2025-07-31-accounts - National Education Opportunities Network

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National Education Opportunities Network (NEON)

Trustees Annual Report

For the year ending 31[st] July 2025

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document

NEON works for the public benefit to promote routes into, and success in, higher education in such ways as the charity trustees think fit, including by:

Supporting organisations to work with all learners, especially those from under-represented groups.
Identifying, and researching, barriers to higher education and sharing potential solutions.

Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.

NEON believes that access to, and success in higher education should not be related to social background but based on ability and willingness to participate. In order to achieve this we support our members to both identify and address challenges that may both stop learners being able to enter, or succeed within higher education through a comprehensive events programme, research reports and a weekly newsletter.

Over the period of this report NEON has held 32 events. The aim of these events is to help educational practitioners understand barriers that learners face, in terms of gaining entry to, and achieving success within, higher education, and to learn from policy, research and practice to help inform their own strategies and activities with learners. The events also present the opportunity for attendees to network, and engage with, other attendees, make connections and share practice. These events are open to all with the majority of them being held online. This year also saw the development of two new multi-part courses, “Breaking Ground”, aimed at early career practitioners, and “Leading the Way”, aimed at practitioners who either recently took up management roles or those aspiring to management.

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In addition to these events NEON offers its members the opportunity to attend themed, online working group meetings based around key topics of concern. These include:

Access and outreach for disabled learners;
Addressing differential outcomes for ethnically diverse learners;
Establishing evidence and measuring impact;
Estranged students;
Mature learners;
Mentoring to widen access;
Primary age outreach;
Supporting access, success and progression for vocational learners;
• Widening participation in postgraduate study.

The meetings give attendees the space to consider these topics, discuss and debate current approaches and decide upon possible future actions to address challenges that arise. They work on producing resources and examples of practice that are made available to all NEON members. Outcomes of the meetings are shared online, being available to any person accessing our website. We also introduced a new working group to address the issue of estranged students.

Each year NEON holds an annual conference, the NEON Summer Symposium, offering those concerned with widening access the opportunity to hear from key policy makers, stakeholders and other practitioners about the importance of widening access. This two-day event is the largest UK conference dealing with these issues.

Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, both in agreeing NEON’s aims and objectives, and in planning all future activities. Our work focuses upon equitable access to higher education for all learners who are able to benefit from it and we work closely with other organisations within the Education sector in order to achieve this.

Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.

It has been a successful and eventful year, against a background of financial strain in higher education which has impacted particularly heavily on activity to promote access and participation in HE.

As always, our main focus was upon meetings. In all we ran 16 staff development events and 15 working groups meetings. Of the meetings, eight were Access and Success Academies and they attracted 173 online attendees. An innovation this year was the NEON Professional Courses with an attendance of 31 online at two courses.

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The Summer Symposium at the University of Salford, on ‘My Hometown: The importance of place in widening access and student success,’ was very successful with 207 delegates present. Another highlight was the launch event for the World Access to Higher Education Network with 60 in person attendees at Ruskin College, Oxford and 1042 online all over the world. Some six other events attracted 361 attendees, either online or in person. These included two NEON Awards Ceremonies at the Palace of Westminster, as the 2024 Ceremony had to be postponed because of the General Election. Unfortunately, a proposed Winter Online Conference and two NEON Summits had to be cancelled because of lack of interest.

Members have indicated that they prefer meetings with a greater focus on successful case studies and more opportunity to interact and engage with other members. We are, therefore, trialling a new series of NEON Supporting Practice Events in the coming year.

The many NEON Working Groups have continued to take forward the agenda in specific areas of access practice. Nine Groups met during the year, in total there were 15 meetings with 324 participants.

We launched a report on ‘Aim Higher, 21 Years On, Opportunity and the Future of Partnership’. The WAHEN Launch Meeting in December also saw the launch of the UNESCO ‘Right to Higher Education’ report.

Throughout the year we have advocated, along with others and led by the Protect Student Choice campaign, for the preservation of ladders of progression into higher education, specifically BTEC programmes. After an initial rebuff from HM Government, it now seems that there is now a greater understanding in Whitehall of the need for a diversity of student choice rather than a binary divide between ‘A’ or ‘T’ levels only.

