2025-08-31-accounts

31 AUGUST 2025

The Fair Education Alliance Charity no. 1188042 Company no. 11884952

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2 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025
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Contents

Contents

04 Introduction

About the Fair Education Alliance

A welcome from our Chair and Co-CEOs

Neighbourhood to National

14 2024-25 achievements and performance

A unified collective message, vision and action

Connectivity and coordination across the ecosystem Diversity of leadership of the collective agenda

Solutions are supported to scale systemically

36 Plans for the future

38 Thank you to our business, trust and foundation members

40 Financial review

44 Governance and management

45 Trustees’ statement of responsibilities

46 Financial Statements

67 Administrative details

The trustees review the aims, objectives and activities of the charity each year. This report looks at what the charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. The review helps the trustees ensure the charity’s aims, objectives and activities remained focused on its stated purposes. The trustees have referred to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and planning its future activities.

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About the Fair Education Alliance

The Fair Education Alliance is a coalition of nearly 300 of England’s leading organisations from business, the third sector and education, all working towards a world where our education system is fair – where no child’s success is limited by their socioeconomic background.

Our members represent the voices of young people, charities and social enterprises, research organisations and think tanks, businesses and foundations, unions, universities and schools. Together, our members provide direct support to millions of young people annually, across every local authority in England, as well as indirect support such as funding, training and campaigning.

We’re working towards an inclusive education system which values skills and wellbeing alongside attainment, and prepares all children and young people to thrive – whatever their background. For the last decade, we have monitored gaps between children from low-income households and their peers across five measures: attainment at primary school, attainment at GCSE, socioemotional competencies and skills, post16 destinations and higher education graduation rates. Despite the efforts of successive governments, educators, businesses, charities and social enterprises, these gaps remain – and some groups have fallen even further behind.

Rising poverty, increasing inequity and insufficient school funding all contribute to the stark reality that, on average, a child growing up in a low-income household is already five months behind other pupils when they start primary school. This increases to nearly two years

BUSINESSES, FOUNDATIONS OR CHARITABLE TRUSTS

behind by the time they take their GCSEs, impacting future employment prospects and continuing the cycle of poverty in communities across England.

We won’t address these deep-rooted issues in isolation. We need to shift the conditions that are holding the problems in place at all layers, including policy, practice, power and mental models, and so we take a joined-up approach, working together to drive systems change ‘from Neighbourhood to National’.

Our members

Our members work to support children and young people from cradle to career, working in over 25,000 education settings – crucially, this includes 96% of schools in the most deprived income areas. Our membership is diverse; some members are big businesses with thousands of staff and a team dedicated to education programmes, while others are small charities with deep local relationships. Most are charities and social enterprises working directly with young people, teachers, parents or other people in the education system. The rest are schools, multi-academy trusts, membership bodies, unions, research organisations, businesses, foundations, colleges or universities.

MEMBERSHIP BODIES RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS OR UNIONS OR THINK-TANKS

CHARITIES AND SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

SCHOOLS, MULTI-ACADEMY TRUSTS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

1 An ‘education setting’ refers to the physical or virtual environments where teaching and learning activities take place, such as schools, nurseries, colleges, universities, alternative provision settings, after school programmes and clubs.

2 We gather this data from our digital Membership Tools. See Outcome 2 of this report for more information.

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About the Fair Education Alliance

Our approach

Our secretariat is the backbone of the Alliance and works to achieve four outcomes:

A UNIFIED COLLECTIVE MESSAGE, VISION AND ACTION

Our policy priorities are developed with our members, drawing on their evidence and experiences. We use these priorities to campaign for a fairer and more equitable education system, and we harness the power of our collective voice by creating opportunities for young people and members to meet and work with policymakers.

CONNECTIVITY AND CO-ORDINATION A C R O S S T H E ECOSYSTEM

We foster trust, the cornerstone for meaningful collaboration, through our Collective Action Working Groups, the Fair Education Summit and regular updates to our members. We create a flow of information and connections so that organisations and individuals can avoid duplication, learn from each other and act together to drive systems change. Our powerful digital Membership Tools, packed with data from our members, connects organisations working across every local authority in England, enabling collaboration across regions, sectors and specific issues.

DIVERSITY OF LEADERSHIP OF THE COLLECTIVE AGENDA

We provide a platform for young people with lived experience of barriers to education to become co-leaders of the movement towards a fairer education system. Through our youth engagement work we support young people to develop leadership skills, amplify young people’s ideas and lived experience, and build the capacity of our members, policymakers and the wider education sector to meaningfully involve young people in decision-making.

SOLUTIONS ARE SUPPORTED TO SCALE SYSTEMICALLY

We find, fund and support new ideas through our Innovation Award, and our booster events provide inspiration and training for other organisations to increase their impact. Our Scaling Award supports and funds proven initiatives to target and reach more young people through training, connections and leadership development.

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Our members

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Our Members

This page is correct as of 31 August 2025. To find our current list of members, please go to www.faireducation.org.uk/members

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A welcome from our Chair

Welcome to the Fair Education Alliance’s Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the 2024-25 year.

I have spent several decades working in education as a teacher, headteacher and leader – much of that time in communities facing deep and persistent challenges. That experience has taught me that when barriers to opportunity are deeply rooted, there are no quick fixes. Lasting change requires long-term work, collaboration across the system and leadership focused on collective action rather than isolated solutions.

This approach has shaped the Fair Education Alliance from its earliest days, and it has been especially evident throughout 2024–25. Over the past year, members worked together to develop our Neighbourhood to National strategy. Alongside ongoing thematic collaborations and work to build capacity across the system, this strategy recognises the convening power of regions and combined authorities, and the critical role they can play in aligning schools, services and wider systems around children and young people. This shift marks a significant moment in the Alliance’s development, reflecting years of learning from practice, and one of which I am immensely proud.

2024–25 has also been a year of growing momentum in how educational inequity is understood and addressed at a national level. Several long-standing Alliance priorities were reflected in new government commitments, including the expansion of free school meals and increased investment in Family Hubs. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and system leaders, the Fair Education Alliance has contributed evidence, insight and challenge that have helped inform and shape national policy thinking.

At the heart of our work remains a simple truth: opportunity and success are unevenly distributed. For children and young people growing up in poverty, education must do more than deliver lessons. It must open doors, connect them to wider opportunities and help restack the

odds in their favour. That is why collaboration between schools, communities, charities, funders, businesses, and regional and national government is not an added extra for the Fair Education Alliance, but the way change happens.

2025 has continued to be challenging for many children and families, with the rising cost of living and sustained pressure on public services. In this context, the commitment shown by our members has been more important than ever, and I am deeply grateful for the trust, expertise and energy they bring to this shared work.

This year, we bade farewell to long-serving trustees Russell Hobby, Natalie Perera and Dame Julia Cleverdon, and I am sincerely thankful for the wisdom, insight and support they have given to the Alliance. We also welcomed new trustees, Elijah Denning, Anna Trethaway, Zoe Watters and Stephen Twigg, joining current trustees Brett Wigdortz, Nick Wright, Olamide Odanye and Vice Chair Zulum Elumogo. Trustees play a vital behind-the-scenes role in providing oversight and strategic guidance, and it is a privilege to work alongside such exceptional people on the FEA Board of Trustees.

At the end of every day, it is not strategies or structures that stay with me, but children – the children who only get one chance at their education, and for whom every day in education truly matters. As we look ahead, I remain convinced that by working together – rooted in place, working across sectors and driven by a shared purpose – we can create a fairer future for all children and young people.

Dr Vanessa Ogden CBE Chair, Fair Education Alliance

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A welcome from our Chair and Co-CEOs

An introduction from our Co-CEOs

The past year has marked an important moment of transition for the Fair Education Alliance. As educational inequity continues to shape the lives of children and young people, we have focused on sharpening our impact, strengthening relationships, and setting a clear direction for the next phase of our work.

Throughout the year, our members have continued to respond to rising need in communities across the country, while maintaining a focus on long-term change. As you will read in this report, we have brought together schools, charities, businesses and funders to share learning, support innovation, coordinate efforts and address shared challenges across the system. This work reflects our systems change approach, grounded in the belief that cross-sector collaboration and trusted relationships are vital to lasting change.

A significant milestone in 2024–25 was the development of our new Neighbourhood to National strategy. Developed in close collaboration with our members, the strategy sets out how we will achieve lasting change by bridging grass-roots action and national policy. The strategy is built around three core strands: a strong Collective Voice to shape national conversations through insight, evidence and lived experience; Collective Action, delivered through thematic and place-based collaborations; and Collective Strength, developing the leadership and capacity for sustained, long-term systems change.

As highlighted by Vanessa, the past year has also seen tangible progress in national policy affecting children and young people, including the expansion of free school meals and increased investment in Family Hubs. Alongside

this, our sustained engagement with policymakers has helped ensure that the perspectives and experience of our members and young people continue to inform national thinking on how to build a fairer education system.

None of this progress happens in isolation. Our strength lies in our members – schools, charities, funders, businesses and universities – and in the relationships that fuel collective action. In a year that has continued to be challenging for many, the commitment, openness and generosity across our Alliance have been striking. Supporters, staff, trustees, members, Youth Steering Group members, advisers and partners have all contributed time, expertise and leadership to this shared work and we are deeply grateful.

As we look ahead, the task before us is both urgent and clear. Whether you are already part of the Alliance or engaging with our work for the first time, we hope this report offers moments of both reflection and motivation – and invites you to play a role in building a future where no child’s success is limited by their socioeconomic background.

Gina Cicerone and Samantha Butters Co-Chief Executive Officers

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Over the past decade, our Alliance has grown into a diverse coalition of hundreds of organisations, united by the goal that every child and young person thrives. We know the barriers facing children and young people are complex, extending beyond academic attainment to early development, wellbeing, essential skills and ultimately, life chances. One in three children in the UK now grows up in poverty. This is not because they fail to meet the system’s expectations, but because the system fails to meet their needs. Yet we also know that change is possible – and that this moment calls for innovation and collaboration. Across the country, there is a growing appetite for bold ideas, stronger partnerships and a system that works for every child, not just some.

As the Alliance enters its second decade, and in response to the widening gaps and barriers to education, we will launch our new strategy in September 2025: From Neighbourhood to National: A strategy to ensure that every child and young person thrives. Co-created through

workshops and discussions with our members and young people across England, the strategy reflects their insights and experiences. It builds on the strongest lessons we’ve learnt so far: that lasting systems change requires a long-term approach, trust is the cornerstone of collaboration and progress demands the courage to cross traditional boundaries. Real impact comes when the voices of young people shape solutions; when organisations share insight and resources; and when we connect local innovation with national ambition.

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GOLDEN THREAD:
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YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

We believe it is essential to involve and support the leadership of young people with lived experience of the barriers to education we are trying to dismantle.

We work to shift power, enabling young people to co-lead the coalition, be heard by decision-makers, and develop skills to enact further positive change.

