fees and gross income from
services and other sources
4
Contract and agency receipts
Investment income
5
Total incoming resources
2,013
1,983
429,741
429,560
Resources expended
Direct charitable expenditure:
87,043
English language
88,844
Information provision
14,068
14,018
Education provision
61,929
59,627
Arts
Support costs
Contract and agency expenditure
16,981
16,132
117,556
111,935
299,378
288,755
114,842
127,992
7,027
6,912
Other expenditure:
Management and administration
Total resources expended
6
N et incoming resources for the year
The n o te s on p a g e s 14to31 form p a rt o f these accounts.
421,247
423,659
8,494
5,901
2000-01
Unrestricted funds
Notes
£'000
£'000
1999-00
£'000
5,901
8,494
N et incoming resources for the year
£'000
Notional costs and other adjustments:
Cost of capital
10
Current cost accounting adjustment
(6,539)
(6,920)
(160)
(5)
(6,544)
(7,080)
Net outgoing resources after notional costs
Reversai of notional cost
6,920
Transferfrom capital account
1,429
Net movement in général account
Value change on général fixed assets
Current cost backlog dépréciation
(643)
1,414
6,539
8,349
827
9,763
6,723
(1,585)
61
1,822
323
237
384
Net movement in capital account
(1,429)
(827)
N et movement in funds
8,571
Net movement in revaluation account
Fund balances brought forward at 1 April 2000
Fund balances carried forw ard at 31 M arch 2001
6,280
97,259
90,979
105,830
97,259
There are no recognised gains and losses otherthan those passing through the Statement of financial activities.
The total funds include £1.39 million representing balances of donations received to be applied for spécifié purposes.
The notes on pages 14to31 form part of these accounts.
Statem ent of fin an cial activities fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
12
Balance sheet
at 31 March 2001
2000
2001
Notes
£'000
£'000
11
90,820
92,012
401
640
12
45,392
40,958
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Stock
Debtors
Cash at back and in hand
62,530
54,404
108,323
96,002
79,908
76,561
28,415
19,441
119,235
111,453
Liabilities: amounts falling due w ithin one year
Creditors
13
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
Liabilities: amounts falling due after more than one year
Creditors
14
1,069
1,396
Provisions for liabilities and charges
15
12,336
12,798
13,405
14,194
105,830
97,259
85,390
86,819
N et assets
Funds and reserves
Capital account
Revaluation account
General account
Approved bythe Board of Trustées on 22 June 2001 and signed on its behalf
c ;7 jU* s .
Baroness Helena Kennedy qc
David Green
Chair
Director-General
Trustee
Accounting Officer
The no tes on p a g e s 14to31 form p a rt o f the se acco unts.
5,430
5,193
15,010
5,247
105,830
97,259
Cash flo w s ta te m e n t
for the year ended 31 March 2001
1999-00
2000-01
£'000
£'000
£'000
5,901
8,494
N et incoming resources for the year
£'000
Add/(deduct):
Interest receivable
Interest paid on finance lease
Dépréciation charge
(1,983)
(2,013)
128
128
7,807
8,243
Gain on sale of tangible fixed assets net of
expenditure récognition
Unrealised gain on exchange
124
448
(405)
-
Decrease in stocks
239
74
Increase in debtors
(4,434)
(3,382)
Increase in creditors
3,848
3,506
Movement in provisions including
short-term element
(828)
N et cash in flow from operating activities
(588)
5,195
5,717
13,689
11,618
Returns 011 investments and servicing of finance
Interest receivable
Interest paid on finance lease
2,013
1,983
(128)
(128)
1,885
1,855
Capital expenditure
Payments to acquire tangible fixed assets
Receipts from sales of tangible fixed assets
(8,257)
(8,207)
1,229
662
(7,028)
(7,545)
(420)
(384)
Financing
Capital element of finance lease rental
payments (Note 73)
8,126
5,544
Cash at 1 April 2000
54,404
48,860
Cash at 31 March 2001
62,530
54,404
Increase in cash
The notes on pages 14to31 form part o f these accounts.
