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NOCN

Registered charity 1079785 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as NATIONAL OPEN COLLEGE NETWORK, THE NATIONAL OPEN COLLEGE NETWORK

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Latest income
£20.1m
Latest spending
£19.6m
Registered
2000
Accounts read
FY2023

Financial health, per its FY2023 accounts

The accounts state that the Group generated an operating surplus of £1.25m in 2022/23, a reduction from £1.8m in the prior year, driven by increased staffing and inflationary pressures. Free/unrestricted reserves stood at £4.34m, which the trustees note is below their stated policy target range of £5.6m to £9.6m due to necessary business investment. The trustees confirm the Group remains a going concern with adequate resources to meet obligations for at least the next 12 months.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy
“As at the end of July 2023, the Group was operating outside the bottom of this reserve range due to the need to invest in the business and address the increased costs facing the business.” — page 14
Per its FY2023 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Armstrong Watson Audit Limited. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/07/2025)

Total income
£20.1m
Total spending
£19.6m
Reserves (reported)
£5.6m
Employees
317

Reported reserves equal ~3.4 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees

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

Operates in: Bahrain · Bangladesh · Botswana · Ghana · Greece · India · Italy · Kenya · Mauritius · Nigeria · Northern Ireland · Scotland

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/07/2025£20.1m£19.6m
31/07/2024£19.1m£18.4m
31/07/2023£16.5m£16.4m
31/07/2022£15.3m£14.9m
31/07/2021£14.8m£11.9m

Common questions

Is NOCN financially healthy?

The accounts state that the Group generated an operating surplus of £1.25m in 2022/23, a reduction from £1.8m in the prior year, driven by increased staffing and inflationary pressures. Free/unrestricted reserves stood at £4.34m, which the trustees note is below their stated policy target range of £5.6m to £9.6m due to necessary business investment. The trustees confirm the Group remains a going concern with adequate resources to meet obligations for at least the next 12 months. Its FY2023 accounts were audited by Armstrong Watson Audit Limited.