NATIONAL DAY NURSERIES ASSOCIATION

Registered charity 1078275 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also registered in Scotland as SC040610 (OSCR)

The object of National Day Nurseries Association is to support the delivery of quality care and early learning for children.

Causes: Education/training · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£3.4m

Latest spending

£3.9m

Registered

1999

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported an overall deficit of £434,115 for the year ended 31 March 2025, following significant investment in new developments. Per the trustees' report, free reserves decreased to £852,070, which the trustees consider prudent given the current political and economic climate, representing approximately 5.8 months of operating costs.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £110,001 - £120,000 — in the top quarter for charities its size (median £70k)

“There were five employees with remuneration in excess of £60,000: Band £60,001 to £70,000 = 4; £110,001 to £120,000 = 1” — page 31

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 5

“There were five employees with remuneration in excess of £60,000: Band £60,001 to £70,000 = 4; £110,001 to £120,000 = 1” — page 31

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: at least 8 to 10 months operating costs (held: £852k)

“it is considered as a matter of prudence under the current political and economic climate that NDNA should retain at least 8 to 10 months operating costs in reserves to service commitments, respond to changes in risks and fund future developments.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Legal services paid to Lupton Fawcett, a firm in which trustee David Smyllie is a partner.

“£5,000 (2024: Nil) was paid for the legal services of Lupton Fawcett, a firm in which trustee David Smyllie is a partner.” — page 37

“Christie & Co, a company in which Courteney Donaldson is a Director, paid the charity £15,300 (2024: £17,444) for advertising and sponsorship.” — page 37

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Advertising and sponsorship paid by Christie & Co, a company in which trustee Courteney Donaldson is a Director.

“£5,000 (2024: Nil) was paid for the legal services of Lupton Fawcett, a firm in which trustee David Smyllie is a partner.” — page 37

“Christie & Co, a company in which Courteney Donaldson is a Director, paid the charity £15,300 (2024: £17,444) for advertising and sponsorship.” — page 37

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by BHP LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Employees paid over £60,000: 4 (FY2024) → 5 (FY2025).

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

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 03738616
Trading subsidiary: NDNA SERVICES LIMITED Companies House 07520697

NDNA SERVICES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts

Note: The balance sheet lists 'Amount owing to group undertaking' under Current Liabilities. The notes state the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA). The reconciliation of shareholders' funds also references 'Gift aid payment to Charity'.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust — “NDNA is delighted to have been awarded funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s Supporting Partners programme to enable us to del…” (source page)
The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust — “Thanks to a generous grant from The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust, we have been able to develop training resources for practitioners to e…” (source page)
The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund — “Due to a generous grant received from The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund, we have developed a bespoke module to increase staff confidence in d…” (source page)
Department for Education — “The Department for Education (DfE) supports NDNA through the DfE Accelerator fund to provide Maths Champions programmes for settings across …” (source page)
East Ayrshire Council — “East Ayrshire Council funds NDNA to deliver the EALEP funded Childcare Works employment programme across East Ayrshire.” (source page)
Education Endowment Foundation — “The Education Endownment Foundation funds NDNA to deliver the Maths Champions programme, secured through the Department for Education’s Acce…” (source page)
The Foyle Foundation — “Supported by The Foyle Foundation, NDNA is delivering SEND music training for early years settings in England.” (source page)
Eastern Counties Educational Trust Ltd — “NDNA is delighted to have also received a grant from the Eastern Counties Educational Trust Ltd to deliver specialist music training to nurs…” (source page)
The Mercers' Company Foundation — “Supported by the Mercers’ Company as trustee of the Charity of Sir Richard Whittington, NDNA is delivering 150 Maths Champions and 50 Langua…” (source page)
The Moondance Foundation — “Supported by The Moondance Foundation, NDNA is delivering two Childcare Works programmes in Wales; one in Cardiff and the other in Rhondda C…” (source page)
Peter Harrison Foundation — “NDNA is pleased to announce that the Peter Harrison Foundation has awarded a grant totalling £30,000 to enable delivery of our Championing S…” (source page)
Conwy County Borough Council — “As a result of additional UKSPF funding received from Conwy County Borough Council and Pembrokeshire Council, NDNA is delighted to be able t…” (source page)
Pembrokeshire Council — “As a result of additional UKSPF funding received from Conwy County Borough Council and Pembrokeshire Council, NDNA is delighted to be able t…” (source page)
The Veterans’ Foundation — “We are delighted to have been awarded two grants from The Veterans’ Foundation to support us in delivering our successful and highly effecti…” (source page)
Welsh Government — “The Welsh Government supports NDNA Cymru through the Curriculum for Wales grant support programme. This grant supports the work of our Early…” (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.