N o tes to th e accou nts
for the year ended 31 March 2001
1 Basis of préparation
2.3 Basis of allocation of expenditure
The accounts have been prepared under the historical
For accounting purposes expenditure is allocated
cost convention m odified by the inclusion of certain
as follows:
fixed assets at their current cost. They com ply w ith
the Statem ent of Recommended Practice (SORP)
Direct charitable expenditure
Accounting by Charities issued in O ctober 1995
and the accounting régulations under the Charities
This com prises ail expenditure directly relating to the
A ct 1993. They are also prepared to com ply w ith
charitable activities of the Council and to the support
the accounts direction issued by the Secretary of
infrastructure in the UK and overseas that enables
State for Foreign and Com m onw ealth Affairs, which
these activities to take place.
is reproduced as an appendix to these accounts.
Other expenditure
Because the nature of part of the funding received
from governm ent departm ents has changed to be
This com prises ail expenditure on the management
more focused on specific activities, these awards
and administration of the Council and any costs
and programme grants are now shown as fees and
incurred, w hich should not be treated as direct
income from paid services. The figures disclosed for
charitable expenditure.
grants represent the core funding from sponsoring
departm ents over which the Council can exercise
2.4 Development of new products and services
full discrétion as to how it is spent. The figures for
1999-2000 have been restated by £3.3 million. The
reported total of incoming resources does not change.
The cost of developm ent of new products and
services is taken to expenditure in the year in
w hich it is incurred.
2 Accounting policies
2.5 Valuation, capitalisation and dépréciation of tangible
fixed assets
2.1 Fees and income
Ail tangible fixed assets are included at their value
Fees and income are credited to the Statem ent of
to the business by reference to current costs, except
financial activities when they are earned.
the perm anent collection of w orks of art, which are
included at the cost of acquisition, and land and
2.2 Grants receivable and payable
property, w hich are included at periodic valuations.
Grants receivable and payable are taken to account
Freehold and long leasehold land and buildings were
when due.
valued externally on the basis of open market value
for existing use as at 31 March 1999. Subséquent
additions are included at cost.
Land and buildings revaluation on a yearly basis is
2.7 Gifts in kintl
not practicable, because this category of fixed assets
is held globally and there are no indices that would
Companies, organisations and individuals have
account for this meanfuliy.
provided the use of facilities, equipm ent and
Ail tangible fixed assets, other than freehold land, the
the Council. The value of these gifts, w hich is not
perm anent collection of w orks of art and assets in
considered material, is not included in the accounts.
prem ises to facilitate specific activities organised by
the course of construction, are depreciated on the
straight-line m ethod over their estim ated useful lives
2.8 Leases
as follows:
Land and buildings held under finance leases are
capitalised and included in tangible fixed assets at
Freehold and long
leasehold buildings
Building im provem ents
30-50 years
fair value. Obligations related to finance leases, net
5 -1 5 years
of finance charges in respect of future periods, are
Furniture and equipm ent
4 years
included as appropriate under creditors: amounts
Plant and machinery
7 years
falling due w ithin or after more than one year. The
M otor vehicles
4 years
interest elem ent of the rental obligation is allocated
to accounting periods during the lease term to reflect
Fixed assets costing less than £3,000 are charged
a constant rate of interest on the remaining balance
to the income and expenditure account in the year
of the obligation for each accounting period. Rentals
of purchase.
under operating leases are charged to expenditure
as incurred.
2.6 Stocks
2.9 Exchange différences
Stocks of item s for resale are valued at the lower of
historical cost and net réalisable value. Replacement
Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded in
cost is not materially différent from historical cost.
sterling on a m onthly basis at rates approximating to
Purchases of consumable item s are taken to expend­
the average rate of exchange for the month. Assets
iture as incurred.
and liabilities in foreign currencies are expressed in
sterling at the rates of exchange ruling on the balance
The Council does not recognise any value for work-
sheet date. Ail exchange différences incurred in the
in-progress for contract and agency activity.
year are taken to the Statem ent of financial activities.