This Trustees’ Report covers our work from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025. As such, the terminology, focus areas and impact outlined in this report reflect the final year of our work under our 2020-2025 strategy. Future reports will align with our updated strategy and theory of change introduced in September 2025.

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From Neighbourhood to National: Our 2025-30 Strategy

of the Fair Education Alliance is the belief that lasting change comes from cross-sector collaboration, rooted in

WE DRIVE IMPACT THROUGH THREE CORE STRANDS:

We will amplify our impact by uniting behind a shared voice and creating platforms for young people to lead change. Drawing on insights from across our membership, we will shape policy, shift national conversations, and challenge the assumptions that keep educational inequity in place.

Through place-based and thematic collaborations, we will bring together diverse organisations, sectors and experiences to collaborate and innovate. We work together to build trust, increase understanding, and develop joint solutions that tackle the root causes of educational inequity.

Strong, impactful and connected member organisations are the foundation of our Alliance and vital in improving outcomes with and for children and young people. We will equip young people, staff and trustees to develop the leadership, connections and skills to collaborate and drive systems change.

GOLDEN THREAD: AI & TECHNOLOGY

Artificial intelligence will dramatically shift education and employment.

We work to ensure that AI policies and practices support, rather than disadvantage, young people from low-income backgrounds.

We also equip member organisations to harness technology to increase their impact and develop innovative approaches for our collective work.

OLDEN THREADS” WEAVE THROUGH ALL OF OUR WORK

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The Six Conditions of Systems Change

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STRUCTURAL CHANGE National, regional Activities, procedures,
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RELATIONAL CHANGE The heart of the Fair Systems cha
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TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE (IMPLICIT)

The deepest layer looks to achieve transformative change, shifting the underlying mindsets, values, and assumptions to shape how systems operate and achieve equity.

The beliefs and narratives shaping how society understands inequity. For example, whether disadvantage is seen as an individual failing or a systemic issue.

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From Neighbourhood to National: our 2025-30 Strategy

How money, people, and information are allocated, affecting who can access opportunities and support.

Our 2025-30 strategy draws on the Water of Systems Change framework, which identifies six conditions that need to shift – arranged in three layers

We recognise that addressing the symptoms of inequity through isolated programmes or initiatives will not solve the problem. Our approach is grounded in a commitment to systems change, aiming to shift the conditions that sustain inequity – policies, practices, resource flows, relationships, power dynamics and mental models. As we move forward, we are committed to ensuring that every child and young person thrives, regardless of their background. We believe that by working together across sectors, building trust and amplifying diverse voices, we can create the lasting change needed to dismantle the barriers holding young people back.

th lived f barriers

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2024-25 achievements and performance

In 2024–25, we continued to unite organisations from across education, business and the third sector to tackle educational inequity and ensure that every child and young person can thrive, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

Against the backdrop of a new Government and ongoing challenges such as teacher shortages, persistent attendance gaps and rising poverty, our members have shown the power of collaboration, with 84% actively engaging in FEA activities, representing an eightpercentage-point increase from our 2023-24 member engagement (76%). Together, we focused on four key outcomes: amplifying a collective vision for education in England, increasing coordination across the sector, diversifying leadership and scaling solutions with the goal

of transforming the system and addressing the issues that perpetuate educational inequity.

This report reflects a year of progress, resilience and collaboration across our Alliance. As you continue through the report, you will find insights into our work, key achievements from our members, and our plans for building on this progress in our new five-year strategy, From Neighbourhood to National, so that every child and young person has the opportunity to thrive regardless of their socioeconomic background.

A UNIFIED COLLECTIVE MESSAGE, VISION AND ACTION

Through our policy and advocacy work, we strengthened our collective message to ensure that educational equity remained high on the political agenda. In 2024-25, we were pleased to see several of our policy priorities reflected in new Government commitments, such as the expansion of free school meals and investment in Family Hubs, changes which demonstrate the importance of our collective advocacy. These developments underscored the need for a continued unified message, and we did a lot of work behind the scenes to contribute to this. We met with MPs from across political parties to showcase members’ work and highlight our policy priorities for a fairer education system. In addition, 60 member organisations co-signed our joint submission to the national Curriculum and Assessment Review, ensuring that first-hand insights and lived experience informed the national conversation.

CONNECTIVITY AND CO-ORDINATION ACROSS THE ECOSYSTEM

Connection and coordination across the sector have been central to our approach. In 2024-25, we brought together 149 member organisations through our Collective Action Working Groups, fostering trust and learning between education settings[3] , funders, young people and policymakers. Our digital Membership Tools, now used by more than 900 people, have become a vital resource for mapping activity, identifying need and driving collaboration across every local authority in England. In addition, 154 member organisations took part in our strategy refresh workshops, shaping the direction of our next five-year strategy.

3 An ‘education setting’ refers to the physical or virtual environments where teaching and learning activities take place, such as schools, nurseries, colleges, universities, alternative provision settings, after school programmes and clubs.

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2024–25 at a glance

DIVERSITY OF LEADERSHIP OF THE COLLECTIVE AGENDA

SOLUTIONS ARE SUPPORTED TO SCALE SYSTEMICALLY

Our Youth Steering Group (YSG) has been at the forefront of diversifying leadership within our collective agenda. In 2024-25, they advocated on critical issues such as mental health support in schools and inclusive education, submitting evidence to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, Education Select Committee’s SEND Crisis Inquiry, the Child Poverty Task Force Consultation, and Ofsted’s Report Card. YSG members represented the FEA at key forums, ensuring that the voices of young people with lived experience were central to the conversations shaping education policy. We also supported 75 member organisation to strengthen their youth engagement work through bespoke one-to-one guidance and our Youth Engagement Working Group, helping them embed youth-led practice across their work. As a result, over half of our members are now meaningfully involving young people in decision-making processes, demonstrating a growing sector-wide shift towards shared power and co-leadership.

To address the widening attainment gap, we continued to support and scale effective solutions that make a tangible impact. Through our Innovation and Scaling Awards, we supported 13 organisations to test and grow initiatives that tackle the root causes of educational inequity. These award winners are addressing a wide range of issues – from combating child hunger to reshaping men’s roles in Early Years education. In under a year, the Innovation Award winners collectively reached 1,200+ schools, trained 4,300+ educators and directly supported 8,000+ children and young people. Since the programme started in 2023, the FEA members in our Scaling Award supported 671,571 children and young people, an increase of 179% since beginning the programme. By offering tailored support, funding and strategic guidance, we’ve empowered all 13 award winners to expand their reach and deepen their impact. In doing so, our awardees have demonstrated how local innovations, when nurtured and scaled, can lead to systemic change and influence national education practice.

THE FAIR EDUCATION ALLIANCE YOUTH STEERING GROUP

At the Fair Education Alliance (FEA), young people are equal partners in driving change. The Youth Steering Group (YSG) is a group of young changemakers who represent diverse backgrounds and experiences, dedicated to ensuring all children and young people receive the high-quality education and support they deserve. The YSG plays a central role in shaping the FEA’s work, ensuring that young people are actively involved in all aspects of the Alliance’s work, from collective action and influencing policy to communications, events and supporting our award winners. Throughout this report, we have included their reflections and contributions on key areas of our work, offering valuable insight into the impact of our activities. Their insights are shown in standout Youth Steering Group reflection boxes across the report.

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A UNIFIED COLLECTIVE MESSAGE, VISION AND ACTION

To improve the education system for children and young people, we need to harness the collective power of our membership and unite around a shared message for achieving the change we want to see, ensuring that our priorities are reflected in the Government’s missions and actions. Our approach involves strengthening relationships with politicians and policymakers through school visits and roundtable events, joining external campaigns aligned with our policy priorities and coordinating joint submissions to Government consultations to present a unified voice.

Our 2024-25 policy priorities

Four FEA YSG members took part in a Mission 44 roundtable at Downing Street on inclusive education with the Prime Minister and Sir Lewis Hamilton.

In 2024-25, our policy and advocacy work centred around four shared policy priority areas. Co-created with our members, these priorities shaped our collective action across the year and provided a clear roadmap for change:

1. The best early education and care for every child

2. An education system that prepares every young person to thrive in work and life

3. A strong and supported workforce

4. A joined-up system to meet rising need.

To achieve these priorities, we brought together our members and stakeholders to influence policy change, while also engaging directly with politicians, civil servants and submitting written evidence to Government.

Throughout the year, we were pleased to see several Government announcements that aligned with our policy priorities:

• = The Curriculum and Assessment Review interim report published in May highlighted the importance of a more inclusive and adaptable curriculum that addresses socioeconomic inequity and delivers the skills young people need for the future.

• = The Government’s Spending Review in June included a 4% pay rise for all school and college teachers.

• = The Spending Review also announced an extension of free school meals to families on Universal Credit.

• = As part of its Best Start in Life strategy, the Government is rolling out up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs across the country to support families.

• = The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill announced that the Government would pilot introducing a unique identifier for children.

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A unified collective message, vision and action

POLICY REFLECTIONS FROM OUR YOUTH STEERING GROUP

“We have been campaigning alongside the FEA for these policies for many years, as they promote educational equity, foster holistic student development and create inclusive learning environments that prepare young people for future success. We will continue to work together with FEA members and other young people to hold the Government to account on these policies. Beyond these policy changes, we have seen a stark shift in how the Government is listening to and engaging with young people. Youth Steering Group members have been involved in major consultations, including the Education Committee’s inquiry into Ofsted and the SEND Review. We have also spoken in Parliament, shared our lived experience with All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs), joined panels with Ministers, participated in DfE and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) consultations, and participated in a roundtable with the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street on inclusive education. These efforts, and having decision-makers at our Youth Summit, have positioned us as key stakeholders in rethinking and reshaping the system.” Aisha, Jayden and Thomas, 2023-25 FEA Youth Steering Group members

Supporting members and policymakers to drive policy change

Our Policy Insights Group brings together FEA members to strengthen their skills, connections and collective voice in shaping policies that improve outcomes for children and young people from low-income households. Over the year, 34% of our members (100 organisations involving 137 people) took part, up from 26% in the previous year. We ran a series of learning sessions to build members’ influencing skills, including Political Influencing 101 and How to Host Effective Roundtables, which members said had strengthened both their individual and collective advocacy.

In all our policy-influencing work, we provide policymakers with key insights about educational outcomes and the work of FEA members across different constituencies in England. In 2024-25, we used data from our Ecosystem Map to produce 60 bespoke reports for MPs and Ministers, highlighting key localised information about their constituency and region. This strengthened MPs’ grasp of inequities in their constituencies and showcased how FEA members are responding, thus contributing to more evidence-informed policy development and supporting politicians to make stronger, more effective policy decisions.

In addition to this, FEA members continued to use the Ecosystem Map to support their own policy-influencing work. They valued our ability to engage with policymakers and fed back on the tangible benefits that sharing this access with the coalition brings to their work.

