THE GIRLS' DAY SCHOOL TRUST
Registered charity 306983 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as GDST, THE GIRLS PUBLIC DAY SCHOOL TRUST, THE GIRLS' DAY SCHOOL TRUST (1872), THE GIRLS' PUBLIC DAY SCHOOL TRUST (1872)
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the GDST reported a strong financial position with total income of £373.4m and net assets of £599.9m for the year ended 31 August 2025. The Trustees confirmed that the organization has adequate resources to continue as a going concern, supported by unrestricted liquid resources and a secured £50m debt facility. Despite sector-wide legislative challenges, the Trust maintained an operating surplus and reduced its defined benefit pension scheme deficit.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: six weeks' expenditure (held: £481.0m)
“The Trustees have determined that appropriate level of reserves of six weeks’ expenditure is prudent, which is approximately £35.0m.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Payments to trustees: Vicky Tuck received remuneration of £30,000.
“The current Chair, Vicky Tuck received remuneration of £30,000 in the year (2024: £34,274).” — page 62
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Payroll costs recharged from GDST to GDST (Enterprises) Limited
“GDST (Enterprises) Limited – payroll costs recharged from GDST amounted to £759,000 (2024: £625,000), other recharges from GDST amounted to £445,000 (2024: £370,000). Amounts outstanding from GDST (Enterprises) Limited to GDST were £368,000 as at 31 August 2025.” — page 82
“GDST Academy Trust – payroll costs recharged from GDST amounted to £13,963,000 (2024: £12,623,000), other net recharges from GDST amounted to £260,000 (2024: £215,000). Amounts recharged from GDST Academy Trust to GDST were £75,000 (2024: £85,000). Amounts outstanding from GDST Academy Trust to GDST were £1,328,000 as at 31 August 2025.” — page 82
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Payroll costs recharged from GDST to GDST Academy Trust
“GDST (Enterprises) Limited – payroll costs recharged from GDST amounted to £759,000 (2024: £625,000), other recharges from GDST amounted to £445,000 (2024: £370,000). Amounts outstanding from GDST (Enterprises) Limited to GDST were £368,000 as at 31 August 2025.” — page 82
“GDST Academy Trust – payroll costs recharged from GDST amounted to £13,963,000 (2024: £12,623,000), other net recharges from GDST amounted to £260,000 (2024: £215,000). Amounts recharged from GDST Academy Trust to GDST were £75,000 (2024: £85,000). Amounts outstanding from GDST Academy Trust to GDST were £1,328,000 as at 31 August 2025.” — page 82
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Pension scheme deficit: £8.3m
“The deficit reported in the Trust’s accounts in relation to the defined benefit pension schemes is calculated in accordance with FRS102. On this basis, the deficit decreased to £8.2m (2024: £10.0m).” — page 20
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: GDST (Enterprises) Limited
“The Group’s subsidiaries include the GDST Academy Trust and the trading subsidiary GDST (Enterprises) Limited.” — page 50
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Grant Thornton UK LLP.
Corporate structure
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Girls' Day School Trust (matched by registered charity number).
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Simon Haywood — Chief Financial Officer (source)
- Cathryn Buckle — Chief Transformation Officer (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.
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£1.6m
Reserves (reported)
£65.8m
Reported reserves equal ~2.3 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 2.7 months; benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (19/01/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (27/10/2016) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (20/08/2014) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (26/06/2013) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Trustees
- Carolyn Jane Aitchison
- Dr Hilary Ann Ewing · trustee of 4 other charities
- Emily Aniela Whitelock
- Giselle Vidic Cattorini
- Jeremy Bennett Biddle King · trustee of 1 other charity
- Katherine Lucy Smith
- Orighomisan Marie Nwokorie
- Poppy Scott Plummer
- Sarah Kate Fletcher · trustee of 2 other charities
- Seda Yalcinkaya Karpukhina
- Stuart Ross
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE GIRLS' DAY SCHOOL TRUST financially healthy?
The accounts state that the GDST reported a strong financial position with total income of £373.4m and net assets of £599.9m for the year ended 31 August 2025. The Trustees confirmed that the organization has adequate resources to continue as a going concern, supported by unrestricted liquid resources and a secured £50m debt facility. Despite sector-wide legislative challenges, the Trust maintained an operating surplus and reduced its defined benefit pension scheme deficit. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Grant Thornton UK LLP.
Who funds THE GIRLS' DAY SCHOOL TRUST?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE GIRLS' DAY SCHOOL TRUST as a grant recipient include Z V M RANGOONWALA FOUNDATION, The Patricia Routledge Foundation.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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 KING EDWARD VI HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS BIRMINGHAM TRUST.