Notes to the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
2.10 Structured retirement and terminal gratuity schemes
2.12 Contract and agency receipts and expenditure
Provision is made for future liabilities on the basis of
These relate to operational activities executed by
costs estim ated at the balance sheet date in respect
the Council on behalf of third parties under contract
of payments to employees in the UK w ho have retired,
or agreement. The Council may collect receipts and
or are expected to retire, early as part of structured
pass them on to a third party, or monies may be dis-
retirem ent schemes. Payments are due from the
bursed by the Council and subsequently reimbursed
Council from the date of early retirem ent until âge
by the client.
sixty w hen the liability is assumed by the Principal
Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Expenditure on contract and agency activity is brought
to account w hen incurred and income is taken to
In many overseas offices the Council operates
account at an am ount equal to expenditure.
term inal gratuity schemes for its locally engaged
employees. The value of the final paym ent is based
The différence between recorded receipts and
on final salary and length of em ploym ent. Full
expenditure is carried forward in the Balance sheet
provision is made in the accounts for the Council's
as debtor or creditor balances.
liability on the basis of service accrued as at the
balance sheet date.
2.11 Capital account
Each year an am ount équivalent to the costs expend­
ed by the Council on tangible fixed assets less
dépréciation or impairment, adjusted for disposais, is
transferred to or from the capital account.
Notes to the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
Notes to the accounts f o r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
4 Fees and income from services and other income
2000-01
£'000
1999-00
£'000
(restated)
English language and otherteaching
80,842
76,498
Fees for educational services
45,263
44,115
Management fees from contract and agency activity
18,086
16,353
Information provision and other services
21,330
17,906
Sponsorship and other arts revenue
3,666
4,028
Miscellaneous
1,753
2,201
170,940
161,101
2000-01
1999-00
£'000
£'000
2,139
2,020
5 Investirent income
Interest receivable
Deduct: share of interest apportioned to third parties
(126)
2,013
Notes to the accounts f o r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
(37)
1,983
6 Analysis of total resources expended
Staff
Other
costs
costs
£'000
£'000
2001-01
1999-00
Dépréciation
Total
Total
£'000
£'000
£'000
87,043
Direct charitable expenditure
English language activity
Information provision
Education provision
44,842
43,978
24
88,844
3,656
10,390
22
14,068
14,018
23,509
38,268
152
61,929
59,627
2,544
14,408
29
16,981
16,132
74,551
107,044
227
181,822
176,820
Accommodation
1,779
7,898
864
10,541
9,362
Information technology
2,800
7,292
283
10,375
11,556
Arts
Support costs
UK
Personnel
Overseas
1,642
1,807
6
3,455
4,621
6,221
16,997
1,153
24,371
25,539
58,142
28,643
6,400
114,842
Contract and agency activity
93,185
86,396
117,556
111,935
114,842
127,992
Other expenditure
Management and administration
Total
4,022
2,978
27
7,027
6,912
142,936
270,504
7,807
421,247
423,659
Included in total resources expended are amounts in respect of:
2001-01
1999-00
£'000
£'000
Audit services
129
149
Taxation advice
43
60
Consultancy
24
47
Financial advice and accountancy
Payments for travel, subsistence, etc.
Property rental costs relating to operating leases
Finance charge payable
6
9
202
265
4,948
4,669
19,207
17,413
128
128
N oies lo the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
7 Losses statement
During the year there were 318 cases where a ioss, as defined in Governm ent Accounting, was brought to
account, totalling £197,445.
8 Staff ém oluments and related costs
(a) Total staff costs:
Wages and salaries
2000-01
1999-00
£'000
£'000
127,286
121,093
Social security costs
9,129
8,599
Other pension costs
4,897
4,711
Redundancy costs
1,624
3,306
142,936
137,709
(b) The average m onthly number of employees during the year was 7,316, analysed as follows:
2000-01
1999-00
£'000
£'000
Number of
Number of
staff
staff
1,055
1,040
Management and administrative
4,334
4,418
Teachers
1,927
1,894
7,316
7,352
Home
Management and administrative
Overseas
Notes to the accounts f o r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
It is not practicable to calculate full-tim e équivalents, as easual staff are employed by the Council at various tim es
during the year. Casual staff are excluded from the above figures.
(c) The Director-General's total actual ém olum ents w ere £116,257, comprising salary of £98,100 and pension
contributions of £18,157. The Director-General is a m em ber of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.
