Policy at The Brilliant Club - The Brilliant Club

At The Brilliant Club, our policy work is focused on shaping the policies, practices and systems that influence educational opportunity for young people from less advantaged backgrounds across the UK. We believe that if we want to make a meaningful difference, then we must engage in systemic change.

The challenge

In the UK today, postcode and socio-economic status remain the strongest predictors of young people’s educational outcomes.

The disadvantage gap starts early and widens at each stage of education, reaching 19 months by the time young people reach the end of secondary school – the widest it’s been in over a decade.
Young people from low-income households are twice as likely to be NEET as their better-off peers.
Despite university remaining a critical vehicle for social mobility, young people from less advantaged backgrounds are three times less likely to access a competitive university.

These gaps have a significant impact on lifetime earnings, the careers young people can access, and who holds positions of influence in our society.

Despite these challenges, we know a fairer system is possible. We want to see more opportunities for young people, regardless of place or background, leading to a more equitable society and productive economy.

Our priority areas for action:

Parents as partners

Parents and carers from every community should feel confident playing an active role in their children’s education.

We want to see relational practices become a core part of schools’ approach to parental engagement and evidence-informed approaches to parental engagement scaled locally and nationally.

Skills to succeed

Every young person should have the opportunity to thrive in education and develop the skills to succeed.

We want to see a comprehensive strategy to close the disadvantage gap that provides sustainable disadvantage funding up to KS5 and embeds academic enrichment as a core part of the Enrichment Entitlement.

Fair student finance

Every student should have the financial support they need to access and thrive in higher education, whatever their background.

To support informed choices, we want all young people to have access to high-quality information advice and guidance on future pathways, alongside a fair maintenance grants system that enables students from all backgrounds to study a diverse range of subjects at university.

Our policy approach

Research and analysis

We gather new research and evidence on challenges and solutions to educational inequality and embed our robust programme evaluation data into our policy work.

Collaboration

We work in partnership with organisations across the education and social mobility sectors to strengthen our calls for change. The Brilliant Club is an active member of The Social Mobility Alliance, Fair Education Alliance, and Fair Access Coalition.

Influencing decision-makers

We work directly with local and national decision-makers to influence policy, amplify youth and parent voices, and drive meaningful change.

Media

We engage media to raise awareness of educational inequality and build public support.

Policy news

Response to education reform announcement

The Brilliant Club welcomes the ambition behind reforms announced today of building an education system that works for every young person.

Social Mobility Day 2026: young people’s stories drive calls for change in Parliament

To mark Social Mobility Day 2026, The Brilliant Club joined sector partners The Social Mobility Alliance at the House of Commons to call for urgent action to drive social mobility.

16-19 Student Premium campaign launched

The Brilliant Club joins leading social mobility organisations to call for new funding for less advantaged students in 16-19 education.

Response to Schools White Paper

The Schools White Paper sets out an ambitious and much-needed plan to bring about change for less advantaged young people.

Get in touch

If you’d like to learn more about our policy and media work, or collaborate with us on a policy priority, please contact Sophie Ireland, Policy and Public Affairs Lead, via the button below.

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