The Heron Educational Trust

Analysis

The Heron Educational Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Chelmsford. It was registered in July 1996, 30 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, which this site groups under education and training. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it provides other finance, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Heron Educational Trust reported income of £1.6m and spending of £1.6m, spending 98% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £1.1m to £1.6m (+43%), an average of +9.4% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income rose by 95%. Over the whole period it spent 87% of the income it received.

Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, The Heron Educational Trust sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include British Educational Research Association (£1.6m), The Morley Agricultural Foundation (£1.6m) and International Food Information Service (Ifis Publishing) (£1.6m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from trading 78% and donations and legacies 22%. Charitable activities took 13% of spending and raising funds 85%.