Clennell Education Solutions

What Clennell Education Solutions does

Clennell Education Solutions is a Newcastle Upon Tyne-based consultancy founded in 2014 by Ian Clennell that provides safeguarding, training and HR support services to schools, academies, multi-academy trusts, and corporate and community organisations across England. Its core offering spans Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training and ongoing support, safer recruitment, SEND consultancy, HR services (including tribunal support and policy drafting), and central training sessions, with delivery handled by DBS-checked, CIPD-qualified consultants operating through Northern and Southern regional hubs.

The business is positioned as a specialist, regulatory-driven partner rather than a technology platform: it does not operate a proprietary software product, and its value proposition rests on accredited expertise (CPD accreditation and Safer Recruitment Consortium accreditation), a named-consultant relationship model, and a ten-year track record referenced through word-of-mouth referrals. Recent additions include Sexual Harassment training aligned to the Worker Protection Act 2023, SEND-reform preparation, the Clennell Conversations podcast, and a corporate/community membership tier.

Commercially, revenue is generated through three main mechanics: school SLAs priced at £1,000-£5,000+VAT (with full-day or half-day training sessions at £450-£900+VAT), corporate and community memberships starting from £500+VAT, and HR services billed at £59-£100 per hour or via annual packages. The firm is privately held and family-founded under Ian and Sarah Clennell, has scaled to support 600+ schools on a stated headcount in the 11-50 band, and has not raised external funding. Pricing has reportedly been held flat for ten years, indicating a volume-led growth model anchored on referral and renewal economics rather than price escalation.

Name

Clennell Education Solutions

Legal name

Clennell Education Solutions

Website

https://clennelleducationsolutions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clennell Education Solutions is a UK consultancy that delivers safeguarding, DSL, SEND, safer recruitment and HR training and support to 600+ schools and corporate clients across England through accredited, named-consultant service contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education and Training Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Safeguarding training
• Education consultancy
• School training services
• HR advisory services
• Compliance training

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Education SLA Memberships: Annual subscription-based Service Level Agreements for schools offering access to training, resources, network meetings, consultant support, and reduced-rate central sessions. Tiered pricing based on school size (pupil count).
2. Corporate & Community Memberships: Bespoke membership packages for organisations including a named safeguarding consultant, central sessions, policy templates, and training bundles. Starting from £500+VAT for non-members.
3. Central Session Fees: Per-person fees for individual training sessions including SEND Network, DSL Network, safeguarding training, first aid, and HR courses. Prices range from £50-£150 per person depending on session type and membership status.
4. HR Services and Investigation: CIPD-qualified HR advisors providing investigations, advice, guidance, and training. Membership packages for 10 or 20 days per year, or pay-as-you-go at £59-£100 per hour.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clennell Education Solutions provides training, support and consultancy to schools and organisations, with two service lines: Education Services (safeguarding, DSL/SEND, leadership, operational and trust development support) and Corporate & Community Services (safeguarding, HR, first aid, health and safety, lone working, supervision). Offerings are delivered through annual SLA memberships (Education tiered by pupil count, Corporate bespoke), central training sessions (face-to-face and online), and bespoke in-house training delivered by experienced consultants.

