Communications Team

From curious to confident: how one school transformed its procurement capability 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: CIPS, Learning and Development, Training, Workforce, Recruitment and Development
Image of Sannah Mundy. Text includes a quote from Sannah which reads: “It just covered everything - from people and leadership to contract negotiation to the supply chains. It was great. It was a whole overview of procurement.”

Professional curiosity about procurement has been transformed into applicable knowledge and skills for Briarwood School finance and business development assistant Sannah Mundy - thanks to the Department for Education (DfE) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS).  Sannah had already been asking about the school’s buying activity when an …

How Southwark Council used Get help buying for schools to transform catering procurement

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Catering, Commercial support, Frameworks, Operations and School Services, Procurement and Commercial Services
Image of catering staff serving food in a school kitchen alongside a quote from Gillian Boundy, Senior Public Health Programme Manager at Southwark Council, which reads: "The Get help buying for schools team have all been very professional and incredible flexible, paid great attention to detail and have educated me along the way."

An innovative collaboration with the Department for Education’s (DfE) Get help buying for schools (GHBS) service helped Southwark Council to set up its own bespoke school catering services framework — one that is already attracting wider interest across London. The …

Supply staff savings allow Lime Trust to invest in schools and pupils

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Advice and support, Agency supply
Picture of Lime Academy Trust head of finance, Ricky Barton, with a comment from him which reads: "The improvements to the quality of supply staff, the consolidation of processes and the cost savings we've made have made such an enormous impact."

Lime Trust made significant savings on supply staffing by using the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) framework agreement – with the money saved being reinvested in its schools and pupils. The multi-academy trust - which comprises four primary and five special …

Over £1 million saved - how Shaw Education Trust turned supply staffing into a strategic asset

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Workforce, Workforce, Recruitment and Development

This is the final post in a three-part series. In our first post, we outlined the supply staffing challenges Shaw Education Trust (SET) faced. In our second post, we explained how they built their compliant master vendor model. Here, we …

How Shaw Education Trust built a compliant, trust-wide supply model - and how yours could too

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Workforce, Workforce, Recruitment and Development

This is the second post in a three-part series. In our first post, we described the supply staffing challenges Shaw Education Trust (SET) faced and why acting early was essential. Here, we explain how they built their solution.  Once SET …

How Shaw Education Trust took control of supply staffing - and what your trust could learn from it

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Workforce, Workforce, Recruitment and Development

For Shaw Education Trust (SET), a multi-academy trust of 31 schools across England, supply staffing had become one of the largest and least controlled areas of expenditure, with annual costs rising to over £5 million*. SET took a step back …

Free procurement training for schools - apply now

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Business Support and Professional Services, CIPS, Training, Workforce, Recruitment and Development
Image with Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply logo. Text reads: Free training opportunities for school business professionals.

If you work in school or trust procurement, free training is now available to help you build confidence and improve how your organisation buys. Two programmes from the Department for Education (DfE) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply …

A better deal on agency supply staff: what the new Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework means for schools and trusts

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Advice and support
Image of a teacher and pupils in a classroom with accompanying text which reads: “The new framework introduces a cap on the supplier fees - not on what supply workers are paid. Agency staff pay and conditions are entirely unaffected.”

In this blog we explore the new Government Commercial Agency supply staff framework and how it aims to rebalance the market, saving schools money. Schools across England spend approximately £1.4 billion a year on agency supply staff. Whilst many supply …

Unlocking hidden value: how one school turns its spaces into £110,000 a year

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Advice and support, Estates and facilities, Income
Cressex Community School logo

Cressex Community School in High Wycombe has significant experience in hiring out its facilities, something it has been doing for more than 13 years, and it has gone from strength to strength. The school brings in around £110,000* each year …

The Education Estates Strategy: what it means for your school

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Advice and support, Estates and facilities
Image of student walking towards a school building. Text reads: Education Estates Strategy explained.

The government has published its Education Estates Strategy - a 10-year plan which aims to renew, modernise and future‑proof schools and colleges across England. Backed by £38 billion in education capital investment between 2025-26 and 2029-30, the strategy sets out …