The follow ing number of other employees (excluding m em bers of the Senior Managem ent Strategy Team)
received annual rémunération falling w ithin the follow ing ranges:
2000-2001
1999-00
Number of staff
Number of staff
£40,001-£50,000
66
64
£50,001 —£60,000
33
30
£60,001-£70,000
4
4
£70,001-£80,000
0
2
£80,001-£90,000
0
0
£90,001-£100,000
1
0
Notes to the accounts f o r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
22
(d) The salaries, including allowances, paid to m em bers of the Senior M anagement Strategy Team and their
pension entitlem ents are set out below. The Senior Managem ent Strategy Team was form ed throughout 2000-01
as recruitm ent progressed.
Age
SM S T émoluments
Real increase in
Total accrued
and allow an ce
pension at
pension at60
(in bands of £5K)
60 for 00-01
as at 31/3/01
£'000
£'000
£'000
47
60-65
1,161
11,574
58
90-95
2,069
30,729
38
70-75
N/a
N/a
53
55-60
N/a
N/a
54
70-75
1,868
17,080
45
65-70
1,906
12,959
47
50-55
3,373
14,476
52
95-100
N/a
N/a
52
70-75
2,932
24,648
38
45-50
N/a
N/a
48
65-70
2,955
13,564
50
60-65
1,672
9,990
41
65-70
1,355
7,326
for the year
Baker, R.W.
(Geographicai Director)
Buchanan, T.
(Deputy Director-General)
Cockcroft, C. A.
(Director Human Resources)
Cole-Hamilton, R.
(Director Communications)
(Ieft21 February2001)
Cooke, □. J.
(Director DATS)
Davidson, M. S.
(Geographicai Director)
Fotheringham, A. W.
(Director Planning, Research and Evaluation)
Green, D.
(Director-General)
Liston, G. J.
(Director Resources)
Mayne, M.
(Director Finance)
(appointed l8September2000)
Pryde, R. S.
(Director Educational Enterprises)
Taylor, J.
(Geographicai Director)
Wozencraft, A. 0.
(Director Grant Services UK)
Notes to the accounts f o r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
8 Staff ém oluments and related costs (continued)
(e) Superannuation scheme
Council UK-appointed staff are covered by the
Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, w hich is a
non-contributory scheme. The rates of the employer's
contribution are advised by the Treasury and range
from 12% to 18.5% based on the salary level. The
accounts reflect the actual cost of this contribution.
The Council operates a number of insured schemes
for overseas appointed staff and present employees
form erly employed by the Central Bureau for
International Education and Training. The rate of the
employer's contribution for the latter is determined
actuarially from tim e to tim e and at present is 22%
of salary.
(f) Trustées
The Chair received rémunération of £35,000
(1999-00: £58,610, of which £23,610 related
to payments for 1998-99).
No other Trustées either received or waived any
ém olum ents during the year. Travel expenses
reimbursed to seven Trustées amounted to
£5,328 (1999-00: £8,387).
No other connected person has or has had during
the year a significant interest in any contract w ith
the Council.
v>--------24
9 Grants payable
The Council gives financial support to particular programmes and activities in the form of grants to institutions and
individuals.
(a) The fifty largest grants to institutions were as follows:
2000-01
£
Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (European Voluntary Services)
296,411
Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (European Voluntary Services)
189,580
Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (support of exchange visits between UK and Commonwealth countries)
186,070
Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council (support of exchange visits between UK and Commonwealth countries)
167,000
EU (European Voluntary Service)
158,222
Church of England Diocese of Newcastle (multilatéral exchange)
148,834
Aldwick and District Cultural Exchange (multilatéral exchange)
91,900
HOST (welcoming international students)
90,000
ICP Partners (European Voluntary Services)
64,904
Third Wave Initiative Ltd (European Voluntary Services)
59,203
University of Plymouth (English language course for foreign youth workers)
44,030
Somerset County Council (European Voluntary Services)
42,338
Alter Art (support towards performances)
35,000
EU Youth Orchestra (supporttowards performances)
30,000
UMIST (National Research Council/British Council Science Fund Link)
(collaborative research on NRC-BC programmes)
29,600
