ASSISTED READING FOR CHILDREN

Registered charity 1146276 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ARCH

The charity's aim is to impart a love of reading to disadvantaged primary school children via regular, personalised, mentoring support from trained volunteers.

Objects

TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION AND SELF-CONFIDENCE OF CHILDREN IN OXFORDSHIRE, PARTICULARLY BY HELPING THEM TO OVERCOME READING DIFFICULTIES, THEREBY PROMOTING THEIR SELF-ESTEEM AND GENERAL WELLBEING.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Cherwell, South East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Received the assets of ASSISTED READING FOR CHILDREN IN OXFORDSHIRE (charity 1124632) — merger registered 13/04/2012.

Source: Charity Commission register of merged charities (OGL v3.0).

Latest income

£199k

Latest spending

£210k

Registered

2012

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net income deficit of £11,551 for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in a decrease in total unrestricted funds from £162,090 to £150,539. The trustees' report indicates that income from school subscriptions was raised to align with costs, while expenditure on staff costs remains the primary outflow at approximately 75% of total expenses. The charity holds unrestricted reserves of £70,383, which the trustees aim to maintain to meet obligations for 6-12 months.

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

“It is our aim to hold unrestricted reserves so that we can be confident of our financial position and meet all obligations for at least 6-12 months.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Paying staff
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 250

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024

Volunteers: 230
Government income: £7,851 — grants £7,851 (7); 5% of the £158,180 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023

Volunteers: 270
Government income: £3,773 — grants £3,773 (3); 3% of the £144,124 total gross income on the same return

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Assisted Reading for Children (ARCh) (matched by registered charity number).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (16/07/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (05/04/2012) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Benjamin Robert Morel-Allen
CURTIS LEUNG
Dr Amool Raina
Hayley Nock
Joanna Frances Waton
Veronica Margaret Mary Carlton

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

Operates in: Oxfordshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£199k	£210k
31/03/2024	£158k	£177k
31/03/2023	£144k	£150k
31/03/2022	£135k	£134k
31/03/2021	£166k	£134k

Common questions

Is ASSISTED READING FOR CHILDREN financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net income deficit of £11,551 for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in a decrease in total unrestricted funds from £162,090 to £150,539. The trustees' report indicates that income from school subscriptions was raised to align with costs, while expenditure on staff costs remains the primary outflow at approximately 75% of total expenses. The charity holds unrestricted reserves of £70,383, which the trustees aim to maintain to meet obligations for 6-12 months. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds ASSISTED READING FOR CHILDREN?

Funders whose own accounts filings name ASSISTED READING FOR CHILDREN as a grant recipient include THE MIDCOUNTIES CO-OPERATIVE COMMUNITY FUND.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE EDGAR E LAWLEY FOUNDATION	FY2026	Unverified read£2k
THE MIDCOUNTIES CO-OPERATIVE COMMUNITY FUND	FY2024	£500

Grants marked “Unverified read” were flagged by automated checks as possibly misread from the funder’s filed accounts. They are listed, but left out of the totals, counts and funder relationships this site computes.

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
THE VALENTINE CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£73k
THE CHILDHOOD TRUST	2	£55k
THE JOHN COATES CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£50k
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	2	£48k
THE LINDER FOUNDATION	2	£48k
HIGHWAY ONE TRUST	2	£25k
THE NORTON ROSE FULBRIGHT CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	2	£25k
CLARA E BURGESS CHARITY	1	£209k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with READING EDUCATION TRUST.

READING EDUCATION TRUST income £1.1m
SCHOOLREADERS income £940k
CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT income £583k
DORSET READING PARTNERS income £32k
THE READ SCHOOL, DRAX income £4.1m
ADULT LITERACY TRUST income £360k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ASSISTED READING FOR CHILDREN	£199k	—	0	below	—	no doubt
READING EDUCATION TRUST FY2025	£1.1m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SCHOOLREADERS FY2025	£940k	more than £60,000	1	within	—	no doubt
CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT FY2025	£583k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
DORSET READING PARTNERS FY2026	£32k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE READ SCHOOL, DRAX FY2025	£4.1m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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