Schools HR Cooperative
Schools HR Cooperative is an independent UK co-operative providing HR support, MIS technical services, recruitment, and training to over 120 schools and academies across West London and Thames Valley through annual Service Level Agreements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersCowley, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Schools HR Cooperative does
The Schools HR Cooperative (legal name: The Schools HR Co-operative Limited) is an independent, co-operatively structured HR services provider for schools and academies in the United Kingdom, founded in May 2011 when the Hillingdon Local Authority's Personnel Service for Schools transferred out under headteacher support. Headquartered in West Drayton in a 17th Century Grade II listed building, the company supports over 120 schools and academies across Hillingdon, neighbouring West London boroughs (Hounslow, Harrow, Brent, Barnet), and Thames Valley counties (Oxfordshire). The company's core offering is a bundled annual Service Level Agreement (SLA) covering HR advice and guidance, contracts management and payroll interface, a school-centred Occupational Health service, and an independent investigations service for disciplinary, grievance, safeguarding, and SATs maladministration matters.
The company operates complementary service lines: the MIS Support Service (renamed in April 2025 from SIMS for Schools to reflect expanded support for both ESS SIMS and Arbor MIS), the Crinkle Recruitment sub-brand for managed education-sector recruitment, and a training portfolio including NQT, Safer Recruitment, and MIS courses. Technology infrastructure consists of a secure web portal with user authentication, helpdesk ticketing, online course booking, and subscription renewal capabilities. The company holds Capita SIMS Accreditation (received October 2018), Cyber Essentials certification, and maintains GDPR compliance with UK data protection standards.
The business model is primarily subscription-based, with schools purchasing annual SLAs for ongoing HR support, supplemented by fee-based training courses invoiced separately and transaction-fee revenue from Crinkle Recruitment. Go-to-market is sales-led, with Chief Executive Bob Charlton conducting direct school visits, supplemented by a self-serve portal for renewals and course bookings. The company operates as a private co-operative with no external funding or parent company disclosed, serving a single vertical (UK K-12 education) across a regional footprint in South East England.
Schools HR Cooperative firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Schools HR Cooperative
- Legal name
- The Schools HR Co-operative Limited
- Website
- https://schoolshrcooperative.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Schools HR Cooperative is an independent UK co-operative providing HR support, MIS technical services, recruitment, and training to over 120 schools and academies across West London and Thames Valley through annual Service Level Agreements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Schools HR Cooperative industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education HR Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Student Information Systems (SIS) & Master Data Management (EDAJAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- HR Operations Administration (HRIS Admin, Records, Employee Data Mgmt) (BPACAKAC), HR Service Delivery & Employee Contact Centers (HR Helpdesk) (BPACAKAI), HR Compliance, Employment Law & Employee Relations Training (EDABAIAE)
Keywords
Where Schools HR Cooperative is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cowley
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Schools HR Cooperative business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- HR Services SLA/Subscription: Schools purchase annual Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for ongoing HR support services including advice, contracts management, investigations, and health & wellbeing services. Subscription model with recurring annual renewals through the secure portal.
- MIS Support Services: Technical support and training for ESS SIMS and Arbor MIS included within SLA packages. Additional specialist training courses provided in dedicated training room with free sessions included in support package.
- Training Courses: Fee-based training courses including NQT Training & Development Programme, Safer Recruitment accredited courses, and MIS courses. Invoiced separately with payment required 7 days before course start date.
- Recruitment Services (Crinkle Recruitment): Managed advertising and recruitment service for education sector offered under Crinkle Recruitment brand. Value-for-money specialist recruitment for teaching and support staff positions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | HR Services SLA - schools purchase Service Level Agreements for ongoing HR support |
| Subscription | Annual | MIS Support Services - technical support and training for ESS SIMS and Arbor MIS |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Training Courses - NQT, Safer Recruitment, MIS courses |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Schools HR Cooperative product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Schools HR Cooperative provides school-specific HR outsourcing to UK schools and academies under annual Service Level Agreements. Its offering bundles HR advice and casework, employment contracts management and payroll interface, occupational health and wellbeing, independent disciplinary/grievance/safeguarding investigations, accredited ESS SIMS and Arbor MIS technical support, education-sector recruitment via its Crinkle Recruitment sub-brand, and fee-based training courses (NQT, Safer Recruitment, MIS).