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Wider policy and advocacy work

2024 Party Conferences

At the outset of the new Labour Government, we capitalised on the opportunity to push educational inequity up the political agenda. We kicked off the year by attending the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative party conferences, hosting an event at the Labour Party Conference featuring the then-Minister for Early Education, Stephen Morgan MP. Members of our FEA Youth Steering Group spoke on panels at all three conferences, ensuring

the voices of young people were influencing decisionmakers. We established relationships with MPs at each of the conferences, some of whom have since spoken at our events and partnered with us throughout the year. Together, we have helped advocate for policies that promote a more equitable education system, including in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and Best Start in Life Strategy.

MP meetings

In 2024–25, we focused on building and deepening trusted relationships with MPs to increase their understanding of inequity, our members’ work and shared challenges across the country. In addition to meetings with MPs, we convened members for bespoke events with Caroline Voaden MP, a member of the Education Select Committee and Sarah Smith MP, the Opportunities Mission Champion.

For the in-person roundtable with Caroline Voaden, we united six members and young people in a discussion on their challenges and opportunities, and explored how stakeholders can collaborate more effectively on local education provision.

With Sarah Smith, we hosted a school visit and member roundtable in her Hyndburn constituency, joined by Jamie’s Farm, STEM Learning, Football Beyond Borders and Teach First. These events brought together members, young

people and school staff, enabling us to present a unified message that demonstrated the holistic support our members provide and the power of local coordination. This engagement formed part of a longer-term relationship with Sarah Smith MP and her team.

Additionally, we met with Ofsted Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver and discussed how we could support Ofsted to include better student engagement in their policymaking. We also convened members leading our collective action work for a meeting with Sir Kevan Collins, then NonExecutive Board Member at the Department for Education, providing an invaluable opportunity for our members to discuss education policy and the DfE’s relationship with the voluntary sector. Sir Kevan fed back that he had learnt a lot from our members and later spoke at our January Board of Advisors meeting.

REFLECTIONS FROM OUR YOUTH STEERING GROUP AT THE 2024 LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE

“Even though we had limited time to meet and speak with Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education, her dedication was clear. She and her team were visibly passionate about making education more inclusive and equitable. It was reassuring to see how deeply they engage with young people’s issues and how determined they are to create a system that works for everyone, not just the privileged few. As someone who deeply cares about the future of education, being part of these conversations was a reminder of how much we can achieve when policymakers are willing to listen to those most impacted by their decisions.”

Mama, 2023-25 FEA Youth Steering Group member

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A unified collective message, vision and action

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School visit with Sarah Smith MP Roundtable meeting with Caroline Voaden MP
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Policy engagement and influencing

The Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) presented an opportunity to rethink a system that often overlooks learners facing multiple barriers. We brought together 60 members from across our Alliance to co-develop a joint submission, which called for a fairer, more inclusive education system that addresses inequity, diversifies the curriculum and develops essential skills for the future. The CAR Interim Report reflected many of these priorities, demonstrating our collective impact on the national conversation.

This year, we have been a leading member – alongside our member #BeeWell, The Children’s Society, and Pro Bono Economics – of Our Wellbeing Our Voice, a coalition of 60 organisations campaigning for a national wellbeing measurement programme to address low levels of young people’s wellbeing in England. As co-leaders, we have hosted events, engaged the media and worked with politicians and civil servants to build momentum behind the campaign, with much of our focus on shaping the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Together, we’ve made strong progress: the Department for

“The FEA’s ability to engage with policymakers provides Greenhouse Sports with a platform to influence national education policy – a valuable opportunity to promote sport as a powerful tool for social mobility.” Greenhouse Sports, FEA Member Survey 2025

Education has committed to a best practice framework and a new student experience survey to help schools strengthen pupil engagement and expand annual data on belonging, safety and enjoyment. We will continue working with partners to secure a national wellbeing measurement programme.

Ahead of the Government Spending Review, 123 members signed our open letter to the Chancellor, urging investment in children and young people from low-income households. The Government’s response reflected several of our key asks, including a 4% pay rise for all school and college teachers and the extension of free school meals to families on Universal Credit, both of which we called for in our in our Priorities for a New Government. These policy commitments mark meaningful progress towards a fairer system that gives children and young people from lowincome backgrounds a better chance to thrive.

“FEA’s advocacy efforts align with Ormiston Trust’s mission, offering a platform to influence policymakers and drive long-term reforms that promote fairer educational outcomes. FEA provides access to research, data and expertise that strengthen Ormiston Trust’s initiatives, ensuring that its programmes are informed by the latest insights on tackling educational inequity.” Ormiston Trust, FEA Member Survey 2025

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CONNECTIVITY AND CO-ORDINATION A C R O S S T H E ECOSYSTEM

We believe that to effect system change for children and young people’s outcomes, there needs to be strong relationships between education settings, charities, funders, young people and policymakers. That is not easy with such diverse and disparate groups, so we support those connections and coordination through our regular Collective Action meetings, our digital Membership Tools and our member events.

Collective Action Working Groups

All of our Collective Action working groups focus on building strong, trusted relationships that are central to driving change, in addition to influencing policy or strengthening member impact. This year, 50% of our Alliance (149 member organisations) took part in a working group, well above last year’s engagement of 43%. Attendees included education settings, charities, funders, young people and policymakers.

Early Years – influencing policy change

There are significant gaps in early childhood development due to unequal access to support services for babies, young children and their families within their homes and communities. To address this, the Early Years Working Group – led by colleagues at the National Literacy Trust and Boromi, and including members from Bookmark Reading Charity, Foundations Years Trust, Peeple, Speech and Language UK and Thrive at Five – have worked together to influence policy decisions and the design of Early Years systems. We supported the group to meet with and provided written case studies to the Department for Education on what will best support families in low-income communities. We coordinated submissions of evidence to Ofsted’s Big Listen and Nesta’s research to shape the future system of support in early childhood. Through convening this group, we have presented a strong and unified message which those in power have listened to. In July, the Government announced £500 million investment in Best Start Family Hubs, which we believe will reduce inequities in early childhood.

AI – sharing best practice

We convened the AI Working Group in response to the rapid pace at which AI is transforming the world. It provides a space for leaders within FEA member organisations to share strategic learning, ensuring that the use of AI is effective, safe and advances efforts to close the gap in educational inequity. Many of these leaders have limited capacity to develop AI solutions independently, so the group serves as a collaborative space to learn, test and co-design approaches. Over the year, we invited external speakers including The Key Group, Chalk and DataKind, to share insights and spark ideas. We also encouraged members to connect independently to support each other’s AI projects and strengthen their ability to harness AI for social impact in education.

Literacy – the Literacy Link

We supported our literacy members to establish the Literacy Link, a national network of children’s reading charities and aligned partners, dedicated to improving reading outcomes for children and young people aged 0 to 14. Through bold thinking, collaboration, collective advocacy, impact and evaluation, the network is building a more connected, effective and influential ecosystem of children’s reading charities in England. We marked its launch with an in-person event with 70 attendees and secured funding to enable the network to maximise its collective impact through the National Year of Reading 2026.

Early Years Working Group meeting in our office in Victoria, London

20 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Place-based change – learning together

Between October 2024 and January 2025, we hosted a threepart workshop series on systems and place-based change for FEA members. This was developed in response to feedback from our 2024 Fair Education Summit, where members expressed a desire to deepen their understanding of how systemic approaches can drive long-term impact. Our Co-CEO, Gina, drew on her recent Churchill Fellowship research on cross-sector collaboration in Australia, Canada and the USA, to share examples and lessons learnt for our work across the country. Each session brought together more than 50 members, fostering trust, collaboration and shared learning across our Alliance. The workshops explored the six conditions of systems change and how these can help members dismantle barriers to opportunity for children across England. They also helped lay the foundations for our new strategy, marking the first step in bringing members on the journey with us.

“The systems and place-based change model and Fair Education Alliance workshops have been a true gamechanger for me. They provided a structure which made sense of the challenges that I’d been facing in demonstrating the connections between different aspects of our work such as policy, shifting narratives and services.” Magic Breakfast, workshop attendee

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The Literacy Link launch event in April
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Membership Tools for FEA members

This year, we continued to expand the reach and impact of our digital Membership Tools, an essential resource for fostering connection, collaboration and targeted action.

Our Ecosystem Map helps members, policymakers and funders identify areas of greatest need and build a deeper understanding of activity, outcomes and impact across the country. It combines national-level data on attainment and deprivation with information about where FEA members operate. The Map now includes 138 FEA members working in 22,000 schools and 3,600 additional education settings, covering 96% of schools in the most income-deprived areas. FEA members are delivering meaningful work across every region, local authority and parliamentary constituency in England, with an average of three members active in every school nationwide.

Our Member Directory provides a central hub for members to connect and collaborate. It allows users to search and filter by organisation type, outcomes and geographical reach. Members can also use the People Directory to connect directly with individuals across the FEA network. On average, more than three individuals per member organisation are now signed up, indicating the tools’ deepening reach and influence within their organisations.

Throughout the year, we delivered training workshops to support our members in effectively using the Membership Tools. Since launching the tools in September 2022, we have now trained 280 individuals across more than 130 member organisations, and they continue to highlight how these tools are already making a difference in their work.

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How nurtureuk uses data to drive inclusive education

FEA member nurtureuk aims to improve the life chances of every young person by helping embed whole-school, nurture-based cultures that help pupils improve social and emotional skills, and ensure they can engage effectively with their learning. We sat down with nurtureuk’s Insight and Research Manager, Funbi Akande, to learn how they use the FEA Membership Tools to focus their efforts for greatest impact.

“We tackle the social, emotional and mental health difficulties that young people are facing by training educators to be aware of the behavioural needs of the students and adopting relational approaches so that they end up with an inclusive approach. We believe that an inclusive school is the best school.”

nurtureuk works with over 5,000 schools in the UK. Many use their Boxall Profile® Online tool, which helps teachers assess young people’s social and emotional needs. Working with so many schools, however, can bring significant data challenges.

When Funbi joined nurtureuk in mid-2024, his immediate priority was to improve monitoring, evaluation and learning processes to enable better reporting and programme targeting. Having used the FEA Ecosystem Map in a previous role, he knew it could provide a cleaned list of partnership schools, since nurtureuk shares its reach data with the FEA.

“Because of the large number of schools that use [the Boxall Profile® Online Tool], it means that our data needs cleaning,” he explains. “That’s where the Membership Tool helped me … being able to look at which schools we’ve worked in and then get a quick, clean list of them.”

With accurate partnership data in place, the Income and Partnerships team could better identify under-

targeted areas where nurture-based approaches could have the greatest impact. This analysis is informing the Inclusive and Nurturing Schools programme commissioned by London’s Violence Reduction Unit across several local authorities. The Ecosystem Map data was key to understanding each school’s context – including deprivation levels, attendance and exclusion rates – so that the training built on existing approaches rather than cutting across them.

“Sometimes schools are running several programmes at once. Using the Map, we can see what’s already happening [across the system] and position our work as something that ties it all together, making what’s there more inclusive and nurturing.”

