Finance Score: -1
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 9
  • Reasonable growth: +1
  • Deficit latest year: -2
  • No PartB
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Endorsed
  • Overall weighted support: +9
Overall GiG Score: 17 ?

CHILDREN'S UNIVERSITY TRUST

CU is an extra-curricular education programme working with children aged 5 - 14 to ignite a passion for learning, to raise aspirations and build self confidence. Children are presented with a diverse menu of quality-assured activities and credits are awarded for participation. Once sufficient credits have been amassed, children's efforts are celebrated with certificates and graduation ceremonies.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
  • This charity is endorsed by a respected charity impact evaluator
  • There has been reasonable growth in spending over the last 3 years relative to the previous period
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Financial issues to consider:

  • Income was significantly lower than spending in the latest year
  • A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data

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
31/03/23£362£483£-121n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/22£596£523£73£0£199£1262.950
31/03/21£287£317£-30n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/20£363£367£-4n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/19£350£373£-23n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/18£290£345£-55n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/17£319£385£-66n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/16£534£562£-28£18£304£2906.240
31/03/15£547£659£-112£56£332£3185.860
31/03/14*£326£202£124n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/13£599£697£-98£5£320£3065.350
31/03/12£728£623£106£5£418£3697.140
31/03/11£928£954£-26£4£313£1782.230
31/03/10£753£679£74£54£338£611.130
31/03/09£1,124£1,120£4£4£264£90.120
31/03/08£733£473£260£6£260£80.220

Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 19%
Highest pay band: £70,000-£80,000
Balance Sheet History
Established: 18 years

www.childrensuniversity.co.uk

contactus@childrensuniversity.co.uk

01612412402

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
GiG Classification
  • Academic support
How it operates
  • Acts as an umbrella or resource body
  • Makes grants to organisations
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People

Who supports them? ?

Endorsed by:
  • Giving Evidence
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
Dulverton Trust£35,000
Garfield Weston Foundation£30,000
Esmee Fairbairn£15,338
Co-Op Foundation£2,500
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Westminster Children's University
£2,410 22/10/2022
Our aim is to provide a range of free cultural and enrichment activities for the community alongside mental health and wellbeing support and training, and out of school support for our young people.
Dulverton Trust - Core Costs 2020/21
£35,000 28/10/2021
Core Costs 2020/21
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£30,000 23/07/2021
Children's University Online
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Children's University
£15,338 05/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
Co-Op Foundation - CU Trust Development Grant
£2,500 14/01/2020
Pay for desk space at Federation beyond their support period, to build on their existing partnerships with other organisations supported through the programme.
Nesta - AC00876
£50,000 27/02/2019
16
Future Ready Fund programme grant to Children's University (CU Trust) Grant Ref AC00876
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Westminster Children's University
£6,452 19/11/2018
We want to provide extra curricular opportunities, such as food workshops, to raise the aspirations of disadvantaged children.
Co-Op Foundation - Luminate desks
£16,686 10/07/2018
Expand children’s horizons by putting familiar activities such as after school sports and clubs on the same online platform as culture and arts activities, STEM opportunities, and FE and employer-led outreach programmes.
National Lottery Community Fund - Children's University Digital Transformation Implementation
£9,800 21/03/2018
12
This group will use the funding to create an online platform for children to safely and securely record what extra-curricular activities they are doing and help them find other learning opportunities in their local area.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Children's University
£164,453 24/01/2018
36
Towards a children's inclusion manager post to expand a programme which increases children’s life skills and ambitions into areas of deprivation in order to ensure greatest social impact.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (3 Years) award
£30,000 09/10/2017
36
Inclusion and Engagement Programme
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Children's University
£120,000 29/01/2013
Towards the salary of a head of development who will help expand their out-of-school learning centres into regions of higher deprivation.
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: 31-66
  • JANET WILKINSON Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Director
  • JACKIE DUNNE Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Deputy Vice Chancellor
  • LOUISE RICHMOND Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Director Of Business Development And Partnerships
  • MARK SIMON BAKER Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Senior Business Development Manager
  • NATASHA BLUNT Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Teacher
  • OWEN WALTER DAY Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Director Of Finance And Resources
  • PETER RICHARD BEDDOWS Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Finance Director
  • STEPHANIE JAYNE WEBSTER Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Head Of Group Marketing
  • TANIA SULTANA HARDCASTLE-HILL Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Regulator
  • VICTORIA EDITH CHARLES Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Assistant Director Of Technology And Data
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 09/03/2007, number: 1118315
  • Registered at Companies House on 05/12/2006, number: 06018900
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • 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
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Filing Record
16 returns made; AR14: 133 days late,
Main office

C/O Slade & Cooper
Beehive Mill
Jersey Street
Ancoats
Manchester
M4 6JG

Objectives

3 OBJECTSTHE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE:3.1 TO PROVIDE FOR THE EDUCATION, CARE AND RECREATION OF CHILDREN OF SCHOOL AGE BY MAKING FACILITIES, SUPPORT AND SERVICES AVAILABLE TO THEM, ESPECIALLY DURING OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS AND SCHOOL HOLIDAYS;3.2 TO RELIEVE POVERTY AND IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE THROUGH THE PROVISION OF SUCH FACILITIES, SUPPORT AND SERVICES;3.3 TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF PERSONS INVOLVED IN THE PROVISION OF SUCH EDUCATION, CARE AND RECREATION, INCLUDING PARENT CARERS AND MENTORS; AND 3.4 TO FURTHER ANY OTHER PURPOSES OR PURPOSES RECOGNISED BY THE LAW OF ENGLAND AS CHARITABLE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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