Wrexham based Educate Group has created a new base in Crewe as part of plans to offer increased support for the North West education sector.
The expansion plans are in response to increasing demand for recruitment, teacher training and alternative education services.
Growing Education Provider
Headquartered in Wrexham, with an established office in Rhyl, the company employs more than 50 staff and has evolved from a specialist recruitment agency into a wider education support provider.
Its services now include Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Alternative Provision and Children's Residential Care, alongside recruitment for schools, nurseries and further education providers.
Crewe Expansion
The latest expansion is led by Head of Recruitment Charlie Carr, from Nantwich, who has 17 years' experience in education recruitment and established relationships with schools across Cheshire.
The move will also support Educate Group's ambitions to develop new partnerships across the wider North West, including Lancashire, as it looks to open further offices in England and Wales.
Charlie said:
This isn't just about opening another recruitment agency.
We've built something that offers schools an end-to-end education solution, from recruitment and bespoke Alternative Provision through to Initial Teacher Training and Assessment Only routes to teaching.
Schools are looking for long-term partnerships rather than simply filling vacancies, and that's exactly what we provide.
Having a permanent base in Crewe allows us to be even closer to the schools and education providers we already work with while developing new relationships across Cheshire and the wider North West.
Teacher Training Routes
Educate Group combines staffing solutions with opportunities for people from a range of backgrounds to train as teachers while working in schools.
As a Department for Education-accredited ITT provider, the company offers pathways to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), helping schools develop their own workforce and address recruitment challenges.
It also provides an Assessment Only route for experienced teachers working without QTS, enabling them to gain the qualification through assessment against the teachers' standards.
Charlie said:
We can identify talented individuals, place them in schools and provide the training and support they need to become qualified teachers.
It's about developing confident, classroom-ready professionals while giving schools a sustainable solution to the challenges they face.
We also deliver tailored Alternative Provision, including one-to-one support, small group learning, catch-up education and vocational programmes for young people who may struggle in mainstream settings.
Being able to offer that breadth of support makes a real difference to schools, families and learners.
Company Background
Educate Group was founded in 2017 by Mark Jones, David Norman and Nick Edwards, who have a combined 55 years' experience in senior education roles.
The business has continued to grow across North Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire, with its latest investment providing a platform for further expansion into the North West.
Mark said:
When we started Educate Group, our aim was simple – to improve outcomes for schools, learners and education professionals by offering a genuinely high-quality service built on our own experiences in education.
We understand the pressures schools face and wanted to create a business that could support them in a much broader way than traditional recruitment agencies.
The fact we can also train teachers through various routes really does set us apart and allows us to be a comprehensive education support partner.
The new Crewe office is another important step in our journey. It strengthens our presence in an area where we've seen increasing demand, creates new employment opportunities and enables us to provide the personal service that has always been at the heart of what we do.
We see considerable opportunities to build relationships with more schools and education providers across Cheshire, Lancashire and the wider North West.
Current Vacancies
With the academic year well underway, Educate Group is recruiting teachers, teaching assistants, nursery practitioners, cover supervisors and other education professionals to support schools facing staffing pressures.
Mark added:
Approaching our 10th anniversary is a fantastic milestone and gives us an opportunity to reflect on how far we've come while continuing to grow.
We've built the business by focusing on quality, developing lasting relationships with schools and listening to what the education sector needs.
That approach won't change as we expand into new areas.
