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Rating for AQA EDUCATION

82/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Give with confidence
82/100

Clarity score

Good

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Manchester · UK-wide · M15 6EX Reg 1073334 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

AQA EDUCATION is a registered UK charity (1073334) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. CharityCompare scores the organisation from public Charity Commission annual accounts — financial efficiency, transparency, and filing compliance — not programme outcomes.

In short: AQA EDUCATION scores 82 out of 100 (3 stars). 97% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

AQA EDUCATION has a Clarity Score of 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1073334. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £136m, with 97% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 8 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

82/100

3★ · Good

Cause spend

97%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£136m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

8 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£3162.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-24

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for AQA EDUCATION
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 12 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

83/100

Financial Health metrics for AQA EDUCATION
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 8 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

0% 61% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for AQA EDUCATION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 97% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

100% 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Community Support metrics for AQA EDUCATION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

82/100 total · Good · 3 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
83/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight12 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

83/100

Reserves (months of cash)8 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets61% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Program expense ratio97% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

AQA EDUCATION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £136m
Total expenditure £133m
Charitable activities £114m 86%
Fundraising £130k 0%
86%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £133m spent

  • Charitable activities86%
  • Fundraising0%
  • Other spending14%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    12 trustees on the Charity Commission register

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1073334

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Colin Hughes since 2020
  • Deirdre Mary O'Donoghue since 2021
  • Mark Barry Lindon Allen since 2022
  • Thomas Joseph Hall since 2022
  • Paula Smith since 2023
  • Hilary Ann Ewing since 2024
  • Thomas John Jackson since 2024
  • David Laws Chair · since 2024
  • Jennese Alozie since 2025
  • Claire Louise Heald since 2025
  • Steven Robinson since 2025
  • Mana Abedi since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £70100k £140200k £210300k £280400k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £135,846k Spending 2021: £132,973k Cause spend 2021: £113,738k Income 2022: £148,024k Spending 2022: £129,917k Cause spend 2022: £126,081k Income 2023: £218,419k Spending 2023: £250,515k Cause spend 2023: £241,725k Income 2024: £268,803k Spending 2024: £253,386k Cause spend 2024: £245,148k Income 2025: £280,125k Spending 2025: £266,419k Cause spend 2025: £257,965k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
82/100 (3★)
Income
£136m
Cause spend
97% of expenditure
Reg number
1073334
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
8 months
Trustees
12
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about AQA EDUCATION's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is AQA EDUCATION's charity rating? +

AQA EDUCATION scores 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is AQA EDUCATION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — AQA EDUCATION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1073334. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is AQA EDUCATION's Charity Commission registration number? +

AQA EDUCATION's registration number is 1073334. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1073334

How much income does AQA EDUCATION receive? +

AQA EDUCATION reported £136m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of AQA EDUCATION's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 97% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 0%.

Are AQA EDUCATION's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is AQA EDUCATION based? +

AQA EDUCATION is listed at Manchester · UK-wide · M15 6EX and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score AQA EDUCATION? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to AQA EDUCATION? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare AQA EDUCATION with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put AQA EDUCATION side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.