When Dominic Broad took on the Deputy CEO role at Thrive Education Partnership in September, a strategic workforce approach to agency supply staffing was already underway, but this academic year marked the point at which it became a fully embedded, trust-wide strategy.
One year since Edwin became the trust’s agency supply managed service provider, it has delivered over £1 million in savings, an average 50% reduction in supply expenditure, alongside 34 staff transitioning into permanent roles which saved a further £102,000 in recruitment fees alone.
This is the story of how that transformation happened, and what it means for pupils across the trust.
Thrive’s journey began with a clear strategic vision built around three pillars: people, performance, and sustainability. For Dominic, these weren’t abstract ambitions, they were a practical framework for making every pound work harder for pupils. Supply staffing sat at the intersection of all three, and addressing it meaningfully required more than a procurement fix. It required a fundamentally different way of thinking about workforce.
From reactive to strategicBefore the partnership with Edwin, some Thrive schools were managing supply needs across as many as 25 different agencies, a fragmented, time-consuming model with no consistency, limited compliance oversight, and significant administrative burden on school leaders and finance teams. Headteachers were spending valuable time each morning coordinating cover across multiple contacts, with no guarantee of success.
The move to a single managed service partner changed that picture entirely. The trust now achieves a 99% fulfilment rate through one accountable partner, eliminating the need for schools to chase multiple agencies. A centralised portal has provided clear oversight of agency expenditure, supported by accurate data on staff absences and the reasons behind them.
As Dominic explains: “This has enabled us to identify cost pressures, work proactively with HR to address underlying causes of absence, and make more effective use of our existing workforce through internal redeployment where appropriate. In addition, the trust’s collective purchasing approach has improved the quality of agency staff available while securing better value for money through competitive rates, instrumental in improving both financial oversight and resource management.”
Financial sustainability deliveredThe financial impact has been substantial and measurable. The £1 million saving reflects not just lower day rates, but a combination of negotiated margins, transparent pricing, and, crucially, the elimination of temporary-to-permanent transfer fees. Across the academic year, 34 staff have moved into permanent roles at zero cost to the trust, saving a minimum of £102,000 that would previously have been paid in recruitment fees.
This directly supports Dominic’s sustainability pillar, which set an ambition for 45% of trust schools to avoid in-year deficits. Reducing agency spend through a managed service partnership is one of several levers being used alongside economies of scale, equitable top-slicing, and intensive headteacher financial training - all working together to build long-term financial resilience.
Sarah Rose, deputy headteacher at Corley Academy, describes the difference this has made at school level: “Thrive Education Partnership’s financial strategy has given us the tools, information and confidence to take ownership of our budget while maintaining high-quality provision for our students.
“The transparency of the Edwin platform, combined with strong support from the central finance team, has helped us carefully manage agency costs, improve financial decision-making and build a sustainable approach to school improvement. As a result, we have been able to reduce expenditure without compromising standards, opportunities for students or investment in our staff.”
Performance maintained, people developedCritically, the financial savings have not come at the cost of quality or continuity. School leaders have reported clear improvements in classroom stability, with pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or complex needs, benefiting from familiar adults rather than a rotating cycle of unfamiliar agency workers. For a trust where consistent relationships matter deeply, this is as important as the numbers.
The partnership has also strengthened Thrive’s people strategy in ways that go beyond supply cover.
Through the National Teaching Assistant Programme, 24 roles have been created for people in the local community, with participants completing safeguarding, SEND, and behaviour management training alongside paid placements. A number have progressed into teaching assistant and unqualified teacher roles, building a talent pipeline that reduces long-term dependency on external agencies and supports Dominic’s ambition to promote from within based on performance and potential.
What this means for other trustsThrive’s experience reflects what is now possible for all schools and trusts through the Government Commercial Agency's new Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment (STeER) framework. STeER caps supplier margins, waives temporary-to-permanent fees after 12 weeks, and is available to all public sector schools. The framework provides the structural foundation that makes partnerships like Thrive’s replicable and the financial case for acting is clear. Every pound saved on avoidable staffing costs is a pound that can be redirected to the classroom.
For Dominic and Thrive, the managed service model has proved to be exactly that: not a cost-cutting exercise, but a strategic investment in people, performance, and a sustainable future.
Figures supplied by Thrive Education Partnership have not been verified by the Department for Education.
This blog was a collaboration between the DfE Maximising Value for Pupils programme team and Thrive Education Partnership. The savings and outcomes described are based on Thrive Education Partnership’s experience and individual circumstances. Results will vary between schools and trusts. This blog is intended to highlight potential savings for your school.
seen at 11:33, 28 July in Buying for Schools.