Education · Reg 1170975
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED
Charity rating & review
95/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Exceptional
Is ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED a good charity?
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED scores 95/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 73% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
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Mission
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED is a registered charity (no. 1170975) working in education across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 73% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 9 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining 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: ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED scores 95 out of 100 (4 stars). 73% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.
Overview
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED has a Clarity Score of 95 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1170975. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £272k, with 73% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 9 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Overall score
95/100
4★ · Great
Cause spend
73%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£272k
Latest year 2021
Reserves
9 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
£9.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 12% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high
How ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 90% of 2,492 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 85% of 294 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
High confidence — complete filing data
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.
100/100
| 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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag). | 100% | 6 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 100% | 10/10 pts |
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
100/100
| 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% | 9 months · 15/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts. | 100% | 17% · 5/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
75/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio ≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts. | 50% | 73% · 5/10 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% | 8p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts. | 100% | 20 volunteers / 7 staff · 10/10 pts |
Clarity Score
95/100 total · Exceptional · 4 of 4 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
100/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
100/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
75/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
Revenue & expenses
Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £272k | — |
| Total expenditure | £227k | — |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2021) · £227k spent
- Other spending100% · £227k
Trust indicators
Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.
-
Accounts filed on time
up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
-
Trustee board size (3–12)
6 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
7 employees · 20 volunteers (3:1 volunteer-to-staff)
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 1170975
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- PAUL CHEETHAM-KARCZ Chair · since 2015
- DANIEL MILLER since 2015
- Laura Jillings since 2019
- Robert Anthony Barlow since 2022
- Emma Louise Knighton since 2024
- Victoria Maley since 2024
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.
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
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts
Key facts
- Overall score
- 95/100 (4★)
- Income
- £272k
- Cause spend
- 73% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1170975
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- 9 months
- Trustees
- 6
- Accounts year
- 2021
- Filing
- up to date
Compare & explore
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Frequently asked questions
Common questions about ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED's charity rating? +
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED scores 95 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Exceptional). 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 ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED a good charity to donate to? +
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED scores 95 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 73% 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 ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1170975. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED's Charity Commission registration number? +
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED's registration number is 1170975. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1170975
How much income does ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED receive? +
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED reported £272k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.
What percentage of ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 73% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 11% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 12%.
Are ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED's accounts up to date? +
Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED based? +
ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED is listed at Manchester · UK-wide · M3 2EN and operates UK-wide, focused on education.
How does CharityCompare score ONCE UPON A SMILE 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 ONCE UPON A SMILE 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 ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put ONCE UPON A SMILE LIMITED side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.