Finance Score: 8
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 14
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Future income +5
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +14
Overall GiG Score: 31 ?

INDEPENDENT PROVIDER OF SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVICE 

IPSEA) has the following objectives: To promote and advance education of children and young adults with special educational needs, particularly by providing advice, assistance and support for parents and others to obtain appropriate special educational services and to conduct and disseminate research, information and training on special education needs.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently and there are significant future grants due to be received
  • Spending has increased over the last 3 years relative to the previous period
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition
Established: 36 years

www.ipsea.org.uk

admin@ipsea.org.uk

01799582030

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£871£815£56£73£691£5628.321120
31/03/22£835£691£143£59£634£5649.819120
31/03/21£852£572£279£58£491£4679.818216
31/03/20£635£623£12£82£212£1873.618144
31/03/19£653£617£36£76£200£1793.518195
31/03/18£594£660£-67£45£163£1602.9200
31/03/17£472£530£-58£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/16£532£525£7£34£288£2886.6110
31/03/15*£528£456£71£5£281£2817.470
31/03/14£340£381£-41£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/13£376£378£-2£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/12£383£376£7£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/11£395£367£28£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/10£335£266£68£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/09£343£375£-32£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/08£360£321£39£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/07£603£541£63£19£217£1653.790
31/03/06£468£345£124£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/05£229£241£-12£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/04£268£253£15£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 8.4%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 9%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 10%
Highest pay band: £60,000-£70,000
Liabilities/Assets: 15%
Liabilities/Income: 14%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 81%
Reserves/Spending: 8.3 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 9 months
Quick Ratio: 5.4
Asset Split ?
Listed activities
  • Disability
  • Education/Training
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
Where it operates
  • Throughout England,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • People With Disabilities
Who works here?
  • 21 employees
  • 120 volunteers

