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BRITISH YOUTH OPERA

Charity rating & review

69/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
69 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is BRITISH YOUTH OPERA a good charity?

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA scores 69/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 75% 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.

London · UK-wide · WC2N 4ES Reg 327927 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA is a registered charity (no. 327927) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 75% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 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: BRITISH YOUTH OPERA scores 69 out of 100 (2 stars). 75% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA has a Clarity Score of 69 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 327927. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £189k, with 75% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 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

69/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

75%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£189k

Latest year 2020

Reserves

1 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£10.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 8% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How BRITISH YOUTH OPERA compares

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

Income band (£100k–£500k)69 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 29% of 2,492 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities69 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 24% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2020
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.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for BRITISH YOUTH OPERA
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.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

40/100

Financial Health metrics for BRITISH YOUTH OPERA
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.

47% 1 months · 7/15 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% 14% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for BRITISH YOUTH OPERA
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 75% · 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% 7p 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 BRITISH YOUTH OPERA
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

69/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 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
0/100
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 oversight11 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)1 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets14% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio75% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency7p 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 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £189k
Total expenditure £271k
0%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £271k spent

  • Other spending100%

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

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 327927

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • RICHARD BROOMAN since 2013
  • Jennifer Smith since 2021
  • TESSA MARCHINGTON since 2021
  • Claire Barnett-Jones since 2021
  • James McNaught-Davis since 2021
  • Holiday Donaldson since 2024
  • Simon Spence KC since 2024
  • dr Toby Young since 2024
  • John Richards since 2024
  • John Rothenberg since 2024
  • Enrique Sacau Ferreira 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 £200k £400k £600k £800k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £189k Spending 2020: £271k Cause spend 2020: £203k Income 2021: £244k Spending 2021: £472k Cause spend 2021: £354k Income 2022: £509k Spending 2022: £430k Cause spend 2022: £325k Income 2023: £262k Spending 2023: £388k Cause spend 2023: £291k Income 2024: £312k Spending 2024: £396k Cause spend 2024: £297k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
69/100 (2★)
Income
£189k
Cause spend
75% of expenditure
Reg number
327927
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
1 months
Trustees
11
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about BRITISH YOUTH OPERA's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is BRITISH YOUTH OPERA's charity rating? +

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA scores 69 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 BRITISH YOUTH OPERA a good charity to donate to? +

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA scores 69 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 75% 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 BRITISH YOUTH OPERA a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — BRITISH YOUTH OPERA is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 327927. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is BRITISH YOUTH OPERA's Charity Commission registration number? +

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA's registration number is 327927. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/327927

How much income does BRITISH YOUTH OPERA receive? +

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA reported £189k total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of BRITISH YOUTH OPERA's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 75% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 8% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 8%.

Are BRITISH YOUTH OPERA'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 BRITISH YOUTH OPERA based? +

BRITISH YOUTH OPERA is listed at London · UK-wide · WC2N 4ES and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score BRITISH YOUTH OPERA? +

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 BRITISH YOUTH OPERA? +

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 BRITISH YOUTH OPERA with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put BRITISH YOUTH OPERA side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.