Public benefit
 

Objects

The central purpose of Eton College is the advancement of education.   To this end, it runs a secondary school of the highest possible standard for approximately 1,300 pupils aged 13-18.   The objects are treated as including an ability to make provision, in addition, towards ancillary or incidental educational activities and other associated activities for the benefit of the community.

Provision of a Christian education was of prime importance to the Founder, King Henry VI, and he expected his Chapel to be used for worship graced by music of a high standard.   The College continues to respect these wishes, as well as making provision for other faiths. Over the centuries, the College has acquired a considerable heritage of fine buildings.   Their preservation is regarded as fundamental for the enrichment of the education that the College provides.   For the same reason, the College conserves and augments its accumulation of books and works of art, uses them for teaching purposes, and makes them available to serious visitors. The College Library is a valuable resource for external scholars, and exhibitions from the collections are held from time to time in Eton and elsewhere.

The College has for many years given a high priority to providing public benefit by widening access through subsidising pupils’ fees, running educational holiday courses and making many of its facilities available for public use.   Local schools, the community and the environment are supported in a large number of ways.  

 Summary of public benefit

A concise summary of the statement of Eton's public benefit in the most recently approved annual report may be downloaded here.

The most recently approved, entire annual report and financial statements of Eton College may be downloaded here.