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← Education Otherwise Association

2025-06-30-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period ending 30[th] June 2025

Education Otherwise Association charity registration number: 1055120

Objectives

To promote, maintain, improve, and advance public education, particularly by the provision of information, support and facilities to enable parents to make educational provision for their children otherwise than through full time state or private educational institutions.

Activities

Education Otherwise is a membership organisation for the public and social benefit, which provides support and information for families whose children are being educated outside of school and for those who wish to uphold the freedom of families to choose the best form of education for their children.

Our principal aims are:

These aims are met via our publicly accessible website as well as through the public helpline and our social media group. Support and information are provided to members, home educators, the media, local and national government and other interested parties, including voluntary agencies. In addition, members can take advantage of our free report checking services, discounts, email and internet support. Local authorities and other public bodies can take advantage of our professional development offer.

Accepted Local Home Education Groups organised by Education Otherwise members may take advantage of reduced premiums for Public Liability Insurance through our Policy.

Education Otherwise is entirely run and managed by volunteers and the main activities undertaken by the charity are in furtherance of the public benefit. In organising these activities, trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.

Achievements and Performance

The charity continues to make a difference through the support given by our volunteers.

Telephone helpline: Our telephone helpline is serviced by professionally trained volunteers and receives a significant number of calls. Callers are reassured and supported by the information which they receive. During 2024 to 2025 the number of calls answered was high, averaging 300 per month in the early months, reducing to approximately 200 as the year went on. The line was not advertised significantly in the latter part of this year whilst the charity recruited and trained new helpline volunteers. This year, we continue to see significant numbers of callers who feel forced to home educate so as a result of their child’s mental health and special needs not being met in school.

Website: Our website traffic has continued to be at high levels throughout the year.

Advice and information: Our fact sheets and information continue to be referred to and to meet the needs of home educating families and other stakeholders. Local authorities continue to refer parents to our services with clear statements being made by some that Education Otherwise information is respected and valued.

Consultations and stakeholder involvement

We continue to be asked to give media interviews and to contribute to consultations.

We have met with a number of public bodies and agencies in order to raise concerns on behalf of our members and service users.

We have continued to liaise with public bodies and organisations in order to further the needs of our members and service users.

We sit on the small panel of stakeholders working with the DfE in order to provide a direct means of raising concerns held by service users.

We sit on the DfE panel for the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

We liaise with Parliamentarians in order to provide information and to raise concerns in respect of prospective legislation and regulation on behalf of our service users.

Initiatives

Education Otherwise: Fifty Years of Home Education. The charity was delighted to publish our book relating the history of home education in the United Kingdom, a history in which we play a major part. This was extremely well received, including by Parliamentarians and local authorities who received copies. Nearly 500 copies were issued to excellent reviews.

The Kit Award for excellence continues to be well received. The award seeks to encourage excellence in local authority home education practice. Nominations are made by home educating families and awards are based on those nominations. Awards were made to 115 officers in 75 local authorities for the award session 1[st] September 2024.

Report checking: Our professional report checking service for members has proven popular amongst members who are reassured by the service being insured, subject to Data Protection regulations and producing a very high level of report acceptance. Non members can also access the service. Our checkers have met our target turnaround in almost all cases and received consistent, positive feedback from service users.

Youth panel: The youth panel has decided to recruit members for the 2025 to 2026 season in order to extend its activities. Alice, who manages the panel, has continued to be a real asset to the charity and an excellent standard bearer for home educated young people.

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Local Authority Continuous Professional Development (training)

After two years, our CPD for local authority staff continues to be extremely well received. The CPD comes from a position of positive practice and is informed by feedback from members and service users, together with our research into positive practice in highly regarded local authority areas.

During this year, we organised and funded extremely helpful CPD presented by David Wolfe KC, in respect of home educated special needs children, EHCPs and local authority practice in this area. David kindly allowed us to share the provided information to those local authority officers who could not attend on the day, extending the reach of this valuable awareness raising session. Policies Held

Serious incident reporting

One event was reported during the year. The event had the following estimated positive effect:

The event had the following estimated negative effect:

Financial Review

Income

Income from all sources is up in 2024 - 2025 at £26,876.59 compared to 2023 - 2024 at £25,468

This is primarily through membership income with membership continuing to grow.

