Is an MSP the right choice for your MAT?

Is your multi-academy trust (MAT) considering introducing a managed service partnership (MSP) to become more efficient and introduce streamlined systems? In the current educational landscape, the pressure on budgets and personnel has never been higher. The fundamental goal of any leadership team is to allow staff to focus on what matters most: the students. But when is the right time to take the leap to an MSP model? 

When weighing up your options, it’s vital to look beyond the immediate quick-fix. You must consider why your current model isn’t working, identify how your day-to-day processes will change, and understand why many MATs are choosing the MSP model to transform their school workforce management.

Why multi-academy trusts are turning to managed service partnerships

An MSP is more than just a recruitment agency; it is a strategic partnership that integrates into the fabric of your trust's operations. For a managed services MAT structure, an MSP provides a holistic approach to people management.  

Core MSP services include: 

• Supply recruitment and workforce management. 

• Safer recruitment and compliance.  

Enhanced MSP services can include:  

• HR support and people strategy. 

• Finance and operational capacity. 

• Executive recruitment. 

• Enrichment, wellbeing, and retention support. 

• Specialist SEND support.  

Using an MSP, leadership teams can reduce operational pressure and risk, while ensuring long-term compliance and financial efficiency. 

Financial triggers  

Supply spend is often the primary catalyst that a change is needed. Traditional procurement workflows become unsustainable when MATs reach a point of scale. 

• Unmanaged recruitment agency fees: Without a centralised managed service MAT strategy, each school often negotiates their own rates. This means that the trust often pays significantly different margins for the same roles across different sites. 

• Lack of spend visibility: By using disparate agencies, you aren’t able to see real-time spend across the whole trust. An MSP provides a single source of truth, consolidating hundreds of fragmented invoices into one strategic data report. 

• Hidden fees: There are significant hidden costs in recruitment, advertising fees, interviewing time, and the high cost of staff turnover, all of which frequently outweigh the cost of an MSP.

   

  Workload and operational triggers

• In the current educational climate, school business leaders (SBLs) and admin staff are becoming overwhelmed by the administrative tasks involved in workforce management. 

• Capacity issues: Many senior leaders spend valuable hours every morning on the phone to multiple agencies. This is a significant drain on their time. 

• Compliance burden: Manually checking vetted documents and DBS certificates for every member of supply staff is a high-risk administrative burden. Safeguarding is non-negotiable; an MSP automates this risk management. 

• Staff burnout: Administrative tasks can bleed into teaching time, eroding staff morale. If your internal HR teams are firefighting daily recruitment rather than focusing on staff wellbeing and retention, the system is effectively failing. 

  Growth and strategic development triggers

  For growing MATs looking to scale their operation, an MSP is often the most viable choice. 

  • Standardisation: When new schools join a MAT, they bring their own legacy systems and agency relationships. An MSP ensures that every new school immediately adheres to the trust’s compliance and cost-control standards. 

  Red flags: signs your current model is failing​ 

  If your current education workforce models are failing, you will notice these recurring issues: 

  • Inconsistent quality: Relying on expensive, unvetted or inconsistent agency staff highlights a need for better workforce management. 

  • Lack of strategic value: Agencies focus on short-term fixes, meaning long-term strategic goals, such as permanent recruitment pipelines, are neglected. 

  • Compliance gaps: Safeguarding risks arise due to missing background information or failure to rigorously check relevant qualifications. 

  • Financial leakage: Escalating costs for temporary staff and a lack of centralised budget control. 

  How can we help you transition?

  MATs transitioning to an MSP for agency staffing is a road to operational excellence across the board. It allows you to take control of your budgets, protect compliance and support your workforce.  

  If you’re exploring the right model for your trust, talk to us today. We specialise in supporting procurement leads and operational teams through the complexities of modern education staffing. Our MSP model is designed to deliver efficiency, consistency, and peace of mind, so your teams can focus on what matters most: the students. 

  Ready to see what an MSP could do for your trust?

  
  Discover how our managed service partnership helps MATs take control of supply spend, strengthen compliance and free up staff time.
  [Explore our MSP]