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AQA EDUCATION

Registered charity 1073334 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as AQA, ASSESSMENT & QUALIFICATIONS ALLIANCE, ASSESSMENT AND QUALIFICATIONS ALLIANCE

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Latest income
£280.1m
Latest spending
£266.4m
Registered
1999
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Group has sufficient liquidity with £192.3 million in cash and investments, maintaining a strong financial position. Free reserves of £88.2 million are held within the stated policy target range of £70 million to £80 million, providing a contingency for unexpected costs. The primary financial risk identified is an actuarial loss on pension schemes, which drove a decrease in total group funds for the year.

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £350,001 - £360,000 — in the top quarter for charities its size (median £180k)
“The number of employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000 have increased year on year due to a combination of factors including annual salary pay rises and an increase in overall headcount.” — page 55
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Employees paid over £60,000: 346
“There were 346 (2024: 273) employees whose emoluments, excluding pension contributions and employers’ national insurance, but including benefits in kind and termination payments, were in excess of £60,000.” — page 55
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: £70 million to £80 million (held: £88.2m)
“Based on our updated assessment, our policy is to maintain free reserves in the range of £70 million to £80 million (2024: £60 million to £70 million) and as at year end, we are slightly over target range.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Payments to trustees: Chair remuneration: Ms Spackman £15,000; Mr Laws £6,000.
“During the year there was a change in the Chair of Trustees and having received Charity Commission permission Ms Spackman, serving from April 2024 to December 2024, was paid £15,000 and then Mr Laws, serving from December 2024 to March 2025, was paid £6,000 for their role as Chair of Trustees.” — page 54
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: AQA Education provided a loan facility to AQA Commercial Services Limited (ACSL).
“In the prior year AQA provided ACSL, a loan facility of up to £40,000,000 with drawdowns charged at 4.75% above the Bank of England base rate. At the year-end, the loan balance was £41,828,000 (2024: £33,910,000), with a total principal amount drawn of £33,963,000.” — page 74
“During the year, AQA Assessment Services charged AQA £8,468,000 (2024: £22,718,000) for licence fee use of scanners and intellectual property and development fees” — page 74
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: AQA Assessment Services charged AQA for licence fees and development.
“In the prior year AQA provided ACSL, a loan facility of up to £40,000,000 with drawdowns charged at 4.75% above the Bank of England base rate. At the year-end, the loan balance was £41,828,000 (2024: £33,910,000), with a total principal amount drawn of £33,963,000.” — page 74
“During the year, AQA Assessment Services charged AQA £8,468,000 (2024: £22,718,000) for licence fee use of scanners and intellectual property and development fees” — page 74
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: AQA charged AQA Assessment Services for recharges.
“In the prior year AQA provided ACSL, a loan facility of up to £40,000,000 with drawdowns charged at 4.75% above the Bank of England base rate. At the year-end, the loan balance was £41,828,000 (2024: £33,910,000), with a total principal amount drawn of £33,963,000.” — page 74
“During the year, AQA Assessment Services charged AQA £8,468,000 (2024: £22,718,000) for licence fee use of scanners and intellectual property and development fees” — page 74
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Training Qualifications UK paid Gift Aid to AQA Education.
“In the prior year AQA provided ACSL, a loan facility of up to £40,000,000 with drawdowns charged at 4.75% above the Bank of England base rate. At the year-end, the loan balance was £41,828,000 (2024: £33,910,000), with a total principal amount drawn of £33,963,000.” — page 74
“During the year, AQA Assessment Services charged AQA £8,468,000 (2024: £22,718,000) for licence fee use of scanners and intellectual property and development fees” — page 74
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: AQA charged Doublestruck for royalty fees.
“In the prior year AQA provided ACSL, a loan facility of up to £40,000,000 with drawdowns charged at 4.75% above the Bank of England base rate. At the year-end, the loan balance was £41,828,000 (2024: £33,910,000), with a total principal amount drawn of £33,963,000.” — page 74
“During the year, AQA Assessment Services charged AQA £8,468,000 (2024: £22,718,000) for licence fee use of scanners and intellectual property and development fees” — page 74
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Doublestruck Limited, AQA Assessment Services Limited, AlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd, Training Qualifications UK Limited
“We also provide services through four wholly-owned trading subsidiary companies: Doublestruck Limited (Doublestruck), AQA Assessment Services Limited (AASL), AlphaPlus Consultancy Ltd (AlphaPlus), and Training Qualifications UK Limited (TQUK)”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by BDO LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income
£280.1m
Total spending
£266.4m
Cost of raising funds
£39k
Reserves (reported)
£161.6m
Employees
1,798

Reported reserves equal ~7.3 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 2.7 months; benchmarks).

Trustees

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£280.1m£266.4m
31/03/2024£268.8m£253.4m
31/03/2023£218.4m£250.5m
31/03/2022£148.0m£129.9m
31/03/2021£135.8m£133.0m

Common questions

Is AQA EDUCATION financially healthy?

The accounts state that the Group has sufficient liquidity with £192.3 million in cash and investments, maintaining a strong financial position. Free reserves of £88.2 million are held within the stated policy target range of £70 million to £80 million, providing a contingency for unexpected costs. The primary financial risk identified is an actuarial loss on pension schemes, which drove a decrease in total group funds for the year. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by BDO LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of AQA EDUCATION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £350,001 - £360,000 band, and 346 employees earned over £60,000.