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Access to Justice Foundation£244,457
Esmee Fairbairn£216,000
Pears Foundation£70,000
John Lyon's Charity£60,760
National Lottery Community Fund£29,750
Essex Community Foundation£25,041
AB Charitable Trust£20,000
The Foyle Foundation£20,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Access to Justice Foundation - Improving Lives Through Advice Grant
£158,389 01/03/2024
The Improving Lives Through Advice programme is made possible by a £30 million grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, thanks to National Lottery players. Working in partnership with the ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA)
£195,000 01/11/2023
Towards unrestricted core costs to strengthen IPSEA's capacity to protect, promote and uphold the rights and entitlements of children with SEND, and drive forward its work to reach the groups most in ....more
John Lyon's Charity - Uplift grant to Independent Parental Special Education Advice
£1,960 05/12/2022
Cost-of-Living Uplift
Access to Justice Foundation - Community Justice Fund Wave Three
£14,672 22/11/2022
Wave three of the Community Justice Fund aims to support organisations delivering social welfare advice services to people most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
Essex Community Foundation - Grant to IPSEA (Independent Provider Special Education Advice)
£9,100 15/09/2022
towards core operational costs of providing free information and advice services to families with children with SEND in Essex
National Lottery Community Fund - Free training for parents/carers of children with special educational needs
£10,000 30/08/2022
The funding will be used to deliver free virtual training courses. The project aims to support parents/carers of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) .
Sussex Community Foundation - Grant to Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (known as IPSEA)
£6,075 17/11/2021
12
Funding was provided towards the cost of offering their services to families in Sussex.
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust - Independent Provider of Special Education Advice - known as IPSEA - 24/09/21
£1,500 12/10/2021
Core Funding
National Lottery Community Fund - A pilot ‘Call-In’ service for IPSEA’s free legally-based advice
£10,000 25/06/2021
The funding will be used to deliver a pilot project for parents and carers of young people with special educational needs or disabilities providing telephone-based support and advice.
Essex Community Foundation - Grant to IPSEA (Independent Provider Special Education Advice)
£6,750 27/05/2021
towards the core costs of providing free information and advice services to families with children with SEND in Essex
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Independent Provider of Special Education Advice - known as IPSEA
£10,000 08/10/2020
An unrestricted grant of £10,000. Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) provides advice, casework and representation to the parents and carers of children and young people with ....more
Suffolk Community Foundation - Free SEND law advice and support for parents, carers and young people
£3,021 25/09/2020
11
To support free SEND law advice and support for parents, carers and young people in Suffolk.
Pears Foundation - Grant to Independent Provider of Special Education Advice
£70,000 08/09/2020
24
Core Funding
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£71,396 17/08/2020
A flexible grant as part of wave 1 of the Community Justice Fund. A pooled fund to support the specialist legal welfare advice sector in its response to COVID19
The Clothworkers Foundation - Grant to Independent Panel for Special Education Advice
£3,660 03/07/2020
COVID19 : purchase IT equipment for a charity that provides supports to the families of children with learning disabilities or special educational needs in Essex
John Lyon's Charity - Main grant to Independent Parental Special Education Advice
£58,800 18/06/2020
36
SEND law advice and Tribunal casework support.
City Bridge Trust - Grant to IPSEA
£7,500 14/06/2020
£7,500 to fund the essential and urgent costs outlined in the application, in order to carry on providing support to Londoners.
Suffolk Community Foundation - IPSEA Introduction to SEND law virtual training
£2,805 29/05/2020
3
For the organisation to provide 2 virtual training sessions to Suffolk parents/carers - Introduction to SEND Law.
Essex Community Foundation - Grant to IPSEA (Independent Provider Special Education Advice)
£5,000 12/05/2020
to support a free telephone service providing legal advice for families with children with SEND in Essex during COVID19
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Independent Parental Special Education Advice
£21,000 05/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted core costs as a COVID-19 fast response grant
The Foyle Foundation - Learning
£20,000 04/02/2020
towards core costs in 2020/21
Essex Community Foundation - Towards the cost of providing our vital free advice and support services for families across Essex
£4,191 20/12/2019
11
Towards the core costs of providing free legal advice services for families with children with SEND in Essex
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Independent Provider of Special Education Advice - known as IPSEA
£10,000 27/06/2019
An unrestricted grant of £10,000. IPSEA offers free legal advice and support to help get the right education for children & young people which special educational needs & disabilities ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Legal Resources Website
£9,750 23/05/2019
12
The organisation will use the funding to make improvements and update the website helping parents to access support for children with special educational needs.
Essex Community Foundation - Empowering parents/carers who have children with special educational needs and disabilities
£7,600 18/04/2019
12
To fund specialist legal training events for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities in Southend, Clacton, Chelmsford and Colchester
John Ellerman Foundation - Training of volunteers
£97,953 24/01/2019
36
Towards the costs of increasing internal capacity to support individuals and thereby develop evidence for policy and advocacy work to ensure SEND children and young people get the right support and ....more
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£20,000 18/12/2018
Volunteer Costs
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Independent Parental Special Education Advice
£168,000 19/06/2018
48
Towards the salary of the Chief Executive of Independent Parental Special Education Advice (IPSEA) which works to improve educational support for children and young people with special educational ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Legal Resources Website
£9,500 17/05/2018
12
The project will provide a website which includes free legally-based independent advice, online training and face to face packages to families of children with special educational needs and/or ....more
Essex Community Foundation - Extend our reach
£9,705 04/01/2017
11
To support additional families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities in Essex
Masonic Trust - Core funding
£5,000 19/10/2016
Free information, helpline, advice and support regarding education for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Independent Parental Special Education Advice
£110,000 16/07/2014
Towards the salary of the chief executive of an organisation that provides legally based advice to families of children with special education needs and/or a disability.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Independent Panel for Special Education Advice
£28,100 29/03/2011
the recruitment and training of 30 new volunteers including monitoring advice/support, volunteer expenses and volunteer support and co-ordination
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (10)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 9/10 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 37-69
  • MARCIA DIANA ORE Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Freelance Dei Consultant And Coach
  • URIAH SMITH Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Trustee And Charity Volunteer
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 22/01/1988, number: 327691
  • Registered at Companies House on 24/11/1987, number: 02198066
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR15: 112 days late,
Main office

Unit 2A Stansted Courtyard
Parsonage Road
Takeley
Bishop's Stortford
CM22 6PU

Objectives

TO PROMOTE AND ADVANCE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS, PARTICULARLY BY PROVIDING ADVICE, ASSISTANCE, AND SUPPORT FOR PARENTS AND OTHERS TO OBTAIN APPROPRIATE SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, AND TO CONDUCT AND DISSEMINATE RESEARCH, INFORMATION AND TRAINING ON SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

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