CER

What CER does

CER (CER Education Recruitment) is a UK-based education staffing agency that supplies temporary and permanent teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors and non-teaching support staff to primary, secondary, SEND schools, Multi-Academy Trusts, further education colleges and nurseries. It operates from seven regional branches (Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull, York, Luton, plus a South hub serving London), with an operating headquarters in Liverpool and a registered legal entity (Affinity Workforce Solutions Limited, Companies House No. 11593079) headquartered at 33 Soho Square, London. CER is part of the Affinity Workforce group, alongside Affinity Partnerships and Monarch Education, under parent holding company Affinity Workforce Limited, and is led by CEO Esme Bianchi-Barry.

The company's service mix is anchored on managed service provider (MSP) and master vendor arrangements delivered under the Government Commercial Agency temporary education staffing framework (Lots 1, 2.1 and 2.2), where CER was the largest supplier in the first framework iteration, delivering 75% of all managed service spend and 25% of total framework spend across the four-year term. CER operates as an employment business / agency that pays workers via PAYE (with holiday pay inclusive) and charges schools daily or hourly rates comprising worker remuneration, statutory entitlements (NI, pension, apprenticeship levy) and a service fee as a percentage of total engagement cost. Notable published price points include £170-£290/day for qualified secondary teachers, £462-£550/week for primary teaching assistants in selected MATs, and £95-£115/day for SEN TAs in Kent. Transfer fees (20% of gross remuneration for 12 months, with minimums of £3,000 for teachers and £1,500 for other workers) raise switching costs for schools converting temps to permanent hires.

Beyond core staffing, CER has extended its offering into adjacent product lines: Affinity Tutors, an online tutoring platform delivering one-to-one and group tuition as an approved partner on the Department for Education's National Tutoring Programme; Affinity Academy, a CPD/training platform offering Team Teach, Autism Awareness, and Preparing for the Classroom courses; and Affinity Zero, a sustainability initiative including carbon offsetting via tree planting in Malawi. Go-to-market is sales-led and B2B, combining direct branch sales to schools with enterprise managed service contracts for Multi-Academy Trusts, supported by approved-supplier status on the GCA framework and channel partnerships (e.g., the Lancashire Association of School Business Managers). Customer concentration is moderate, with 12 named MAT master-vendor relationships complementing a long tail of individual school placements.

Name

CER

Legal name

Affinity Workforce Solutions Limited

Website

https://cer.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CER is a UK education recruitment agency supplying temporary and permanent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff to primary, secondary, SEND schools and Multi-Academy Trusts via seven regional branches and managed service contracts under the Government Commercial Agency framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Staffing Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

Keywords

• Education recruitment agency
• Temporary teaching staff
• School staffing solutions
• Managed service provider
• Multi-academy trust recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing Agency Fees: CER operates as an employment business/agency supplying temporary teaching and non-teaching staff to schools. Revenue generated through markup on worker remuneration plus service fees. Operates intermediary model where staff are employed via an intermediary company introduced to the Client by CER. Daily/hourly rates charged to schools include worker pay, statutory entitlements (NI, pension, apprenticeship levy), and CER's service fee as a percentage of total engagement cost.
2. National Tutoring Programme: Tuition services delivered as approved NTP tuition partner, providing subsidized tutoring to schools utilizing government funding (School Led Tuition Grant and Tuition Partner Pillar).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CER is a UK education recruitment agency supplying temporary and permanent teaching and non-teaching staff (teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, SEND specialists) to primary, secondary and SEND schools, further education colleges and nurseries across England. It also operates as a managed service provider (MSP) and master vendor for Multi-Academy Trusts under the Government Commercial Agency framework, and delivers subsidised tutoring via Affinity Tutors as an approved National Tutoring Programme partner.

Product overview

CER operates as a unified education recruitment platform offering temporary staffing solutions for primary, secondary, and SEND schools. The core product is the CER Education Recruitment service, supported by the Affinity Tutors online tutoring platform (for National Tutoring Programme delivery), Affinity Workforce Academy training programs (including Team Teach behaviour management training, Autism Awareness, and Preparing for the Classroom), and Managed Service Solutions for Multi-Academy Trusts. The company also operates Affinity Zero, a carbon reduction initiative. These offerings are integrated under the Affinity Workforce parent company umbrella.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Affinity Tutors: Online tutoring platform delivering one-to-one and group tuition for pupils across Primary and Secondary schools as part of the National Tutoring Programme.
• Affinity Academy
• Affinity Zero

