--- title: "Pippin Playgroup — charity rating & review | CharityCompare" description: "Is Pippin Playgroup a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 49/100. Accounts 2025: income £640k · cause-spend split not disclosed. Reg 1028855." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pippin-playgroup retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:50:10.475Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Pippin Playgroup a good charity? Pippin Playgroup scores 49/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£640k total income, cause-spend split not disclosed). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown. Stevenage · SG5 4PF | Reg [1028855](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pippin-playgroup) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.pippinpreschool.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1028855) Donate ## How can you give to PIPPIN PLAYGROUP? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official PIPPIN PLAYGROUP form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.pippinpreschool.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1028855) ## What does Pippin Playgroup do? Pippin Playgroup is a registered charity (no. 1028855) working in education in Stevenage · SG5 4PF. Its latest Charity Commission filing does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in recent filings, holding roughly 1 month of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈6% a year). 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 — Pippin Playgroup hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=pippin-playgroup) **In short:** PIPPIN PLAYGROUP scores 49 out of 100 (2 stars). Cause-spend split not disclosed in recent filings. Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Pippin Playgroup? Pippin Playgroup has a Clarity Score of 49 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1028855. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £640k, cause-spend split not disclosed in that filing. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 1 month of operating costs. 2 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 49/100 2★ · Poor Cause spend N/D Not disclosed in filings Accountability 55/100 Finance beacon Income £640k Latest year 2025 Reserves 1 mo 1 month of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register Fundraising efficiency not stated · Overhead not disclosed · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does PIPPIN PLAYGROUP compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers PIPPIN PLAYGROUP scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)3rdpercentile **Scores higher than 3% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 49/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Education charities5thpercentile **Scores higher than 5% of 579 charities in this cause** · 49/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Pippin Playgroup's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 Medium confidence — some data missing or late 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), [Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and [Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/). [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). ## What is Pippin Playgroup'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. 55/100 | 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. | 0% | 0/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 5 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. 57/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 33% | 1 month · 5/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 80% | 8/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 80% | 11% · 4/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 50/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 0% | Not stated · 0/10 pts | | 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. 0/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | Not reported · 0/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Pippin Playgroup's Clarity Score? 49/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 55/100 Accountability & Transparency 57/100 Financial Health 50/100 Financial Efficiency 0/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 55/100 Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies7/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 57/100 Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts Income stability / growth8/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets11% · 4/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 50/100 Program expense ratioNot stated · 0/10 pts 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 ## How much does Pippin Playgroup raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £640k | — | | Total expenditure | £673k | — | | Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — | ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £673k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split. ## What trust indicators does Pippin Playgroup have? 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) 5 trustees on the Charity Commission register Fundraising Regulator Not listed as member Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice. [Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 1028855 Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission. [View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1028855) ### Trustees & officers - Emily Freestone since 2023 - Maricris McDonald Payne Chair · since 2024 - Lauren Hickey since 2025 - Jessica Valentine since 2025 - Robert Tetlow since 2025 100 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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/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 Pippin Playgroup's finances changed over five years? - 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 Pippin Playgroup? Overall score 49/100 (2★) Income £640k Cause spend Not disclosed Reg number 1028855 Scope Local (stevenage) Reserves 1 month Trustees 5 Accounts year 2025 Filing late ## How does PIPPIN PLAYGROUP compare, and where else can you look? [Compare PIPPIN PLAYGROUP with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=pippin-playgroup) [More education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where PIPPIN PLAYGROUP sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children) - [Charities in Stevenage](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/stevenage) ### Similar education charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [CHAPTER ONE (U.K.) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/chapter-one-u-k-ltd) 100/100 · £1.8m - [SCHOOL IN A BAG](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/school-in-a-bag) 100/100 · £600k - [THE BEN KINSELLA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-ben-kinsella-trust) 100/100 · £596k - [EALING AND HOUNSLOW COMMUNITY VOLUNTARY SERVICE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/ealing-and-hounslow-community-voluntary-service) 99/100 · £953k ## How can you share Pippin Playgroup's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Pippin%20Playgroup%20%E2%80%94%2049%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fpippin-playgroup)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fpippin-playgroup)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fpippin-playgroup)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Pippin%20Playgroup%20%E2%80%94%2049%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fpippin-playgroup) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Pippin Playgroup. For this charity ## How do you add Pippin Playgroup's rating to your site? Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 49/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pippin-playgroup) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 49/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Pippin Playgroup have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Pippin Playgroup's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Pippin Playgroup a good charity? + Pippin Playgroup scores 49 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Its recent filings do not disclose a charitable-activities spend split 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 Pippin Playgroup a legitimate charity? + Yes — Pippin Playgroup is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1028855). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1028855. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Pippin Playgroup's charity number? + Pippin Playgroup's charity number is 1028855. 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 Pippin Playgroup's charity rating? + Pippin Playgroup scores 49 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Pippin Playgroup have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Pippin Playgroup. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (2 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 Pippin Playgroup? + Pippin Playgroup does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in its recent UK regulator filings, so there is no official figure for how much of a donation reaches the cause. CharityCompare reports this as "not disclosed" rather than assuming a number. What are Pippin Playgroup's overheads? + Pippin Playgroup's recent UK regulator filings do not disclose a fundraising or governance cost split, so no official overhead percentage is available. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Pippin Playgroup'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 Pippin Playgroup receive? + Pippin Playgroup reported £640k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are Pippin Playgroup's accounts up to date? + Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score. Where is Pippin Playgroup based? + Pippin Playgroup is listed at Stevenage · SG5 4PF, focused on education. How does CharityCompare score Pippin Playgroup? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Pippin Playgroup'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 Pippin Playgroup'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.