“Across our group of companies, we’ve continued to expand our reach, strengthen partnerships, and deliver life-changing support for students with disabilities.
“Last year, our impact report titled, ‘Purpose in action: a year of impact with eQS Disability Support’ focused on how we have developed our purpose through our group values, clear mission and unity of teams across our companies. This year, our focus was on expanding our reach in order to positively impact more people’s lives.”
Andy Gough, eQS Managing Director
In addition to our continued partnership with Capita in delivering the Government’s Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) framework, this year, we’ve deepened our relationships across the higher education sector and beyond. Through our unique Higher Education Instituion (HEI) partnership model, improving our data and systems as well as our commitment to a student-centric service design, we have delivered more personalised student support than ever before.
Amano’s NMH service has continued to grow and refine this year, building strong partnerships with universities, delivering exceptional support for our students and becoming the third most recommended NMH provider in the DSA. Our clients now include the University of Sussex, the University of Bristol and the University of Southampton. At Southampton, we were able to step in from the previous provider and efficiently recruit 30 new support workers, ensuring continuity of provision and safeguarding the student experience.
Alongside these contracts, we have also developed close working relationships with the University of West England, the University of Plymouth, Arts University Plymouth, and Cardiff Metropolitan University. Amano is also a trusted partner for degree apprenticeship support, working with several universities to assist around 450 apprentices nationwide.
The Amano HEI Portal has been an important development, giving universities access to a secure, GDPR-compliant referral system and valuable insight and data at both individual and cohort levels. This innovation helps us and our HEI partners operate more efficiently and make informed budgeting decisions to support student attainment and retention.
eQS Head of Operations Natasha Hardiman said:
“Our Amano services team has developed this year as a strategic partner. We have committed to helping universities manage resources effectively, while also maintaining high-quality outcomes for students.”
This year, we have continued to develop and sustain our long-term university partnerships, with many clients choosing to remain with EGS for several years. Our approach of having a dedicated person for every HEI partnership, supported by an extensive admin team has enabled us to provide consistency, responsiveness, and depth of support.
EGS Operations Director Jane Goldthorpe said: “We were pleased to welcome back returning partners, including the Luther King Education Trust and the positive testimonials we continue to receive from HEIs and students further motivate our team in our passion for the quality of service and care we deliver. The feedback also underlines our reputation as a reliable, long-term partner – something we are very proud of.”
Much like our HEI Portal for Amano partners, we have also developed a bespoke HEI Portal for EGS partners with our inhouse IT team at eQS Group. The EGS HEI Portal is designed to offer secure, GDPR-compliant referral management and gives universities faster access to insights. Having digital access to assessment progress gives an added level of trust whilst always being supported by our dedicated team of people.
Secure access to bulk upload and track student referrals, giving your team complete visibility throughout the process.
From initial contact - via student’s preference of SMS, phone, or email - to managing pre-assessment questionnaires, confirming assessment dates, and sending reminders, we take care of every detail, so students feel supported every step of the way.
Our nationwide team of fully qualified, BPS/HCPC-registered Psychologists bring years of experience, professionalism, and genuine care to each assessment. All assessments meet SASC and SFE standards for full DSA compliance, but above all, we focus on supporting the student’s needs and improving outcomes.
Reports are created using our in-house, digital Report Writing System, designed to produce clear, jargon-free, evidence-based, and practical reports, for every student. We ensure our reports provide actionable recommendations that support the student, and the HEI.
Genio (previously Glean)
Jamworks
MindView 9
OrbitNote
Tailo
Brain In Hand
Microsoft Windows 11 Accessibility
Spoon Theory (non-AT course on neurodivergent subject)
Learning Labs continues to grow as the original e-learning platform for assistive technology. This year we have grown our added value content which includes study skills, mental wellbeing, operating software accessibility and now neurodivergent theory Labs, such as the Spoon Theory.
