Knowledge hub

A pattern we see time and again with school support recruitment is that its rarely the number of applications thats the issue, but the relevancy of those application that is.  The strongest School Business Managers, Finance leads and Operations professionals are typically already in post, busy, visible and valued, not spending their evenings scrolling job boards. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t move, but it does mean they’re unlikely to come across your role in the usual way.

As we move through the summer term, a different recruitment challenge starts to surface. Roles are being filled, processes are moving forward, shortlists look strong… and then the preferred candidate declines.

As we approach the end of January (eventually!) it's always a big one for recruitment. Over the Christmas break, a lot of school support roles get advertised. By now, interviews are either starting, scheduled, or hopefully done — and naturally, schools are hoping that appointments will follow. Often, they don’t. And there are a few reasons why.

Hiring has become more challenging over the past 12–18 months, and you’re not alone. Candidate expectations have shifted, and they now assess schools more closely before applying. However, a few strategic steps consistently improve recruitment outcomes - without increasing your budget.

The government is introducing AI-generated pupil attendance targets for every school. A promising idea at first glance — but one that raises serious concerns.

Interviews don’t end when the meeting finishes - they end when you understand what happened. A good recruitment consultant helps you interpret feedback, identify patterns, and sharpen your approach for next time.