Aqa Education

Analysis

Aqa Education is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Manchester. It was registered in January 1999, 27 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, which this site groups under education and training. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03644723). It says it provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Aqa Education reported income of £280.1m and spending of £266.4m, spending 95% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £135.8m to £280.1m (+106%), an average of +20% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 48%. Over the whole period it spent 98% of the income it received.

Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, Aqa Education sits at the 100th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 100th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Leicester Grammar School Trust (£235.7m), Citb (£280.2m) and University of South Wales/Prifysgol de Cymru (£224.9m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 94%, trading 2.8% and investments 2.8%. Charitable activities took 97% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Reserves of £161.6m would cover about 7 months of spending at that rate. It employed 1,798 people.