It is now clear that the money-saving reorganisations and redundancies that many higher education providers are experiencing is hitting widening access teams severely. In response to concerns communicated to us, we have surveyed members on the impact of cuts. Over 55% of respondents expect to see both budgets and staffing cut in the next year. We are seeking to bring this challenge to access work to the attention of policy makers.

We continue to support the World Access to Higher Education Network (WAHEN) which is now a UWL project. Both the current NEON Director and Chair remain on the Board of WAHEN.

Given the change in content now appearing on X (formerly Twitter), we have decided to refocus our social media efforts onto Linkedin where we now have 622 followers an increase of 125.

Mention was made earlier of the financial pressures on access budgets and this would seem to be the reason why 13 members have not renewed their membership. Total membership remains at a relatively high level, 130, of which 89 are universities. That total includes 24 Premium members and we are considering the

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nature of the membership offer. Our review of membership benefits suggests that we are still offering outstanding value, but we do need to be responsive to the changing situation in higher education.

As a consequence of our continuing strong membership figures, successful Summer Symposium and training activities, as well as a prudent approach to expenditure, we were able to make a small surplus of £15,071 after total expenditure of £219,286. Our reserves remain strong and in line with our agreed reserves policy. The receipts and payments accounts for 2024/25 show a deficit of £49,929, this was due to a payment of £66,500 made to the University of West London for hosting costs from previous years.

We were pleased to finally sign an agreement with the University of West London who act as our hosts. UWL act as employers for our staff.

We have seen some significant staffing changes this year. Most notably Professor Graeme Atherton, the founding Director of NEON, resigned in February 2025 to become Vice Principal of Ruskin College and Associate PVC Regional Engagement at UWL. We owe Graeme a great debt of gratitude and are pleased that he will remain a close supporter of NEON. The Trustees have appointed Martin Webster, previously Deputy Director, as Director.

Following other resignations we were delighted to re-engage Maria-Anna Petrou as Membership and Finance Officer. We are most grateful to the staff and members of NEON for all their help and support in such a significant year for the charity.

Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period The charity is in a strong position given this is the third year of its operation as a charity and has a financial surplus.

Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held The trustee’s policy is to build up unreserved funds that amount to six month’s running costs, which amounts to £70,000 to allow for adverse economic conditions and other potential threats, safeguarding NEON’s long-term future as well as a further £25k for planned expenditure in the next year and a payment to University of West London for staff costs of £43,.371.03 relating to 2024/25.

Amount of reserves held

£ 95,000

Details of fund materially in deficit

There are no funds in deficit.

Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern

There are no concerns about NEON continuing as a going concern.

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The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)

Income from NEON events.
Membership subscriptions.

A description of the principal risks facing the charity

A fall in membership subscriptions.
Reduced income from events programme.
Changes in government policy regarding participation in higher education.
The loss of key staff from NEON.

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:

Type of governing document – Constitution
• How is the charity constituted? - Charitable Incorporated Organisation
• Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees - Election by members with option to co-opt (with regard for experience and skills)
• Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees - New trustees receive full information about the workings of NEON
• Other - Before becoming a CIO NEON was based at the University of West London. Since becoming a CIO the University continues to employ NEON staff.

Reference and Administrative details

Charityname	National Education Opportunities Network
Other name the charity uses	NEON
Registered charitynumber	1199280
Charity’s principal address	c/o University of West London St Mary’s Road Ealing London W5 5RF

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Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Dates acted if not for whole Trustee name Office (if any) year Margaret Greenfields 31.08.2024 - 26.11.2024 Hannah Merry Stacey Mottershaw Les Ebdon Chair Peter John Karen Lipsedge Anna Wooley Lynne Downey

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Director name: Martin Webster

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Full name: Leslie Colin Ebdon Position: Chair Date: 6[th] May 2026

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Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Charity Name NEON members of On accounts for the 31[st] July 2025 year ended Set out on pages 7 and 8 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/07/2025/ MM / YYYY . Responsibilities and As the charity trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

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Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

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Signed:
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Name: Lynn Hill

Relevant professional Fellow of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA) qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 222 Moss Delph Lane Ormskirk L39 5BJ

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

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Give here details of any None items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

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