Key Stage Teacher Supply

What Key Stage Teacher Supply does

Key Stage Teacher Supply (KSTS) is a UK-based education recruitment agency founded in 2000 and headquartered in Blackburn, Lancashire. The company places supply teachers, teaching assistants, SEND support staff, early-years practitioners, and school support staff into primary, secondary, SEND, early-years, and further-education settings across Lancashire, Cumbria, and increasingly Greater Manchester and Merseyside. Operations are delivered through four physical branches (Blackburn, Chorley, Lancaster, Preston/Bamber Bridge) with a 7-day on-call service running until 9pm, and the company claims a relationship base of 250 or more schools.

KSTS operates a traditional consultant-led matching model rather than a technology platform; the technology footprint consists of operational tools — a candidate portal for job search and timesheet submission, an online vacancy submission form for schools with a 24-hour response commitment, and an electronic timesheet authorisation system integrated with weekly Friday payroll. Since 2019, KSTS has operated as a subsidiary of the Operam Education Group, a network of nine education recruitment brands covering the North and Midlands, which has enabled the launch of adjacent services including Operam Education Leadership Recruitment (senior leadership placements in the UK and internationally), Operam Education Tutoring (National Tutoring Programme-approved, partnered with the Fischer Family Trust), an ECT support programme, an internal apprenticeship scheme, and CPD partnerships with Northorpe Hall and CPD Online College.

The revenue model is transaction-based: KSTS earns placement fees from schools on temporary daily supply, short-term, long-term, and permanent assignments, with candidate pay processed weekly on Fridays. Pricing is unit-based and quote-driven rather than publicly published, with disclosed job-post rates ranging from approximately £14.25-£18 per hour for teaching assistants and £150-£220 per day for secondary teachers depending on role and specialism. Customer acquisition is sales-led through branch-based relationship management, supplemented by a £150 referral programme, a content-marketing blog library, and partner cross-referrals across the Operam group.

Name

Key Stage Teacher Supply

Legal name

Key Stage Teacher Supply

Website

https://keystagesupply.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Key Stage Teacher Supply is a UK education recruitment agency, founded in 2000 and part of the Operam Education Group, placing supply teachers, teaching assistants, and SEND support staff into schools across Lancashire, Cumbria, and the wider North West of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Staffing / Recruitment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAFAI

Education Direct Hire (Teachers/Administrators)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Permanent Placement & Direct Hire

Keywords

• Education recruitment agency
• Supply teacher staffing
• Teaching assistant placement
• School workforce solutions
• SEND staffing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Temporary/Permanent Placement Fees: The agency places supply teachers, teaching assistants, and support staff in schools on temporary (daily supply, short-term, long-term) and permanent basis. Revenue is generated through placement fees for both temporary assignments and permanent hires, with payment to candidates made weekly on a Friday basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Key Stage Teacher Supply is an education recruitment agency that places supply teachers, teaching assistants, SEND specialists, and school support staff into primary, secondary, early years, SEND, and further education settings across Lancashire and Cumbria on a temporary (daily, short-term, long-term, maternity cover) and permanent basis. The agency sources, vets (including DBS checks), and matches candidates to schools through dedicated consultants based in three local branches, with a 7-day on-call service and weekly Friday payroll for placed candidates.

