Whether your education recruitment agency is in full swing, placing candidates over the summer holidays, or experiencing a brief lull as schools temporarily close their doors, now is the perfect time to pause and reflect on the academic year just gone and start preparing for the one ahead.
With the UK’s education landscape continuing to evolve, the summer period presents a valuable opportunity to assess what has worked well, identify areas for improvement, and plan how to approach the 2025–2026 school year with focus and resilience.
A Look Back: Education Recruitment in 2024–2025
The 2024–2025 academic year was a dynamic and often demanding period for recruitment agencies working in the UK education sector.
Key trends included:
- Persistent staffing shortages: Teacher vacancies remained a major issue, particularly in secondary schools and core subjects such as maths, science and English. Many schools continued to rely heavily on supply staff to ensure classroom continuity.
- Compliance and safeguarding pressures: With schools under scrutiny and updates to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance, education recruiters had to stay on top of rigorous vetting and compliance demands.
- Growth in managed service provision: More Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and local authorities moved towards managed service and preferred supplier agreements, placing new demands on agencies around service delivery, margin negotiation and back-office sophistication.
- Financial caution among schools: While the demand for staff remained high, budgetary pressure led many schools to seek flexible staffing arrangements, benefiting agencies that could respond quickly with compliant, well-vetted candidates.
Looking Ahead: What’s in Store for 2025–2026
The 2025–2026 academic year is expected to continue many of the themes seen in recent years, but with increased urgency for agencies to adapt.
What’s on the horizon:
- Sustained demand for temporary and supply staff: With no immediate resolution to the teacher shortage crisis, schools will continue to rely on recruitment agencies for both short-term and long-term cover.
- Rising financial pressures: School budgets are likely to remain under strain. Agencies that offer value, transparency, and flexibility will be more attractive to clients under pressure to stretch limited resources.
- Shift in agency models: More permanent recruitment agencies are entering the temporary staffing market in a bid to diversify revenue, increase placement frequency and build closer client relationships.
- Vendor contracts are expanding: As MATs centralise staffing procurement, access to frameworks and vendor contracts will become increasingly important—but will require financial backing and operational readiness to deliver at scale.
Strategic Considerations for the Summer
Summer is more than a break in the school calendar; it’s a chance to recalibrate your business. Whether you’re busy filling roles or making the most of a quieter spell, here’s how to use this time strategically:
- Reassess Your Service Offering – Is your agency focused solely on permanent placements? The market is shifting. Now may be the time to explore temporary staffing if you haven’t already, helping you create more predictable income and longer-term partnerships.
- Review Operational and Compliance Processes – Now is a great opportunity to streamline admin, upgrade your compliance systems and ensure your safeguarding practices align with the latest guidance.
- Evaluate Financial Flexibility – Can your current funding model support larger contracts or delayed payments under framework agreements? If not, this is the time to look at funding solutions that can free up your cash flow and support business growth.
- Retain and Engage Candidates – Candidate pools are a key asset. Use the summer to re-engage supply staff, update records, and ensure your talent pipeline is ready for the September rush.
How Simplicity Supports UK Education Recruitment Agencies
At Simplicity, we specialise in providing financial and back-office support tailored to the education recruitment sector. We understand the unique challenges that come with supplying staff to UK schools and colleges and our services are built around your needs.
- Credit Control Paused During School Holidays
We recognise that schools are often unresponsive during holidays. That’s why we pause credit control activity during school closures, helping you maintain healthy client relationships and reduce friction. - Vendor Contract Funding
Entering framework or vendor agreements is a big opportunity, but also a cash flow challenge. With access to multiple credit insurers, we can fund these contracts to support your growth without stretching your resources. - Fully Managed Back-Office and Payroll Services
From timesheet processing to payroll and invoicing, we take the administrative burden off you, allowing you to focus on candidate care and business development.
Use This Summer to Set the Tone for September
Whether you’ve had a record-breaking year or faced unexpected hurdles, the summer holiday period is your chance to:
- Review your performance over 2024–2025
- Optimise your systems and compliance processes
- Prepare your team and candidates for the new term
- Explore diversification into temp or contract roles
- Ensure your financial model supports your 2025–2026 goals
Step Into the New Academic Year with Confidence
In a sector as fast-moving and complex as education recruitment, the agencies that succeed are those that use every season strategically. The summer offers the perfect opportunity to reset, realign and refocus.
Simplicity is here to help you grow stronger, scale faster, and operate smarter – whatever the new school year brings.
👉 Get in touch with us today to discover how our tailored support can help your agency succeed in 2025–2026 and beyond.