THE KING'S SCHOOL WORCESTER

Registered charity 1098236 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The objects of the charity are to advance education and training by the provision of co-educational schools in or near Worcester and by other associated activities for the benefit of the community. It aims to equip pupils to become balanced, confident and independent young people; to promote a range of life skills and the duty of service and to support education as a life-long process.

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Latest income

£20.8m

Latest spending

£23.4m

Registered

2003

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the school reported a net deficit of £2,602,000 for the year ended 31 July 2025, primarily driven by the introduction of VAT on school fees and pension scheme remeasurements. Per the trustees' report, free reserves stood at £nil, having been actively reduced to support the strategic decision not to pass VAT costs onto parents, while the school maintains adequate banking facilities and a repayment holiday to continue operations.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy

“The Foundation ended with cash and cash equivalents of £3.8m a decrease on the 2024 balance of £6.7m. The school’s unrestricted reserves are deployed as funds for part of the school’s premises and equipment and at the year end free reserves represented a balance of £nil (2024: £1.1m).” — page 29

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The school conducted business with the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral including their related Enterprise company in respect of events and staffing... totalling £3,445... and totalling £131,742... in respect of choral scholarships.

“In the course of its ordinary activities the school conducted business with the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral including their related Enterprise company in respect of events and staffing, all negotiated at arm’s length on normal commercial terms, totalling £3,445 (2024: £3,736) and totalling £131,742 (2024: £99,872) in respect of choral scholarships.” — page 66

“The School Governors include a partner in Fisher German LLP, who administer Worcester Cathedral’s property lets to the school. The value of rental services provided to the school during the year, all of which were negotiated at arm’s length and supplied on normal commercial terms, amounted to £131,361 (2024: £114,899).” — page 66

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The School Governors include a partner in Fisher German LLP, who administer Worcester Cathedral’s property lets to the school. The value of rental services provided to the school during the year... amounted to £131,361.

“In the course of its ordinary activities the school conducted business with the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral including their related Enterprise company in respect of events and staffing, all negotiated at arm’s length on normal commercial terms, totalling £3,445 (2024: £3,736) and totalling £131,742 (2024: £99,872) in respect of choral scholarships.” — page 66

“The School Governors include a partner in Fisher German LLP, who administer Worcester Cathedral’s property lets to the school. The value of rental services provided to the school during the year, all of which were negotiated at arm’s length and supplied on normal commercial terms, amounted to £131,361 (2024: £114,899).” — page 66

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The school received grant funding from The King’s School Worcester Charitable Trust totalling £266,493.

“In the course of its ordinary activities the school conducted business with the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral including their related Enterprise company in respect of events and staffing, all negotiated at arm’s length on normal commercial terms, totalling £3,445 (2024: £3,736) and totalling £131,742 (2024: £99,872) in respect of choral scholarships.” — page 66

“The School Governors include a partner in Fisher German LLP, who administer Worcester Cathedral’s property lets to the school. The value of rental services provided to the school during the year, all of which were negotiated at arm’s length and supplied on normal commercial terms, amounted to £131,361 (2024: £114,899).” — page 66

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The school entered into an agreement to borrow £680,000 from the King’s School Worcester Charitable Trust.

“In the course of its ordinary activities the school conducted business with the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral including their related Enterprise company in respect of events and staffing, all negotiated at arm’s length on normal commercial terms, totalling £3,445 (2024: £3,736) and totalling £131,742 (2024: £99,872) in respect of choral scholarships.” — page 66

“The School Governors include a partner in Fisher German LLP, who administer Worcester Cathedral’s property lets to the school. The value of rental services provided to the school during the year, all of which were negotiated at arm’s length and supplied on normal commercial terms, amounted to £131,361 (2024: £114,899).” — page 66

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: King’s School Worcester Activities Limited, KSW Enterprises Limited

“The School has two related non-charitable subsidiary companies, King’s School Worcester Activities Limited (Company No: 01472145) and KSW Enterprises Limited (Company No: 07141348).” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Crowe U.K. LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Mr Ben Charles — Head of Foundation (source)

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)

22 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (14 freehold); recorded price paid £642k. 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 31/07/2025)

Total income

£20.8m

Total spending

£23.4m

Cost of raising funds

£602k

Reserves (reported)

£20.9m

Employees

259

Reported reserves equal ~10.7 months of spending — above the median 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: 2.9% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

ANDREW UNDERWOOD
CAROLYN Mary Elizabeth PIKE OBE
Dr John Price
Dr Jonathan Andrew Salkeld
ELIZABETH ANNE PENN · trustee of 1 other charity
Janet Ruth Clarke
Martin James Charters
PATRICIA ANNE PRESTON
PAUL WALKER
Richard Tomlinson
Robert Prestidge
Sian Williams
Susan Elizabeth Hincks · trustee of 1 other charity
The Very Reverand Stephen Michael Edwards · trustee of 1 other charity
Timothy Rupert Brock · trustee of 1 other charity

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

Operates in: Worcestershire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/07/2025	£20.8m	£23.4m
31/07/2024	£20.8m	£21.0m
31/07/2023	£20.0m	£19.8m
31/07/2022	£18.2m	£18.0m
31/07/2021	£16.6m	£16.7m

Common questions

Is THE KING'S SCHOOL WORCESTER financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the school reported a net deficit of £2,602,000 for the year ended 31 July 2025, primarily driven by the introduction of VAT on school fees and pension scheme remeasurements. Per the trustees' report, free reserves stood at £nil, having been actively reduced to support the strategic decision not to pass VAT costs onto parents, while the school maintains adequate banking facilities and a repayment holiday to continue operations. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe U.K. LLP.

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
VISCOUNT AMORY'S CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£92k
THE MEDLOCK CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£67k
THE OUSELEY CHURCH MUSIC TRUST	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with The King's School Worcester Charitable Trust.

The King's School Worcester Charitable Trust income £494k
KING'S SCHOOLS TAUNTON LTD income £16.8m
LANCING COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL AT WORTHING LIMITED income £2.5m
KING'S SCHOOL income £17.8m
ST GEORGE'S SCHOOL, EDGBASTON income £5.2m
KING EDWARD'S SCHOOL BATH income £20.0m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE KING'S SCHOOL WORCESTER	£20.8m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
The King's School Worcester Charitable Trust FY2025	£494k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
KING'S SCHOOLS TAUNTON LTD FY2025	£16.8m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
LANCING COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL AT WORTHING LIMITED FY2025	£2.5m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
KING'S SCHOOL FY2025	£17.8m	£200,001 - £210,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
ST GEORGE'S SCHOOL, EDGBASTON FY2025	£5.2m	—	—	below	—	no doubt

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