KAPE HR

What KAPE HR does

KAPE HR is a privately held HR consultancy founded in 2013 and headquartered at the Innovation Centre Medway in Chatham, Kent. The firm delivers specialist human resources advisory services to schools, academies, and small businesses across South East England, London, and Essex, with delivery modes spanning on-site consultancy, a telephone and email helpline, and structured training workshops. Its core service offerings include an annual Service Level Agreement providing ongoing access to professional HR advice on matters such as reorganisations, capability and performance management, disciplinary and grievance handling, recruitment, absence management, TUPE transfers, and trade union consultation, complemented by project-based HR consultancy on an ad-hoc basis. Additional product lines include accredited Safer Recruitment training and short HR workshops for senior management covering capability, conflict, change, performance appraisal, absence management, and recruitment.

The business is built on the personal expertise of its two co-founders, Karen Barker (CIPD) and Peter Jacobs (CIPD), who collectively bring over 30 years of HR consulting experience across private and public sector contexts, including Local Authority work. KAPE HR does not operate a proprietary technology platform; service delivery is human-driven through direct consultancy engagements rather than software. Revenue is generated through recurring annual SLA subscriptions and project-based professional services fees; pricing is not publicly disclosed, although a complimentary HR health check is offered to prospective small business clients.

Customer evidence skews heavily toward the UK education sector, with named clients including The Howard Academy Trust, Parallel Learning Trust (spanning six academies), Rivermead Inclusive Trust, Greenvale Infant and Nursery School, Horsted Federation, and Medway Anglican School Trust, alongside small business clients such as A. Osborne Electrical Ltd. Distribution is direct and regional, relying on client referrals, testimonials, the firm's website, and attendance at training events rather than paid marketing channels. The company operates without external institutional investors and is owned and run by its two founders.

Name

KAPE HR

Legal name

Kape HR

Website

https://kapehr.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KAPE HR is a privately held HR advisory consultancy founded in 2013 in Kent, England, providing annual SLA retainers and project-based HR consultancy to schools, academies, and small businesses across South East England, London, and Essex.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Resources Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), Communication & Family Engagement Platforms (Messaging, Portals, Translation) (EDAJAMAI)

Keywords

• Human resources consulting
• School HR support
• Small business HR
• Employment law compliance
• HR management training

Headquarters

HQ city

Chatham, Kent

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Annual Service Level Agreement (SLA): Annual retainer service providing ongoing access to professional HR advice and support on all HR matters including reorganisations, capability management, disciplinary processes, recruitment, absence management, and more.
2. Project-based HR Consultancy: One-off consultancy services provided on specific projects or staffing issues as they arise. Includes ad-hoc support, investigations, mediation, and training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KAPE HR provides ongoing and project-based human resources advice to schools, academies, academy trusts, and small businesses. It supports reorganisations, performance and capability management, disciplinary and grievance matters, recruitment, absence management, TUPE, trade union consultation, policy development, investigations, mediation, and management training through annual Service Level Agreements, on-site consulting, and telephone and email assistance.

Product overview

KAPE HR is an HR consultancy service providing specialist advice and support to schools, academies, and small businesses. Their core offering consists of two main service streams: HR Consultancy Services for Schools & Academies and HR Consultancy Services for Small Businesses. These services are delivered either through annual Service Level Agreements (SLA) for ongoing support or on a project/consultancy basis for specific needs. Additional offerings include accredited Safer Recruitment Training courses and HR Training Workshops for senior management covering topics such as capability management, conflict resolution, and performance appraisal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HR Consultancy Services for Schools & Academies Comprehensive HR consultancy for schools and academies, covering reorganisations, capability management, disciplinary support, recruitment, absence management, TUPE, trade union consultation, policy development, and related employment matters.
• HR Consultancy Services for Small Businesses Specialist HR support for small businesses, including HR health checks, audits, management training, recruitment campaign management, policy review and development, occupational health referrals, employee relations, and ongoing advice.
• Annual Service Level Agreement (SLA) An annual retainer providing continuing access to professional HR advice and support for schools, academies, and small businesses across employment, staffing, organisational, and employee-relations matters.
• Project-based HR Consultancy Ad-hoc consulting on specific HR projects or staffing issues, including independent investigations, mediation, policy work, and other defined employment matters.
• Safer Recruitment Training A one-day accredited course on safe recruitment practices for people working with children, young people, or vulnerable adults, with a certificate awarded on completion.
• HR Training Workshops Two-hour workshops for senior management on capability and performance management, conflict management, change management, performance appraisal, absence management, and recruitment and selection.

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• BreatheHR: UK SaaS HR platform targeting small businesses with self-service HR tools, document storage, and absence management. Comparable in serving UK SMBs with HR needs but competes via low-cost software rather than high-touch consultancy; represents a long-term substitute risk for advisory-only models like Kape HR.

Direct peers

• Peninsula Group: One of the largest UK HR, employment law, and health & safety consultancies serving small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable to Kape HR in target customer (UK SMBs), subscription model, and HR advisory scope; differs primarily in scale, brand recognition, and breadth of offerings.
• WorkNest: UK outsourced HR and employment-law services provider for SMEs and not-for-profits including schools. Closely comparable to Kape HR in retainer-based model, HR support scope, and UK SMB / education segment focus.
• HR Dept: UK network of locally-owned HR consultancies providing outsourced HR support to SMEs via a franchise model. Closely comparable in retainer-based HR advisory for SMBs; differs in franchise-driven geographic coverage that contrasts with Kape HR's single-region footprint.
• Citation: UK-based HR, health & safety, and employment-law consultancy serving SMEs and some education-sector clients. Closely comparable to Kape HR in business model (retainer + project consultancy), buyer profile (UK SMBs without in-house HR), and service breadth, though operating at much larger scale nationally.

Broad incumbents

• Moorepay: UK provider of payroll, HR software, and outsourced HR support to SMEs. Comparable in target market and HR advisory scope to Kape HR, but differentiates with a strong software/payroll technology layer that Kape currently lacks.
• MHR (formerly Midland HR): UK-headquartered provider of HR, payroll, and people-analytics software plus related services. Comparable in addressing UK HR/people-management needs for SMEs and mid-market but at significantly larger scale and primarily software-led.
• IRIS HR (IRIS Software Group): UK HR and payroll software and services provider serving accountancy practices and SMEs. Comparable in HR/payroll functionality but competes at the software layer rather than bespoke K–12 advisory; useful adjacent comparison for capability and pricing benchmarks.
• Croner (Wolters Kluwer): Long-established UK HR, employment law, and health & safety consultancy (now part of Wolters Kluwer). Comparable service lines to Kape HR but operates at much larger scale across all UK business sectors including education, with broader product portfolio.

Others

• Hays (Education division): Global recruitment and workforce solutions firm with a dedicated UK education division placing teachers and school support staff. Comparable overlap on the K–12 education HR / staffing axis, but focused on recruitment rather than ongoing HR consultancy and casework like Kape HR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kape-hr-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 KAPE HR