The Dulwich Schools Trust

Registered charity 312715 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as DCPS TRUST, DULWICH COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL TRUST, DULWICH COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL TRUST LTD, DULWICH PREPARATORY SCHOOLS TRUST

The principal activity of the Trust is the operation of preparatory schools at Dulwich, London and at Cranbrook, Kent. The objects of the charitable company are the advancement of education by the provision and conduct of schools in Dulwich and Cranbrook for boys and girls and by ancillary or incidental educational activities and other associated activities for the benefit of the communities.

Objects

TO PROMOTE AND PROVIDE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND ELSEWHERE

Area of benefit: UNITED KINGDOM AND ELSEWHERE

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

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Group reported a net operating loss of £1,300,256 for the year ended 31 August 2025, driven by significant financing costs and educational expenditure. The Trust holds a deficit on free unrestricted reserves of £9,720,292, though it maintains substantial total funds of £38,194,310 and relies on bank loans to fund capital projects. The Trustees and auditors confirm the financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis with no material uncertainties identified.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by HaysMac LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

In its annual return the charity told the Commission it is also regulated by: Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education). This is the charity’s own declaration; it is not a rating and has not been verified by the Commission or by this site.

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.

• Complaints handling
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investment
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures

Property (HM Land Registry)

8 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (8 freehold); recorded price paid £1.3m. 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

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

Reported reserves equal ~5.0 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (99% 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: 1.7% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• DAVID HOWARD NELSONchair · trustee of 2 other charities
• Andrew Crow
• George William Stanton Masters
• Jean Lovett · trustee of 1 other charity
• Nacho O'Leary
• Robin Kennedy Black
• THOMAS MICHAEL DURIE · trustee of 1 other charity

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

Operates in: Kent · Southwark

Income and spending

Common questions