Product overview

Clennell Education Solutions (CES) operates as a unified training and consultancy platform offering two core service lines: Education Services for schools and Corporate/Community Services for organisations working with adults or children. The Education Services include SLA membership tiers (Enhanced from £2,000+VAT and Core from £1,000+VAT) providing access to safeguarding, leadership, and operational support. The Corporate/Community services offer bespoke membership starting from £500+VAT. Both segments deliver training through Central Sessions (face-to-face and online) covering specific courses including Safeguarding Training, Safer Recruitment (Safer Recruitment Consortium accredited), HR Services (CIPD-qualified), First Aid, Health and Safety, SEND, and Supervision & Support. Individual course codes include CCHR001 (Safer Recruitment, 7 hours), CCHR010 (Sexual Harassment Staff, 22 min video), CCHR011 (Sexual Harassment Managers, 2 hours), CCST001 (Staff Supervision, 1 hour), CCSS004-006 (Safeguarding courses). The company also produces the Clennell Conversations Podcast for educational content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Education Services and Training Comprehensive support services for primary, secondary and special schools including leadership support, operational support, trust development, training, and safeguarding. Delivered to school leaders, DSLs, SENCOs and headteachers across England.
• Corporate and Community Services and Training Bespoke support services for organisations working with adults or both adults and children, including facilities management, leisure centres, sports clubs, early years settings, theatres, museums, and voluntary agencies. Covers safeguarding, HR, health and safety, and staff support.
• Education SLA Membership Annual Service Level Agreement for schools with two tiers — Enhanced (6–12 credits, named consultant, unlimited safer recruitment, £2,000–£5,000+VAT by pupil count) and Core (reduced rates, £1,000–£2,500+VAT). Includes training, resources, network meetings, consultant support, and reduced-rate central sessions.
• Corporate and Community SLA Membership Bespoke annual membership starting from £500+VAT for organisations, including a named safeguarding consultant, basic safeguarding session, central sessions, policy templates, telephone advice, and access to the website resources.
• Central Sessions Programme of training and network sessions delivered throughout the year, both face-to-face (at the Newcastle office) and online (via Zoom), covering safeguarding, DSL, SEND, HR, first aid, health and safety, sexual harassment, and lone working topics. Per-person pricing applies with member discounts.
• Safer Recruitment Training Safer Recruitment Consortium accredited training (course code CCHR001, 7 hours) to help organisations deter and prevent unsuitable people from working with children and young people. Available as in-house or central sessions for schools and organisations.
• Sexual Harassment Awareness Training Training for managers (CCHR011, 2 hours) and staff (CCHR010, 22-minute video) to meet statutory obligations under the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023. Per-employee banded pricing for staff training; central/Zoom and in-house delivery for managers.
• Designated Safeguarding Officer Training and Refresher Designated Safeguarding Officer training (3 hours, in-person or online) and refresher (1 hour online) for safeguarding leads, covering statutory guidance, role responsibilities, contextual safeguarding, record keeping, and referral completion.
• Safeguarding Training Safeguarding training for staff in schools and organisations working with children and/or adults at risk, including new staff, refresher, and culture/sports-and-leisure variants.
• First Aid Training First aid training courses for staff in schools and corporate and community settings, including in-house and central delivery options.
• Health and Safety Training Health and safety training courses for corporate and community organisations, delivered in-house or centrally.
• SEND Training Special Educational Needs and Disabilities training and support services for schools and organisations, delivered alongside the SEND Network online sessions.
• DSL and SEND Network Sessions Online network sessions for Designated Safeguarding Leads and SEND leadership, including the SEND Network (emerging themes, SEND reform, AI use in SEND) and Specialist Settings DSL Network (safeguarding updates, attendance, SEND transport).
• Human Resources Support and Investigation Services HR investigation and advisory services delivered by CIPD-qualified advisors (course code CCHR002), covering disciplinary, grievances, and workforce planning. Available as 10-day or 20-day annual packages (£3,900/£7,000 members; £6,000/£11,000 non-members) or pay-as-you-go at £59–£100 per hour.
• Staff Supervision and Support Specialist supervision for safeguarding practice and case discussion (course code CCST001, 1 hour sessions), available individually or in small groups, supporting safeguarding practice and decision-making.
• Lone Working Training Training for employees (1 hour) and managers (1 hour) covering how to keep safe when working without direct supervision and how to manage lone workers effectively under UK legislation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ schools supported without advertising through word-of-mouth referrals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EduCare for Education: Online safeguarding, child protection and Prevent training subscription service for schools and academies; comparable bundled, self-paced model competing with Clennell's Education SLA.
• Virtual College: UK provider of e-learning and certified training for the education, health and social-care sectors, including safeguarding and DSL programmes; competes in the same school and corporate vertical.
• Flick Learning: Provider of e-learning safeguarding, PREVENT, FGM and DSL training for schools and workplaces; competes for the same DSL/safer recruitment training budget.
• The National College: UK provider of online training courses and webinars for school staff covering safeguarding, DSL, SEND, and statutory compliance — directly competes for the same school training budget as Clennell's central sessions.
• SSS Learning: UK provider of safeguarding, SEND and wellbeing e-learning for schools and academies with a subscription-based training model similar in scope to Clennell's Education SLA.
• UK Safeguarding Institute: Accredited training provider for safer recruitment, DSL and Designated Safeguarding Officer training; competes for the same school-level statutory training spend.
• Child Protection Company: UK online safeguarding and child protection training provider for schools and organisations; offers DSL courses and CPD-accredited programmes that overlap directly with Clennell's safeguarding portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• The Key for School Leaders: Subscription information, guidance and CPD service for school leaders in England; covers safeguarding/SEND as part of a much broader school-leader support offer.
• Tes Global: Large UK/international education group operating magazines, jobs, resources and training services to schools; overlaps with Clennell as a training supplier but is a much broader incumbent.
• National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) Learning: Charitable UK's leading safeguarding authority providing accredited safeguarding, child protection and safer recruitment training to schools and organisations; adjacent competitor with brand and scale advantages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ClennellEd

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Clennell Education Solutions