Chris Llewellyn

What do you mean “even”? It lasts the test of time.

Public defends mystery donor's six-figure sum to schools after heads say it's unfair Readers have shared their opinions after news that an anonymous donor has cleared a primary school's six-figure budget gap

@rhodridavies.bsky.social hey there, you might be interested in this story. An anonymous philanthropist paying off £600k of an LA school’s debts. www.theargus.co.uk/news/2569467...

Tom Stoppard, playwright of dazzling wit and playful erudition, dies aged 88 A theatrical sensation since the 1960s, whose dramas included Arcadia, The Real Thing and Leopoldstadt, Stoppard also had huge success as a screenwriter

Tom Stoppard has died. His giant playwriting career kick-started by a Ford Foundation grant early on, when he had no track record.
Maybe we talk too much about predictable outcomes (looking at you, Effective Philanthropy) & "measurable" effects:

www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/n...

Evergreen front page headline from the Grauniad

Are you passing on your copy?

Totally agree. The DfE does not have the knowledge or capacity to act as principal regulator, making sure the whole academy sector complies with their duties under charity law.

Great interview here. Enjoying my time with @johnlyonscharity.bsky.social. An interesting example of a charity with long established roots thinking carefully about the future.

It was my first time as a member of the John Lyon's Charity Grants Committee yesterday. A fascinating setup, I’ve admired from afar for a while. A fun day and not just because I met John the Lyon in his natural habitat.

Not in my fantasy team unfortunately

It really was! That touch, spectacular.

Charities tend to create trading subsidiaries to carry on purely commercial activity. As an educational product, its arguable that Wandle can do it within their charitable objects, but as you say would be better for lots of reasons if in a different vehicle, with the right business skills involved.

Time to wheel out the quintessential philanthropy valentine again, I guess:

Roses are red,🌹
Violets are blue,
Philanthropy's wonderful,
If you pay taxes too.

How can trustees be more adaptive and systemic? - NPC This event will explore how trustees can be more adaptive and systemic?

Very interesting set of free lectures for trustees coming up from @thinknpc.bsky.social

The first one is on AI, future ones include this one. Good stuff.

www.thinknpc.org/events-and-t...

They have not had a Financial Review or a Reserves Policy in either of the last two sets of accounts, even though There is mention of the "Reserves policy below" in both of them. They used to have them beforehand. I wonder what changed?

I can't see a financial review or reserves policy in their latest accounts. The AAD says they need them. Amazing they have been signed off.

Good to hear @bbcr4today seeking out both sides of the academies debate today. But this debate often seems to generate more heat than light. Brief thread now, with some thoughts, given I’ve been investigating the policy since 2000.

Links to all my charity sector starter packs

Starter pack 1 of UK charities (early adopters): go.bsky.app/UVMCfpi

Pack 2 of UK charities (2nd wave): go.bsky.app/7mP5Af9

Pack 3 of UK charities: go.bsky.app/VshNPMC

Support organisations: go.bsky.app/TnicTFM

Community centres: go.bsky.app/9LNkxRN

Absolutely brilliant news. Has been fascinating seeing a grassroots campaign come from nowhere to save a community asset in less than 2 months.

It’s the official start of Christmas with the @choirwithnoname.bsky.social singalong at the Brighton Dome.

If you ever have a chance you have to see them. Truly life-affirming stuff from a brilliant charity!

New: No links to the Cayman Islands, says academy trust’s leader. But its “sponsor” is registered there, published accounts state
www.educationuncovered.co.uk/news/172886/...
A look at comments by CEO of Aurora Academies Trust +connections to its “sponsorship,” via the company Pansophic Learning.

I really like this new report by NPC who I don’t think have the big leap over this way.

Lots of useful actionable points in there about rebalancing the power dynamic between funders and fundees.

Looking at Brighton and Hove council's response to 2 schools proposing to academise to US company-controlled Aurora Acads Trust. States: "Academies on average pay their teaching staff less than maintained schools. Exception is pay for headteachers and senior trust leaders". True.

This is a massively important article. My daughter’s school is trying to become an academy. The academy chain is controlled by a US company, who can appoint a majority on the board.

So many questions about how this privatisation of Uk state schools is allowed to happen.

At the Community Works AGM this morn for some Sussex charity sector catch ups. Anyone around do say hi! #cwagm

Very proud to be a trustee of Octopus Giving! Great to be helping build a culture of philanthropy inside and outside a dynamic set of companies. More info in this new report- octopusgroup.com/futuregenera...

Looking to find charities to follow? Start here -

My starter pack 1 of the early adopters: go.bsky.app/UVMCfpi

And now starter pack 2: go.bsky.app/7mP5Af9

Just realised it should *fewer* Nazis. Not a great grammatical start.

Ambitious but a great idea. Please do add me as Director of the CriSeren Foundation. Cheers!

Very interesting looking into proposed academisation of daughter’s school. Multi Academy Trusts can be so murky. Not the most transparent of organisations!