What Schools UK does

Schools UK is the trading name of City & General Direct (UK) Limited, a UK-domiciled, FCA-regulated (Reg. No 311135) insurance intermediary that has provided staff absence insurance to schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts (MATs) since 1997. The company sells contract-backed, AXA-underwritten insurance policies where valid claims are guaranteed in the policy wording rather than paid at the discretion of a mutual, with daily benefits of up to £350 covering accident, sickness, maternity, paternity, bereavement, jury service, suspension, and stress-related absence. The operational core is a proprietary, paperless online claims management portal built on AWS infrastructure in Dublin, offering 24/7 real-time claim tracking via push notifications, hierarchical multi-academy trust views, wellbeing cashback receipt uploads with approximately three-working-day processing, and configurable central-versus-school-level permissions.

Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual insurance premiums (commissions to Schools UK as intermediary on AXA-underwritten policies) priced on staff count, chosen daily benefit, excess period, and optional covers. A supplementary revenue stream is the standalone Schools UK Health wellbeing subscription programme, available from approximately £1.50 per member per month, which includes 24/7 GP access, counselling, EAP, and therapy cashback; the same wellbeing package is bundled as the Gold tier with the core insurance product. Go-to-market is sales-led: a bespoke website quote form initiates a consultative inside-sales process, supplemented by telephone and email outreach, and supported by the DfE-recommended Crescent Purchasing Consortium Framework listing, ISBL Approved Partner status, and Schools North East partnership. The customer base comprises 5,000+ cumulative policies and 30,000+ wellbeing members, with approximately £10 million paid across roughly 13,500 claims over the trailing three years. The company is family-run, co-directed by Ronald Thompson and Peter Riley, and operates from a single headquarters in Headingley, Leeds.

Name

Schools UK

Legal name

City & General Direct (UK) Limited

Website

https://schoolsuk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schools UK is a UK-based, FCA-regulated insurance intermediary that provides contract-backed staff absence insurance and wellbeing services to schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts under AXA underwriting, supported by a proprietary online claims management portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Staff Absence Insurance

NAICS

Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Budgeting, Procurement & AP/AR (School/District Ops) (EDAJAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Staff absence insurance
• School wellbeing services
• Employee assistance programme
• Occupational health services
• Multi-academy trust benefits

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Staff Absence Insurance Premiums: Schools UK earns revenue through insurance premiums charged to schools, academies, and MATs for staff absence protection policies. Policies are underwritten by AXA Insurance UK plc and are contract-backed with guaranteed claim payouts. Premiums are based on factors including number of staff, chosen daily benefit level (up to £350/day), excess period selections, and optional stress cover. Revenue is recurring on an annual basis as policies renew.
2. Wellbeing Services (Schools UK Health): Wellbeing support services (Gold Package) are included as standard with all staff absence policies, and are also available as standalone programmes via sister company Schools UK Health. Standalone wellbeing pricing starts from approximately £1.50 per member per month, with cashback of up to £200/year for therapies and up to £200/year for X-rays and consultations. Revenue from wellbeing is supplementary to the core insurance stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Schools UK underwrites and administers contract-backed staff absence insurance for UK schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts via AXA, providing daily benefit payouts of up to £350 during covered absences. The offering is supported by a bespoke paperless claims management portal with real-time push notifications and is complemented by a Gold wellbeing package covering all staff, governors, close family, and children.

Product overview

Schools UK offers a portfolio of staff absence insurance and wellbeing services for UK schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts. The core product is AXA-underwritten Staff Absence Insurance, which provides financial protection against staff absence costs with a chosen daily benefit up to £350. This is paired with a proprietary Online Claims Management Portal offering 24/7 real-time claim tracking. The wellbeing programme is delivered through sister brand Schools UK Health and includes the Gold Wellbeing Package (24/7 GP access, counselling, musculoskeletal therapy cashback, EAP) available as a bundled add-on or standalone purchase. Occupational Health Services are provided via Sparta Health partnership. Products can be purchased individually or as integrated packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Schools UK Health: Sister company providing standalone wellbeing programmes for school staff including Gold and Platinum packages with 24/7 GP access, counselling, and therapy cashback services.

