London-based education charity Shine, which funds the education resource platforms HegartyMaths and Times Tables Rockstars, is moving to the North of England.

From August, the charity, supported by former football manager Alex Ferguson, will become the only specialist funder of education to be based in the North of England. It expects to invest at least £1 million a year in deprived areas across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber.

Shine will work to improve outcomes in early years, and in the first few years of secondary school.

The charity, which was founded by a group of philanthropists in 1999 to help tackle educational inequality, will be based in Leeds (pictured), one of the key centres of the Northern Powerhouse. It provides funding to support educational programmes that aim to raise the attainment and aspiration of children living in deprived areas.

‘Stark education gaps’

Lord Jim O’Neill, a founding member of Shine, is a member of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership thinktank. He will be rejoining the board of Shine, in order to help the charity realise its vision in the North.

“The decision to relocate Shine’s base and efforts to Leeds is really important and, for me, exciting,” Lord O’Neill said.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, has welcomed the move. “It’s become clear that there are stark education gaps between the South and North of England,” he said. “Your life chances are not only dependent on your family circumstances, but also where you live. That’s why I am so positive about Shine’s move to the North.”

Since August 2000, Shine has donated £24.5 million to projects helping 280,000 children from more than 5,000 schools.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex said: “I am delighted that Shine is taking the bold step to relocate to the North of England at this time when many children and young people from low-income families are not getting the life-changing benefits of a good education.”

More details on Shine can be found here.

Full disclosure: Tes editor Ann Mroz is a trustee of Shine.

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