University of London (National Research Council/British Council Science Fund Link)
(collaborative research on NRC-BC programmes)
28,550
Kenya Christian Lawyers Fellowship (accessto justice for disadvantaged individuals)
28,488
Tron/Royal National Theatre (Further Than the Furthest Thing)
25,000
Dublin Theatre Festival (National Theatre and Theatre de Complicité)
22,000
Asian DUB Foundation (Brazil tour)
20,000
Festival du Film Britannique de Dinard (British Film Festival, Dinard)
19,056
Theatre Cryptic (Festival de Teatro)
18,000
Du Maurier Festival (World Stage)
17,500
Gerald Barry Festival (Birmingham Contemporary Music Group concert)
16,000
Silesian Dance Theatre (supporttowards performances)
14,440
University of Cambridge (collaborative research on NRC-BC programmes)
14,000
Galerie Aedes Berlin (transport and travel costs for Zaha Hadid architectural exhibition)
14,000
University of Cambridge (collaborative research on NRC-BC programmes)
13,800
Ethiopia Gemini Trust (skills development for former Street children in socially critical film-making)
13,271
Notestotheaccountsforthe yearended 31 March 2001
25
2000-01
£
UMIST (travel grants)
13,091
University of Birmingham (collaborative research on NRC-BC programmes)
12,212
Galway Arts Festival ( The Commissar Vanishes, plus three other UK dramas)
12,000
Frantic Assembly (Egypttour)
12,000
Prest Foresight Committee (consultancy work for Czech government research committee)
11,860
Institute of Arable Crop Research, Rothamsted (travel grants)
11,538
Macmillan Polska (contribution towards English Teaching Theatre)
11.000
Africa Now (towards improving the health of Kisumu’s disadvantaged children)
10,977
SA Institute of International Affairs (support to Policing Transformation Project)
10,714
Hashemite University (visits of University Président and Dean of Economies)
10,624
University College London (travel grants)
10,533
Queen's University Belfast (travel grants)
10,488
University of Manchester (travel grants)
10,089
Music Network (various tours by UK artists plus programme of professional development)
10,000
Abbey Theatre (/Werfesdirected by Deborah Warner)
10,000
Dublin Fringe Festival (six UK theatre companies participating)
10,000
National Concert Hall, Dublin (concert by Ulster Orchestra)
10,000
ACT 3 (Dodgy Clutch Theatre Company, Ludus Dance, The Chipolatas in Prudential Children First!, Singapore)
10,000
EIFF (Edinburgh International Film Festival for catalogue production)
10,000
British Film Office, Los Angeles (contribution to running costs)
10,000
Audiovisual Entrepreneurs of Africa (contribution to film training project)
10,000
(b) The total of grants paid to 3,848 individuals was £7.75 million (1999-00: 5,360 and £10.07 million).
10 Cost of capital
Notional cost of capital is calculated as 6% of the average capital employed in the year.
Notes to the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
11 Tangible fixed assets
Freehold land
Leasehold land
Furniture and
Vehicles
Art
and property
and property
equipment
and plant
collection
£'000
£'000
£'000
£'000
£'000
£'000
46,240
42,383
30,034
8,671
2,529
129,857
1,820
2,003
3,351
1,004
79
8,257
(588)
(567)
-
(6,343)
Total
M odified cost or valuation
At 1 April 2000
Additions/transfers
Disposais
(4,271)
(917)
-
-
(1,164)
(421)
-
(1,585)
47,472
43,819
27,950
8,337
2,608
130,186
Revaluations
At 31 March 2001
Dépréciation
At 1 April 2000
1,307
9,594
20,558
6,386
Charge for the year
1,058
2,762
3,168
819
-
7,807
(40)
(451)
(3,258)
(875)
-
(4,624)
259
(99)
-
160
Disposais
Current cost dépréciation
-
Backlog dépréciation
-
-
37,845
-
-
(1,565)
(257)
2,325
11,905
19,162
5,974
31 March 2001
45,147
31,914
8,788
2,363
2,608
90,820
1 April 2000
44,933
32,789
9,476
2,285
2,529
92,012
At 31 March 2001
-
(1,822)
-
39,366
Net book value
Notes to the accounts f o r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
11 Tangible fixed assets (continued)
Ail tangible fixed assets acquired are used to support
the Council's charitable activities.
Assets in the course of construction to be used,
or not yet in use, by the Council costing £4,5 million
Tangible fixed assets include assets held under
are included in the cost of furniture and equipm ent
finance leases at a valuation of £10,698,015
(2000: £3.9 million).
