THE SEDBERGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION

Registered charity 1176189 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND PARTICULARLY THE PUPILS AT SEDBERGH SCHOOL ("THE SCHOOL")

Causes: Education/training · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£999k

Latest spending

£1.3m

Registered

2017

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net decrease in funds of £296,767 for the year ended 31 August 2025, primarily due to a reduction in legacy income compared to the prior year. Total funds held at year-end were £7,199,380, with free reserves of £2,701,042, which the trustees confirm are in excess of their stated policy target. The auditor confirmed that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate with no material uncertainties identified.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: six months’ unrestricted expenditure (held: £2.7m)

“The reserves target is set at six months’ unrestricted expenditure.” — page 7

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Grants to Sedbergh School

“During the year, grants amounting to £871,965 (2024: £601,538) were payable to Sedbergh School (“the School”). Sedbergh School is deemed a related party as the Headmaster of the School is also a trustee of the Foundation and there were two other common trustees between the School and the Foundation during the year.” — page 24

“As set out in the Trustees’ Report and Note 2 to these accounts, Sedbergh School provides a number of services to the Foundation and, the Foundation Director and other staff are employed by Sedbergh School. Costs associated with this are recharged to the Foundation.” — page 24

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Recharged staff costs

“During the year, grants amounting to £871,965 (2024: £601,538) were payable to Sedbergh School (“the School”). Sedbergh School is deemed a related party as the Headmaster of the School is also a trustee of the Foundation and there were two other common trustees between the School and the Foundation during the year.” — page 24

“As set out in the Trustees’ Report and Note 2 to these accounts, Sedbergh School provides a number of services to the Foundation and, the Foundation Director and other staff are employed by Sedbergh School. Costs associated with this are recharged to the Foundation.” — page 24

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Rental of Guldrey Lodge

“During the year, grants amounting to £871,965 (2024: £601,538) were payable to Sedbergh School (“the School”). Sedbergh School is deemed a related party as the Headmaster of the School is also a trustee of the Foundation and there were two other common trustees between the School and the Foundation during the year.” — page 24

“As set out in the Trustees’ Report and Note 2 to these accounts, Sedbergh School provides a number of services to the Foundation and, the Foundation Director and other staff are employed by Sedbergh School. Costs associated with this are recharged to the Foundation.” — page 24

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee donations

“During the year, grants amounting to £871,965 (2024: £601,538) were payable to Sedbergh School (“the School”). Sedbergh School is deemed a related party as the Headmaster of the School is also a trustee of the Foundation and there were two other common trustees between the School and the Foundation during the year.” — page 24

“As set out in the Trustees’ Report and Note 2 to these accounts, Sedbergh School provides a number of services to the Foundation and, the Foundation Director and other staff are employed by Sedbergh School. Costs associated with this are recharged to the Foundation.” — page 24

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by HaysMac LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Sedbergh School Foundation (matched by registered charity number).

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title 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): instagram

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

Total income

£999k

Total spending

£1.3m

Cost of raising funds

£430k

Reserves (reported)

£2.7m

Employees

0

Reported reserves equal ~24.6 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 43.1% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 4.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (29/06/2018) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

ANTHONY WILLIAM SMITH
Daniel Harrison
Ian W Durrans
MARCUS BAKER
Richard Gledhill

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

Operates in: Cumbria · Lancashire · North Yorkshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£999k	£1.3m
31/08/2024	£1.4m	£912k
31/08/2023	£2.3m	£1.2m
31/08/2022	£2.1m	£424k
31/08/2021	£3.3m	£612k

Common questions

Is THE SEDBERGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net decrease in funds of £296,767 for the year ended 31 August 2025, primarily due to a reduction in legacy income compared to the prior year. Total funds held at year-end were £7,199,380, with free reserves of £2,701,042, which the trustees confirm are in excess of their stated policy target. The auditor confirmed that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate with no material uncertainties identified. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by HaysMac LLP.

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	02/02/2017	£27k	"Casterton School: Celebrating 190 years of women's education"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	22/01/2015	£76k	"The Pepperpot Project"

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
CHIPPING SODBURY TOWN LANDS CHARITY	1	£96k
THE CHARLES SKEY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£75k
THE APAX FOUNDATION	1	£45k
THE BRENLEY TRUST	1	£5k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SEDBERGH YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE.

SEDBERGH YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE income £158k
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL FOUNDATION income £5.5m
Sedbergh Schools Group income £27.1m
THE SHERBORNE SCHOOL FOUNDATION income £506k
MERCHANT TAYLORS' EDUCATIONAL TRUST income £336k
THE CHIPPING SODBURY ENDOWED SCHOOL FOUNDATION income £74k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE SEDBERGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION	£999k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
SEDBERGH YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE FY2025	£158k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL FOUNDATION FY2025	£5.5m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
Sedbergh Schools Group FY2025	£27.1m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
THE SHERBORNE SCHOOL FOUNDATION FY2025	£506k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
MERCHANT TAYLORS' EDUCATIONAL TRUST FY2025	£336k	—	0	below	—	no doubt

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