Entrust Support Services Limited

What Entrust Support Services Limited does

Entrust Support Services Limited (trading as Capita Entrust) is a UK-based education support services provider and wholly-owned subsidiary of Capita PLC, supporting over 6,000 schools, academies, Multi-Academy Trusts and local authorities across England and Northern Ireland. Organised around five dedicated service lines — Education Technology, Finance and Governance, People Solutions, Property and Facilities Management, and Pupil Skills and Development — the company delivers a vertically integrated suite covering IT infrastructure, safeguarding, payroll, HR, finance, clerking, governance, estates management, catering, cleaning, outdoor education, STEM, music, and school improvement services. Operationally headquartered in Stafford, it operates additional outdoor education centres (Laches Wood and Standon Bowers) in Staffordshire and reports a headcount in the 501-1,000 range.

The technology stack combines proprietary and partner-built components: an education-specific payroll platform processing £600m annually with 99% accuracy; the Capita CustomFit flexible IT support service; the Safeguarding Technology Suite monitoring 100,000+ young people and detecting 200,000+ violations per academic year; Surf Protect filtering backed by the National Cyber Security Centre's Protective DNS; cloud-based asset management software; and the Just2Easy (J2E) computing curriculum tool suite. Hardware delivery is anchored by a Ruckus Technologies partnership for Connect the Classroom Wi-Fi 6 and switching deployments, with an e-commerce procurement channel at schools.capita.com.

The revenue model is a mix of subscription/recurring managed services (payroll bureau, HR partnering packages — Premium, Premium Plus, Platinum, Bespoke), project-based fees (Condition Improvement Funding bids, school design and build), per-event or contract-based services (governance, clerking, school improvement, outdoor education), and hardware resale. GTM is sales-led, executed through five national delivery teams, direct engagement with school leaders and MAT executives, local authority framework agreements (21 LAs for governor services, 23 LAs for property), and DfE strategic-partner status that channels flagship programmes such as Connect the Classroom, the Turing Scheme, the Flexible Working Programme, and The Music Partnership. Customer retention metrics — 98% in payroll and 96% in People Partnering — indicate high stickiness once services are embedded.

Name

Entrust Support Services Limited

Legal name

Entrust Support Services Limited

Website

https://entrust-ed.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Capita Entrust is a UK education support services provider, wholly-owned by Capita PLC, serving 6,000+ schools, MATs, and local authorities across five service lines: education technology, finance/governance, HR/payroll, property/facilities, and pupil development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Compliance, Risk & Audit Support Services (EHS, Title IX/Clery Support, Policy Admin) (EDAEALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ), Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services (EDALAFAN), Independent Educational Consultant Case Management & Service Coordination (EDAKACAO), Specialized Learning Support (Dyslexia/LD Coaching, Assistive Strategies) (EDAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Education support services
• School technology services
• Education payroll bureau
• School facilities management
• School governance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Payroll and Pension Services: Managed payroll and pension processing services for schools, academies and MATs. Processes £600m annually through payroll with 26,000 payslips processed each month.
2. Education Technology Services: IT infrastructure, connectivity, hardware/devices, safeguarding technology, and flexible IT support sold to schools, MATs, and local authorities. Includes Connect the Classroom DfE-funded upgrades and hardware sales via schools.capita.com.
3. Finance and Governance Services: Governor services, clerking services, finance services, financial compliance, and finance software provided to schools across 21 local authorities.
4. People Solutions (HR, Payroll, Health & Safety): HR partnering, HR support, payroll bureau, and health/safety/wellbeing services tailored for the education sector. Provided through flexible packages at different support levels.
5. Property and Facilities Management: Asset management, maintenance and compliance services, sustainable improvements/design/development, catering (via Edwards and Ward), cleaning (via Glen Group), and grounds maintenance. Includes Condition Improvement Funding bid support.
6. Pupil Skills and Development: Outdoor education (Laches Wood, Standon Bowers, Wilderness Academy), SEN & Inclusion, STEM, Music Service, and School Improvement services for schools and MATs.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Entrust Support Services Limited (trading as Capita Entrust) provides education support services to schools, academies, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), and local authorities across the United Kingdom. The company delivers five core service lines: Education Technology, Finance and Governance, People Solutions (HR/payroll/health & safety), Property and Facilities Management, and Pupil Skills and Development, operating through approximately 501–1,000 employees and supporting more than 6,000 schools.

Product overview

Capita Entrust is an education support services company operating as a national partnership with five dedicated service teams. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of education support services organized into five core service areas: (1) Education Technology - covering infrastructure and connectivity, hardware and devices, digital education and strategy, safeguarding and cyber security (monitoring over 100,000 young people), flexible IT support (Capita CustomFit), and physical security; (2) Finance and Governance - including governor services, clerking services, finance services, financial compliance, finance software (Bacs approved), and information governance; (3) People Solutions - offering people partnering with tiered HR packages (Premium, Premium Plus, Platinum), people support, payroll bureau (processing £600m annually), and health, safety and wellbeing; (4) Property and Facilities Management - including asset management (cloud-based), maintenance and compliance, sustainable design and development, catering (with Edwards and Ward), cleaning (with Glen Group, BICSc accredited), and grounds maintenance (ISO9000); and (5) Pupil Skills and Development - covering outdoor education (Laches Wood and Standon Bowers centres), SEN and inclusion, STEM (STEM Learning delivery partner), music service (lead partner for The Music Partnership), and school improvement. The company also operates an online product catalogue at schools.capita.com for hardware procurement and integrates with tools including Ruckus networks, Surf Protect filtering, Just2Easy curriculum tools, and various MIS systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Technology Services
• Finance and Governance Services
• People Solutions (HR, Payroll, Health & Safety)
• Property and Facilities Management
• Pupil Skills and Development

