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METHODIST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TRUST

Registered charity 1142794 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as MIST

The Methodist Church is engaged in education as part of its Christian mission in the world. Its schools will seek to extend the Methodist ethos and character and contribute to diversity in education.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Religious Activities · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£118.2m
Latest spending
£116.7m
Registered
2011
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the group reported a surplus of £1.6m for the year, with total income of £118.2m and net assets of £76.9m. However, the trustees note significant sector-wide economic headwinds, including VAT on school fees and reduced business rate relief, and anticipate further falls in pupil numbers. The group holds unrestricted reserves of £73.3m, all of which are held in property assets, while maintaining a revolving credit facility to manage cash flow.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: School fees (84% of income)
“School fee income at £99.8m made up 84% of income”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Kent College Canterbury Governor Gerard MacMahon was paid £13,714 for time spent overseas on school business.
“Kent College Canterbury Governor Gerard MacMahon was paid £13,714 (2024: £4,023) for time spent overseas on school business. These arrangements were approved by the trustees on the basis of providing value to the charity.” — page 55
“During 2025 there were 21 Key Management Personnel (KMP) who had close family members employed at a MIST school. Salaries paid to spouses and children totalled £745,000” — page 55
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Salaries paid to spouses and children of 21 Key Management Personnel totalled £745,000.
“Kent College Canterbury Governor Gerard MacMahon was paid £13,714 (2024: £4,023) for time spent overseas on school business. These arrangements were approved by the trustees on the basis of providing value to the charity.” — page 55
“During 2025 there were 21 Key Management Personnel (KMP) who had close family members employed at a MIST school. Salaries paid to spouses and children totalled £745,000” — page 55
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Pension scheme deficit: £31.6m
“A full actuarial valuation for the TPTGP was carried out at 30 September 2020. This valuation showed total scheme assets of £800,300,000, total scheme liabilities of £831,900,000, and therefore, a deficit of £31,600,000.” — page 53
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Culford School (Trading Trust) Limited, Farringtons School Enterprises Limited, Kent College (Canterbury) Enterprises Limited, Kent College (Pembury) Enterprises Limited, Moorlands School Enterprises Limited, Queen’s College Taunton Enterprises Limited
“MIST is the sole shareholder of eight trading subsidiaries, with a separate trading subsidiary being used for the non-primary purpose trading conducted by eight of the nine Trust Schools.” — page 33
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Crowe UK LLP. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

CULFORD SCHOOL (TRADING TRUST) LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £1.1m
  • Profit before tax: £118k
  • Creditors include £165,413 owed to group undertakings (2024: £199,583).
FARRINGTONS SCHOOL ENTERPRISES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £192k
  • Profit before tax: £144k
KENT COLLEGE (PEMBURY) ENTERPRISES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £201k
  • Profit before tax: £146k
  • Amounts owed to group undertakings: £173,235 (2025) vs £130,848 (2024)
KENT COLLEGE (CANTERBURY) ENTERPRISES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £1.2m
  • Profit before tax: £465k
  • Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £465k
  • Creditors include £643,726 owed to group undertakings.
“The Company gift aids all of its profits within the required timescale to the company’s immediate parent, the Methodist Independent Schools Trust.”
MOORLANDS SCHOOL ENTERPRISES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £108k
  • Profit before tax: £89k
  • Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £89k
  • Creditors include £4,466 owed to group undertakings (2024: £114,844).
“GiftAid distribution (89,119)”

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.

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

2 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Total income
£118.2m
Total spending
£116.7m
Cost of raising funds
£3.5m
Reserves (reported)
£15.0m
Employees
1,977

Reported reserves equal ~1.5 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 2.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (92% 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 (2.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/08/2025£118.2m£116.7m
31/08/2024£117.0m£120.1m
31/08/2023£111.0m£111.0m
31/08/2022£108.6m£109.3m
31/08/2021£97.7m£97.6m

Common questions

Is METHODIST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the group reported a surplus of £1.6m for the year, with total income of £118.2m and net assets of £76.9m. However, the trustees note significant sector-wide economic headwinds, including VAT on school fees and reduced business rate relief, and anticipate further falls in pupil numbers. The group holds unrestricted reserves of £73.3m, all of which are held in property assets, while maintaining a revolving credit facility to manage cash flow. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe UK 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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
PURPOSEFUL VENTURES1£520k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ELM HALL DRIVE METHODIST CHURCH.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
METHODIST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TRUST£118.2m——unclear—no doubt
ELM HALL DRIVE METHODIST CHURCH FY2025£140k£3,4650unclear—no doubt
United Church Schools Trust FY2025£185.2m£310,001 - £320,000—unclear—no doubt
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (UK) FY2024£1.5m—0above—no doubt
BOURNEMOUTH METHODIST CHURCH FY2025£394k——unclear—no doubt
METHODIST CHURCH - NORTH WEST ENGLAND DISTRICT FY2025£7.3m—0unclear—no doubt

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