More than a third of charity chief executives attended a private school, a report has found.

The Sutton Trust’s Elitist Britain report has for the first time included the education of charity leaders in its annual look at elitism in top roles across a raft of sectors.

This found that 34% of third sector CEOs are privately educated and one in five attended Oxbridge.

Almost all (95%) are university educated, of which more than half attended an elite Russell Group university.

“Understanding who is at the top of charities is particularly important for those supporting marginalised groups, as having lived experience can bring expertise and insight to strategic decisions and policy,” states the Sutton Trust’s report.

“Diversity amongst senior staff, for example socio-economically, can ensure a wide range of perspectives that reflect those served by a charity are considered.”

The dominance of privately education charity leaders is part of a wider trend for those attending such schools to maintain “a vice-like grip on the most important roles” across UK society warns Sutton Trust CEO Nick Harrison .

“It’s a disgrace that most of the top jobs in Britain are still dominated by those from privileged education backgrounds, representing a small fraction of the wider population,” he said.

While just 7% of the general population attends private schools, they account for almost two fifths of FTSE 100 CEOs and almost two in three senior judges.

Harrison added: “In 2025 you can still buy advantage, massively increasing your chance of getting into the most powerful roles in the country.

“This is grossly unfair, and a waste of talent on a huge scale.

“If we want a fairer country and a stronger economy, employers and policymakers must take responsibility for levelling the playing field, where privilege is no longer a passport to power.’

In April a report by the Charity Commission and Pro Bono Economics warned that charity trustee boards are failing to represent the general population.

Almost nine in ten charity leaders are white and only four in ten trustees are women, according to another report into diversity in the sector, published in 2023.

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