ABINGDON SCHOOL
Registered charity 1071298 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register
To advance, for the public benefit, the education of children and young people not older than the age of 19 years at Abingdon School and Abingdon Preparatory School or such other school as the Governors may from time to time determine.
Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that total unrestricted funds stood at £53,291,000, though the trustees note that the group operates with negative free reserves because surpluses are reinvested into fixed assets. The trustees consider the level of activity and year-end financial position to be satisfactory, citing adequate working capital and predictable cash flows from pupil rolls.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: No target level of free reserves set (held: £53.3m)
“it is the School’s policy to build up funds to meet planned improvements and additions to the school’s resources principally by means of annual operating surpluses and therefore the Governors have not set a target level of free reserves.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Purchase of Tilsley Park usage from subsidiary
“During the year, the School purchased usage of Tilsley Park totalling £79k (2024: £74k) from the wholly owned subsidiary undertaking, Abingdon School Enterprises Limited.” — page 39
“Included within cost of administration is £20k (2024: £20k) charged by the Charity to Abingdon School Enterprises for use of the Amey Theatre, Café, Sports Centre and Tilsley Park.” — page 37
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Charges for use of facilities to subsidiary
“During the year, the School purchased usage of Tilsley Park totalling £79k (2024: £74k) from the wholly owned subsidiary undertaking, Abingdon School Enterprises Limited.” — page 39
“Included within cost of administration is £20k (2024: £20k) charged by the Charity to Abingdon School Enterprises for use of the Amey Theatre, Café, Sports Centre and Tilsley Park.” — page 37
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Abingdon School Enterprises Limited
“Abingdon School has a wholly owned non-charitable subsidiary, Abingdon School Enterprises Limited.” — page 5
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
ABINGDON SCHOOL ENTERPRISES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
- Turnover: £1.4m
- Profit before tax: £403k
- Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £302k
- Note 6 discloses £61,944 owed to group undertakings (2024: £67,397).
“Distribution to parent charity under gift aid”
Funders the charity credits
Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).
- Abingdon School — “The Abingdon Science Partnership (ASP), proudly supported and funded by Abingdon School, is dedicated to boosting engagement in Science acro…” (source page)
Company officers (Companies House)
Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.
- SPORLE, James Alan — director, appointed 01/08/2025on trustee list
- GARNIER, Thomas Julian Cadbury — director, appointed 24/06/2025on trustee list
- KRUGER, Nicholas John, Professor — director, appointed 04/12/2024on trustee list
- GOODALL, Henrietta Katharine Priscilla — director, appointed 04/12/2024on trustee list
- RUTLAND, Felicity Mary — director, appointed 03/09/2024on trustee list
- ROBERTSON, Benjamin Mark Manwaring — director, appointed 13/03/2024on trustee list
- LOWE, Charles Robert — director, appointed 06/12/2023on trustee list
- SCARLETT, Henry Charles — director, appointed 06/12/2023on trustee list
- BEER, Mark Gregory — director, appointed 23/03/2022on trustee list
- FARWELL, Michael Neil — director, appointed 06/07/2019on trustee list
- WHEELER, Kate, Dr — director, appointed 13/03/2019on trustee list
- WOOLLARD, Harriet Margaret Corlett — director, appointed 07/01/2019on trustee list
- SENSECALL, Steven John — director, appointed 07/01/2019on trustee list
- HODGES, Justin — secretary, appointed 22/06/2016
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
16 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (9 freehold); recorded price paid £400k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook (3,654 followers) · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£201k
Reserves (reported)
£53.3m
Reported reserves equal ~18.8 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (95% 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: 0.6% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).
- Andrew Jonathan Peter Nott · trustee of 3 other charities
- Benjamin Robertson
- Charles Robert Lowe · trustee of 1 other charity
- Dr Kate Wheeler
- Felicity Mary Rutland
- Harriet Margaret Corlett Woollard
- Henrietta Katharine Priscilla Goodall
- Henry Charles Scarlett
- James Alan Sporle
- Mark Gregory Beer · trustee of 2 other charities
- Michael Neil Farwell · trustee of 1 other charity
- Peter Heron Dickson · trustee of 1 other charity
- Professor Nicholas John Kruger
- Steven John Sensecall
- Thomas Garnier
- Valerie Margaret Elizabeth Laing
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Oxfordshire
Income and spending
Common questions
Is ABINGDON SCHOOL financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total unrestricted funds stood at £53,291,000, though the trustees note that the group operates with negative free reserves because surpluses are reinvested into fixed assets. The trustees consider the level of activity and year-end financial position to be satisfactory, citing adequate working capital and predictable cash flows from pupil rolls. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP.
Who funds ABINGDON SCHOOL?
Funders whose own accounts filings name ABINGDON SCHOOL as a grant recipient include THE MERCERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with OUR LADY'S ABINGDON TRUSTEES LIMITED.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.