Finance Score: 3
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 7
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +7
Overall GiG Score: 19 ?

PRIORS COURT FOUNDATION

Prior's Court Foundation is a non-profit making charity which manages Prior's Court School and Prior's Court Young Adult Provision for autistic individuals with severe learning disabilities and complex needs, aged 5 to 25. Set up in 1999, it is now recognised as one of the foremost providers of autistic-specific education and care with a methodology, the Prior Approach.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/08/23£20,172£20,328£-157£344£21,544£21,24312.53640
31/08/22£20,521£20,242£279£299£21,701£21,65012.8381272
31/08/21*£21,667£21,030£637£335£21,422£21,28712.148461
31/08/20£20,801£19,740£1,060£370£20,784£20,47812.4459174
31/08/19£20,570£19,383£1,187£408£19,724£19,64012.2451208
31/08/18£19,436£18,130£1,306£334£18,537£18,46812.24370
31/08/17£18,623£17,045£1,577£185£17,232£17,17612.14440
31/08/16£16,783£16,838£-56£168£15,655£15,58611.14610
31/08/15£16,825£16,538£288£218£15,710£15,56111.34210
31/08/14?£17,489£16,288£1,202£145£15,422£15,32711.33970
31/07/13£14,008£13,465£543£22£14,221£14,14512.63480
31/07/12£12,007£11,225£782£20£13,678£13,118142940
31/07/11£11,261£10,852£409£22£12,896£11,46612.73270
31/07/10£11,574£11,722£-148£31£12,487£12,17512.53370
31/07/09£10,951£10,388£562£38£12,635£11,10712.83180
31/07/08£9,911£8,730£1,181£157£12,073£1,1781.62890
31/07/07£9,100£7,543£1,557£103£10,892£63512570
31/07/06£8,100£7,107£993n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/07/05*£13,478£6,753£6,725n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/07/04£6,097£5,809£288n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 1.7%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 1.7%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 6%
Highest pay band: £130,000-£140,000
Liabilities/Assets: 19%
Liabilities/Income: 24%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 99%
Reserves/Spending: 12.5 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 2 months
Quick Ratio: 2.1
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 26 years

www.priorscourt.org.uk

mail@priorscourt.org.uk

01635 247202

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Disability
  • Education/Training
GiG Classification
  • Shelter for homeless, vulnerable & excluded people
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides buildings/facilities/open space
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • People With Disabilities

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Garfield Weston Foundation£100,000
The Foyle Foundation£50,000
BBC Children in Need£45,176
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Garfield Weston Foundation - Major Grants award
£100,000 09/10/2023
Let Me Shine Performing Arts Centre
The Foyle Foundation - Arts
£50,000 07/02/2023
towards a Performing Arts Centre, specially designed around the needs of the severely autistic young people
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Prior's Court Foundation
£45,176 30/07/2020
Covid19 - This project will provide horticultural skills development and work placements for disabled children and young people negatively impacted by Covid-19. Young people will improve their aspirations, employability skills and positive ....more
Sport England - Indoor Interactive Cardio and Climbing Walls
£10,000 27/02/2019
7
Funding under Sport England's Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled Indoor Interactive Cardio and Climbing Walls. This project is a Exercise & Fitness project, with a focus on beneficiaries with a disability.
Sport England - Prior's Court Health and Fitness Centre Gym Cardio Equipment
£9,900 22/01/2018
11
Funding under Sport England's Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled Prior's Court Health and Fitness Centre Gym Cardio Equipment. This project is a Exercise & Fitness project, with a focus on younger beneficiaries.
DCMS - ALB-Prior's Court Health and Fitness Centre Gym Cardio Equipment
£9,900 22/01/2018
[Placeholder]
Wolfson Foundation - Grant to Prior's Court Foundation
£75,000 04/12/2017
Life skills centre
National Lottery Community Fund - Prior's Court Bakery
£9,800 01/11/2017
12
The organisation will establish a bakery facility to support young people with severe autism; providing them with the employment skills and confidence to engage with the wider community and gain employment skills.
Masonic Trust - Prior's Court Bakery
£66,582 18/10/2017
Bakery to provide work experience and training for young people with autism and learning disabilities.
Sport England - Wheelyboat
£3,824 20/05/2016
12
Funding under Sport England's Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled Wheelyboat. This project lists its main activity as Sailing & Yachting
National Lottery Community Fund - Animal Therapy for Children with Autism
£59,974 29/06/2011
24
The project will create a dedicated animal-assisted therapy centre for children and young adults with autism, severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour. It aims to aid their development and improve communication and social skills. ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (10)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 45-69
  • CAROL ELIZABETH UNWIN Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Semi Retired
  • CHRISTOPHER ROBERT BARRETT DL (Chair) Appointed: 2018
  • COLIN JOHN HAYFIELD Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Chartered Accountant
  • DEBORAH FULTON Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Nurse/Executive Director
  • DR CHARLOTTE WILSON Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Head Teacher
  • DR STEFAN FAFINSKI DL Appointed: 2022
  • MELISSA FARNHAM Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Head Teacher
  • NEIL PORTER Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Chartered Surveyor
  • STACEY MARLOW Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Hr Director
  • THOMAS JAMES BUCHAN SCOTT Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Lawyer
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 26/06/1998, number: 1070227
  • Registered at Companies House on 12/06/1998, number: 03583324
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Other Regulators
  • Care Quality Commission
  • Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education)
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR21: 20 days late, AR05: 63 days late,
Main office

Prior's Court School
Priors Court Road
Hermitage
Thatcham
RG18 9NU

Objectives

3.1 THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY (THE OBJECTS) ARE TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATION, WELFARE AND RELIEF OF PEOPLE (AND IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS) WHO SUFFER FROM ANY ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: 1. - LEARNING DISABILITIES; OR 2. - PHYSICAL DISABILITIES; OR 3. - PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS; AND 4. - SOCIAL OR COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES OR DISORDERS WHICH ARE RELATED TO OR ASSOCIATED WITH AUTISM 5. IN PARTICULAR (BUT WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING) BY: 3.1.1 PROVIDING AND MAINTAINING EDUCATION, TRAINING, OCCUPATION AND LEISURE FACILITIES (INCLUDING SPORT, ART AND MUSIC FACILITIES) FOR SUCH PERSONS; 3.1.2 PROVIDING AND MAINTAINING CARE AND ACCOMMODATION AND IN PARTICULAR (BUT NOT ONLY) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL FOR SUCH PERSONS; 3.1.3 PROVIDING FACILITIES FOR THE ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF THE DISABILITIES AND ILLNESSES OF SUCH PERSONS AND DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE DISABILITIES AND ILLNESSES; 3.1.4 PROVIDING ADVISORY SERVICES AND CONSULTING FACILITIES FOR SUCH PERSONS AND THEIR FAMILIES; 3.1.5 UNDERTAKING RESEARCH INTO LEARNING AND/OR PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AND/OR PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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