What Exeter Supply Partnership does

Exeter Supply Partnership (ESP) is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company established in 2016 by the member schools of the Exeter Consortium to provide supply staffing services to primary and nursery schools across Devon and Torbay. The organisation connects vetted qualified teachers, teaching assistants, and nursery practitioners with schools requiring cover for staff absences, planned leave, and longer-term assignments. It operates from Exeter and serves 100+ schools across eight regions (Exeter, Exmouth, East Devon, Mid Devon, North Devon, Teignbridge, Torbay, and Wellington).

ESP runs three core staffing products — Primary Supply Teachers, Primary Supply Assistants, and Nursery Practitioners — complemented by a Professional Development and CPD support module delivered through partnerships with LearnDevon, the South West Institute for Teaching, Free Courses England, and The National College. The technology stack is modest: a booking management mobile app that allows educators to set availability and edit bookings in real time, plus the Teamtailor SaaS platform powering the career site and applicant tracking. School–educator matching is performed manually by a small office team (Director, Office Manager, three Administrators) rather than via an algorithmic engine.

ESP generates revenue by charging schools for supply staffing placements, with any surplus reinvested into the service rather than distributed as profit, consistent with its CIC status. Pricing is not publicly listed and is negotiated per assignment by role and duration. The go-to-market is community-led: word-of-mouth referrals from schools and educators, organic social presence, the Exeter Consortium relationship, and content marketing through a primary supply teaching blog. The model targets Devon-based primary schools as buyers and qualified educators as supply, with aspiring career changers entering the funnel via LearnDevon-funded training.

Name

Exeter Supply Partnership

Legal name

Exeter Supply Partnership CIC

Website

https://exetersupplypartnership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Staffing Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education Staffing & Contracted Providers (Paras, Therapists, Specialists) (EDAJAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

In-Service Professional Development (Workshops/Institutes/Short Courses) (EDACAIAB)

Keywords

• Supply teacher staffing
• Teaching assistant placement
• Early years staffing
• School supply agency
• Education recruitment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Supply Staffing Services: As a not-for-profit CIC, ESP provides supply teaching and support staff services to schools. They charge schools for providing vetted supply staff, with any surplus reinvested into the service to benefit schools and educators rather than generating private profit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Exeter Supply Partnership connects primary schools across Devon and Torbay with vetted supply teachers, teaching assistants, and nursery practitioners for day-to-day, short-term, and longer-term cover. The organisation was founded in 2016 by member schools of the Exeter Consortium and operates as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company providing a local, school-led staffing service.

Product overview

Exeter Supply Partnership is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company offering a unified supply staffing service for Early Years and Primary education. The core offering consists of three integrated staffing products: Primary Supply Teachers, Primary Supply Teaching Assistants, and Supply Nursery Practitioners. These are complemented by a Professional Development & CPD Support module that provides access to training courses and career development resources. The service connects schools across Devon and Torbay with vetted supply staff through a Teamtailor-powered platform, providing both staffing solutions and workforce development support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Supply Teachers Placement of qualified primary supply teachers for day-to-day, short-term, and longer-term cover at primary schools across Devon, Torbay, and Wellington.
• Primary Supply Teaching Assistants Placement of qualified primary supply teaching assistants to provide classroom support for primary schools across Devon, Torbay, and Wellington.
• Supply Nursery Practitioners Placement of qualified nursery practitioners for early years and nursery settings across Devon, Torbay, and Wellington.
• Professional Development and CPD Support Continuing professional development and career support for educators working with ESP, delivered through partnerships with regional education bodies and free courses programmes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by 100+ schools across Devon and Torbay
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• LearnDevoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with LearnDevon, a trusted adult learning provider offering funded online training courses for people starting or progressing careers in education and early years. ESP refers aspiring educators to LearnDevon for qualifications while offering supply work opportunities for gaining practical experience.
• South West Institute for Teaching (SWIFT)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SWIFT for CPD course access. ESP teachers have access to courses organized by Exeter Consortium in partnership with SWIFT for professional development.
• Free Courses EnglandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing access to funded Level 2 accredited courses on a range of topics for teacher professional development.
• The National CollegesupportingTechnology or IntegrationCPD partnership providing access to a variety of online courses and webinars for supply staff professional development.
• Exeter ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESP was established by the member schools of the Exeter Consortium. The Consortium represents the founding partnership that created ESP as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company to serve local schools.
• TeamtailorsupportingTechnology or IntegrationRecruitment technology platform powering ESP's career site and candidate management system for job applications and employer branding.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Reed Education: Education arm of Reed, one of the UK's largest recruitment groups, supplying teachers and support staff alongside broader professional staffing. Comparable supply teacher offering for schools but embedded in a much wider portfolio rather than education-focused.
• Hays Education: Education recruitment division of Hays, a global staffing group, providing supply and permanent education staff to UK schools. Overlaps with ESP on primary supply staffing but serves a broader education-market footprint and operates on a commercial basis.
• Randstad Education: Education staffing arm of global recruiter Randstad, supplying teachers, TAs and nursery staff to UK schools and nurseries. Comparable in core supply staffing service but part of a much larger international group with broader portfolio offerings.

Direct peers

• Connex Education Partnership: UK education recruitment and training provider offering supply cover, permanent recruitment and CPD to schools. Directly comparable to ESP's combined supply-staffing + CPD proposition, with a similar emphasis on relationship-driven service.
• Teaching Personnel: UK-wide education recruitment firm supplying primary, secondary and SEN teachers and support staff to schools. Closely comparable in product (day-to-day, short- and long-term supply cover) and customer base (primary and nursery schools), with similar reliance on school relationships and CPD offerings.
• PK Education: UK education recruitment agency focused on supply teachers and support staff for primary and secondary schools. Comparable in core supply service and primary-school customer base, with regional presence that overlaps geographically with parts of ESP's footprint.
• Academics: UK education recruitment specialist supplying teachers, TAs and nursery practitioners to primary and secondary schools, with strong regional offices. Highly comparable to ESP's supply staffing model and primary/nursery focus, operating on a commercial basis.
• Protocol Education: One of the largest UK education recruitment agencies supplying teachers, TAs and support staff to primary and secondary schools. Directly comparable to ESP as a supply staffing provider, but operating nationally and on a commercial (for-profit) basis rather than ESP's CIC model.

Emerging players

• Zen Educate: Tech-enabled UK education staffing platform matching schools directly with supply teachers and support staff, removing agency markups. Comparable customer base (primary and secondary schools) and supply service, but competes via a marketplace model rather than ESP's relationship-led CIC approach.

Regional players

• Class Cover: UK supply teacher agency with strong regional franchises across England providing day-to-day and longer-term cover to primary schools. Comparable supply service and primary-school customer base, with overlapping Southwest England presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exeter-supply-partnership-c.i.c.

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 Exeter Supply Partnership