Finance Score: -2
Governance Score: 1
Support Score: 7
  • Deficit on unrestricted reserves: -2
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Multiple returns filed late: -2
  • Overall weighted support: +7
Overall GiG Score: 6 ?

DEBATE MATE SCHOOLS LIMITED

Debate Mate aims to tackle educational disadvantage in some of Britain’s most deprived communities. It does this by recruiting and training university students to run extra-curricular debate workshops in schools with an above average percentage of children eligible for Free School Meals.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Returns have been filed late on 2 occasions over the last 5 years and the current period appears to have been extended

Financial issues to consider:

  • This charity has an endowment fund which generates much of its income. Its latest spending amounts to only -5335.7% of total funds
  • There was a deficit on unrestricted reserves of £25,496 at the last year end after deducting the value of own use assets

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£1,334£1,360£-27£25£-25£-25-0.2170
31/08/22£1,319£1,263£56£37£1£10150
31/08/21£995£946£49£24£-55£-55-0.7170
31/08/20*£1,057£1,230£-173£23£-104£-104-1200
31/08/19*£1,401£1,402£-1£46£69£690.6200
31/08/18£1,300£1,262£38£52£70£700.7150
31/08/17£1,225£1,227£-1£79£32£320.3150
31/08/16£1,423£1,413£10£181£33£330.3160
31/08/15£1,095£1,086£10£127£23£230.3140
31/08/14?£1,315£1,236£79£89£13£130.1110
30/06/13£755£708£46£135£-66£-66-1.1100
30/06/12£579£575£4£62£-112£-112-2.380
30/06/11£497£616£-119n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/10£496£491£5n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/09£315£274£41n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/08*£104£147£-43n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 20%
Highest pay band: £200,000-£250,000
Liabilities/Assets: 111%
Liabilities/Income: 19%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 100%
Reserves/Spending: -0.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 0 months
Quick Ratio: 0.2
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 17 years

www.debatemate.org

info@debatemate.com

02079228008

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramXYouTube
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
GiG Classification
  • Academic support
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides human resources
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Scotland, Throughout England,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People

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
John Lyon's Charity£90,000
BBC Children in Need£35,447
Garfield Weston Foundation£30,000
Wates Foundation£17,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Wates Foundation - Debate Mate - Core Programme costs - RWF May 2024
£10,000 15/05/2024
Programme costs: We will deliver our Core Programme of after-school debate clubs and our Accelerate Programme specifically for students disengaged with education and/or at risk of exclusion to four schools from November 2024 until June 2025. Our ....more
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Debate Mate Schools Ltd
£2,600 17/01/2023
£2,600 (6.5 days) to provide an eco audit.
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Debate Mate Schools Limited
£500 20/10/2022
0
‘Cost of Living uplift: £500 to help projects meet their rising costs and respond to increased demand 31/10/2022’
Wates Foundation - Helping Disadvantaged Students Learn Key Life Skills - RWF May 2022
£7,000 19/05/2022
We will deliver our Core Programme of after-school debate clubs and our Accelerate Programme specifically for students disengaged with education and/or at risk of exclusion to two schools from November 2022 until June 2023. We will target each ....more
John Lyon's Charity - Main grant to Debate Mate Schools Limited
£90,000 18/11/2021
Core After-School Debating Programme
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Debate Mate Schools Limited
£30,500 30/07/2021
This project will deliver an after school debate club with children and young people affected by poverty in Liverpool, developing confidence and self esteem and supporting them to develop social skills and relationships with others.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£30,000 27/11/2020
Helping Disadvantaged Students Learn Key Life Skills
The Grocers' Charity - 2021 - Debate Mate
£887 30/09/2020
Working to increase social mobility through training courses, better facilities or parenting support
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£8,640 28/09/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to operate, thereby reducing the burden on public ....more
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Debate Mate Schools Limited
£4,447 17/06/2020
6
COVID19 - This grant will fund additional staffing and technology to support children affected by poverty and deprivation who are isolated at home due to Covid-19. This will improve skills and increase confidence.
DCMS - VSCE CMC Fund
£4,447 28/05/2020
NET, Comic Relief and Children in Need will use this funding to provide: increased support to vulnerable people and hidden groups, thus reducing the burden on public services; reach local grassroots and small organisations who can provide an ....more
Dulverton Trust - Life skills for disadvantaged pupils ? Big Give Christmas Challenge 2019
£10,000 12/06/2019
Life skills for disadvantaged pupils ? Big Give Christmas Challenge 2019
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£30,000 07/03/2019
Core Funding for 2018-19 Debate Mate Schools Programmes
Dulverton Trust - Life skills for disadvantaged pupils
£105,000 24/10/2017
Life skills for disadvantaged pupils
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£25,000 09/10/2017
Helping disadvantaged young people to acquire key life skills through debating
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Debate Mate Schools Limited
£125,325 14/06/2017
36
A three year funding application for debating clubs for 640 9-11 year olds per year from primary schools in areas of high local deprivation. The project aims to increase life skills, confidence and team working skills.
Comic Relief - School Debating Activities
£36,446 21/02/2017
3
Debate mate has a demonstrable, impressive record of its achievements. It has made debating cool in schools which would not usually associate with this type of activity. Most schools now operate a waiting list for pupils to join. Importantly, the ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Debate Mate Seven City Project
£353,560 04/04/2016
36
A project to enable disadvantaged young people to develop vital communications skills to improve their chances in education, training or employment. The project will run debating clubs with students from top universities, such as Oxford and ....more
Dulverton Trust - teaching debating skills to disadvantaged young people in Nottingham
£25,000 19/06/2013
teaching debating skills to disadvantaged young people in Nottingham
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Debate Mate Limited
£90,000 20/07/2011
Towards core and project costs for a programme that develops young people's critical thinking and communication skills through debating techniques.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 27-71
  • ADEBAYO ODUSOLA Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Policy Advisor
  • BRITT LINTNER (Chair) Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Fund Management
  • DANIEL TROTTER Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Innovation Manager
  • DEBRA JUDITH SARA THOMPSON Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Managing Director
  • FIONA ANN EDWARDS-STUART Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Consultant Adviser To Small Business
  • KEANNA WILLIAMS Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Trainee Lawyer
  • SHERIFAT ALIMI Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Teacher
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 15/10/2007, number: 1121222
  • Registered at Companies House on 14/06/2007, number: 06279466
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
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
  • 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
Filing Record
16 returns made; AR20: 8 days late, AR19: 38 days late, AR08: 224 days late,
Main office

Tripod
Lambeth Town Hall
Brixton Hill
LONDON
SW2 1RW

Objectives

TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH LEISURE TIME ACTIVITIES, SO AS TO DEVELOP THEIR CAPABILITIES THAT THEY MAY GROW TO FULL MATURITY AS INDIVIDUALS AND MEMBERS OF SOCIETY.

Defined Area of Benefit:

UNDEFINED. IN PRACTICE NATIONAL

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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