Product overview

Key Stage Teacher Supply operates as an education recruitment agency offering a portfolio of interconnected staffing services within the Operam Education Group network. The core offering consists of supply teacher and teaching assistant placement services for temporary daily, long-term, and permanent positions across Lancashire and Cumbria schools. Adjacent services include Operam Education Leadership Recruitment for senior leadership appointments, Operam Education Tutoring for the National Tutoring Programme, and ECT support programs. Additional value-added services include a CPD partnership network (Northorpe Hall and CPD Online College), apprenticeship programs, a candidate referral scheme, and digital platforms for candidate management, timesheet processing, and vacancy submission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supply Teacher Placement Service Recruitment service connecting schools with qualified supply teachers for temporary daily, short-term, long-term, and maternity-cover assignments across primary and secondary settings in Lancashire and Cumbria.
• Teaching Assistant Placement Service Recruitment service placing teaching assistants and support staff in schools across primary, secondary, SEND, and early years settings in Lancashire and Cumbria.
• Leadership Recruitment Service Operam Education Group service identifying and placing senior educational leaders (headteachers, senior leaders) in schools, academies, and other educational establishments in the UK and internationally.
• Operam Education Tutoring Tutoring network approved by the National Tutoring Programme, partnered with the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) to provide evidence-based tuition programmes to schools and pupils.
• Refer a Colleague Scheme Candidate referral programme paying a £150 reward when a referred qualified teacher is placed in a school and completes at least 20 days of paid work.
• Online Vacancy Submission Online portal for schools to submit staffing vacancies, responded to within 24 hours by specialist consultants covering SEND, Early Learning, Primary, Secondary, Further Education, Facilities, and Administration roles.
• Timesheet Management System Electronic timesheet system enabling schools to authorise staff timesheets and view invoice costs, integrated with weekly Friday payroll processing for candidates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Service rating of 4.5/5 based on 187 reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Operam Education GroupcoreOthersKey Stage Teacher Supply is a subsidiary of Operam Education Group, a network of education recruitment agencies covering the North and Midlands. The group includes The Education Specialists, Provide Education, Teachers UK, First For Education, Bridge Education Recruitment, Provision Recruitment, Horizon Teachers, Choice Teachers, and Bespoke Education. The acquisition since 2019 has provided dynamic ways to improve working practices through expert development and management.
• Northorpe Hall Child and Family TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with West Yorkshire-based charity specialising in emotional wellbeing of children, young people, and families. They deliver bespoke CPD training for supply staff including live interactive courses via Teams on topics such as mental health, ADHD, behaviour as communication, self-harm, attachment theory, teenage brain, autism, and emotionally-based school avoidance. Key Stage candidates receive 20% discount on courses.
• CPD Online CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing wide range of safeguarding, wellbeing, and subject-specific CPD courses to registered candidates at a 40% discount. Courses include autism awareness, bullying, internet safety, safeguarding at various levels, and more. Supports ongoing professional development for supply staff.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Academics: UK education recruitment agency placing teachers and support staff across primary, secondary, and SEND settings nationally. Comparable consultant-led placement model and service mix.
• Protocol Education: UK education recruitment specialist placing teachers, TAs, and SEND support staff across primary, secondary, and SEND settings. Operates with a similar consultant-led model and offers comparable supply, long-term, and permanent services.
• Tradewind Recruitment: Education recruitment specialist covering primary, secondary, SEND, and tuition services across the UK. Similar mix of daily supply, long-term, and permanent placements using dedicated consultants.
• Teaching Personnel: One of the largest UK education recruitment agencies placing supply teachers, TAs, and support staff nationally. Closely comparable business model with a focus on daily supply and permanent placements into schools.
• Aspire People: UK education recruitment agency supplying teachers, TAs, and SEND support staff to primary, secondary, and SEND schools. Operates a comparable consultant-led placement model in similar geographies.
• Simply Education: UK education recruitment agency placing teachers, TAs, and SEND staff on supply, contract, and permanent basis. Comparable service model with a strong SEND focus.

Regional players

• Classic Education: Midlands-focused education recruitment agency placing teachers and support staff into local schools. Comparable in size and service mix, but operating in a different geographic region.

Broad incumbents

• Reed Education: Education division of Reed, the UK's largest recruitment group. Provides supply teacher, permanent, and support staff placement nationally as part of a broader portfolio spanning multiple sectors.
• Randstad Education: Education division of global recruitment group Randstad. Places teachers, leaders, and support staff into UK schools as part of a much broader staffing portfolio.
• Hays Education: Education arm of Hays, a global recruitment plc. Places teachers, leaders, and support staff across the UK as part of a wider recruitment portfolio with significant scale and brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/operam-education-group
• Facebookfacebook.com/KeyStageTeacherSupply
• Xx.com/keystagesupply

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Key Stage Teacher Supply