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Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust

Charity rating & review

74/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
74 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Quick answer

Is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust a good charity?

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust scores 74/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£309k total income, 92% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Stevenage · SG3 6PY Reg 289346 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust do?

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust is a registered charity (no. 289346) working in environment in Stevenage · SG3 6PY. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 92% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 35 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been broadly stable 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.

Summarised from public filings — Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST scores 74 out of 100 (3 stars). 92% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below.

What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust?

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust has a Clarity Score of 74 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 289346. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Environment. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £309k, with 92% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 35 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

74/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

92%

latest year · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£309k

Latest year 2025

Reserves

35 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£538.1 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST scores higher than.

Income band (£100k–£500k)58thpercentile

Scores higher than 58% of 972 charities in its income band · 74/100 vs 70 peer average (marker).

Environment charities43rdpercentile

Scores higher than 43% of 460 charities in this cause · 74/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Profile reviewed

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's Beacon report?

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

Accountability & Transparency

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

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST
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.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three).

100% 6 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.

40/100

Financial Health metrics for KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

53% 35 months · 8/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

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

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

80% 8% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

100% 92% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (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.

50/100

Community Support metrics for KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

50% 6 volunteers · 5/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's Clarity Score?

74/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
40/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
50/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight6 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

40/100

Reserves (months of cash)35 months · 8/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets8% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio92% · 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.

50/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio6 volunteers · 5/10 pts

How much does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £309k
Total expenditure £403k
Charitable activities Not disclosed

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £403k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.

What trust indicators does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust have?

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    6 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 289346

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • THE HONOURABLE RICHARD STUCLEY LYTTON COBBOLD
  • EDWARD LYTTON COBBOLD since 2014
  • Morwenna Gray Lytton Cobbold since 2018
  • ROBERT HARRISON ICETON RUTTER Chair · since 2011
  • John Francis Dudley Hoy since 2024
  • Marcus Louis Taverner since 2023
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

How have Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's finances changed over five years?

£0k £200k £400k £600k £800k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £336k Spending 2021: £401k Cause spend 2021: £0k Income 2022: £733k Spending 2022: £580k Cause spend 2022: £580k Income 2023: £471k Spending 2023: £539k Cause spend 2023: £0k Income 2024: £757k Spending 2024: £473k Cause spend 2024: £434k Income 2025: £309k Spending 2025: £403k Cause spend 2025: £0k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

What are the key facts about Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust?

Overall score
74/100 (3★)
Income
£309k
Cause spend
92% of expenditure
Reg number
289346
Scope
Local (stevenage)
Reserves
35 months
Trustees
6
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where KNEBWORTH HOUSE EDUCATION AND PRESERVATION TRUST sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar environment charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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What red flags does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust a good charity? +

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust scores 74 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 92% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. 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 Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 289346). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/289346. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's charity number? +

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's charity number is 289346. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's charity rating? +

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust scores 74 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 92% of Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's total spending went to charitable activities. That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 1% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 0% of total expenditure at Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust receive? +

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust reported £309k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust based? +

Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust is listed at Stevenage · SG3 6PY, focused on environment.

How does CharityCompare score Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? +

This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Knebworth House Education and Preservation Trust's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.