The Membership Tools have also strengthened nurtureuk’s evaluation and analysis approach. The team uses the Ecosystem Map’s data on key indicators of barriers to education, such as FSM, SEND, EAL and pupil premium to create control groups of comparable schools. This ensures that any assessment of impact compares like with like and produces credible findings.

Looking ahead, Funbi sees growing potential for collaboration through the Map. Pertinent to their role as the secretariat for the Inclusion and Nurture in Education APPG, being able to filter by area or theme allows nurtureuk to identify FEA partners with shared goals, creating opportunities for joint policy asks, evaluation and combined impact frameworks.

By combining a nurturing ethos with data-driven insight, nurtureuk are demonstrating how the FEA’s Membership Tools can enable smarter decision-making, deeper collaboration and, ultimately, more inclusive schools where every child can thrive.

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Photo credits: nurtureuk
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22 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Connectivity and coordination across the ecosystem

2025 member workshops

In 2024-25, we developed our next five-year strategy, and it was critical to include the input of our staff, Youth Steering Group, members and key stakeholders.

We wanted to collect everyone’s perspective on educational inequity, what our members need from the FEA, and capture feedback about and ambitions for the FEA. In spring 2025, our members took part in a series of in-person and virtual workshops, and a survey, to share their insights, feedback and experiences of the FEA. This consultation process not only helped shape the detail of our work, it also strengthened the co-creation of the strategy with our members, ensuring their perspectives guided its development and shape how we work together over the next five years. Through our co-creation approach, members’ insights shaped the detail of our member offer and commitments to participation, helping to ensure we have the greatest possible impact on children and young people’s outcomes.

We kicked off the workshop series with a consultation with our Youth Steering Group, followed by six member workshops held in Newcastle, London, Manchester and online. These sessions explored the systemic conditions

that keep educational inequity in place across policy, practice, power and mental models. We also hosted a dedicated workshop for Chairs of Trustees of our member organisations, giving them space to co-design our strategy and strengthen the supportive environments their organisations need to collaborate and engage with the Alliance. In total, 49 Chairs attended this session.

Overall, 209 member organisations participated in the strategy consultation across both the workshops and the survey. That included 215 attendees from 154 member organisations at the workshops, surpassing our engagement target by almost 34%, and 182 survey responses. The consultation also re-engaged some members who had not participated in other 2024-25 activities.

“Very engaging session, good to feel involved in the strategic direction of FEA and to have clear outcomes. It was very energising.” Attendee from London member workshop

REFLECTIONS FROM OUR YOUTH STEERING GROUP

“The YSG consultation day helped us consider various components of an effective strategy, including our vision, goals, strengths and weaknesses as an organisation, and the external environment. We talked about using our resources wisely and identifying what is working well and where improvements can be made. By the end of the meeting, I felt inspired, motivated and excited about the future for young people.”

Angel, 2023-25 FEA Youth Steering Group member

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DIVERSITY OF LEADERSHIP OF THE COLLECTIVE AG E N DA

For education to become fairer, people from diverse backgrounds and experiences must have a leading voice at the table. We believe that young people’s voices are essential to driving meaningful impact, so we centre young people’s views in our work with our Youth Steering Group, and empower schools, policymakers and organisations across the sector to do the same through our bespoke one-to-one support.

Our Youth Steering Group

Our Youth Steering Group are central to our ambition to diversify the leadership of our collective agenda. This year we have seen their positive impact on the education sector and in inspiring and supporting other young changemakers. They have been involved in advocating for the expansion of free school meals and mental health workers in schools and led their biggest ever Fair Education Youth Summit.

The strength of this group is in the diversity of their experience of the education system and the FEA’s

commitment to ensuring that young people who are often excluded from youth engagement programmes are supported to apply and thrive in the group. After half of the group graduated in April, with one member becoming a young trustee of the FEA, we worked with the Youth Steering Group and FEA members to recruit 12 new young people to join the 2025–26 Youth Steering Group.

Here is what we know about our 2025-26 Youth Steering Group:

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52% have no prior experience of 65% are from Black, Asian or
social action (75% of new recruits) Minority Ethnic backgrounds
68% are from outside
London and the South East
every member of the group
has experienced a barrier to
a fair education
54% are male or non-binary
60% have been eligible for Free 56% have special education
School Meals (75% of new recruits) needs or disabilities (SEND)
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24 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Diversity of leadership of the collective agenda

S’s journey with the Youth Steering Group

We interviewed first year Youth Steering Group member S in spring 2025 and here is what they had to share:

Why did you join the Youth Steering Group (YSG)?

At my old school, I didn’t have the best experience. I used to have daily meltdowns and negative views of myself, and I wasn’t getting the support I needed. At my new school, they’ve been so supportive, and they helped me settle in. I’ve been given a safe place I can always go to, and there’s always someone I can talk to. My grades have improved massively, and my mental health has improved so much, along with how I view myself. I feel really lucky to have had such a positive experience at my new school.

I joined the Youth Steering Group because I wanted to change things for future students so that they don’t have to go through what I did. No one should have to experience that in school.

When it was time for my speech, it just went so well. The moment everyone started clapping, I felt this huge sense of achievement that stayed with me for the rest of the day. I was enjoying it so much that I nearly missed my train because I stayed behind, just talking to people. It was honestly such an incredible experience.

What do you think has been the YSG’s most impactful activity?

It’s hard to pick just one thing. On a personal level, I’d say giving the speech at the House of Lords. The training days and even travelling alone – those were really big moments for me. But in terms of something on a wider scale, I would probably say the Fair Education Youth Summit. It’s hard to choose just one thing that was the most impactful. Everything was, in its own way.

How have you found being on the YSG overall?

I’ve genuinely loved being part of the Youth Steering Group, and it has given me so many opportunities and so much confidence. It’s also given me a real sense of drive and the ability to reach my goals and feel good about myself. I feel like I can make a difference, that I can change things.

Two years ago, I struggled just to wake up in the morning and go to school. Now, I’ve been able to travel to London for training days and even speak at the House of Lords [The Speaker’s Trust My Maiden Speech Programme] – that’s such a massive accomplishment for me. The Youth Steering Group has pushed me to do things I never would have imagined myself doing, and it has completely changed how I see myself and what I’m capable of. It’s pushed me to the extreme, in the best way possible.

If you had to pick one thing that’s been a highlight of your time on the YSG, what would it be?

I think my highlight has to be the House of Lords event. The whole experience around it was just incredible. Even the training days leading up to it were filled with so much joy. I often struggle with socialising in everyday situations, but being surrounded by people who were all passionate about the same things and working towards a collective goal made it feel completely different.

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2024

SEPTEMBER 2024: Five YSG members represented the FEA at Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative party conferences, including speaking on panels with Ministers.

OCTOBER 2024:

NOVEMBER 2024:

YSG members Mama and S attended the Next Gen Conference, which focused on how to increase the democratic engagement of young people and advocate for Votes at 16.

~~2025~~

JANUARY 2025: YSG members S and Hayden were the keynote speakers at The Difference’s IncludED conference about inclusive education. Lauren, Jayden, Naomi, Thomas and Keira were also involved.

In partnership with Mission 44, we hosted our biggest ever Youth Summit at UBS, bringing together 166 young changemakers from across the country to connect, develop their skills for social action and influence policymakers.

DECEMBER 2024:

The YSG submitted evidence to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, Education Select Committee’s SEND Crisis Inquiry, the Child Poverty Task Force Consultation and Ofsted’s Report Card.

A ear with the y Youth Steering Group

FEBRUARY 2025: The YSG were the first people to be consulted in the FEA’s 2025-30 strategy refresh.

26 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Diversity of leadership of the collective agenda

JULY 2025:

YSG members Angel and Jonathan were invited to take part in My Life My Say’s Ministerial roundtable where Votes at 16 was announced. They were both interviewed by the press – Angel’s interview was the lead story on the BBC News website and Jonathan’s interview appeared on Newsnight.

JUNE 2025:

YSG members Hayden, Thomas, Keira and Mama took part in a Mission 44 roundtable at Downing Street with the Prime Minister and Lewis Hamilton. The focus of the discussion was on how to make schools more inclusive.

MARCH 2025:

YSG members Elliott and Jayden took part in the Anthropy Emerging Leaders programme. They attended the three-day conference at The Eden Project with our Co-CEO Gina and took part in discussions about the future of the UK.

AUGUST 2025: We finished the new YSG cohort recruitment process and welcomed 12 new members to the group. The new cohort’s first inperson team day focused on building connection and campaign plans. In addition, some members of the YSG went on a tour of Parliament.

MAY 2025: YSG member Israa gave a speech in the House of Commons about the need for more mental health support in schools. This was part of The Speaker’s Trust’s My Maiden Speech programme.

APRIL 2025: YSG member Keira gave a speech to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs about the need to tackle the root causes of preventable exclusions in the National Youth Strategy.

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Improving youth engagement practice across the sector

Over the past year and a half, the number of FEA members involving young people in their work has grown by 25%. This growth is in part due to the support we have provided through our Youth Engagement Working Group, our one-to-one guidance and inspiration drawn from our own youth engagement practice.

Data collected in our 2024 Member Survey and Youth Summit Survey shows that, as of March 2025, over half (166 of 295) of FEA members are now doing at least one form of youth engagement. This includes:

• = 154 members actively seeking the opinion of young people, listening to their feedback and supporting them to share their experiences and ideas. This includes involving young people in events and communications.

• = 110 members meaningfully involving young people in decision-making on topics that interest or affect them. This includes having a youth board/council/ group and/or young trustees.

• = 91 members supporting young people to have the skills and resources they need to be involved in and bring about positive change themselves. This includes supporting them to lead campaigns and be involved as researchers.

This growth is a clear indication of increasing commitment to youth-led practice across the Alliance.

28 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Diversity of leadership of the collective agenda

Strengthening youth voice across our membership

We are proud to support our members in embedding meaningful youth engagement in their work. Here are two members reflecting on the bespoke one-toone support they received from our Head of Youth Engagement, Becca Weighell:

“Becca was invaluable in helping us set up our first Youth Advisory Group – something we’d always wanted to do, but were a bit afraid to do so, without expert help. Becca was warm, friendly and non-judgemental, which meant it was super easy to ask questions and get honest advice. Our recruitment process, selection workshop and first meeting were shaped by Becca’s feedback and we are so proud and excited to have a wonderful group of young people working with us to improve sex-ed for teenagers across the UK, having even greater impact. I would 100% recommend Becca’s one-to-one support to other FEA members – it will help you wherever you are in your youth engagement journey.” – Matilda, Split Banana

“Becca has provided thoughtful, tailored one-to-one support to help shape and strengthen our youth engagement strategy. She has been a valuable sounding board for ideas, offered practical tools and resources, and helped us think critically about how to meaningfully involve young people in our work – not just as participants, but as co-creators. Her support has been both strategic and hands-on, which was particularly helpful as we developed new initiatives like the Opportunities Hub and alumni engagement pilots – projects we wanted to be shaped by young people, for young people. The impact has been significant. Becca’s input has helped us embed more inclusive and intentional practices into our engagement work, which in turn has led to stronger relationships with young people. Her guidance has made us more confident and ambitious in how we centre youth voice.” – Kerry, Young Enterprise

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SOLUTIONS ARE SUPPORTED TO SCALE SYSTEMICALLY

With a widening gap in education outcomes between pupils from low-income households and their peers, the need for innovative solutions to address educational inequity is more urgent than ever. To nurture innovation and scale impactful initiatives based on need, we provide funding, tailored support and resources to empower initiatives and upskill our network through our Innovation and Scaling Awards programmes.

