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BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED

Charity rating & review

67/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
67 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED a good charity?

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED scores 67/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 100% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Birmingham · BS8 2XF Reg 900280 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED is a registered charity (no. 900280) working in children & youth in Birmingham · BS8 2XF. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 12 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Income has been growing over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

In short: BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED scores 67 out of 100 (2 stars). 100% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED has a Clarity Score of 67 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 900280. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £3.0m, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 12 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

67/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

100%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

68/100

Finance beacon

Income

£3.0m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

12 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£1362.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 3% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£1m–£5m)67 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 25% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities67 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 22% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

68/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

33% 5/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 9 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

67/100

Financial Health metrics for BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 12 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 20% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

100% 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Community Support metrics for BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

67/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

68/100
Accountability & Transparency
67/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

68/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts
Trustee oversight9 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

67/100

Reserves (months of cash)12 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets20% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Program expense ratio100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £3.0m
Total expenditure £2.9m
Charitable activities £2.9m 100%
Fundraising £5k 0%
Governance & admin £36k 1%
100%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £2.9m spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Fundraising0%
  • Governance1%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    Filing status: late

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    9 trustees on the Charity Commission register

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 900280

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • paul christopher baker since 2018
  • philip alan tanner since 2019
  • Paul Eccleson MSc FICA since 2022
  • Austin Milne since 2022
  • Robert James since 2023
  • Faye Lloyd since 2023
  • Anthony Edward Thomas since 2024
  • Lynn Robinson since 2024
  • Karl Michael Wilson since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £1000k £2000k £3000k £4000k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £3,020k Spending 2021: £2,940k Cause spend 2021: £2,932k Income 2022: £3,669k Spending 2022: £3,342k Cause spend 2022: £3,336k Income 2023: £3,285k Spending 2023: £3,975k Cause spend 2023: £3,970k Income 2024: £2,853k Spending 2024: £3,946k Cause spend 2024: £3,945k Income 2025: £2,783k Spending 2025: £3,611k Cause spend 2025: £3,611k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
67/100 (2★)
Income
£3.0m
Cause spend
100% of expenditure
Reg number
900280
Scope
Local (birmingham)
Reserves
12 months
Trustees
9
Accounts year
2021
Filing
late

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED's charity rating? +

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED scores 67 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED a good charity to donate to? +

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED scores 67 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 100% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are late. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 900280. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED's Charity Commission registration number? +

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED's registration number is 900280. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/900280

How much income does BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED receive? +

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED reported £3.0m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 100% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 3%.

Are BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED based? +

BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED is listed at Birmingham · BS8 2XF, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put BRISTOL OLD VIC THEATRE SCHOOL LIMITED side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.