Children & youth · Reg 1116260
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST
Charity rating & review
85/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Good
Is THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST a good charity?
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST scores 85/100 (Good) on our Clarity Score, with 91% 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
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST is a registered charity (no. 1116260) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 91% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 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: THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars). 91% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.
Overview
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST has a Clarity Score of 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1116260. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £7.1m, with 91% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 0 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
85/100
3★ · Good
Cause spend
91%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£7.1m
Latest year 2021
Reserves
0 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
£10.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 9% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high
How THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 68% of 716 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 68% 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
| 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.
50/100
| 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. | 0% | 0 months · 0/15 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% | 28% · 5/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio ≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts. | 100% | 91% · 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% | 10p 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% | 1,400 volunteers / 202 staff · 10/10 pts |
Clarity Score
85/100 total · Good · 3 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.
50/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
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 | £7.1m | — |
| Total expenditure | £6.4m | — |
| Charitable activities | £5.6m | 88% |
| Fundraising | £771k | 12% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2021) · £6.4m spent
- Charitable activities88% · £5.6m
- Fundraising12% · £771k
- Other spending0% · £11k
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
202 employees · 1,400 volunteers (7:1 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 1116260
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Joanna Prior Chair · since 2022
- Professor Michelle Money since 2022
- Matthew Anthony Wilson Bradbury since 2022
- Kersten Elizabeth England since 2023
- Rachel Laura Hopcroft since 2024
- Hilary Ineomo-Marcus since 2024
- Gabrielle Helen Louise Huddart since 2024
- Louise Doughty since 2025
- Bradley Martin Keast since 2025
- Catherine Ann Rose since 2025
- Jasmine Richards 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.
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
- 85/100 (3★)
- Income
- £7.1m
- Cause spend
- 91% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1116260
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- —
- Trustees
- 11
- Accounts year
- 2021
- Filing
- up to date
Compare & explore
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Frequently asked questions
Common questions about THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST's charity rating? +
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST scores 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). 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 THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST a good charity to donate to? +
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 91% 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 THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1116260. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST's registration number is 1116260. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1116260
How much income does THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST receive? +
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST reported £7.1m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.
What percentage of THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 91% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 9% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 9%.
Are THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST'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 THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST based? +
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST is listed at London · UK-wide · SW8 1RL and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.
How does CharityCompare score THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST? +
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 THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST? +
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 THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.