Products and services

• CER Education Recruitment - Temporary Staffing Service Temporary and permanent supply of teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors and non-teaching support staff to primary, secondary, SEND schools and further education colleges across England. Billed at daily/hourly rates that include worker pay, statutory costs and a service fee margin, with transfer fees if schools directly employ placed workers.
• Managed Service Solutions for Multi-Academy Trusts Master vendor and managed provision services for Multi-Academy Trusts, providing exclusive temporary staffing supply chain management across all academies within a trust. Delivered via the Government Commercial Agency Framework Lot 2 and includes sub-agency management, transparent pay/margin reporting and consolidated billing.
• Affinity Tutors - National Tutoring Programme Tuition Online and face-to-face tutoring platform providing one-to-one and group tuition for pupils across Primary and Secondary schools. Delivered as an approved National Tutoring Programme tuition partner under the Department for Education's £1bn catch-up funding package, using School Led Tuition Grant and Tuition Partner Pillar funding streams.
• Affinity Academy CPD Training Training and professional development platform offering CPD courses for teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors and early career teachers, including the Team Teach 24-month qualification, free Autism Awareness course, and Preparing for the Classroom programme for cover supervisors, NQTs and returning teachers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered 75% of all managed service spend and 25% of total framework spend during first GCA framework iteration
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aston Community Education TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2023AWS and CER are strategic partners as managed service provider of temporary staff for 12 academies across Sheffield, Chesterfield, Mansfield and Rotherham. This is the 12th managed service AWS has mobilised under Lot Two of the GCA framework. CER/AWS handles sourcing candidates, managing supply chain of recruitment agencies, and engaging with temporary workforce.
• Lancashire Association of School Business Managers (LASBM)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 June 2023CER is an approved supplier of LASBM, a network providing support to its 400 business management members across the Northwest. CER delivers short- and long-term staffing solutions to primary, secondary and SEND schools including all teaching and non-teaching roles nationwide.
• National Tutoring Programme (NTP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2023NTP was set up by the Department for Education as part of the Government's £1 billion funding package to help students whose education has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. CER is an approved tuition partner offering one-to-one and group tuition across Primary and Secondary schools either face-to-face or via Affinity Tutors online platform.
• Greener Energy FuturesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2023AWS partnered with Greener Energy Futures as part of the Affinity Zero initiative to address key areas of the business where it can reduce its carbon footprint. Green champions across 10 branches have built a 7-point action plan with Greener Energy Futures.
• TEMWA Carbon BalanceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023AWS partnered with TEMWA Carbon Balance to plant trees in Malawi to offset carbon emissions. In January 2023, TEMWA Carbon Balance planted 4,120 trees in Malawi from funds provided by AWS. Partnership supports reforestation in Nkhata Bay district which has lost 22% of its forest since 2000 due to climate change.
• Government Commercial Agency (GCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCER/AWS is an approved supplier on Lots 1, 2.1 & 2.2 of the Government Commercial Agency temporary education staffing framework. The framework provides schools with an open, fair and transparent route when hiring temporary staff. CER was the largest supplier during the first framework iteration, delivering 75% of all managed service spend and 25% of total framework spend across the four-year agreement period. Contract retained for a further four years from 2022.
• Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged service provision partnership for temporary staffing across academies within the trust.
• Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust (BCCET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster vendor status for 17 academies across South Tyneside, Sunderland & Durham. Sixth managed service agreement operated by CER in North East region. Trust oversees 17 academies with further 17 to join, consisting of 5 Secondary Academies, 28 Primary Academies, a college and an outstanding training school.
• Northern Education TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged service provision partnership for temporary staffing across academies within the trust.
• Advance Learning PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged service provision partnership for temporary staffing across academies within the trust.
• Extol Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged service provision partnership for temporary staffing across academies within the trust.
• Tudhoe Learning TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged service provision partnership for temporary staffing across academies within the trust.
• Education Village Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged service provision partnership for temporary staffing across academies within the trust.
• Lime Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing education across both mainstream and special education sectors in London, Peterborough, and Havering. Collaboration enables sharing expertise and breaking down barriers to enhance educational experience.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hays Education (Hays plc): Hays Education is the education-recruitment arm of Hays plc, a global staffing group. Directly comparable to CER as a major UK education recruiter operating through multiple branches and frameworks, but as part of a much larger diversified group rather than an education specialist.
• Reed Education: Reed Education is the education division of Reed, one of the UK's largest recruitment groups. Competes head-to-head with CER for school temp-staffing contracts and managed-service agreements; comparable in service mix though supported by a broader generalist parent.
• Randstad Education: Randstad Education is the education division of Randstad, one of the world's largest staffing groups. Competes with CER across UK education staffing; broader geographic and segment reach as part of a global group.

Direct peers

• Teaching Personnel: Teaching Personnel is one of the UK's largest dedicated education recruitment agencies, placing teachers and support staff into primary, secondary and SEND schools. Closely comparable niche, customer base and branch-led B2B go-to-market to CER.
• Protocol Education: Protocol Education is a UK specialist education recruiter supplying teachers, TAs and support staff to schools and academies. Direct competitor to CER with overlapping core offering and similar MAT-focused managed-service model.
• Monarch Education: Monarch Education is a sister brand within the Affinity Workforce family alongside CER, providing education recruitment services across the UK. Same parent group, overlapping candidate pool and customer base; effectively a near-clone peer for benchmarking volume and rates.
• Affinity Partnerships: Affinity Partnerships is another sister brand within the Affinity Workforce group, focused on partnerships with Multi-Academy Trusts for staffing solutions. Highly comparable operating model and customer type to CER's managed-service offering.
• Aspire People: Aspire People is a UK education recruitment specialist placing teachers, TAs and support staff into schools and academies. Comparable in scale, branch geography and customer segment to CER.
• Tradewind Recruitment: Tradewind Recruitment is a UK-focused education recruitment agency placing teachers and support staff in primary, secondary and SEND schools. Direct competitor with comparable day-rate staffing model and broad regional coverage.
• Simply Education: Simply Education is a UK education recruitment specialist placing teachers, TAs and SEND staff into schools. Comparable target customers and supply model to CER, particularly in primary and SEND segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CEREducation
• Facebookfacebook.com/CEREducation/?locale=en_GB
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/cereducation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cer.education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 CER