Thinking PersonnelSpecialist HR and Payroll services for schools, trusts & academies
Get in touch now+50 schools
Managed throughout the UK
Expertly trained
Professionals in every area
Accredited
Investors in People Standard
Trusted by schools, focused on people
We understand that your people are both your greatest asset and your most complex responsibility. That’s why our support is built on trusted partnerships, clear guidance, and a deep understanding of the education sector.
Whether you’re leading a small school team or overseeing a multi-academy trust workforce, we provide expert, practical support that gives leaders confidence, ensures compliance, and fosters a positive, high-performing culture.
From headteachers to HR professionals, we work as an extension of your team, helping you anticipate challenges, navigate complexity, and create an environment where your staff and students can thrive.
Proud do the right things to help you manage your HR operations
Outsourcing your HR doesn’t mean losing control. With Thinking Personnel, you gain access to specialists who know schools inside out. We stay ahead of legislation, support your team through difficult situations, and provide tools that make your people management smoother, simpler, and stronger.
It's about peace of mind, professional advice, and knowing you've got an experienced team in your corner.
Our Services
Payroll operations
We provide schools with a fully-managed payroll and pension services, our experts will guide you through it all.
Training and CPD
Staff and leadership training in key areas including safer recruitment, investigations, and managing performance.
Workforce planning and restructures
Strategic support for managing change, restructures, TUPE, and staffing reviews.
Why partner with Thinking Personnel?
Specialists in education HR and school staffing structures
Responsive named advisors who know your setting
Support with day-to-day issues and complex casework
Flexible packages for schools, academies, and MATs
Clear, compliant policies written by accredited experts
Trusted by education leaders across the UK
Ready to develop a more strategic approach to your school’s HR and personnel?
Specialist school recruitment support to help you find the right talent, faster.
Finding the right people can transform a school. We help schools and trusts attract, assess, and onboard quality teaching talent with a process that’s fully compliant and totally stress-free. From writing job descriptions to managing shortlisting and interview stages, we’re here to support every step of the journey.
Our team ensures your recruitment follows Safer Recruitment best practices, with all necessary checks and documentation in place including DBS processing and single central record audits. Whether you’re hiring one teacher or building a full team, we provide the tools, templates, and advice to help you recruit with confidence.
Speak to the team
Don't just take our word for it
Loved by schools, trusted by trusts
“We wanted a website that just worked — something simple, clean, and reliable that we could keep up to date without constant external support. That’s exactly what Thinking Solutions for Education delivered. From the very first conversation, they understood what we needed and translated it into a professional, easy-to-navigate site that reflects who we are. The process was smooth, the team was responsive, and most importantly, the end result is something we’re proud to share with our school community.”
“We’ve worked closely with the HR and Finance experts at Thinking Solutions for Education, and their flexible, responsive approach has made a real difference to how our trust operates. It’s allowed our leadership team and schools to stay focused on delivering the best outcomes for pupils, knowing that our internal operations are in safe, capable hands.”
“TSfE felt like an extension of our own team approachable, knowledgeable, and always ready with practical advice.”
“Thinking Solutions has supported our expanding nursery provision across the South and South West with everything from HR to Marketing and Technology. Their deep understanding of the sector gives me complete confidence that we’re in safe hands and that our young people are, too.”
Thinking Personnel - Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. We can help review and manage every stage of your safer recruitment process from application forms and shortlisting through to referencing, DBS checks and Single Central Record maintenance so that nothing is missed or left exposed to risk.
Our support typically covers:
- Reviewing or writing application forms that ask the right questions about criminal history and employment gaps
- Scrutinising references before interview or start date
- Verifying identity, qualifications and right to work
- Managing enhanced DBS checks and renewals
- Running the online searches KCSIE requires for shortlisted candidates
- Training at least one member of every interview panel in safer recruitment
- Keeping your Single Central Record accurate and audit-ready
It depends on your school or trust's size and the level of support you need. We price either as an annual retainer based on staff headcount or as a scaled package tied to the number of schools in your trust, with options ranging from advisory-only support through to a fully managed HR and payroll service.
Rather than quote a generic figure that won't reflect your actual setup, we start with a short scoping conversation so we can give you an accurate cost.
Yes. We carry out full Single Central Record reviews and ongoing maintenance. This involves checking that every member of staff, governor, volunteer and regular visitor has had the correct checks carried out, accurately recorded and kept up to date, not just that individual DBS certificates exist.
Because Ofsted inspectors and trust auditors review the SCR itself rather than individual certificates, we treat SCR accuracy as one of the highest-priority areas of our compliance support, and can build in a regular review cycle so it's never a last-minute scramble before an inspection.
Yes. We provide confidential, hands-on case management for grievances, disciplinaries and capability procedures. From the initial investigation through to a clearly evidenced outcome and any appeal, following your policies, the ACAS Code of Practice and employment law throughout.
We'll make sure the investigator and decision-maker roles are kept separate, give the employee proper written notice at every stage, keep a clear record throughout, and support you or your panel through hearings so that the process is timely, consistent and defensible if challenged.
Yes. We handle the HR side of academy conversion end to end, running the TUPE due diligence that identifies existing contractual terms, liabilities and any live HR cases, managing formal consultation with staff and recognised trade unions, and making sure pay, pension and continuous service transfer across correctly with nothing missed.
We'll also advise on any planned harmonisation of terms after conversion, handled separately and lawfully rather than folded into the transfer itself, so your conversion doesn't create compliance gaps that surface months later.
Yes. We carry out HR capacity reviews for growing MATs, looking at your actual casework volume, recruitment pipeline and compliance workload to recommend the right structure. Whether that's a flexible outsourced model, part-time in-house capacity or a fully resourced central HR team.
Many MATs start needing dedicated in-house capacity somewhere between 5 and 10 schools, but the right answer depends entirely on your specific staffing mix, so we build our recommendation around your trust rather than a generic ratio.
Yes. We draft and review safer recruitment policies that cover every KCSIE requirement. This includes, advertising, shortlisting, interviewing, reference-taking, DBS and identity checks, and Single Central Record maintenance tailored to your school rather than adapted from a generic template, and reviewed annually to stay current with the latest KCSIE update.