2025 Diversity Survey Results

As required by ICAEW probate regulations, we have now collated the results of the 2025 diversity survey completed by our team. We have published below a summary of the results of the survey.

Of the 28 members of our team invited to complete the survey, we received 25 responses so three members of our team did not complete the anonymous survey, but we do not know the reason why.

All partners are ICAEW Chartered Accountants, and we have a heavy weighting of the team who are either qualified or studying towards the ICAEW qualification, which is not unusual given we are a firm of Chartered Accountants and registered auditors.

A summary of the key areas of diversity asked during the survey are highlighted below: -

• 20.00% of the team are under 25 (2023 survey: 20.83%), 32.00% are aged between 25-34 (2023 survey: 25%), 16.00% are 35-44 years old (2023 survey: 20.83%), 24.00% are 45-54 years old (2023 survey: 12.50%), 4.00% of the team are aged 55-64 (2023 survey: 8.33%), no members of the team are aged 65+ (2023 survey: same) and 4.00% of the remaining team members observed their right to not say (2023 survey: 12.50%).
• 44.00% of our team (across all areas of the business) are female (2023 survey: 41.67%) and everyone who completed the survey identify with the sex they were registered with at birth.
• One person in our team recorded that they have a disability (categorised as ‘other’) and the remaining 96.00% (2023 diversity survey: 87.50%) state they have no disability.
• 28% of the team are Asian/Asian British ethnicity (2023 survey: 21%) split as 8% Chinese; 8% Indian and 12% Other Asian, 4% of our team are African, 56% of the team are White British/English/Welsh/Northern Irish/Scottish (2023 survey: 63%), 8% from other white backgrounds (2023 survey: 4%) and 4% preferred not to say (2023 survey: 12%). We acknowledge the split of ethnicity amongst our team is focused heavily on White and Asian ethnic backgrounds, which is similar to the 2023 survey results.  This is not a conscious decision by our practice as our recruitment process is wide and varied to attract candidates from different ethnic background, but candidates applying for the role are typically from White and Asian backgrounds. It is difficult to know why this is the case.
• Turning to Faith, the responses from our team showed that 48% of our team are Christian (2023 – 54%), 8% are Hindu (2023 – 9%),  36% (2023 – 29%) are not associated with a religion, 4% recorded the fact that they are associated with another religion not listed in the survey and 4% (2023 – 8%) selected the option that they preferred not to say.
• 96% (2023: 87.50%) of our team are Heterosexual/Straight and 4% (2023: 8.50%) preferred not to say. In the 2023 survey 4% of those completing the survey were Bisexual.
• 36% (2023: 21%) of our team attended University as the first generation of their family to do so, 36% (2023: 37.50%) of our team attended University but were not the first generation to do so, 245% (2023: 33.50%) did not attend University and 4% (2023: 8%) preferred not to say.
• 52% (2023 - 71%) attended a UK state school, 16% (2023: 8%) attended a UK independent/fee paying school, 16% (2023: 0%) attended a state run or state funded school selective on academic, faith or other grounds and the balance is made up of those attending school outside the UK or who preferred not to say.
• 36.00% (2023 – 37.50%) of the parents/guardians of our team members held a degree level, 20% (2023 – 16.7%) had A Levels as the highest qualification and 24% (2023 – 20.8%) had qualifications below A Levels as their highest qualification, a further 8% did not know (2023: 12.50%) and 12% (2023: 8.3%) preferred not to say. Turning to when our team were 14 years old, the highest income earner in their household for 32% of our team were in modern professional occupations (2023: 12.50%), 8% of our team had the highest earner in a Clerical and intermediate occupation (2023: 8.33%), 12% were Senior managers and administrators (2023: 20.83%), 12% were in technical and craft occupations (2023: 0%), 4% were in semi-routine and service occupations (2023: 4.17%),  8% were in routine manual and service occupations (2023: 12.50%) and the balance were either short term unemployed, retired, other or our team answered I don’t know or prefer not to say. (2023: Armed forces, middle or junior managers, traditional professional occupations, long term unemployed and again some of our team answered I don’t know or prefer not to say).
• Turning to our team, 64% (2023: 50%) have a degree as their highest level of qualification (not including their professional qualification), 24% (2023: 37.50%) have A Levels as their highest level of qualification, 8% (2023: 0%) hold qualifications under A Level and 4% (2023: 8.3%) preferred not to say. In addition, in the 2023 survey 4.2% stated Not applicable.
• Of the 25 team members who completed the survey, 8% (2023: 8.3%) advised that during their school years their household received income support whereas a further 8%  (2023: 8.3%) did not know and 4% (2023: 8.3%) preferred not to say. In addition, 4% (2023: 0%) were entitled to free school meals, 76% (2023: 75%) were not, 16% (2023: 16.67%) did not know and 4% (2023: 8.3%) preferred not to say.
• Of those in our team who responded to the survey 8% look after/assist a family member, friend or neighbour with long term physical or mental ill health/disability or problems related to old age and 28% responded to say they are a primary carer for a child/children under the age of 18 (2023: 12.50%).
• 36% (2023 - 33%) of our team are married, 52% (2023 - 50%) of our team are single (never married or registered as a same-sex civil partnership) and the balance is made up of those who state their marital or civil partnership position is divorced, other or they preferred not to say.
• In the last 5 years 16% of our team (2023: 8.3%) have taken maternity or paternity leave, 16% returned to the same employer, 12% were allowed paid time off for ante-natal appointments and 16% were offered flexible working arrangements when they returned and the ability to work from home was an important aid in their return to work
• 92% of the team that responded do not consider themselves neurodivergent and the remaining 8% they preferred not to say. When asked have you shared information about your neurodivergence with your employer 8% said they had not.