AMBITION INSTITUTE
Registered charity 1146924 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as AMBITION SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TRUST, TEACHING LEADERS
Ambition Institute works to close the educational disadvantage gap and give every child the best start in life. We support educators, teachers and leaders in England with high-quality professional development throughout their careers, especially those supporting underserved communities. We work with partners and policymakers to share research, evidence and practice to help everyone in the sector.
Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity closed the financial year with a deficit of £448,000, resulting in a decrease in general reserves to £4.0 million. Per the trustees' report, these reserves are below the stated policy target of three months' expenditure (£5.6 million), representing 2.1 months of expenditure. The trustees attribute this to an investment stage in the financial cycle focused on expanding expertise in special educational needs and early years.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: three months of unrestricted expenditure (held: £4.0m)
“Our policy is to maintain three months’ expenditure in reserves, with a target of £5.6 million.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustee connected party transactions
“Certain Trustees are also involved with organisations that are customers of Ambition Institute. All such transactions are conducted strictly at arm’s length and on normal commercial terms in both the current and comparative period.” — page 48
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Ambition Teacher Training
“Ambition Institute has one subsidiary entity, Ambition Teacher Training which was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee on 15 December 2023 and commenced trading on 1 September 2024.” — page 42
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Buzzacott Audit LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
In the news
Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).
What the charity says about itself (2024/2025)
From its own voluntary annual review / impact report — the charity’s account of its work, distinct from the statutory accounts analysed above.
The charity states it reached over 56,000 educators in the reporting period.
“Ambition Institute has operated at a large scale across the country this year, reaching over 56,000 teachers and school leaders from nearly 11,000 schools, trusts and early years settings.”
The charity reports bringing over 400 new qualified teachers into the profession via its ITT programme.
“Our first cohort successfully completed their programme, bringing over 400 new qualified teachers into the profession.”
The charity reports that nearly 6,500 early career teachers and 4,400 mentors started its ECT programme.
“Nearly 6,500 early career teachers and 4,400 mentors started the Early Career Teacher programme.”
The charity reports that over 8,300 teachers and leaders started an NPQ with them.
“Over 8,300 teachers and leaders started a National Professional Qualification (NPQ) with us.”
Public-sector contracts awarded
From the official Contracts Finder and Find a Tender notices (supplier matched by exact registered name). Contract income is distinct from grants.
Property (HM Land Registry)
2 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)
Reported reserves equal ~1.4 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (98% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (15/03/2019) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Richard Anthony Roger Jeffersonchair
- Joanne Heaton
- Joanne Vivienne Heard-Jones
- John Camp OBE · trustee of 1 other charity
- Jonathan Paul Edward Temple
- Paresh Modi
- Samuel James Freedman · trustee of 1 other charity
- Sarah Mulholland
- Summer Turner
- Tashanta Cecilia Harvey
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is AMBITION INSTITUTE financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity closed the financial year with a deficit of £448,000, resulting in a decrease in general reserves to £4.0 million. Per the trustees' report, these reserves are below the stated policy target of three months' expenditure (£5.6 million), representing 2.1 months of expenditure. The trustees attribute this to an investment stage in the financial cycle focused on expanding expertise in special educational needs and early years. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Buzzacott Audit LLP.
Who funds AMBITION INSTITUTE?
Funders whose own accounts filings name AMBITION INSTITUTE as a grant recipient include THE JOHN ARMITAGE CHARITABLE TRUST, WILLIAM ADLINGTON CADBURY CHARITABLE TRUST, THE ALLEN OVERY SHEARMAN STERLING FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with EDUCATION POLICY INSTITUTE.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.