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THE DOWNS SCHOOL (CHARLTON HOUSE) LIMITED

Registered charity 310279 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

For the advancement of education of boys and girls aged 4 to 13

Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£5.8m
Latest spending
£5.7m
Registered
1972
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that consolidated free reserves stood at £731,380, which the trustees consider sufficient for the immediate needs of the group. The charity reported a consolidated net movement in funds of £89,109 for the year, driven by a profit from its nursery subsidiary despite an operating deficit at the main school. The trustees confirmed there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's financial viability.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: maintain free reserves to continue the high standard of educational services currently provided including a regular programme of renewal of resources including IT, and to balance this with future capital expenditure requirements and the demands of maintaining the Group's extensive grounds and historic buildings (held: £731k)
“The policy remains to maintain free reserves to continue the high standard of educational services currently provided including a regular programme of renewal of resources including IT, and to balance this with future capital expenditure requirements and the demands of maintaining the Group's extensive grounds and historic buildings.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: The School received rent of £42,900 and loan interest of £3,804 from its subsidiary, Downs School Enterprises Limited.
“The School also received rent from Downs School Enterprises Limited of £42,900 (2024: £42,900) and loan interest of £3,804 (2024: £14,309).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Downs School Enterprises Limited
“The Company’s subsidiary, Downs School Enterprises Limited (DSEL), was established in June 2017 and opened its Nursery, ‘Bertie’s’, in January 2018 providing year round day care and Pre- School facilities” — page 7
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Bishop Fleming Audit Limited. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Leadership, per the charity’s website

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.

Property (HM Land Registry)

3 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (3 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

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

Total income
£5.8m
Total spending
£5.7m
Cost of raising funds
£896k
Reserves (reported)
£4.5m
Employees
89

Reported reserves equal ~9.4 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (79% 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: 15.4% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: North Somerset

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/08/2025£5.8m£5.7m
31/08/2024£5.7m£5.5m
31/08/2023£5.2m£5.1m
31/08/2022£4.8m£4.5m
31/08/2021£4.1m£3.8m

Common questions

Is THE DOWNS SCHOOL (CHARLTON HOUSE) LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that consolidated free reserves stood at £731,380, which the trustees consider sufficient for the immediate needs of the group. The charity reported a consolidated net movement in funds of £89,109 for the year, driven by a profit from its nursery subsidiary despite an operating deficit at the main school. The trustees confirmed there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's financial viability. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Bishop Fleming Audit Limited.

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
MISS W E LAWRENCE 1973 CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT1£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE DOWNS SCHOOL TRUST.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE DOWNS SCHOOL (CHARLTON HOUSE) LIMITED£5.8m——unclear—no doubt
THE DOWNS SCHOOL TRUST FY2026£106k—0unclear—no doubt
THE SOUTHDOWN SCHOOL TRUST FY2025£144k—0above—no doubt
THE GODSTOWE PREPARATORY SCHOOL COMPANY LIMITED FY2024£8.3m——unclear—no doubt
DURSTON HOUSE SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED FY2025£6.9m——unclear—no doubt
PARKSIDE SCHOOL TRUST FY2025£4.5m——unclear—no doubt

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