In the North of England, only 34% of disadvantaged children get five good GCSEs at school, compared to 48% in London. More children in the North are left without the basics they need to continue studying or get a well-paid job. At SHINE, we believe that all children in the North deserve the same educational chances as anyone else.

We work with teachers and schools in the North, developing innovative programmes that support the most disadvantaged young people. We also work in partnership with other organisations and funders in those parts of the North with the greatest need to drive systemic change that is locally led.

What we are funding

To date, SHINE has invested over £34.5 million in innovative projects, benefiting more than 1.4 million children from 20,000 schools.

SHINE currently supports hundreds of schools across some of the most disadvantaged areas in the North.

Take a closer look

Case studies

Learn about some of SHINE's projects and how they work

Stories

Discover the impact our projects have had on children and young people.

What's new

Find out the latest news about our projects across the North.

Let Teachers SHINE

Find out how we help teachers to nurture and develop their creative ideas.

What we hope to achieve

SHINE has set some ambitious goals to meet by 2025 as we work to build a brighter future for the North's most disadvantaged children

Every child should be given a fair chance to succeed at school and go on to realise their full potential in later life. Sadly, for a lot of children, this is not currently the case. I am proud to support SHINE in its bold new vision for the North, and I would urge others to fully support them in any way they can.

Sir Alan Langlands Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds

Giving kids from poor communities some decent opportunities to succeed at school has always been an incredibly worthwhile cause. To get them a good job, it’s essential that these children leave school with the best possible grades, and that makes SHINE’s work even more important than ever.

Nick Robinson Journalist and Broadcaster