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BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION

Charity rating & review

100/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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100 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Is BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION a good charity?

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 100/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 97% 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.

Birmingham · BA2 9BN Reg 1189547 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION is a registered charity (no. 1189547) working in children & youth in Birmingham · BA2 9BN. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 97% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 6 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: BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 100 out of 100 (4 stars). 97% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION has a Clarity Score of 100 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1189547. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £979k, with 97% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 6 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

100/100

4★ · Great

Cause spend

97%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£979k

Latest year 2021

Reserves

6 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£38.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 4% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION compares

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)100 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 100% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities100 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 100% 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

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

Accountability & Transparency metrics for BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
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% 11 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

Financial Health metrics for BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
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% 6 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% 18% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 97% · 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% 3p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Community Support metrics for BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

100% 350 volunteers / 31 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

100/100 total · Exceptional · 4 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
100/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight11 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)6 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets18% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio97% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency3p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio350 volunteers / 31 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £979k
Total expenditure £994k
Charitable activities £965k 97%
Fundraising £28k 3%
Governance & admin £10k 1%
97%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £994k spent

  • Charitable activities97%
  • Fundraising3%
  • Governance1%

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)

    11 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    31 employees · 350 volunteers (11:1 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 1189547

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Christopher John Ellicott since 2020
  • Russell James Steven Thomas since 2020
  • Robert Blake-Burke since 2022
  • Ming Hui Ng since 2023
  • William Joe Wilson Chair · since 2025
  • Evie Sarah Trembath since 2025
  • Madeline Simmons since 2025
  • Eve Molochko since 2025
  • Benjamin Edward Hooper since 2025
  • Janine Pointon since 2025
  • My Tam Sunny Dao 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 £600k £1200k £1800k £2400k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £979k Spending 2021: £994k Cause spend 2021: £965k Income 2022: £1,311k Spending 2022: £1,375k Cause spend 2022: £1,266k Income 2023: £1,552k Spending 2023: £1,583k Cause spend 2023: £1,523k Income 2024: £2,097k Spending 2024: £1,879k Cause spend 2024: £1,842k Income 2025: £1,756k Spending 2025: £1,797k Cause spend 2025: £1,754k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
100/100 (4★)
Income
£979k
Cause spend
97% of expenditure
Reg number
1189547
Scope
Local (birmingham)
Reserves
6 months
Trustees
11
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's charity rating? +

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 100 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 BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION a good charity to donate to? +

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION scores 100 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 97% 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 BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1189547. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's Charity Commission registration number? +

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's registration number is 1189547. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1189547

How much income does BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION receive? +

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION reported £979k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 97% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 3% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 4%.

Are BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION'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 BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION based? +

BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION is listed at Birmingham · BA2 9BN, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION? +

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 BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION? +

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 BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put BATH SPA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' UNION side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.