DAWSON, Matthew William — director, appointed 11/03/2026on trustee list
SANGER, Sarah Elizabeth — director, appointed 11/03/2026on trustee list
SAGAR, Kathryn Elaine — director, appointed 11/03/2026on trustee list
MASTERS, Nikola Jane — director, appointed 22/11/2023on trustee list
HILL, Susan — director, appointed 22/11/2023on trustee list
SIDDELL, Philip John — director, appointed 22/05/2018on trustee list
POULSOM, David Ambrose — director, appointed 30/11/2016on trustee list
HAYWOOD, Jane Elizabeth — director, appointed 19/08/2012on trustee list
DONALDSON, Courteney Ann Catherine — director, appointed 10/01/2011on trustee list
MOODY, Hazel — director, appointed 30/07/2007on trustee list
MCLACHLAN, Timothy Richard Bruce — secretary, appointed 31/03/2025

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

2 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 31/03/2025)

Total income

£3.4m

Total spending

£3.9m

Cost of raising funds

£6k

Reserves (reported)

£852k

Employees

70

Reported reserves equal ~2.6 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 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: 0.2% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

COURTENEY ANN DONALDSON
DAVID AMBROSE POULSOM · trustee of 1 other charity
HAZEL MOODY
Jane Elizabeth Haywood · trustee of 1 other charity
Kathryn Elaine Sagar
Matthew Dawson
Nikola Masters
Philip Siddell
Sarah Elizabeth Sanger
Susan Hill

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

Operates in: Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£3.4m	£3.9m
31/03/2024	£2.7m	£3.3m
31/03/2023	£2.9m	£2.9m
31/03/2022	£3.0m	£2.8m
31/03/2021	£2.8m	£2.6m

Common questions

Is NATIONAL DAY NURSERIES ASSOCIATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an overall deficit of £434,115 for the year ended 31 March 2025, following significant investment in new developments. Per the trustees' report, free reserves decreased to £852,070, which the trustees consider prudent given the current political and economic climate, representing approximately 5.8 months of operating costs. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by BHP LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of NATIONAL DAY NURSERIES ASSOCIATION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £110,001 - £120,000 band, and 5 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds NATIONAL DAY NURSERIES ASSOCIATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name NATIONAL DAY NURSERIES ASSOCIATION as a grant recipient include WALES COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION, CHARITY OF SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON, THE AUSTIN AND HOPE PILKINGTON TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
WALES COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION	FY2023	£216k	Grants payable
CHARITY OF SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON	FY2024	£69k	Young People & Education
CHARITY OF SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON	FY2025	£65k	Young People & Education
THE AUSTIN AND HOPE PILKINGTON TRUST	FY2025	£5k	Grant Round 4: £5,000

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The Mercers' Company	06/07/2023	£300k	Grant to National Day Nurseries Association

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE NURTURE GROUP NETWORK LIMITED.

THE NURTURE GROUP NETWORK LIMITED income £2.1m
ST AIDAN'S DAY NURSERY TRUST income £1.1m
MATILDA COMMUNITY DAY NURSERY income £234k
NORTH LEEDS COMMUNITY NURSERY income £448k
SURESTART income £335k
ST AGNES DAY NURSERY income £232k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
NATIONAL DAY NURSERIES ASSOCIATION	£3.4m	£110,001 - £120,000	5	unclear	—	no doubt
THE NURTURE GROUP NETWORK LIMITED FY2025	£2.1m	£80,001 - £90,000	1	within	—	no doubt
ST AIDAN'S DAY NURSERY TRUST FY2025	£1.1m	—	0	above	—	no doubt
MATILDA COMMUNITY DAY NURSERY FY2025	£234k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
NORTH LEEDS COMMUNITY NURSERY FY2025	£448k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SURESTART FY2025	£335k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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