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% customer retention rate for People Partnering
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Edwards and WardcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for fully-managed catering services for schools and academies. Edwards and Ward provides the catering operations while Capita Entrust manages the service relationship with schools. Emphasis on fresh, locally sourced food in relaxing surroundings.
• Glen GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership providing full range of BICSc accredited cleaning services (via Glen Group) and grounds maintenance services for schools. Glen Group delivers the operational services while Capita Entrust manages the school relationships.
• Ruckus TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for Connect the Classroom network infrastructure. Ruckus provides the network hardware (Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, core switches, edge switches) that Capita Entrust installs in schools as part of DfE-approved Connect the Classroom upgrades.
• STEM LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapita Entrust is one of 12 delivery partners selected by STEM Learning to promote STEM activities and opportunities across the West Midlands. Also delivers the STEM Ambassador Hub for the West Midlands on behalf of STEM Learning.
• Irwin MitchellminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Irwin Mitchell to provide legal advice, guidance and services to schools on HR and employment matters, supplementing the People Solutions team capabilities.
• Just2EasycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Just2Easy to provide the J2E tool suite as part of the computing curriculum for primary schools. Capita Entrust has designed a tried and tested computing curriculum that utilises the award-winning Just2Easy tool suite.
• University of BirminghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapita Entrust works in partnership with the University of Birmingham to deliver the national SENCo Award qualification, providing professional development for Special Educational Needs Coordinators.
• Department for Education (DfE)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic DfE partner delivering multiple national programmes: Connect the Classroom (£45m digital infrastructure investment), Turing Scheme (grant payments for student international mobility), Flexible Working Programme (culture change in English schools), Music Hub (The Music Partnership for Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford & Wrekin), and school resource management training.
• The Music PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapita Entrust is the lead partner for The Music Partnership, the DfE's funded Music Hub for Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Telford & Wrekin, providing bespoke, high-quality, and inclusive music provision to meet the needs of classes, groups, and individual pupils.
• National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)coreTechnology or IntegrationCapita Entrust's Protective DNS (PDNS) and advanced web filtering services are supported by the National Cyber Security Centre, helping block harmful content and protect schools from cyber threats.
• Institute of School Business Leaders (ISBL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks closely with ISBL to ensure finance and governance services are finely tuned and aligned with best practice in school business leadership.
• Education Policy InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapita Entrust is an Education Policy Institute member, demonstrating commitment to evidence-based education policy understanding.

Scale indicators25 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Juniper Education: UK-headquartered education support services provider to schools, MATs and local authorities, offering consultancy, CPD, school improvement and MIS-adjacent services. Closest like-for-like competitor to Entrust across the school support bundle, particularly in school improvement and governance.
• Strictly Education (Fourteen Education): UK provider of governance, clerking, HR and finance support specifically to schools and academies. Directly overlaps with Entrust's Finance & Governance and People Solutions pillars and competes for the same LA and MAT framework contracts.
• Schools Advisory Service (SAS): UK provider of HR, employment law, training and governor support to schools, academies and MATs. Directly comparable to Entrust's People Solutions and governor services offerings for the same primary/secondary customer base.
• Caterlink: UK specialist school catering provider serving primary and secondary schools nationwide. Directly comparable to Entrust's Catering Services sub-line and a substitute bidder when schools tender catering independently.

Broad incumbents

• IRIS Software Group: Large UK provider of HR, payroll and finance software (IRIS Payroll, IRIS HR) used extensively by schools, academies and SMEs. Comparable as a payroll-and-HR competitor within Entrust's People Solutions pillar, though broader across sectors.
• RM plc: UK-listed education technology company providing hardware, software and services to schools and MATs. Directly comparable to Entrust's Education Technology pillar (infrastructure, devices, safeguarding), though RM is more product-led and lacks the bundled service offering.
• Sodexo Education: Global facilities management and catering group with a dedicated UK schools division covering catering, cleaning and FM. Directly comparable to Entrust's Property & Facilities Management pillar at larger scale, particularly for MAT-wide catering contracts.
• Civica UK: Large UK public-sector software and services provider covering education, local government, health and policing. Comparable through its education division (financial management, governor support, school systems) and competes for the same LA framework contracts.
• MHR (formerly Midland HR): UK-based HR, payroll and people-management software and services provider serving schools, public sector and enterprise customers. Directly comparable to Entrust's payroll bureau and People Partnering services, with stronger product-led positioning.

Emerging players

• Arbor Education: Fast-growing UK school MIS and management information provider serving MATs and schools. Adjacent to Entrust's Finance & Governance and IT support pillars; competes for the digital backbone of the same MAT customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/entrustedu
• Facebookfacebook.com/entrusteducationimprovement
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/entrust-support-services

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Entrust Support Services Limited