Innovation Award

Through our Innovation Award, we take a networked approach to nurture new ideas that tackle the entrenched issues and root causes of educational inequity in England. We provide a year-long programme of financial and practical support, including grant funding, to help people turn their ideas into impactful initiatives that will thrive beyond their pilot and make real change in the sector.

We kicked off the year of support by welcoming the six new Innovation Award winners at Bloomberg’s London office for an announcement event. The event also marked ten years of the Innovation Award programme and brought together over 160 people - sector leaders, funders, school leaders, and past awardees. Attendees made pledges of support to the new cohort, offering introductions to key stakeholders, sharing resources and collaboration opportunities.

Throughout the year, we supported the award winners with one-to-one coaching, in-depth incubator training

sessions including finance, governance and impact and evaluation, a £25k salary contribution and brokered mentors from Bloomberg. With this support, they were more able to tackle issues ranging from limited access to grief education, low participation in higher education among first-generation students, a lack of access to medical school , intergenerational poverty and the absence of men in the Early Years workforce. Feedback from the cohort reinforced the importance of the FEA’s support. All six reported that their progress was largely due to the Innovation Award programme, with every awardee rating one-to-one coaching and support as ‘Excellent’. Sessions on Theory of Change and Impact and Evaluation were highlighted as being particularly transformative, and the £25k salary contribution gave founders the space to focus full-time on growing their impact.

REFLECTIONS FROM OUR YOUTH STEERING GROUP During the Innovation Award selection process, we took a participatory approach to the Innovation Award selection process, ensuring that young people were at the heart of decision-making. Four members of our YSG joined the shortlisting and final panels, interviewing applicants and providing valuable insight from their unique perspectives and lived experiences. Having young people involved in the grant-making process is crucial, as it ensures that the voices of those most affected by educational inequity shape the initiatives we support. By prioritising youth participation, we not only empower young people but also enrich the process with perspectives that are often overlooked in traditional funding models.

“As a youth judge, it was really uplifting to see that challenges we experience as young people are being addressed by innovators in the education sector. As young people, going through the current education system, we were glad to be part of a process that will help deliver new solutions to the young people who experience with educational inequality. Being a judge elicited a new sense of hope for us – we are inspired to have been part of supporting this new generation of innovators.” YSG members Keira and Mama’s speech at the Innovation Award announcement event hosted by Bloomberg, September 2024

30 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Solutions are supported to scale systemically

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2024-25 Innovation Award winners at our office in London, Victoria
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Over 2024-25, our Innovation Award winners’ collective achievements are striking. They:

• = reached 1,200+ schools and trained 4,300+ educators

• = directly supported 8,000+ children and young people, and indirectly reached a further 60,000

• = raised nearly £500,000 in a challenging funding climate.

These figures translate into real change for children and young people:

• = The Aspiring Medics supported applicants from lowincome households into medicine, with 92% securing at least one offer compared with 22% nationally.

• = The Body Happy Organisation piloted a whole-school culture of body respect, with one student sharing, “I feel proud because I’ve stopped people being hurt by bullying, and I’ve gained the confidence to speak in front of people.”

• = The Firefly Project reached 1,000+ schools through a Voice 21 partnership, with 90% of young people involved reporting an increase in empathy.

• = The Early Years Movement convened cross-sector leaders to reframe men’s role in Early Years education, creating a shared challenge rather than a siloed one.

• = First Gens built a peer network for first-generation students, bridging gaps in university access and belonging.

• = PLACE (Tees Valley Education) combined deep local work with national advocacy, ensuring poverty and disadvantage remain at the heart of education debates.

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PLACE: Transforming opportunities for children in Tees Valley and beyond, Innovation Award winner 2024-25

PLACE, founded by Sean Harris – an internal innovator from FEA member organisation Tees Valley Education – demonstrates how local action can drive systemic change. As an initiative launched and embedded within a member organisation, it shows how internal innovators can tackle the root causes of poverty and inequity through hyperlocal engagement, community partnerships and advocacy to ensure children and young people are not defined by disadvantage. Over the incubation year, PLACE worked directly with 1,229 children and young people, alongside 3,500 educators in 150 schools, reaching a further 60,000 learners indirectly. They secured £383,500 in additional funding and expanded their influence beyond Teesside, shaping practice and policy nationally.

One of PLACE’s landmark achievements was the presentation of its Classrooms to Careers roadmap in Parliament, which offered a blueprint for connecting education with local industry. Sean also contributed evidence to the Education Select Committee, engaged in the national Child Poverty Taskforce and authored the bestselling book Tackling Poverty and Disadvantage in Schools, which reached educators and policymakers nationwide.

These achievements were made possible, in part, by the Innovation Award, which created the conditions for PLACE to step back, refine its vision and build the foundations for national influence. Sean described this as “a full caterpillar-to-chrysalis transformation,” allowing his team the time to plan for long-term impact beyond the pressures of day-to-day work. This process enabled PLACE to strengthen its strategy, build deeper partnerships and establish itself as a leader in tackling disadvantage at both grassroots and national levels.

Following poverty-informed education training led by PLACE, Professor Stuart Kime from Evidence Based Education shared, “Sean and his team have helped us deepen our understanding of poverty-informed practice. The workshop he delivered challenged us and left a lasting impression. He has changed my perspective on how best to approach the work I do.” Through PLACE, Sean has demonstrated how reframing disadvantage as a result of structural barriers, rather than a deficit of aspiration, can support schools in creating fairer futures. The impact of this vision has resonated across both classrooms and corridors of power.

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Photo credits: Tees Valley Education
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Over 250 children engaged in classroom to careers (CtC) related learning with PD Ports and AV Dawson (Port of Middlesbrough) as part of PLACE community engagement.

32 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Solutions are supported to scale systemically

Scaling Award

FEA members bring deep expertise to improve outcomes for children and young people, but scaling impact while maintaining quality and building capacity remains a challenge. Through the Scaling Award, we provided two years of tailored support to help mission-led organisations grow well. This was our second and final year of support for our seven Scaling Award winners, who have continued to strengthen their leadership, organisational capacity and collaborative influence through a mix of peer learning, targeted consultancy and small grants.

Collectively, the cohort has expanded its reach and deepened its impact, supporting 671,571 children and young people, an increase of 179% since beginning the programme. This growth has been achieved by deepening existing partnerships with schools and education settings and forming new relationships with not only new schools, but also carefully chosen partners such as local authorities and violence reduction units. In total, the cohort is now partnering with 1,649 schools, colleges and other education settings.

This year, we focused on helping the cohort deepen their leadership capability, enhance their operational resilience and explore opportunities for systems-level collaboration. Collectively, these activities have built stronger, more connected and more confident leaders across our Scaling Award cohort. The programme has

strengthened collaboration between award winners and laid the groundwork for a new wave of peerled leadership and learning opportunities under the Collective Strength strand of our 2025-30 strategy.

“Spending two days with other CEOs and the FEA team offered a trusted and enlightening space for reflection and challenge. As well as the benefits to me personally and professionally, the learnings have been incredibly valuable to our whole team.” Gaby Sumner, CEO of Villiers Park reflecting on the CEO retreat

faireducation.org.uk | 33

----- Start of picture text -----
Some highlights of the year’s support include:
= Leadership and peer learning: We introduced new investments that have had an outsized impact. Projects
peer-learning opportunities, including monthly CEO included Learning with Parents enhancing their impact
Circles, Action Learning Sets for senior leaders, and measurement frameworks, Magic Breakfast developing
specialist peer groups on Communications and People a systems thinking approach to strategy, and Villiers Park
& Culture. These sessions provided trusted spaces for strengthening staff development and internal systems.
reflection and shared problem-solving, “These sessions = Strategic sprints: Through a new UBS Sprint Day, award
give me the time and perspective I need to think winners worked directly with UBS volunteers to tackle
strategically and to know I’m not doing this alone.” strategic challenges. Feedback was overwhelmingly
100% of Action Learning Set participants rated the positive from both charities and volunteers, with over
experience as Excellent or Good, with 80% mentioning 80% rating the day as ‘Very good’ and the rest ‘Good’.
group trust and facilitation as Excellent. Four of five charities continued to work with their UBS
= Leadership development retreat: We ran our second teams beyond the initial sprint.
CEO retreat, with 100% of attendees reporting it helped = Cross-sector collaboration: Due to member demand,
them strengthen relationships, reflect on their leadership we ran a Collaboration & Mergers for a Sustainable
journeys and take away practical tools to apply within Future event with Bates Wells. The session created an
their organisations. Every participant expressed interest honest environment for 33 charities to explore strategic
in continuing to engage with leadership development partnerships and mergers as routes to greater impact
opportunities and attend future retreats which will be and sustainability.
a key part of our new strategy. Through our Collective
Strength offer, we will provide capacity-building and
training opportunities for all members.
= Targeted capacity building: We provided bespoke one-
“Another fabulous Action Learning Set session
to-one support, including strategic planning with Villiers
with FEA today. I actually feel like listening,
Park and Learning with Parents, a KPI review for Get
Further, and board and governance support for several talking and supporting has nourished my
award winners. Participants consistently highlighted soul… Thanks to the FEA and my fellow
the value of tailored, practical input from the FEA and session members who are so brave, open
trusted peers.
= Small grants for organisational growth: The small and supportive!” Senior Leader at Magic
Breakfast
grants that the award winners received through
this programme enabled them to make targeted
2023-25 Scaling Award winners attended a CEO leadership retreat in June 2025
34 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025
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Solutions are supported to scale systemically

Magic Breakfast: Nourishing Futures, Scaling Award Small Grant recipient 2024–25

Magic Breakfast’s mission is to end morning hunger as a barrier to learning for children and young people across the UK. Through an FEA grant, the charity invested in developing its new 15-year strategy, Nourishing Futures – a bold, long-term vision to end child morning hunger and strengthen its systemic impact.

The grant funded systems thinking training for 12 staff and trustees, along with coaching for the CEO and consultancy support to guide the strategic planning process. This new approach has helped Magic Breakfast move from linear, outcome-focused planning to a dynamic model that recognises the complexity of the systems surrounding child hunger.

The training also inspired new ways of working across the organisation, creating space for deeper reflection and collaboration. One participant reflected: “I feel so grateful

to have had the opportunity and have already begun working with the team to identify how we can connect and challenge the systems around us, as we consider how best to enable more hopeful futures for the children and young people we support.”

