Finance Score: -6

Governance Score: 9

Support Score: 4

Low unrestricted reserves: -2
Accounts overdue -5
Multiple Deficits: -2
Fundraising costs low: +3

Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3
Gender balanced board: +3

Grant maker support: +4

Overall GiG Score: 7

THE POETRY SCHOOL

The Poetry School helps poets of all levels write their best poetry by creating and delivering a dynamic, responsive and high quality programme of education that takes place throughout England and online. The Poetry School aims to create an inclusive and supportive critical community of writers and readers and is dedicated to nurturing original new voices in contemporary poetry.

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

Financial issues to consider:

Unrestricted reserves appear to be dangerously low at the latest year end
Latest accounts are overdue for filing
On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending

Established: 26 years

www.poetryschool.com

administration@poetryschool.com

02075821679

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?

Sources of Income ?

Y/E		Income £k	Spending £k	Surplus/ Deficit	Fundraising Cost £k	Total Funds £k	Unrestricted Funds £k	Mths Rsrvs	Staff	Volun- teers
31/03/22	*	£510	£575	£-65	£1	£49	£49	1	6	0
31/03/21		£577	£420	£157	£0	£115	£108	3.1	6	0
31/03/20		£584	£597	£-14	£1	£-42	£-50	-1	6	1
31/03/19		£497	£580	£-83	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	1
31/03/18		£455	£483	£-27	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	2
31/03/17		£374	£406	£-32	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/16		£379	£364	£15	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/15		£330	£334	£-4	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/14		£341	£324	£17	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/13		£303	£284	£18	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/12		£273	£283	£-11	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/11		£310	£296	£14	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/10		£272	£257	£15	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/09		£233	£215	£18	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/08		£214	£219	£-5	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/07	*	£195	£183	£12	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/06	*	£172	£167	£5	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/05		£147	£137	£9	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/04		£97	£107	£-10	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0.2%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0.2%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 67%
Liabilities/Income: 20%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 99%
Reserves/Spending: 1 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 1 months
Quick Ratio: 1.5

Asset Split ?

Listed activities

Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
Education/Training

How it operates

Provides services

Where it operates

Throughout England,

Who it helps

The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

6 employees

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years

DCMS	£142,993
Garfield Weston Foundation	£25,000
Tedworth Charitable Trust	£5,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£25,000	22/05/2020	Poetry School Core Costs
DCMS - The Poetry School
£142,993	01/04/2020	The wider aim of the scheme is: We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given ....more The wider aim of the scheme is: We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help deliver this vision.
Tedworth Charitable Trust - Environmental poetry prize
£5,000	05/08/2019	Towards a new environmental poetry prize created by the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage.
DCMS - The Poetry School
£140,409	01/04/2019	£1.6bn invested in the key arts and culture infrastrucure organisations in England for a 4 year period
DCMS - The Poetry School
£140,409	01/04/2018	The Poetry School
DCMS - The Poetry School
£35,102	01/04/2018	To support The Poetry School
Tedworth Charitable Trust - New premises in Canada Water
£1,000	26/03/2018	Towards the charity's appeal to equip its new premises in Canada Water.

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Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 35-63

DENISE SAUL Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Poet

HANNAH ETIM-GORST Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Lawyer

JONATHAN PAUL SHARPLES Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Solicitor

JONATHAN TEYSSANDIER Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Risk Analyst

KATHERINE COLOMBUS Appointed: 2024

HELEN TAYLOR Appointed: 2015, Occupation: Retired Teacher

RICHARD FORSDYKE (Chair) Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Lawyer

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 27/04/1998, number: 1069314
Registered at Companies House on 16/09/1997, number: 03434849

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Complaints handling
Conflicting interests
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Volunteer management

Filing Record

19 returns made; AR22: 59 days late, AR07: 2 days late, AR06: 2 days late,

Main office

The Poetry School
1 City Square
Park Row
Leeds
England
LS1 2ES

Objectives

THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ART OF POETRY BY PROMOTING AND FURTHERING ITS STUDY AND PRACTICE IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PROVISION OF WORKSHOPS, CLASSES AND TUTORIALS AND THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A POETRY SCHOOL.

Defined Area of Benefit:

GREATER LONDON

Data Sources