THE SPARK! SCHOOL BOOK AWARDS

Registered charity 1199965 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE SPARK! BOOK AWARDS

We believe that all children should have access to a wide range of quality literature that engages them, builds excitment in reading and represents our diverse communities. We give the children the ultimate say on who wins our awards, supported through online author events, competitions and more. We also gift books to disadvantaged children, as nominated by their teachers, so no one misses out.

Objects

THE OBJECT OF THE SPARK! SCHOOL BOOK AWARDS IS THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY THE PROMOTION READING IN SCHOOLS THROUGH A SET OF BOOK AWARDS IN BRITISH SCHOOLS WHICH:1. INTRODUCE CHILDREN TO AN INCREASING RANGE OF NEW BOOKS AND AUTHORS2. BUILD LINKS BETWEEN AUTHORS AND PUPILS BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISITS AND OTHER CONTACTS AS APPROPRIATE3. DEVELOP CHILDREN?S CRITICAL APPROACHES TO READING BY PROVIDING A FORUM FOR CHILDREN TO VOTE ON THEIR FAVOURITE BOOKS4. ADMINISTER COMPETITIONS FOR CHILDREN TO MOTIVATE AND ENCOURAGE THEIR INTEREST IN READING5. PROVIDE BOOKS FOR DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN, AS IDENTIFIED BY THE SCHOOL WHERE THEY LEARN.

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

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Kingston upon Thames, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity held unrestricted reserves of £22,654 at the end of the period, which exceeds its stated policy target of £3,000. The filing confirms that no material matters came to the examiner's attention and that the charity holds no assets or liabilities beyond those stated.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 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
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses 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.

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

Annual return filing dates (Charity Commission record)

Of its last 3 annual returns with a recorded received date, 1 was received after the due date: year ending 05/04/2023 (received 01/03/2024, 25 days after the 05/02/2024 due date).

Due and received dates as recorded in the Commission’s annual-return data; the data does not say whether an extension was agreed. Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Spark! Book Awards (matched by registered charity number).

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• The Brothers Trust — “The Brother's Trust has consistently supported our Book Fund since Spark! began, helping us get books into the hands of children who otherwi…” (source page)

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook

Trustees · trustee networks

• Mark Bryan Clutterbuckchair · trustee of 2 other charities
• MATTHEW BROWN
• Patrick Held

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

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Common questions

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.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE SPARK ARTS FOR CHILDREN.

• THE SPARK ARTS FOR CHILDREN income £534k
• CHILDREN'S BOOK PROJECT income £583k
• STRANDS income £53k
• SPEAKING OUT FORUM income £47k
• BOOKMARK READING CHARITY income £4.1m
• LEHATZLIACH (HELPING EVERY CHILD SUCCEED) income £53k

Side by side with its peers

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