In 2025, we’re refreshing our strategy, looking ahead to the next five years, and building on the incredible work we’ve done together to tackle educational inequity. In this blog, Rachel Tait, Director of Operations and Impact at the Fair Education Alliance, shares insights into the journey and reasoning behind the process.    

Ten years ago, the Fair Education Alliance was founded with a bold mission: to take a collaborative, cross-sector approach to tackling inequities for children and young people. What started as a small initiative with 25 founding members has since evolved into a powerful, nationwide coalition of 300 organisations, working together to achieve a fairer future for every young person in this country. 

Our members understand that no single organisation or sector can make significant change alone. The disadvantage gap between young people from low-income backgrounds and their peers has widened over the past ten years. At age five, children from low-income households are now 4.8 months behind their peers in meeting early learning goals. The picture is even starker for children receiving SEN support, who are 12.4 months behind at five years old. By the time they take their GCSEs, this gap increases to nearly two years. 

We need to shift the conditions that are holding the problems in place at all layers, including policy, practice, power, and mental models.  We are aiming to create our most ambitious strategy to date because it needs to be.  

I understand the challenges of strategy refreshes and the development of a theory of change – how it can sometimes feel like a lot of talk with no action, restrictive rather than enabling, and how it can tempt us to avoid difficult conversations. 

However, collaboration has been at the heart of the Fair Education Alliance since the beginning; from the formation of our first strategy through to our ongoing collective work to create lasting impact and improve the lives of children and young people. Our strategy refresh process is no different. We’re inviting CEOs and senior leaders of every member organisation to join one of our strategy workshops, and we’d love you to join us. This is a key opportunity to help shape a system-wide approach, influence the future of our alliance and increase your organisation's impact.     

Our strategy refresh this year will reflect what we have learned over the past decade about systems change and collective impact. We are building on existing evidence regarding the challenges and effective solutions, consulting with our members through workshops and surveys, and listening to the voices of young people through our Youth Steering Group.   

We know that transformational, systemic change is essential for all children and young people to thrive, and I look forward to discussing the FEA’s current and future role in achieving this with our members and the wider sector. I hope to meet some of you at an upcoming workshop soon!