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DURHAM CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

Registered charity 1023407 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as DURHAM SCHOOL

Education - 3-18, co-educational day and boarding

Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£14.1m
Latest spending
£14.1m
Registered
1993
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Group held a net deficit of £933,765 as of 31 August 2025, driven by historic pension obligations and depreciation. Per the Trustees' report, the Group is dependent on bank facilities due for renewal in January 2027, creating a material uncertainty regarding its ability to continue as a going concern. Despite this, the Trustees maintain that resources are adequate for the foreseeable future.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £90,001 - £100,000 — below the median for charities its size (£130k)
“In the band £90,001 - £100,000 4” — page 34
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: 3-6 months of operating expenditure (held: £3.2m)
“Our reserves policy is to achieve free reserves of 3-6 months of operating expenditure.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Going concern: material uncertainty disclosed
“The group has net current liabilities as at 31 August 2025. It is dependent on the continuing support of the bank, who’s facilities are due for renewal in January 2027. As stated in note 1.2, these conditions indicate that a material uncertainty exists that may cast significant doubt on the Group’s or the Parent Charitable Company's ability to continue as a going concern.” — page 15
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Clive Owen LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Property (HM Land Registry)

3 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (1 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)

Total income
£14.1m
Total spending
£14.1m
Cost of raising funds
£475k
Reserves (reported)
£0
Employees
198

Reported reserves equal ~0.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (96% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 3.4% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Durham

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/08/2025£14.1m£14.1m
31/08/2024£14.1m£14.4m
31/08/2023£12.8m£13.2m
31/08/2022£10.4m£10.9m
31/08/2021£9.2m£9.9m

Common questions

Is DURHAM CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the Group held a net deficit of £933,765 as of 31 August 2025, driven by historic pension obligations and depreciation. Per the Trustees' report, the Group is dependent on bank facilities due for renewal in January 2027, creating a material uncertainty regarding its ability to continue as a going concern. Despite this, the Trustees maintain that resources are adequate for the foreseeable future. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Clive Owen LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of DURHAM CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £90,001 - £100,000 band.

Who funds DURHAM CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name DURHAM CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include SIR JOHN PRIESTMAN CHARITY TRUST.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
SIR JOHN PRIESTMAN CHARITY TRUSTFY2024£8kSection 2(f)
SIR JOHN PRIESTMAN CHARITY TRUSTFY2021£4kCharitable Or anisations
SIR JOHN PRIESTMAN CHARITY TRUSTFY2022£2kSection 2 f Charitable Organisations

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

FunderDateAmountPurpose
Community Foundation North East25/11/2021£3kA grant to Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ST EDMUND'S SCHOOL TRUST LIMITED.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
DURHAM CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS FOUNDATION£14.1m£90,001 - £100,000—unclear—material uncertainty
ST EDMUND'S SCHOOL TRUST LIMITED FY2025£17.3m£230,000 - £240,000—above—no doubt
BISHOP CHALLONER SCHOOL FY2023£3.5m——unclear—no doubt
DURSTON HOUSE SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED FY2025£6.9m——unclear—no doubt
ST JOHN'S COLLEGE, DURHAM FY2025£8.2m——unclear—no doubt
NOTRE DAME PREPARATORY SCHOOL (NORWICH) LIMITED FY2025£1.2m£60,001 - £70,0002below—no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.