Their strategy consultation process engaged over 55 stakeholders and involved staff at all levels in shaping the future of the charity. A ‘transformation team’ and trustee working group were created to embed these insights into practice, helping ensure the strategy was both ambitious and achievable. Thanks to this support, Magic Breakfast now has a clear framework to guide its next chapter – focused on ensuring every child has access to a nutritious breakfast, tackling the root causes of morning hunger, and empowering young people to define and assess the value of breakfast themselves.

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Photo credit: Magic Breakfast
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PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

In 2025-26 we will:

LAUNCH OUR PLACE-BASED COLLABORATION PROGRAMME with our members and announce collaboration partnerships with

THREE MAYORAL COMBINED AUTHORITIES at our Fair Education Summit.

B M thr an

2025–30

LAUNCH OUR 2025–2030 STRATEGY: FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD TO NATIONAL

ENABLE OUR MEMBERS TO TAKE COLLECTIVE ACTION

on literacy, early childhood, and careers at national and regional levels.

which outlines our systems change approach in tackling the policies, practices, resource flows, relationships, power dynamics and mental models that hold inequity in place.

36 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Plans for the future

DEVELOP AND TEST AI AND TECHNOLOGY TOOLS

to accelerate our progress, including the next iteration of our Ecosystem Map.

SCALE THE REACH OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS through increased storytelling and media presence.

MEET OUR VOLUNTARY INCOME TARGET through clear communication of our purpose and our impact.

USE THE COLLECTIVE VOICE of our diverse membership to ADVOCATE FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE CHANGE that supports children and young people.

SCALE YOUTH LEADERSHIP across the Secretariat and member organisations’ activities, including our Youth Summit, to

CREATE A MOVEMENT of young people co-leading system change.

faireducation.org.uk | 37

Thank you to our business, trust and foundation members

“The Fair Education Alliance demonstrates what can be achieved when evidence, lived experience and crosssector commitment come together. This year’s report balances realism about the pressures facing schools with practical optimism, showing how collective voice and coordinated action can shift policy and practice. We are proud to stand alongside the Alliance as it drives systemic change, so every child’s potential is met, not limited.” Emma Danforth, Partner and Global Co-Head of Social Impact, A&O Shearman

“The social equity gap for young people across the country remains a challenge and continues to negatively impact too many young futures. We acknowledge that without equitable action this gap will continue to move further apart, and we are delighted to be members of the FEA and part of the important work that they do to address this.” Kate McGoey, Head of Barclays LifeSkills (Senior VP), Barclays LifeSkills

“At Bloomberg, we believe innovation is a powerful driver of opportunity. Through our partnership with the Fair Education Alliance, we’re proud to support forward-thinking education programmes and collaborate with cross-sector leaders to help improve outcomes for young people in the communities that need it most.” Caroline Rowley, Head of Corporate Philanthropy (Europe), Bloomberg

“At the Dulverton Trust, we are committed to supporting initiatives that improve life opportunities for disadvantaged young people across the UK. The Fair Education Alliance’s collaborative and evidence-driven approach aligns strongly with our values, particularly in its mission to tackle educational inequality at a systemic level. We are proud to support the FEA’s work to create lasting change, amplify young people’s voices and ensure that all children – regardless of background – have access to a fair and fulfilling education.” Binda Patel, Director, The Dulverton Trust

38 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Thank you to our business, trust & foundation members

“We couldn’t think of a better place to learn about all the complex challenges around educational inequality, or to find inspiration from all of the fantastic initiatives that are being developed by FEA members. Being a member of the FEA gives us confidence that we are putting our energy in the right places, and we have been so impressed at the scale of the FEA’s ambition and their excellence and expertise in this field. We are incredibly proud to be part of this Alliance and hope we can play our role in helping achieve the collective vision.” Awande Nojoko, Sustainability Manager

“Mission 44’s vision is for an inclusive education system, where schools are places of safety and belonging, and young people can access their learning whatever barriers they face. Mission 44 is honoured to continue its collaboration with FEA to amplify young people’s voices in shaping its 300-strong membership and to help them make the case for change.” Laurie Hunte, Mission 44 Senior Impact Manager

“We are delighted to support the FEA through our Backbone Fund, enabling the coalition to increase collaboration and use its powerful collective voice at such an important time. With the cost-of-living crisis and political shifts, it’s crucial that the FEA continues to advocate for a fair education for all children and young people, and in doing so, achieve a just and equitable society in which everyone, especially young people, can realise their full potential.” Catherine Sutton, Head of Programme: Education, Paul Hamlyn Foundation

“Education is one of the largest and longest-standing focus areas of the UBS Optimus Foundation and we believe that ensuring every young person has access to an excellent education is fundamental to building a more equitable society. The challenges are multifaceted, and the impact can be strengthened through collaboration – which is why the Fair Education Alliance’s role in convening partners and championing collective systemic change is so vital.”

Sarah Payne, UK Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy, UBS

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FINANCIAL REVIEW GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT TRUSTEES’ STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES

40 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Financial review

Financial review

Thank you to our supporters

As we look back over the year, we want to thank the community of people and organisations who have powered our work.

We are grateful to everyone who supported us in 2024-25. This includes A&O Shearman, Barclays LifeSkills, Bates Wells, Bloomberg, Collective Futures, Culham St Gabriel’s Trust, The Dulverton Trust, Fidelity UK Foundation, IG Group, Mission 44, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, St John’s Foundation, UBS and the Westminster Foundation.

Financial update

We focused on growth and sustainability in 2024-25. We maintained the reach and impact of our work while preparing for the launch of our 2025-30 strategy, Neighbourhood to National, and the delivery of new programmes and expanded activity.

In 2024-25 we strengthened our existing activities with our members around policy influencing, collective action, youth engagement, and our Innovation and Scaling Awards. Total expenditure for the year was £1.32 million, representing a 26% increase on the previous year (2024: £1.05 million). This rise was primarily driven by strategic investment in communications, political engagement at party conferences, office space for more team members and the timing of our Innovation Award grant disbursements. Expenditure also included preparatory work for place-based collaboration activities, covered by restricted income that we received in September 2025.

Our in-year income for 2024–25 was £824,132, broadly consistent with the prior year (2024: £824,757), as forecast. Between 2022 and 2024, the charity recognised several multi-year grants, resulting in unrestricted reserves at the start of 2024–25 that were intentionally higher than our reserves policy target of four months’ running

costs. The trustees therefore agreed to draw on these accumulated reserves to fund planned charitable activities during 2024–25.

During the year, we utilised £86,234 of restricted reserves and £411,491 of unrestricted reserves, resulting in total reserves of £325,803 at year-end (2024: £823,528). We also generated additional income through the prudent investment of some reserves in fixed-term savings accounts.

Looking ahead, the charity has secured substantial multi-year grants for 2025-28 and will focus on scaling efficiently and maximising impact through the Neighbourhood to National strategy. The trustees and Senior Leadership Team continue to monitor financial risks closely, including inflationary pressures and changes to tax and regulatory requirements, to ensure the long-term financial stability of the charity.

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Principal risks and uncertainties

The trustees have overall responsibility for risk management but also recognise that for risks to be identified and managed successfully, there needs to be shared accountability throughout the organisation.

In line with our risk management policy, a risk register is maintained that captures the nature of the risk, its likelihood and impact, and the mitigations in place to reduce the likelihood and/or impact. The risk register is updated by the Co-CEOs every quarter and reviewed by trustees at quarterly meetings.

The principal risks facing the charity are:

Financial risks:

The financial performance of the charity is monitored against an annual budget, and monthly management information on the charity’s financial position is produced to inform any decisions. The Senior Leadership Team review the charity’s financial management information and fundraising pipeline monthly, and the trustees review financial performance quarterly. In addition, forecasting is updated throughout the year to reflect changes that impact on income and expenditure.

The charity carefully monitors ongoing financial risks, including inflation and tax changes. The charity has robust anti-fraud policies, training and systems in place. Reserves are maintained as per the reserves policy and the trustees review the reserves policy annually. As a result of planned growth from autumn 2025, the charity will establish a finance, audit and risk subcommittee in early 2026.

The charity continues to work closely with funders to ensure deep partnerships and strong, sustained relationships even if staff move on. In addition to grant funding, the charity now earns some income from fixedterm interest-bearing accounts and will look to further diversify its income streams in future years. The trustees have taken a risk-based approach to setting the charity’s investment policy and deem any identified risks to be sufficiently low that they are able to be accepted and monitored.

Safeguarding:

The charity has a designated safeguarding lead (DSL), two deputies and a designated trustee with responsibility for safeguarding. All staff have a safeguarding induction and annual refresher training and must adhere to our safeguarding policy. All activities including children, young people and adults at risk require safeguarding risk assessments approved by the DSL. A safeguarding review is completed annually to ensure our policies and practice respond to sector learning and changing context.

Member engagement:

As a network, member participation in our activities is essential. For the last few years, over 80% of our members have taken part in at least one FEA activity, with 84% engaging with us in 2024–25. We aim to increase this each year.

Member engagement is monitored monthly and reported quarterly to our trustees. The charity’s staff use that data to adapt and improve activities and communications as well as to identify members who no longer meet our membership commitments and want to end their membership. The charity offers a variety of opportunities for members to lead or participate in, collects feedback from members about their experience, and has invested more in communications capacity to improve targeted communications to members. From 2026, members will be asked to re-commit to FEA membership annually with sign-off from their organisation’s CEO.

42 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Financial review

Reserves policy and going concern

Reserves policy

The charity holds unrestricted reserves in order to:

• = provide a safeguard against the risk of downturn in support of our activities (which could lead to expenditure exceeding income);

• = provide working capital to finance day-to-day operations; and

• = cover the costs of wind-down of one or more programmes in the event of key funding being curtailed.

At the year end, the charity held £337,261 (2024: £748,752) in unrestricted reserves, the equivalent of three months of future running costs.

The Board of Trustees aims to have a level of unrestricted reserves which equates to four months of future running costs. The level of unrestricted reserves at the 2024 year-end was the result of two years of successful fundraising for multi-year grants, some of which needed to be recognised upfront. The Board of Trustees therefore agreed to the use of unrestricted reserves to fund planned charitable activities and to cover payments in advance for place-based collaboration activities.

Going concern

Given forward business planning and forecasts, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charitable company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the Accounting Policies, in Note 1 to these accounts.

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Governance and

management

Constitution

Management

The Fair Education Alliance is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1188042) and a company limited by guarantee (No. 11884952).

It is governed by its Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association, last revised in February 2020. The Articles of Association define the Directors of the Company as ‘the trustees’. To avoid confusion, the Directors of the Company are referred to as trustees throughout this document.

Board of Trustees

The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees that consists of nine professionals from a range of backgrounds and sectors. Trustees are responsible for decision-making on long-term strategic direction and governance, meeting formally four times a year. The trustees receive quarterly updates on day-to-day activities, including risk and financial performance, which informs their decision-making.

Any person who is willing to act as a trustee, and who would not be disqualified from acting, may be appointed by a majority decision of the trustees. The trustees take into account the skills and composition of the Board when making such appointments. They receive an induction with the Chair of Trustees and the CEO that helps them to understand both the organisation and their own responsibilities.

