What School Speakers does

School Speakers (legal entity: School Speakers Enterprise Ltd) is a UK-based speaker booking agency headquartered in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, founded in 2010 by Claire Young following her 2008 appearance as a finalist on BBC's The Apprentice. The company operates a curated two-sided marketplace connecting primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities with a vetted portfolio of 670+ inspirational speakers across 35+ topic categories (including careers, mental health, anti-bullying, enterprise, artificial intelligence, and well-being), supplemented by corporate and public sector conference clients.

The core platform is a web-based speaker directory with topic and location search functionality, backed by phone and email booking channels and an SOS (Speakers On Standby) same-day emergency booking service. Product extensions include Enterprise Days (proprietary branded programs such as Business Bootcamp, Apprentice Challenge, Dragons Challenge, and Teen-Trepreneur iLead, supported by an interactive Xing App for student decision tracking), CPD & INSET sessions for teachers, careers services (talks, workshops, one-to-one guidance, and an online learning partnership with U-Explore offering 2,000+ job profiles at £1,500/year), and Speaker Package bundles. Underlying technology is conventional web platform functionality with no disclosed AI/ML components.

Revenue is generated primarily through agency commissions on speaker fees, with speakers paying to be registered and schools paying per engagement; pricing is pay-as-you-go per session (speakers from £250 plus travel and VAT; enterprise days £250–£2,000 plus travel and VAT). The go-to-market combines direct sales outreach, a website self-serve channel, and a referral network of ten named educational partner organizations (Teach First, Aim Higher, Career Academies, GDST, SSAT, NGA, St John Ambulance, Girls Out Loud, Apprenticeships, U-Explore). The firm is bootstrapped and founder-owned with 23 employees, no disclosed external funding, and operations spanning UK and international school engagements.

Name

School Speakers

Legal name

School Speakers Enterprise Ltd

Website

https://schoolspeakers.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

School Speakers is a UK-based speaker booking agency headquartered in Wakefield that connects primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities with a curated portfolio of 670+ vetted inspirational speakers across 35+ topic categories, operating on an agency-commission model with supplementary enterprise day programs and an SOS emergency booking service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Speaker Agency Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Debate Academies & Speech Coaching Centers (EDAMAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Lectures & Speaker Series (MPAGACAI)

Keywords

• School speaker booking
• Motivational speaker agency
• Enterprise education programs
• Careers guidance services
• Teacher CPD training

Headquarters

HQ city

Wakefield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Speaker Booking Commission: School Speakers acts as an intermediary agency, taking bookings from educational institutions and matching them with speakers from their portfolio. The company facilitates the booking and takes a commission on speaker fees. Speakers pay to be registered with the agency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

School Speakers operates as a speaker booking agency that connects UK primary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities with a curated portfolio of over 670 vetted inspirational speakers for talks, workshops, enterprise days, careers events, and CPD/INSET training. Speakers are matched to institutions by topic (35+ categories including adventure, anti-bullying, careers, mental health, enterprise, and technology) and location, with the agency earning commission on speaker fees. The service is complemented by branded enterprise education programs, an SOS urgent-booking service, and a careers platform partnership with U-Explore.

Product overview

School Speakers operates as a speaker booking agency offering a portfolio of over 670 inspirational speakers to UK schools, colleges, and universities. The core offering centers on the Speaker Booking Agency as the primary service, complemented by specialized modules including Student Talks, CPD & INSET sessions, Enterprise Days (with multiple branded programs like Business Bootcamp, Apprentice Challenge, Dragons Challenge, Teen-Trepreneur iLead, and others), Conference Speakers for corporate events, SOS emergency speaker service, Speaker Package solutions, and Careers services (talks, workshops, one-to-one guidance, and U-Explore online learning partnership). The company positions itself as the UK's number 1 speaker agency serving primary and secondary schools, colleges, universities, and corporate clients throughout the UK and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOS (Speakers On Standby): Emergency speaker service for last-minute bookings