Product overview
The Schools HR Co-operative is an independent school-specific HR service providing a unified platform of HR and MIS support services to over 120 schools and academies. The portfolio comprises core HR services (HR Advice & Guidance, Contracts Management & Payroll Interface, Health & Wellbeing Service, Investigations Service) supplemented by the Crinkle Recruitment sub-brand for recruitment, the MIS Support Service for ESS SIMS and Arbor MIS technical support, and Education Consultants for specialist support. Training services include NQT Courses, MIS Support Courses, and Safer Recruitment Courses. The company operates primarily as a secure web-based platform with user accounts, and was founded in May 2011 following transfer from Hillingdon Local Authority.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Crinkle Recruitment: Managed advertising and recruitment service offering value-for-money specialist education recruitment for teaching and support staff.
- MIS Support Service
Products and services
- HR Advice & Guidance
Companies that use Schools HR Cooperative
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Schools HR Cooperative technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
Schools HR Cooperative partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ESS SIMS (Capita)coreESS SIMS provides the SIMS school management information system. Schools HR Cooperative is an accredited support unit providing technical support, guidance, updates, and patch management for ESS SIMS. Received Capita SIMS Accreditation in October 2018. The MIS Support Service helps schools maximise effectiveness of SIMS data.
- Arbor MIScoreArbor is a school management information system. Schools HR Cooperative provides MIS support services including guidance in the use of Arbor MIS alongside ESS SIMS support.
- National Payroll ProvidercoreSchools HR Cooperative provides a unique interface between schools they support and a national payroll provider. Advise on teaching and support staff pay, conditions, and pension schemes.
- Occupational Health ProvidercorePartnership with OH provider to deliver school-centric Health & Wellbeing Service launched April 2012. Provider runs fortnightly face-to-face OH Physician clinics in schools and on-demand OH Advisor telephone consultations.
- Education ConsultantsminorNetwork of independent and affiliated education consultants with proven expertise. Consultants are tapped to provide particular support for school development, circumstances, or change management.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Schools HR Cooperative competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Schools HR Cooperative social profiles
Digital presenceSchools HR Cooperative compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Schools HR Cooperative financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Schools HR Cooperative leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Schools HR Cooperative funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Schools HR Cooperative M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Schools HR Cooperative
What does Schools HR Cooperative do?
Schools HR Cooperative provides school-specific HR outsourcing to UK schools and academies under annual Service Level Agreements. Its offering bundles HR advice and casework, employment contracts management and payroll interface, occupational health and wellbeing, independent disciplinary/grievance/safeguarding investigations, accredited ESS SIMS and Arbor MIS technical support, education-sector recruitment via its Crinkle Recruitment sub-brand, and fee-based training courses (NQT, Safer Recruitment, MIS).
Is Schools HR Cooperative a public or private company?
Schools HR Cooperative is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Schools HR Cooperative founded?
Schools HR Cooperative was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Schools HR Cooperative based?
Schools HR Cooperative is headquartered in Cowley, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Schools HR Cooperative make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. HR Services SLA/Subscription is the primary driver. The others are MIS Support Services, training Courses and recruitment Services (Crinkle Recruitment).
Does Schools HR Cooperative have an API?
No public API is recorded for Schools HR Cooperative.
What industry is Schools HR Cooperative in?
Schools HR Cooperative's product category is Education HR Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAHAA, Student Information Systems (SIS) & Master Data Management, with a secondary code of BPACAKAC, HR Operations Administration (HRIS Admin, Records, Employee Data Mgmt). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.