(2000: £10,698,015), w ith a dépréciation charge
of £176,297 (2000: £176,297) and net book value
Freehold and long-leasehold land and buildings were
of £10,345,421 (2000: £10,521,719)
valued on the basis of open market value for existing
use at 31 March 1999 by Jones Lang LaSalle,
The Council valued its fixed assets in 1994 when
Chartered Surveyors, in accordance w ith the Guide-
changing from cash to resource accounting principles.
lines issued by the Royal Institution of Chartered
It is not practical to identify the original cost and
Surveyors or at cost for subséquent acquisitions.
accumulated dépréciation of those assets included
Freehold and long-leasehold land and properties are
at valuation at that date.
revalued every five years.
W ithin the long-leasehold land and propèrties category,
there is one building allocated a lease life of fifty years
during 1994 and will expire in 2044. The attributed
value in 1999 was £1,845,494 and the accumulated
dépréciation as at 31 March 2001 is £306,399.
The Council maintains a permanent collection of
works of art. The current estim ated value as valued
by the Curator of the collection is £32 million (2000:
£31 million). The purpose of the collection is to in­
crease the understanding and appréciation of British
art overseas in furtherance of the Council's objectives
for cultural co-operation. It is not held for investment
or resale. Many works have been acquired on
bénéficiai term s because of the collection's purpose.
For the above reasons, the collection is included
in the accounts at cost or nil value in the case of
donated items.
Notes to the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
12 Debtors (amounts due within one year)
2000-01
1999-00
£'000
£'000
Trade debtors
20,638
16,765
Other debtors
5,897
6,620
Contract and agency balances
Prepayments
10,143
9,455
8,714
8,118
45,392
40,958
Included in prepayments in 1999-00 was an am ount of £188,709 paid in advance to certain social security
and pension funds in Russia, This paym ent was made based on légal advice in order to utilise funds that
would otherw ise be blocked in a bank w hich had suspended normal opérations because of a default on debts.
13 Creditors (amounts falling due w ith in one year)
Trade creditors
Obligation underfinance leases
Contract and agency balances
2000-01
1999-00
£'000
£'000
12,276
6,672
388
410
22,673
27,903
Other creditors
4,680
5,579
Taxation, social security and other payroll-related creditors
5,658
4,563
Accruals
Deferred income
Notes to the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
3,804
4,179
30,429
27,255
79,908
76,561
14 Leases
(a) obligations under finance leases
Inoneyearorless
2000-01
1999-00
£'000
£'000
388
410
1,069
1,396
1,457
1,806
Between one and five years
Total obligations underfinance leases
(b) analysis of changes in financing during the year
Balance as at 1 April 20001
Unrealised loss on exchange
___
Capital element of finance lease payments
Balance as a t31 March 2001
15 Provisions for liabilities and charges
At 1 April 2000
Unrealised gain on exchange
Net amounts paid or becoming current
Charged to expenditure
At 31 March 2001
Terminal
Early
Total
gratuities
retirement
costs
£'000
£'000
£'000
9,028
3,770
12,798
(71)
(1,279)
-
(1,316)
(71)
(2,595)
1,950
254
2,204
9,628
2,708
12,336
Notes to the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
30
16 Contingent liabilities
The UK VAT authorities, HM Customs and Excise, have called into question the Council’s spécial partial exemption
m ethod and have raised estim ated assessments to protect their claim, The Council strongly disputes the position
taken and has taken action, including preparing an appeal against the assessment, to m inim ise any liability,
The extent of the estim ated assessm ent is £1.4 million, but the likelihood of the full am ount being payable is
considered to be low.
17 Comm itm ents
2001
2000
£'000
£'000
819
2,050
320
1,187
(a) capital commitments
Contracted expenditure
(b) specific charitable projects
To be undertaken in 2001-02
(c) annual commitments under operating leases
Commitments under operating leases, ail land and buildings, to pay rentals during the year following the year of these
accounts, analysed according tothe period in which each lease expires:
Inoneyearorless
Between one and five years
Infive years or more
Notes to the accounts fo r th e y e a r e n d e d 31 M a rc h 2001
847
2,862
9,937
7,467
3,275
4,787
14,059
15,116
18 Related party transactions
The Council is a Non-Departmental Public Body
sponsored by the Foreign and Com m onwealth
O ffice (FCO).
