
Our vision
Every child is supported at home to fulfil their potential



Our vision
Every child is supported at home to fulfil their potential
The problem
In the UK, not all children have a fair shot at education.
By age 11, a disadvantaged child is on average nine months behind their peers in English and Maths. But it’s about more than just attainment. This child is more likely in their life to be excluded, to become unemployed, have poor health and even to end up in prison.
The gap between poor children and their peers has grown further since the pandemic. Schools are doing their best to close it but they cannot do it alone.
Only 14% of the gap at age 11 is related to what happens at school.
49% of the gap is related to what happens at home.
Only by supporting all parents and carers can we tackle educational inequality and ensure that every child has the chance to fulfil their potential.

About us
We support all families to have positive learning interactions together. We drive inclusive parental engagement by partnering with schools and through leading the sector to learn what works.



Impact partnerships
We partner with organisations to increase their impact with disadvantaged families.
Through our digital platform, family resources and parental engagement expertise we create bespoke partnerships. These support organisations to create lasting change for the families they work with.
School programme
Working with primary schools, we motivate and empower families across the UK to enjoy learning together at home. Our child-led videos and hands-on family activities replace traditional homework.
Through behavioural insight research and teacher training we ensure that all families are supported effectively.
System leadership
We founded the Parental Engagement Forum and lead the Fair Education Alliance’s work on parental engagement.
The forum brings together organisations to network, share best practice and keep up to date with the latest research about supporting disadvantaged families.
Why we are here

Tom Harbour
CEO
Teaching
As a teacher in a comprehensive school serving an area of high deprivation, my eyes were opened to the inequalities that exist in our society and the role of the education system in propagating these. Every child has potential, but for far too many it is limited by the circumstances.
I witnessed the effects of growing up in poverty on children’s outcomes with my own eyes and was particularly affected when one of my pupils was tragically killed.
Tackling inequality
Inspired by my experiences as a teacher, I completed an MEd exploring the root causes of educational inequality in the UK. I saw the critical role parents have in their child’s life chances and realised that to truly make an impact we need to start young.
Inspired by my sister Jo, a primary Maths specialist, I created a website called Maths with Parents. With support from Teach First, the Fair Education Alliance and others, the project developed and specialised in supporting all families, particularly those facing the biggest barriers. Then, in 2020, the global pandemic changed everything.
Learning with Parents
The pandemic widened the gap in UK education and increased the need and urgency of our work to build a fair education system. At the same time, Covid-19 dramatically increased schools’ focus on the role of parents in education, but best practice was still hard to come by. To rise to this challenge, our ambitious charity was formed in June 2020.
In the next five years we will support one million children and transform the UK education system to work for all families.
We are excited to have you join us on this journey.
Our impact so far
We’re committed to maximising the positive impact our charity has on the young people we work with. You can read our annual impact reports here:
Our team

Tom Harbour
Founder and CEO

Astrid Jenkinson
COO

Peyman Owladi
CTO

Gemma Davis
Programme Director

Florence Lupton
Content Manager

Alice Oliver
Fundraising and Operations Officer

Katie Bond
School Partnership Officer

Amelia Ernest-Jones
School Partnership Manager

Catherine Mearns
School Partnership Manager

Paula Fieldhouse
Content Manager

Sally Fallows
Fundraising Manager
Our trustees

Dame Sally Dicketts
Chair of Trustees

Ben Cole
Trustee

Shanaj Salahuddin
Trustee

Marva Rollins OBE
Trustee

Tarun Abraham
Trustee

Lesley Birch
Trustee

Amanda Shepard
Trustee