The Board has delegated the day-to-day management of the charity to the Co-CEOs. The Co-CEOs and Senior Leadership Team meet regularly to manage the FEA’s activities.

Employee engagement

We believe employees should be engaged with and involved in our charitable mission and how the Fair Education Alliance is managed. Employees attend regular team days hosted at different member organisations, where they discuss organisational strategy, learning and development and generate ideas about the charity’s activities or ways of working. Employees are updated through staff emails and weekly team meetings, and there is a strong feedback culture.

Remuneration

We have standardised our annual salary review process, so employees deemed to be “on-track” in terms of performance receive a uniform percentage increase. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the Co-CEOs’ remuneration and our employee salary and benefits framework. These are reviewed annually. The full list of key management personnel can be found on page 60.

44 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Governance and management | Trustees’ statement of responsibilities

Trustees’ statement of responsibilities

The trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period.

• = the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.

In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:

• = select suitable Accounting Policies and then apply them consistently;

• = observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

• = make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• = state whether applicable UK accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

• = prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The trustees are members of the charity, but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

Auditors

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at anytime the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Godfrey Wilson Limited were re-appointed as auditors to the charitable company during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

Approved by the trustees on 10 February 2026 and signed on their behalf by

Vanessa Ogden

In so far as the trustees are aware:

• = there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditors are unaware; and

Dr Vanessa Ogden Chair of the Board of Trustees Date: 10 February 2026

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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

46 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Independent auditors’ report to the members of The Fair Education Alliance

Independent auditors’ report to the members of The Fair Education Alliance

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Fair Education Alliance (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 August 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and the related notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

• = give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 August 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• = have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice, and;

• = have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are

independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going

concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees

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are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

• = the information given in the trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• = the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: = adequate accounting records have not been kept or

returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• = the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• = certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• = we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

• = the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

Responsibilities of the trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out in the trustees’ report, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the

48 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Independent auditors’ report to the members of The Fair Education Alliance

aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The procedures we carried out and the extent to which they are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, are detailed below:

• (1) We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, and assessed the risk of non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Throughout the audit, we remained alert to possible indications of noncompliance.

• (2) We reviewed the charitable company’s policies and procedures in relation to:

• = Identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations, and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;

• = Detecting and responding to the risk of fraud, and whether they were aware of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud; and

• = Designing and implementing internal controls to mitigate the risk of non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud.

Irregularities that arise due to fraud can be even harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/ auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Date: 10 February 2026

William Guy Blake

• (3) We inspected the minutes of trustee meetings.

• (4) We enquired about any non-routine communication with regulators and reviewed any reports made to them.

• (5) We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and assessed their compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

• (6) We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected transactions or balances that may indicate a risk of material fraud or error.

• (7) We assessed the risk of fraud through management override of controls and carried out procedures to address this risk. Our procedures included:

William Guy Blake ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of: GODFREY WILSON LIMITED Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

• = Testing the appropriateness of journal entries;

• = Assessing judgements and accounting estimates for potential bias;

• = Reviewing related party transactions; and

• = Testing transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation.

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The Fair Education Alliance

Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating the Summary Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 August 2025

Notes Income from: Donations 3 Charitable activities Investment income 4 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds 5 Charitable activities 6 Total expenditure Net income / (expenditure) and net movement in funds 10 Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	Unrestricted Restricted funds funds £ £ 573,749 240,392 1,766 - 575,515 240,392 8,225 - 583,740 240,392 26,414 - 968,817 326,626 995,231 326,626 (411,491 ) (86,234 ) 748,752 74,776 337,261 (11,458 )	Total funds 2025 £ 814,141 1,766 815,907 8,225 824,132 26,414 1,295,443 1,321,857 (497,725 ) 823,528 325,803	Total funds 2024 £ 824,607 150
			824,757 -
			824,757
			1,771 1,048,704
			1,050,475
			(225,718 1,049,246 )
			823,528

A comparative Statement of Financial Activities can be found under note 22.

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 18 to the accounts.

50 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance Balance Sheet at 31 August 2025

Notes Fixed assets Tangible assets 12 Current assets Debtors 13 Current asset investments 14 Cash at bank and in hand Creditors:Amounts falling due within one year 15 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Total net assets The funds of the charity Restricted funds Restricted funds 18 Restricted funds in deficit 18 Unrestricted funds General funds 18 Total funds	2025 £ 8,597 8,597 89,618 85,000 216,342 390,960 (73,754 ) 317,206 325,803 325,803 40,815 (52,273 ) (11,458 ) 337,261 325,803	2024 £ 5,921 5,921 48,693 - 813,060 861,753 (44,146) 817,607 823,528 823,528 74,776 - 74,776 748,752 823,528

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 10 February 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

Vanessa Ogden

V. Ogden Trustee Date: 10 February 2026 Company No. 11884952

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The Fair Education Alliance

Statement of Cash flows for the year ended 31 August 2025

Cash flows from operating activities Net expenditure per Statement of Financial Activities Adjustments for Depreciation of property, plant and equipment Decrease / (increase) in debtors (Decrease) / increase in creditors Interest from investments Net cash (used in) / provided by operating activities Cash flows from investing activities Payments for tangible fixed assets Interest from investments Net cash used in investing activities Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period Components of cash and cash equivalents Cash and bank balances Current asset investments	2025 £ (497,725 ) 3,799 (36,921 ) 29,608 (8,225 ) (509,464 ) (6,475 ) 4,221 (2,254 ) (511,718 ) 813,060 301,342 216,342 85,000 301,342	2024 £ (225,718 ) 1,872 405,973 (112,236 ) - 69,891 (7,053 ) - (7,053) 62,838 750,222 813,060 813,060 - 813,060

The charity has not provided an analysis of changes in net debt as it does not have any long term financing arrangements.

52 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

1 Accounting policies

General information and basis of preparation

The Fair Education Alliance is a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. The registered office address is 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0DH .

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The Fair Education Alliance meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. They are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Amounts presented are rounded to the nearest pound.

Going concern

The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charity is able to continue as a going concern, which the trustees consider appropriate having regard to the current level of unrestricted reserves. There are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds

These are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objects of the charity.

Designated funds

These are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes. See note 18 to the accounts for full information.

Restricted funds

These are available for use subject to restrictions imposed by the donor or through terms of an appeal. See note 18 to the accounts for full information.

Income

Recognition of income

Income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Investment income

Investment income is recognised on an accruals basis. Interest earned on restricted funds is credited to those funds.

Income with related expenditure

Where income has related expenditure the income and related expenditure is reported gross in the SoFA.

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The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

1 Accounting policies (continued)

Income (continued)

Donations and legacies

Voluntary income received by way of grants, donations and gifts is included in the SoFA when receivable and only when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the income.

Speaker and appearance income

This is included in the accounts when receivable.

Tax reclaims on donations and gifts

Income from tax reclaims is included in the SoFA at the same time as the gift/donation to which it relates.

Volunteer help

The value of any volunteer help received is not included in the accounts.

Deferred income

Income received in advance of delivery of conferences is deferred until criteria for income recognition are met.

Gains/(losses) on revaluation on investment assets

This includes any gain or loss on the sale of investments.

Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Recognition of expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.

Expenditure on raising funds

These comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income, fundraising trading costs and investment management costs.

Expenditure on charitable activities

These comprise the costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services in the furtherance of its objects, including the making of grants and governance costs.

Grants payable

All grant expenditure is accounted for on an actual paid basis plus an accrual for grants that have been authorised and communicated to recipients at the end of the year but not yet paid.

Governance costs

These include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity, including any audit/independent examination fees, costs linked to the strategic management of the charity, together with a share of other administration costs.

54 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

1 Accounting policies (continued)

Other expenditure

These are support costs not allocated to a particular activity.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Allocation of support and governance costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly under take charitable activities. Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity, including the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements and any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities. These costs have been allocated in full to expenditure on charitable activities as there are minimal fundraising costs incurred.

Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life:

Plant and Machinery 33% straight line

Trade and other debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash at bank and on hand, demand deposits with banks and other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and bank overdrafts. In the statement of financial position, bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings or current liabilities. In the Statement of Cash Flows, cash and cash equivalents are shown net of bank overdrafts that are repayable on demand and form an integral part of the company’s cash management.

Current asset investments

Current asset investments consist of cash held on deposit in interest bearing accounts with a maturity date of between 3 and 12 months. Such investments are measured at their fair value.

Trade and other creditors

Short term creditors are measured at the transaction price. Other creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

Conduit funding

Conduit funds are monies received for third parties and do not belong to the charity. The incoming funds and outgoing payments are excluded from the Statement of Financial Activities. Any conduit funds in hand at the year end are shown as creditors in the accounts.

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The Fair Education Alliance Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

1 Accounting policies (continued)

Financial instruments

The charitable company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently recognised at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Pension costs

The charity operates a defined contribution plan for its employees. A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which the company pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. Once the contributions have been paid the company has no further payments obligations. The contributions are recognised as expenses when they fall due. Amounts not paid are shown in accruals in the balance sheet. The assets of the plan are held separately from the company in independently administered funds.

Operating leases

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the statement of financial activities as they fall due.

Accounting estimates and key judgements

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

The key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements are depreciation and accrued income as described above.

2 Company status

The company is a private company limited by guarantee and consequently does not have share capital.

56 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

3 Income from donations

Income from donations
Grants and donations Grants and donations	Total Unrestricted Restricted 2025 £ £ £ 573,749 240,392 814,141 Total Unrestricted Restricted 2024 £ £ £ 648,207 176,400 824,607	Total 2024 £
		824,607

4 Investment income

Interest receivable	Total Unrestricted Restricted 2025 £ £ £ 8,225 - 8,225	Total 2024 £
		-

5 Expenditure on raising funds

Costs of generating voluntary income Salaries and wages General administration Costs of generating voluntary income Salaries and wages	Total Unrestricted Restricted 2025 £ £ £ 26,092 - 26,092 322 - 322 26,414 - 26,092 Total Unrestricted Restricted 2024 £ £ £ 1,771 - 1,771	Total 2024 £ 1,771 -
		1,771

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The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

6 Expenditure on charitable activities

Expenditure on charitable activities Direct programme costs Award grants Support costs Salaries & wages Legal & professional Depreciation General administration Expenditure on charitable activities Direct programme costs Award grants Support costs Salaries & wages Legal & professional Depreciation General administration	Total Unrestricted Restricted 2025 £ £ £ 733,692 171,676 905,368 500 150,000 150,500 89,989 1,485 91,474 5,130 - 5,130 3,799 - 3,799 135,707 3,465 139,172 968,817 326,626 1,295,443 Total Unrestricted Restricted 2024 £ £ £ 650,513 170,943 821,456 43,680 - 43,680 71,830 2,869 74,699 6,600 - 6,600 1,872 - 1,872 74,012 26,385 100,397 848,507 200,197 1,048,704	Total 2024 £ 821,456 43,680 74,699 6,600 1,872 100,397
		1,048,704

Total governance costs were £10,800 (2024: £10,320)

58 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

7 Analysis of charitable expenditure

Direct programme costs Award grants Direct programme costs Award grants	Activities undertaken Support Total directly costs 2025 £ £ £ 905,368 239,575 1,144,943 150,500 - 150,500 1,055,868 239,575 1,295,443 Activities undertaken Support Total directly costs 2024 £ £ £ 821,456 183,568 1,005,024 43,680 - 43,680 865,136 183,568 1,048,704	Total 2024 £ 1,005,024 43,680
		1,048,704

8 Grants payable

During the year, 7 (2024: 8) new grants were awarded to 6 institutions (2024: 8) for innovation and scaling project delivery.