Expenditure

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Ordinary operating expenditure this year is £32,354.10 a rise from £23,621 last year which reflects our greater level of service provision and commitment to professionalism. This was in part made up of training costs for volunteers and legal fees in order to ensure that our services remain accurate. Part of the expenditure was on deposits to secure services to provide for our fiftieth anniversary celebration in 2026.

Balances

Overall, the charity had a deficit of £3,478 during the financial year. This mainly reflects deposits paid to secure services for our fiftieth anniversary event.

Overall, funds held amount to £54,468 which is approximately two years of normal operating expenditure.

Principal sources of funds

The principal source of funds remains the sale of memberships, together with donations from members and the public. The charity also charges a fee for local groups to be included under the cover of its insurance policy and a portion of the annual insurance fee is covered by this income. This year, £1,964 was received through charitable sales.

Principal Risks

Possible future decline in income from memberships is a concern which has arisen in previous years, but buoyant membership uptake shows promise for future years. Trustees remain vigilant to the possibility of the effects of increasing inflation and membership numbers falling in the future.

Reserves

The charity currently holds reserves amounting to approximately two years of normal expenditure. Trustees maintain awareness of the need to comply with Charity regulations by using funds toward service provision and not holding an excess in reserve.

Going concern

The charity’s financial position remains secure with no uncertainty about remaining a going concern.

Structure, Governance and Management

Constitution

Education Otherwise Association is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is not linked with any other organisation.

Membership

Membership is by annual subscription and is open to individuals and organisations involved with, or having an interest, in home education. Voting rights have been opened to all members upon application in order to increase our democratic approach to governance.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

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Trustees are recruited from members who have requisite skills and abilities to support the charity today and into the future. All trustees must be registered members of the charity at the time of appointment. Potential trustees are proposed to the AGM. Trustees are appointed for a term of four years, although they may be coopted between AGMs. Co-opted trustees must stand down, or stand for election, at the following AGM. A permanent trusteeship can be awarded to one long standing and experienced trustee. This post is currently held by Dr Fe Mukwamba-Sendall as charity President.

There is an interview procedure in place to ensure that potential trustees meet eligibility criteria before being proposed for election or co-opted.

Trustee Induction and Training

New trustees are provided with information about their role and responsibilities as Trustees via an online course, the Trustee handbook, trustee forum and remote meetings. In addition, all trustees receive training in safeguarding and the charity services.

Trustee Associate Role

Trustee associates support trustees in their respective roles and responsibilities. The position of Trustee associates underpins the charity’s succession plans. Volunteers

Approximately 25 volunteers provided services to support our aims during this year.

Reference and Administration

Trustees for the period 1st July 2024 to 30th June 2025

Continuing in post throughout the period

Joined during this period

Resignations and ceased in post during this period

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Trustees’ responsibilities for the preparation of the financial statements The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom accounting standards.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Charities SORP.

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees report above Fe Mukwamba-Sendall, Wendy Charles-Warner, Rebecca Silverwood, Tasharna Gardner, Catherine Sunshine, Roberta Littlewood, Hana Bishop, Lisa McKittrick, Amanda King, Alanna Cohen and Sophie Pryce Looijer Co-opted 18th May 2025

29[th] August 2025

Financial report

Education Otherwise Association Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 30[th] June 2024

Education Otherwise Association Statement of Financial

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Activities For the year ending 30 June 2025

Income & Endowments
Membership & donatons
Investment Income
Charitable Sales
Total Income
Expenditure
Charitable actvites
Other expenses
Total Expenditure
Net movement in funds
Reconciliaton of funds
Total funds b/f
Net movement in the year
Total funds c/f		 2025
2024
£
£
23,8
70
24,41
8
1,0
43
1,05
0
1,9
64
-
26,8
77
25,46
8
20,6
92
17,90
3
11,6
62
5,71
8
32,3
54
23,62
1
(5,478)
4819
59,0
57
57,17
4
(4,5
89)
4,81
9
54,468
61992.7
7

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