Our team has been out on road more this year at events and holding online webinars, including two in partnership with Jamworks and Tailo, plus a demo tour of Scottish universities and of course, at our own CPD Rev.
Our learning design team has also embarked upon a development plan for Learning Labs which will continue into the next academic year with new user experience features and content launches.
With thousands of active learners, the platform continues to support students to get the most from their assistive technology through interactive tutorials, all available course-long.
Our work with Capita PLC, within the new DSA framework, has seen us develop our expertise while continuing to deliver exceptional services in AT equipment provision and AT training. From logistics to training, our team at Invate has provided consistent, high-quality support – empowering students to learn and thrive independently.
eQS Head of Operations Natasha Hardiman said: “Our team has been able to bring lots of experience to the DSA delivery, aimed at improving the quality of service for the student. Our role has also given us opportunities to learn, widen skillsets and develop our people into new roles.”
From achieving first class degrees to breakthrough assessments and moments of newfound independence, the real life stories of our students always remind us why we do what we do.
“Prior to the field trip I was really quite nervous. Francesca offered me plenty of pre-trip meetings where we discussed my needs and worries. These pre-trip meetings were invaluable and made me feel confident in my ability to progress!”
– Frankie Butler, University of Bristol student
“With the assessment at EGS, I understood everything they said and what every test score was, and even how to do the test – that was all very well explained. The person who led my assessment was very good overall.”
– Tom, Student
“Learning Labs can make AT training more fun and engaging as it can break it down into smaller chunks because sometimes learning a whole AT can be daunting.”
– Jasmine, psychology student
Through our interactive, in-person events like CPD Rev, nationwide webinars, and partnerships with leading assistive technology providers, we’re investing in knowledge to fuel inclusion.
This year, we have focused on developing a new, leading, online CPD platform where disability support professionals can access downloadable expert guides, watch back insightful webinars and sign up to all the upcoming CPD content – all on the latest topics and all for free.
From apprentices who now support process improvement across brands, to launching our new employee forum, the Unity Forum and our new platform for protecting our people and reporting concerns, the Unity Matters initiative – our people are at the heart of everything we do.
We’re proud to continue our journey towards carbon neutrality, reflecting our commitment to a better world for everyone.
Our head office teams have supported our brands in growing their impact with focus on outstanding service delivery.
“We’ve focused on making our finances work harder for our impact. Consolidated systems and reporting have given us better visibility and transparency, while closer collaboration with managers has led to stronger decision-making. We’ve also reinvested in areas that matter, from carbon offsetting to gender pay gap reporting – supporting responsible, sustainable growth across the group.”
– eQS Group Head of Finance Kim Scott
“We made significant investments to strengthen and future-proof our IT infrastructure. By upgrading our network, servers and security systems, we’ve built a more resilient, flexible platform that can support growth and business continuity. Alongside this, we’ve enhanced data protection, accessibility and security to meet the highest standards all whilst delivering to strict contract deadlines.”
– eQS Group Head of IT Joy Saini
It’s been incredibly rewarding to see our people recognise eQS as a great place to work, with 48 values award nominations from colleagues and a rise in overall engagement from 70% to 81%. We’re also listening closely to feedback around career progression and development, and are already building clearer development pathways in response.”
– eQS Group People Experience Lead Jen Doyle
“We revitalised our employee forum, not only with a rebrand to the Unity Forum, but also to create a more meaningful space for employee voice and collaboration. With a clear purpose, better support and training, members are more engaged and confident to contribute. Their input is already shaping key areas such as staff surveys, internal communications and sustainability, showing how empowered people can make a real difference.”
– eQS Group Executive Assistant Carol Ducker
We’re entering FY26 with bold goals and clear direction:
“Every hour of student support delivered, every partnership and every success story adds up to something greater – a future that is inclusive by design. Thank you for reading our impact report and for any part you have played in creating this impact; it all goes towards delivering on our mission of removing barriers to learning in education, work and life.”
Michael Hall, eQS CEO.
