ABILITY NEEDS CIC

Executive Summary

ABILITY NEEDS CIC is a small, niche educational support community interest company currently inactive with negative financial indicators, reflecting a developmental or dormant phase rather than a competitive operational status. The company’s financials lag behind typical sector benchmarks, which commonly feature modest but positive turnover and stable working capital. To align with sector growth trends, ABILITY NEEDS CIC must enhance stakeholder engagement and secure sustainable funding to strengthen its competitive positioning in the evolving educational support services market.

ABILITY NEEDS CIC - Analysis Report

Company Number: 12803643

Analysis Date: 2025-07-20 12:06 UTC

1. Industry Classification
   ABILITY NEEDS CIC operates within the "Educational support services" (SIC 85600) and "Other education not elsewhere classified" (SIC 85590) sectors. These sectors typically encompass organisations providing supplementary educational assistance, learning support, and specialised educational services outside mainstream schooling. This sector often includes non-profit entities, community interest companies (CICs), and private educational support providers, focusing on delivering social value through education.

2. Relative Performance
   Financially, ABILITY NEEDS CIC shows minimal commercial activity with zero turnover reported for the 2023/24 financial year, following a marginal turnover of £39 in prior years. The company has consistently operated at a loss, with administrative expenses recorded (£249 in 2024 and £661 in 2023) and negative net assets worsening from -£1,970 in 2023 to -£2,206 in 2024. The balance sheet indicates a precarious liquidity position, with current liabilities (£1,920) far exceeding current assets (£11), resulting in negative working capital (-£1,909). Compared to typical metrics in the educational support sector, even small-scale providers usually generate some revenue streams from grants, contracts, or service fees, maintaining at least balanced working capital. This suggests ABILITY NEEDS CIC is currently inactive or in a developmental phase rather than a revenue-generating operation.

3. Sector Trends Impact
   The educational support services sector in the UK has seen growth driven by increased demand for specialist learning support, digital education tools, and tailored tutoring, especially post-pandemic. Funding pressures on schools and public bodies have created opportunities for CICs to fill gaps in provision. However, the sector also faces challenges such as reliance on public funding, fluctuating grant availability, and the need for robust stakeholder engagement to sustain operations. For ABILITY NEEDS CIC, the reported cessation of activities during the latest year indicates it may not have capitalised on these sector trends yet. The lack of turnover and ongoing negative equity suggest the company is either in temporary dormancy or transitioning, potentially needing to secure sustainable funding streams or partnerships to re-engage with market opportunities.

4. Competitive Positioning
   As a private, limited by guarantee CIC with a single director and minimal employee count, ABILITY NEEDS CIC is a niche player in its sector. Unlike larger or more established educational support organisations that boast diversified service offerings and stable funding, this company currently lacks operational scale and financial resilience. Its negative net assets and working capital deficits highlight vulnerabilities uncommon among successful peers, who typically maintain positive equity and stable cash flows. The absence of remuneration and minimal stakeholder engagement reported in the community interest report further underline its limited market presence. To improve competitive positioning, ABILITY NEEDS CIC would need to focus on strategic fundraising, community engagement, and possibly service innovation to differentiate itself within an increasingly competitive and resource-constrained educational support environment.