The FCO is regarded as a related party. During the
year the Council has had various material transactions
w ith the FCO.
In addition, the Council has had a number of material
transactions w ith other governm ent departm ents and
other central governm ent bodies. The m ost
significant have been with:
Department of Culture, Media and Sport
Department for International Development
Departm ent for Education and Employment
Departm ent of Trade and Industry
Crown Agents.
None of the Board members, key managerial staff
or other related parties has undertaken any material
transactions w ith the Council during the year other
than as disclosed in Note 8.
A p p en d ix
Accounts direction given by the Secretary of
(c)
Government Accounting and any other account­
State for Foreign and Comm onwealth Affairs
ing and disclosure requirements which HM
to the British Council ('The Council')
Treasury may issue from tim e to tim e in respect
1 Following consultation w ith the Council under
fair view,
of accounts that are required to give a true and
paragraph 23 of the Financial M ém orandum dated
7 December 1993, the Secretary of State, hereby
insofar as these are appropriate to the Council and are
notifies the Council to préparé accounts for the finan­
in force for the financial year for which the accounts
cial period ended 31 March 1997 and subséquent
are to be prepared.
financial years comprising a:
4 Clarification on the application of the accounting
(a)
Trustées' annual report
and disclosure requirements of the SORP on
(b)
Statem ent of financial activities
Accounting by Charities and additional disclosure
(c)
Balance sheet
requirements is given in Schedule 1 attached.
(d)
Cash flo w statem ent
5 The Statem ent of financial activities and the
including such notes as may be necessary for the
Balance sheet shall be prepared under the historical
purposes referred to in the follow ing paragraphs.
cost convention m odified by the inclusion of:
2 The accounts shall give a true and fair vie w of the
(a)
incoming resources and application of resources
fixed assets at their value to the business by
reference to current costs, and
during the financial year, and the State of the Council's
affairs as at the end of the financial year.
(b)
stocks at the low er of net current replacement
cost (or historical cost if this is not materially
3 Subject to this requirement, the accounts shall be
différent) and net réalisable value.
prepared in accordance w ith:
6 This direction shall be reproduced as an appendix
(a)
the Charities Act 1993, The Charities (Accounts
to the accounts.
and Reports) Régulation 1995, and the Statem ent
of Recommended Practice (SORP) Accounting by
Charities issued in O ctober 1995
John Coles
(b)
generally accepted accounting practice in the
United Kingdom (UK GAAP)
Signed by A uthority o f the Secretary o f State for
Foreign and Com m onw ealth Affairs
Dated: 17 June 1997
Schedule 1
Application of the accounting and disclosure
4 Particulars of any material departure from the
requirements of the SORP on accounting by
compliance w ith the Charities (Accounts and Reports)
charities and additional disclosure requirements
Régulations 1995 and the SORP Accounting by
1 The form and content of the Trustées' annual
financial effect on the accounts of such departure
Charities, the reasons for it and the estimated
report shall comply w ith régulations made by the
should be given in the Trustées' annual report and
Secretary of State for the Home Departm ent and
the Notes to the accounts.
shall include, inter a lia:
5 The Trustées' annual report and the Balance
(a)
a statem ent that the accounts have been
sheet shall be signed and dated by the Chairman
prepared in accordance w ith a direction given
of the Board of Trustées and the Balance sheet
by the Secretary of State for Foreign and
shall be signed and dated by the Accounting Officer.
Com m onw ealth Affairs w ith the approval of
Treasury in accordance w ith the Council's Royal
6 The Council is not required to include a note
Charter and Financial M émorandum
showing historical cost profits and losses as described
in FRS3.
(b)
a brief history of the Council and its statutory
background.
2 W hen preparing its annual accounts the Council
shall have regard to the form ats for the Statem ent
of financial activities and the Balance sheet
prescribed in the SORP Accounting by Charities.
3 The Notes to the accounts shall explain the
accounting policies adopted including, where
appropriate, but not restricted to, those stated in
paragraph 35 of the SORP and other notes which
explain or expand upon information included in the
main financial statem ents or which provide useful
information. The notes shall also include détails of
key corporate targets set in consultation w ith the
sponsoring Department together w ith an indication
of the performance achieved.
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