Operam Education Group

What Operam Education Group does

Operam Education Group is a UK-based education recruitment platform founded in 2017 by Eddie Austin and Andrew Frome. The group operates a buy-and-build model, acquiring and retaining specialist regional education recruitment agencies that supply teaching, SEND, leadership, and support staff to schools and Multi-Academy Trusts across England. As of May 2026, Operam comprises ten specialist brands — Provide Education, Teachers UK, The Education Specialists, Key Stage Teacher Supply, First For Education, Bridge Education, Provision Recruitment, Horizon Teachers, Choice Teachers and Bespoke Education — collectively employing 51–100 people and operating from a Manchester head office with regional coverage spanning the North West, Yorkshire, East Midlands, West Midlands, Lancashire, London/South East, and Further Education.

The group's revenue model is transaction-fee based, generating income from placement fees on permanent and leadership roles and from daily/weekly rates on temporary supply placements. Beyond its recruitment brands, Operam operates two complementary services: Operam Education Leadership Recruitment (covering CEO, CFO, Headteacher and other senior school leadership placements, supported by a database of more than 68,000 candidates and over 60 specialist consultants) and Operam Education Tutoring (launched in 2021, delivering the Fischer Family Trust Lightning Squad literacy programme through the National Tutoring Programme). The company is institutionally backed by BGF and Three Hills Capital, with HSBC providing senior debt financing, and has scaled past £50 million in revenues following its ninth acquisition in May 2026.

Operam does not disclose a proprietary technology platform; operations rely on established recruitment management systems, candidate databases, and compliance processes. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with each regional brand maintaining locally-based consultants who build long-standing relationships with schools and MATs in their catchment areas while leveraging group-wide resources, systems, and financial backing. The group holds APSCo membership and APSCo Compliance+ certification, Cyber Essentials accreditation, Investors in People accreditation, and recurring Best Companies workplace recognitions.

Name

Operam Education Group

Legal name

Operam Education Group Ltd

Website

https://operameducationgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Operam Education Group is a UK education recruitment platform operating ten specialist regional agencies that supply teaching, SEND, leadership and support staff to schools and Multi-Academy Trusts, with revenues exceeding £50 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Recruitment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education Staffing & Contracted Providers (Paras, Therapists, Specialists) (EDAJAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 SIS & District Administration Platforms (EDAFAEAA), Special Education (IEP/504) & Student Support Case Management (EDAFAEAI)

Keywords

• Education recruitment services
• School workforce solutions
• Supply teacher staffing
• Education leadership search
• School tutoring programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Education Recruitment Services: Operam Education Group generates revenue through providing education recruitment services to schools and Multi-Academy Trusts. This includes placement fees for supply teachers, permanent recruitment, and leadership search services. The business model encompasses both temporary/contract staffing (daily supply, short-term, long-term) and permanent placement revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Operam Education Group is a UK-based education recruitment group that provides whole-school workforce solutions to schools and Multi-Academy Trusts through a network of ten specialist regionally-focused recruitment brands. The group supplies teaching staff, SEND specialists, school leaders, and support staff via same-day supply cover, long-term and fixed-term placements, permanent recruitment, temp-to-perm solutions, and bespoke MAT recruitment packages. It also operates a leadership recruitment service and an education tutoring programme delivered in partnership with the Fischer Family Trust.

Product overview

Operam Education Group is a platform of specialist education recruitment agencies operating across the UK, offering a unified portfolio of regional brands alongside group-wide services. The portfolio includes nine acquired brands (Provide Education, Teachers UK, The Education Specialists, Key Stage Teacher Supply, First For Education, Bridge Education, Provision Recruitment, Horizon Teachers, and Choice Teachers/Bespoke Education), each with deep regional expertise in their local markets. Complementing the recruitment brands, the group offers Operam Education Tutoring (launched 2021) for literacy tutoring via the FFT Lightning Squad programme, and Operam Education Leadership Recruitment for senior education leadership placements. Services span early years through further education, covering teaching staff, SEND specialists, school leaders, and support staff through supply, fixed-term, and permanent placements. The group was founded in 2017 and has grown to over £50 million in revenues through its buy-and-build acquisition strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whole-School Workforce Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• Pupils using Tutoring with the Lightning Squad make learning gains of between 3 and 5 months in reading attainment
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Squire Patton BoggsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 3 July 2024Squire Patton Boggs acted as legal advisor to Operam Education Group on its acquisition of Horizon Teachers in 2024. The law firm provided legal counsel for the transaction as part of Operam's eighth acquisition.
• Fischer Family Trust (FFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperam Education Tutoring partners with the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) for the National Tutoring Programme. FFT provides the 'Tutoring with the Lightning Squad' evidence-based literacy programme, while Operam coordinates recruitment and supply of tutors to schools. This partnership brings together education recruitment expertise with FFT's literacy tutoring and outcome data reporting capabilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A7 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Operam Education Group