Products and services

• Speaker Booking Agency Core service that connects UK schools, colleges, and universities with a curated portfolio of 670+ inspirational speakers for events, workshops, and talks, with booking facilitation and commission-based revenue model.
• Student Talks Inspirational talks delivered to students to enthuse, motivate, and raise aspirations, covering topics such as enterprise, careers, anti-bullying, mental health, and STEM.
• Enterprise Days Interactive enterprise education programs for schools covering 13 key enterprise skills, delivered by UK entrepreneurs via branded programs such as Business Bootcamp, Apprentice Challenge, Dragons Challenge, and Teen-Trepreneur iLead, with half-day and full-day formats and the Xing App for student decision tracking.
• CPD & INSET Continuous Professional Development and INSET day sessions for teachers and school staff, supporting professional learning, development, and personal aspirations.
• Conference Speakers Provision of keynote speakers, motivational orators, and event hosts for corporate conferences, industry events, public sector conferences, and charity events.
• SOS - Speakers On Standby Emergency speaker service providing same-day speaker availability for schools needing urgent cover after last-minute cancellations or unexpected needs.
• Careers Talks and Workshops Careers-focused talks and workshops for schools covering personal branding, social media use, apprenticeships, CV writing, interview techniques, and psychometric profiling, including a 'You're Hired' one-day activity for up to 60 students.
• One to One Guidance (CEIAG) Bespoke careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) strategy development delivered in partnership with U-Explore, supporting schools with statutory careers guidance delivery including one-to-one guidance sessions.
• Student Online Learning (U-Explore Partnership) Online careers platform delivered in partnership with U-Explore, providing 2,000+ job profiles, 360-degree virtual tours, and CEIAG resources accessible to students 24/7 via annual subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ students engaged across 300+ education establishments (by speaker Adam Corbally alone)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U-ExplorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool Speakers and U-Explore partnership provides schools with bespoke careers guidance solutions. U-Explore provides an online careers platform with 2000+ job profiles and virtual tours, while School Speakers provides speakers for careers events and guidance support. The partnership offers schools a discounted rate of £1500 (RRP £1800) for the U-Explore platform.
• Aim HigherminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational partnership for widening participation and aspiration raising in schools
• ApprenticeshipsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting apprenticeship awareness and promotion in schools
• GDST (Girls' Schools Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with independent girls' schools network
• Girls Out LoudminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting female empowerment programs in schools
• St John AmbulanceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for first aid and safety education in schools
• SSAT (Schools, Students and Teachers network)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with educational network for teacher professional development
• Teach FirstcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor partnership with Teach First for teacher recruitment and educational impact in disadvantaged schools
• NGA (National Governance Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting school governance and leadership
• Career AcademiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership supporting career-focused education and enterprise in schools

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Motivational Speakers Agency: UK speaker bureau focused on motivational, after-dinner and keynote speakers. Operates the same speaker-agency intermediation model as School Speakers, though without the specific school/curriculum-niche positioning.
• Speakers Corner: UK speaker bureau listing motivational, business and educational speakers for events across the UK. Directly comparable agency business with a similar roster model, though its positioning is broader and less education-niche than School Speakers.
• Great British Speakers: UK-based speaker bureau providing keynote, motivational and educational speakers for events. Comparable agency model with a UK roster and similar booking/commission mechanics, with some overlap in the school and corporate segments.
• Chartwell Speakers: UK-based speaker bureau representing experts, authors and motivational speakers for corporate and association events. Closely comparable agency model with curated roster and topic-led discovery, serving a more corporate-leaning audience than School Speakers.
• Inspiring Speakers: UK speaker agency specialising in motivational and educational speakers for schools, colleges and youth audiences. The most directly comparable UK peer by customer segment, with a similar topic-led discovery and booking flow to School Speakers.

Broad incumbents

• Eventbrite: Large-scale event ticketing and discovery platform that schools, conferences and enterprises use to find and book events and speakers. Comparable as a marketplace for speaker-driven events, though not a vetted-speaker agency and far broader in scope than School Speakers.
• TED (TED Conferences): Global spoken-word and speaker platform that curates and broadcasts talks to large education-flavoured audiences. Comparable because it sits in the inspirational-speaker ecosystem and shapes what schools and students consider 'good' speakers, though TED is a media/curation brand rather than a transactional agency.
• JLA (Jeremy Lee Associates): One of the UK's longest-established speaker bureaus, operating across corporate, public-sector and association events. Comparable because it runs the same two-sided speaker-booking agency model, though with a corporate/association tilt rather than School Speakers' education focus.

Emerging players

• U-Explore: Online careers-education platform used by UK schools for CEIAG delivery, partnered with School Speakers for speaker-led careers events. Comparable because it serves the same UK schools/CEIAG buyer with adjacent careers guidance content, and is also an existing commercial partner.
• BizWorld Foundation: US-headquartered non-profit that delivers enterprise and entrepreneurship education programmes to school students. Comparable because it competes for the same enterprise-education curriculum slot that School Speakers' Enterprise Days address, though it is programme/content-led rather than a speaker agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/schoolspeakers
• Facebookfacebook.com/schoolspeakers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/school-speakers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 School Speakers