The Difference
The Difference is a UK education charity developing school leaders, capturing effective inclusion practice, and shaping education policy to reduce exclusions and lost learning across England's schools, reaching 400+ schools and 650+ leaders since 2019.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Difference does
The Difference is a UK registered charity (charity number 1184843) and company limited by guarantee, founded by Kiran Gill in 2016/2017 to reduce school exclusions and lost learning across England's schools. The organisation operates a three-pillar model: PEOPLE — professional development programmes for school leaders; PRACTICE — capturing and sharing effective inclusion approaches from partner schools; POLICY — using programme insights to shape national education policy through research reports, advocacy, and the "Inclusion for All" campaign. Its core programmes include the Inclusive Leadership Course, The Difference Schools Partnership, and support for Internal Alternative Provision, alongside the National Network for Internal Alternative Provision. The portfolio is rounded out by the annual IncludEd conference (a multi-strand event for inclusion practitioners), the fortnightly 4-Bullet Friday newsletter, and a Content Hub of case studies, webinars, and policy publications.
The portfolio is complemented by targeted policy output, including the March 2025 "Who is Losing Learning? Solutions Report" and the 2025 "What Works: Four Tenets of Effective Internal Alternative Provision." The organisation does not sell a technology product, API, or SaaS platform, and its offering is human-delivered training, frameworks, events, and advocacy rather than software. Its underlying intellectual property is content-based: frameworks, case studies, impact reports, and conference programming designed for school leaders and Multi-Academy Trust leaders.
Revenue is derived entirely from charitable funding and grants. Programmes are provided free of charge to schools and participants; there is no commercial pricing model. The supporter base comprises foundations, trusts, and corporate funders including Apax Foundation, Aon, Bridges Impact Foundation, Dulverton, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Impetus, KPMG Foundation, Kusuma Trust, Mission 44, Schroder Charity Trust, WFET, Duluk Foundation, and Kurt and Magdastern. Distribution is direct via programme enrollment (website forms), the IncludEd conference, and policy engagement with government departments and local authorities. The organisation operates only in England, with reported reach of 650+ leaders trained and 400+ schools supported since 2019.
The Difference firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Difference
- Legal name
- The Difference Education Charity
- Website
- https://the-difference.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Difference is a UK education charity developing school leaders, capturing effective inclusion practice, and shaping education policy to reduce exclusions and lost learning across England's schools, reaching 400+ schools and 650+ leaders since 2019.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Difference industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Professional Development
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)
Keywords
Where The Difference is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Difference business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable funding and grants: The organisation operates as a registered UK charity (number 1184843) funded entirely by supporters including foundations, trusts, and corporate funders. No revenue is generated from schools or programme participants.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Difference product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Difference is a UK education charity that delivers professional development programmes, frameworks, and policy advocacy aimed at reducing school exclusions and improving attendance across England. Its core offerings include the Inclusive Leadership Course for school leaders, The Difference Schools Partnership, and Internal Alternative Provision support, delivered free to schools via charitable funding from foundations, trusts, and corporate funders.
Product overview
The Difference is an education charity offering a portfolio of professional development programmes, resources, and events focused on reducing school exclusions and lost learning across England. The core offerings include the Inclusive Leadership Course (a training programme for school leaders), The Difference Schools Partnership, and support for Internal Alternative Provision. These are complemented by the IncludEd annual conference, the Inclusion for All policy initiative, and a Content Hub containing reports, case studies, and webinars. The organisation operates through three pillars: PEOPLE (programmes for school leaders), PRACTICE (capturing and sharing effective approaches), and POLICY (informing education policy). The company does not offer a technology product, API, or SaaS platform—it is a professional development and advocacy organisation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IncludEd Conference: Annual whole-school inclusion conference bringing together education professionals.
- Inclusive Leadership Course
- The Difference Schools Partnership
- Inclusion for All
- Internal Alternative Provision
- 4-Bullet Friday
Products and services
- Inclusive Leadership Course
- The Difference Schools Partnership
- Internal Alternative Provision Support
- IncludEd Conference
- Inclusion for All
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 650 school leaders trained since 2019
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Difference
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Difference technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Difference partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Difference competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Difference social profiles
Digital presenceThe Difference financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Difference leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Difference funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Difference M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Difference
What does The Difference do?
The Difference is a UK education charity that delivers professional development programmes, frameworks, and policy advocacy aimed at reducing school exclusions and improving attendance across England. Its core offerings include the Inclusive Leadership Course for school leaders, The Difference Schools Partnership, and Internal Alternative Provision support, delivered free to schools via charitable funding from foundations, trusts, and corporate funders.
Is The Difference a public or private company?
The Difference is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Difference founded?
The Difference was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Difference based?
The Difference is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Difference make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable funding and grants.
Does The Difference have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Difference.
What industry is The Difference in?
The Difference's product category is Education Professional Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAB, K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDADALAK, Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8200.