Reflections from our Team Strategy Retreat

Last week, our team took a step back from the day-to-day and immersed ourselves in a residential away day in the countryside. Over the two days, we focussed on the Fair Education Alliance’s strategy refresh where we collectively deepened our thinking around our Theory of Change. Through a series of workshops, we explored the core problem we seek to address, the outcomes we hope to achieve and the pathway that will take us from where we are now to where we aspire to be. At the heart of these discussions was our commitment to ensuring that no child’s success is limited by their socioeconomic background. Every conversation reinforced the urgency of tackling educational inequity and the need for a systemic approach to change.  

We explored our Theory of Change through the lens of the "Water of Systems Change". This framework recognises the multiple conditions that shape the complex systems we work in, from the more visible structures like policies and resource flows to the deeper, often unspoken influences of power dynamics, relationships and mental models. By keeping these six conditions at the forefront, we challenged ourselves to think beyond surface-level solutions and outcomes and consider how real, lasting change can happen. 

One recurring theme emerged from our conversations - hope. The work we do to make education fair for all children and young people is not easy, and the challenges we face can sometimes feel overwhelming. However, if we are to create meaningful change, we must carry hope with us. We need to have faith in the possibility of transformation, trust in the people and communities we work with and believe that our collective efforts truly matter. Without hope, even the most well-designed strategies risk losing their power. 

This residential was a pivotal step in shaping our strategy, but it is only the beginning. We are excited to continue these conversations with our members in the upcoming strategy refresh workshops, where we will seek your input to refine a system-wide approach, shape the future of our alliance, and ultimately increase your organisation’s impact. If you have not yet signed up for a workshop, we encourage you to do so here. 

We're also asking all our members to complete the 2025 FEA Member Survey, to ensure our records are up-to-date and that your voice is heard. 

Together, with rigour, collaboration and hope, we can drive the systemic change needed to ensure a fair education for all children and young people.