Connex Education Partnership

With 13 offices from London to Middlesbrough, Connex supports over 3,000 schools, deploys over 6,200 supply staff, delivers pupil interventions to over 100,000 students, and trains more than 30,000 staff employed in their client schools each year. 

UK schools face unprecedented pressure to recruit and retain classroom practitioners, and acknowledging that part of the solution is to have well-trained and motivated supply staff working in schools, the company has built an in-house training academy. Connex Academy offers job-ready training, additional and advanced skills training, and formal qualifications for supply staff working in any role within a school.

Connex entered into a Master Vend Agreement in 2023 with the SHINE multi academy trust, consisting of six primary schools in the East Midlands, which has been off to a running start. The company is already exceeding service level agreements on fill rates, turnaround time, accuracy of reporting and target cost of hire. As the Trust’s HR director said in a testimonial, “We have been able to build bespoke and flexible support to match the context of our individual academies and pupil needs.” 

Judges’ comments

“A strong example of how to upskill, provide needed qualifications, enhance successful onboarding process with your own development manager, and overall discuss with the sector to understand their skills needs. The agency really struck the judges as one that cares!”

Highly Commended: Spencer Clarke Group