Products and services

• Staff Absence Insurance AXA-underwritten insurance policy protecting schools, academies, and multi-academy trusts against the financial impact of staff absence due to illness, injury, maternity, stress, or other covered reasons. Includes a daily benefit up to £350, multiple excess period options, and additional covers such as paternity, bereavement, jury service, and suspension.
• Online Claims Management Portal Bespoke web-based portal for managing staff absence claims with 24/7 access, real-time status tracking, push notifications, and paperless document submission. Supports centralised trust-level administration and school-level autonomy for MATs, federations, and clusters.
• Gold Wellbeing Package Comprehensive wellbeing programme bundled with Schools UK staff absence policies. Includes 24/7 GP access, up to £200 therapy cashback, £200 X-ray and consultation cashback, 6 face-to-face counselling sessions, and 24/7 EAP. Covers staff, close family, governors, and children.
• GP Anytime

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of claims paid within 10 working days; average turnaround approximately 3 days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Crescent Purchasing Consortium (CPC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Schools UK is officially listed as a supplier on the DfE-recommended CPC Framework (Staff Absence Protection and Reimbursement Services 2025). The CPC is a not-for-profit organisation providing fully compliant procurement frameworks for the UK education sector. Schools can procure Schools UK's services via this framework without running a full tender, streamlining the procurement process and confirming Schools UK's pre-vetting for compliance, value, and service quality.
• ISBL (Institute of School Business Leadership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools UK is an ISBL Approved Partner. The partnership positions Schools UK within the professional community of school business leaders, providing endorsement and visibility among SBMs, bursars, and MAT finance leaders. ISBL is the professional body for school business leadership in the UK.
• Schools North EastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools UK is a Schools North East Partner, providing regional endorsement within the North East education sector and driving awareness among regional school leaders and MATs.
• ConstelliasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSchools UK is an approved supplier through Constellia, an education procurement approval body. This partnership enables Schools UK to be presented as a vetted provider to Constellia's school and MAT members.
• Sparta HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools UK has partnered with Sparta Health to provide occupational health services to schools and MATs. Sparta Health delivers end-to-end OH services including pre-employment screenings, work health assessments, physician fitness-for-work reports, nurse visits, face-to-face consultations, health surveillance, stress management, and first aid training. The service is available across the whole of the UK.
• Schools UK Health (Sister Company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools UK Health is a sister company that provides the wellbeing services offered alongside Schools UK staff absence insurance. The separation keeps wellbeing support distinct from the regulated insurance product. Schools UK Health offers Gold, Platinum, and standalone wellbeing packages including 24/7 GP access, counselling, EAP, and therapy cashback.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Capita plc: Large UK outsourcing and education services provider serving schools, MATs, and local authorities with HR, payroll, and recruitment support. Adjacent competitor for school operations budgets though not a direct insurance peer.

Direct peers

• Schools Mutual: Discretionary mutual scheme offering staff absence cover for UK schools. The primary alternative Schools UK explicitly positions against, offering lower headline premiums but without the contract-backed guaranteed payouts Schools UK provides.
• Schools Advisory Service: UK-based provider of school staff absence protection schemes and education-sector employee benefits. Direct competitor to Schools UK in the same vertical, serving maintained schools, academies, and MATs with comparable absence cover products.

Broad incumbents

• Aviva UK: Major UK insurer offering group protection, group income protection, and employee benefits including wellbeing. Provides absence-related cover to larger employers and competes for MAT-level group benefits contracts.
• Simplyhealth: Major UK corporate health and wellbeing provider offering cash plans, EAP, and GP services to employers including schools and MATs. Overlaps with Schools UK Health's wellbeing stack (GP, counselling, cashback).
• Zurich Municipal: Large UK insurer with a dedicated education practice providing insurance to schools, academies, MATs, and universities. Offers broader school insurance products (property, liability, motor) including staff absence cover as part of a wider portfolio.
• Ecclesiastical Insurance: UK specialist insurer with deep education sector heritage providing school insurance packages including absence cover. Broader portfolio than Schools UK but competes for the same school risk-management budget.

Emerging players

• BHSF (Birmingham Hospital Saturday Fund): UK not-for-profit provider of health cash plans and wellbeing benefits with significant education-sector membership. Comparable to Schools UK Health for standalone wellbeing/cashback products sold without insurance.
• Health Shield Friendly Society: UK provider of corporate health cash plans and wellbeing benefits with a strong education-sector footprint. Comparable to Schools UK Health's standalone wellbeing offering, including therapy cashback and GP access for school staff.
• Vivup: UK employee benefits platform with strong public-sector and education footprint, offering wellbeing, EAP, and discount programmes to schools and councils. Comparable to Schools UK Health on the employee wellbeing distribution side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/schools_uk
• Facebookfacebook.com/schoolsuk1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schools-uk

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Schools UK