Total grants committed to during the year were as follows:

Grants payable to institutions: Innovation Stone Soup FirstGens Tees Valley Education The Aspiring Medics The Body Happy Org The Early Years Movement The Firefly Project Scaling Life Lessons Villiers Park Educational Trust Magic Breakfast Power2 Ltd Khulisa Get Further Learning with Parents Total grants payable to institutions	2025 £ - 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,500 - - - - - - - 150,500	2024 £ 500 - - - - - - 7,000 4,580 9,500 2,450 4,500 10,000 5,150
		43,680

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The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

9 Grant commitments Total 2025 £ Grant commitments brought forward - Grants committed during the period 150,500 Grants paid during the period (150,500 ) Grant commitments carried forward - 10 Net movement in funds 2025 £ This is stated after charging: Depreciation of owned fixed assets 3,799 Operating lease payments 65,721 Trustees’ remuneration - Trustees’ reimbursed expenses 203 Auditors’ remuneration (excluding VAT): Audit fee 9,000 Trustees’ reimbursed expenses relate to travel and subsistence for 3 trustees (2024: 2). 11 Staf costs 2025 £ Salaries and wages 762,609 Social security costs 82,024 Pension costs 41,622 886,255

Total 2024 £ 135,000 43,680 (178,680 ) - 2024 £ 1,872 50,747 - 534 8,600 2024 £ 666,255 71,087 31,927 769,269

Two employees received emoluments between £60,000-£70,000 (2024: 2), no employees between £80,000£90,000 (2024: 1), and one employee between £90,000-£100,000 (2024: 0)

Key management personnel comprise the trustees, the co-Chief Executive Officers and Director of Operations and Impact. The total cost of employing the key management personnel was £237,775 (2024: £238,858).

The average number of staff employed, including part time staff was 16 (2024: 15).

60 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

12 Tangible fixed assets

Cost At 1 September 2024 Additions At 31 August 2025 Depreciation At 1 September 2024 Charge for the year At 31 August 2025 Net Book Value At 31 August 2025 At 31 August 2024 13 Debtors Trade debtors Accrued income Other debtors 14 Current asset investments Short term deposits	Plant and Machinery £ 9,093 6 ,475 15,568 3,172 3,799 6,971 8,597 5,921 2025 £ 60,000 4,004 25,614 89,618 2025 £ 85,000	Total £ 9,093 6 ,475
		15,568
		3,172 3,799
		6,971
		8,597
		5,921
		2024 £ 283 9,000 39,410
		48,693
		2024 £
		-

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The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

15 Creditors; amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Accruals Other taxes and social security Deferred income (note 16) Grants payable (note 9) Other creditors 16 Deferred income At 1 September Additions during the year Amounts released to income At 31 August	2025 £ 757 42,790 23,262 - - 6,945 73,754 2025 £ 9,282 - (9,282 ) -	2024 £ 140 10,320 17,617 9,282 - 6,787
		44,146
		2024 £ - 9,282 -
		9,282

Deferred income relates to income received in advance of delivery of specific projects.

17 Conduit funding At 1 September Funding received during year Funding distributed during year At 31 August	2025 £ 4,725 (4,725 ) -	2024 £ - 42,300 (42,300 )
		-

At 31 August

Conduit funds are monies received for third parties and do not belong to the charity. The charity passes them through the accounts under a unique project code as a service to other charities to help their charitable purposes, but does not claim gift aid nor have control over their use. The receipts and payments referred to above have been excluded from the Statement of Financial Activities. There is no balance held at the end of the year. Conduit funding was held on behalf of Life Lessons Education Ltd, a private limited company (company number: 12756340).

62 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

18 Movement in funds

At Restricted funds: Place-based collaboration Digital tools Party conference Youth engagement Innovation Office space Total restricted funds Unrestricted funds: General funds Total unrestricted funds Total funds	1 September 2024 £ - 17,276 9,000 - 35,000 13,500 74,776 748,752 748,752 823,528	Income £ - - 25,329 49,500 115,000 50,563 240,392 583,740 583,740 824,132	Expenditure £ (52,273 ) (17,276 ) (24,717 ) (49,500 ) (150,000 ) (32,860 ) (326,626 ) (995,231 ) (995,231 ) (1,321,857 )	At 31 August Transfers 2025 £ £ - (52,273 ) - - - 9,612 - - - - - 31,203 - (11,458) - 337,261 - 337,261 - 325,803

Purposes of restricted funds

Place-based collaboration

To support place-based collaboration in regions of England to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Digital tools

To support the direct staff and tool development costs for digital tools for targeting, connection and collaboration.

Party conference

To support the delivery of events at party conferences on behalf of and with FEA members and young people.

Youth engagement

To build capacity for meaningful youth engagement across our membership and increase youth voice in national change.

Innovation

To fund and support up to six Award Winners from the membership and public to pilot and scale their idea for tackling inequality in education

Office space

To support office costs.

Funds in deficit

The deficit for the Place-based collaboration fund relates to expenditure for this programme in advance of receiving the related income. At the year end the charity had not yet met entitlement to recognise the related income within the financial statements. The income was received shortly after the year end and will be recognised in the 2025/26 financial year.

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The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

18 Movement in funds (continued)

Prior year comparative

At Restricted funds: Scaling award Digital tools Party conference Youth engagement Innovation Office space Total restricted funds Unrestricted funds: General funds Total unrestricted funds Total funds	1 September 2023 £ 16,339 14,305 17,373 50,556 - - 98,573 950,673 950,673 1,049,246	Income £ - 50,000 9,000 50,000 35,000 32,400 176,400 648,357 648,357 824,757	Expenditure £ (16,339 ) (47,029 ) (17,373 ) (100,556 ) - (18,900 ) (200,197 ) (850,278 ) (850,278 ) (1,050,475 )	Transfers £ - - - - - - - - - -	At 31 August 2024 £ - 17,276 9,000 - 35,000 13,500 74,776 748,752 748,752 823,528

19 Analysis of net assets between funds

Fixed assets Current assets Current liabilities Prior period comparative Fixed assets Current assets Current liabilities	Unrestricted Funds £ 8,597 443,233 (73,754) 378,076 Unrestricted Funds £ 5,921 777,695 (34,864 ) 748,752	Restricted Funds £ - (52,273 ) - (52,273 ) Restricted Funds £ - 84,058 (9,282 ) 74,776	Total 2025 £ 8,597 390,960 (73,754 ) 325,803 Total 2024 £ 5,921 861,753 (44,146 ) 823,528

64 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

20 Operating lease commitments

The charity had operating leases at the year end with total future minimum lease payments as follows:

Amount falling due: Within 1 year	2025 £ 62,406	2024 £
		54,540

21 Related party transactions

Nick Wright, trustee, is an employee of UBS. During the year the charity received grants of £50,000 (2024: £150,000) from UBS. No amounts were owed at the year end (2024: £nil). All transactions were carried out at arms length.

Russell Hobby, a former trustee, was CEO of Teach First. During the year the charity received contributions of £nil (2024: £9,000) from Teach First. No amounts were owed at the year end (2024: £nil). All transactions were carried out at arms length.

Natalie Perera and Russell Hobby, former trustees, were the CEO and advisor of The Education Policy Institute, respectively. During the year the charity made purchases of £3,199 (2024: £11,232) from The Education Policy Institute. No amounts were outstanding at the year end (2024: £nil). All transactions were carried out at arms length.

Russell Hobby, a former trustee, was a non-executive director of ImpactEd Group. During the year the charity made purchases of £39,166 (2024: £31,500) from ImpactEd Group. No amounts were outstanding at the year end (2024: £nil). All transactions were carried out at arms length.

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The Fair Education Alliance

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025

22 Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating the Summary Income and Expenditure Account) for the period ended 31 August 2024

Income from: Donations Charitable activities Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities Total expenditure Net income / (expenditure) and net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £ £ 648,207 176,400 150 - 648,357 176,400 1,771 - 848,507 200,197 850,278 200,197 (201,921 ) (23,797 ) 950,673 98,573 748,752 74,776	Total funds 2024 £ 824,607 150 824,757 1,771 1,048,704 1,050,475 (225,718 ) 1,049,246 823,528

66 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

Accounts

Administrative details

The Fair Education Alliance Company No. 11884952 Charity No. 1188042

Principal Office

Key Management Personnel

The Fair Education Alliance 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens London SW1W 0D

Co - Chief Executive Officer: G Cicerone Co - Chief Executive Officer: S Butters Director of Operations and Impact: R Tait

Registered Office

The Fair Education Alliance 8-10 Grosvenor Gardens London SW1W 0DH

Accountants

Multiply Accountancy 71-75 Shelton Street London WC2H 9JQ

Bankers

Directors and Trustees

The Directors of the charitable company are its Trustees for the purposes of charity law. The following Directors and Trustees served during the year and up to the date of this report:

HSBC Bank Plc 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ

J. Cleverdon Resigned 1 January 2025 Auditors E. Denning Appointed 8 July 2025 Z. Elumogo Godfrey Wilson Limited R. Hobby Resigned 18 July 2025 Chartered accountants and statutory auditors O. Odanye 5th Floor Mariner House V. Ogden 62 Prince Street N. Perera Resigned 18 July 2025 Bristol A. Trethewey Appointed 21 October 2025 BS1 4QD S. Twigg Appointed 30 April 2025 Z. Watters Appointed 7 November 2025 B. Wigdortz N. Wright

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Driving systems change together

As a society, we want the best for our children and young people, but the reality is far from that.

Inequity in education is not simple, and is rooted in an intricate web of social issues. Addressing such complex problems will take more than one institution, organisation, or even government. We believe that by combining the passion, talent and ideas of educators, charities and businesses, we can offer a strong collective voice that creates a lasting impact on young people’s lives.

TO O

68 | Fair Education Alliance | Trustees’ Report & Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2025

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Driving systems change together
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O L L A B O R AT E BE CONNECTED UR MEMBERS

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FAIR EDUCATION ALLIANCE 8-10 GROSVENOR GARDENS LONDON SW1W 0DH [e-mail] faireducation.org.uk The Fair Education Alliance is a registered charity (1188042) and company (11884952) in England and Wales.