Happy Christmas from Racing to School
Enjoy Racing to School’s festive newsletter below.
Reflecting on a record-breaking 2025
This year, we were proud to support the learning of over 17,500 young people across 471 events, marking another record year of participation for the charity. It was also a year of significant programme milestones, reflecting the continued reach and impact of our work.
Our Education days continue to offer free-to-access, inclusive learning experiences to pupils across Britain, made possible thanks to the generous support from our partners and donors.
Racing to School celebrates its 250,000th participant
In September, pupils from Cambrai Primary School helped us celebrate our 250,000th participant since the programme was established in 2001. The milestone was marked by a special activity day hosted at the beautiful Highbeck Lodge Stables by trainer Jedd O’Keeffe and Racing to School Trustee Andrea O’Keeffe.
An afternoon visit followed at one of our racecourse partners, Catterick, where pupils had the opportunity to watch races and participate in prize giving presentations to winning connections – a very special and memorable day.
Pupils from Cambrai Primary School meet racehorses at Highbeck Lodge Stables
A decade of Beacon Projects
A highlight of 2025 were the 10th anniversaries of the Aintree Beacon Project and the Newmarket Academy Godolphin Beacon Project (NAGBP). Established in 2015/16 with support from the Racing Foundation and Godolphin respectively, these projects continue to play a vital role in shaping local education by linking young people with the opportunities on offer within their communities within the horseracing industry.
As part of the NAGBP, Dubai Future Champions Education Week once again offered pupils behind-the-scenes access to leading industry organisations, allowing them to explore career pathways and connect learning with Newmarket’s racing heritage. Thank you to Jockey Club Estates; Newmarket Racecourses; Godolphin and all our industry partners who support this week.
Newmarket Academy pupils enjoy a visit to Newmarket Racecourse during the final day of Dubai Future Champions Education Week (Photo credit, Mark Westley).
Growing partnerships and maximising impact
Running racing’s largest community-based education programme relies on ongoing collaboration and goodwill, and we are fortunate to work with so many partners within and beyond the industry that share our vision and aims.
Established initiatives like Festival Monday, in partnership with The Jockey Club, gave pupils exclusive VIP access to Cheltenham on the eve of the Festival in March, while Leger Wednesday, delivered as part of our National Racehorse Week activity with the support of Arena Racing Company, helped schools local to Doncaster connect with Britain’s oldest Flat Classic.
Activity days like these continue to build meaningful links between some of racing’s marquee events and young people in the community – the perfect way to inspire early engagement with the sport.
Pint of Bear meets pupils at Doncaster and enjoys polos and carrots under the watchful eye of his groom, Katherine, and trainer Scott Dixon.
Our work in collaboration with the Pony Racing Authority and The Pony Club to deliver the Pony Racing Pathway completed its fifth year, with 74 events delivered at racecourses and camps for Pony Club members and young people eager to explore the sport’s many career opportunities.
Partnering again with The Racing League as their longstanding charity partner made for another busy summer, and it was great for our team to meet so many families across each fixture, helping to spark their interest in the sport.
Participants enjoy a Let’s Go Racing Day at Wolverhampton’s Racing League fixture.
We were very pleased to announce new partnerships with the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA) and Dallaglio RugbyWorks, joining established funders such as the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust. We were also very grateful to be selected as one of seven beneficiaries of the Britannia Stakes initiative at Royal Ascot in June, with the funding received helping support increased programme delivery and contributing to this year’s record participation.
We also extend our thanks to Racing Ahead magazine, the European Bloodstock news and The Racing Post, who have kindly shared our updates and featured our work.
Racing Together Industry Day
We’re very proud to coordinate the Racing Together partnership and to showcase the sport’s growing commitment to impactful community engagement. We look forward to hosting the fourth Racing Together Industry Day, which in 2026 will be staged at Lingfield Park on Wednesday, 4th February.
Early-bird tickets are now available to buy here.
Looking ahead to 2026
Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Racing to School, offering an opportunity to reflect on how the sport has worked together to support the learning and to initiate the interest of over 250,000 young people. We see the year as a celebration for racing’s support and commitment to the charity.
We look forward to building on existing partnerships, delivering even more activity days and continuing to widen access to meaningful learning experiences across the sport.
We wish you a happy and restful festive break and look forward to opening up the exciting world of racing to even more young people in 2026!
Above all… thank you
We should like to say a special thank you to all our young people, their schools and colleges. We greatly appreciate the enthusiasm and kindness of all our ambassadors, and of course our supporters: the Levy Board; racing stakeholders; charitable trusts; racecourses; Pony Club Branches and Centres, and the many individuals that underpin the effectiveness of our work.
We will continue to create, measure and improve meaningful experiences for young people, guided by our wonderful Board of Trustees and with insight from our external Teachers Advisory Group. We hope that we can rely on your friendship to do this work.
Please consider supporting us today through a donation to our charity; by following our work across social media on
YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn; subscribing to our newsletter; or by running a 25th anniversary event or activity on our behalf (contact jen@racingtoschool.co.uk).
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