If you work in education recruitment – whether as a school buying staff or as an agency supplying them – the Government Commercial Agency’s RM6376 framework is something you need to understand. It came into effect in April 2026, runs until April 2029, and from September 2026.
Here’s a plain-English breakdown of what it covers, how it’s structured, and what it means in practice.
What Is RM6376?
RM6376, formally titled Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment, is a closed framework agreement run by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA), formerly Crown Commercial Service, which rebranded in April 2026. It provides a pre-approved route for schools, academies, colleges, nurseries and other public sector education establishments to procure temporary, permanent and fixed-term teaching and support staff.
The framework is delivered in partnership with Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) and Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO), and is supported by the Department for Education through its maximising value for pupils programme.
In scope roles include teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, headteachers, senior leaders, and non-teaching staff such as admin, finance, IT, catering and maintenance.
The Two Lots Explained
The framework is split into two lots, each designed for different types of need.
Lot 1: Teachers and Education Recruitment is for schools that want to source workers directly through one or more agencies. There are 167 approved suppliers on this lot. Schools can use multiple agencies simultaneously and are not tied to a single provider. This lot is best suited to short-notice or ongoing temporary staffing requirements where speed and flexibility matter. The recommended route under Lot 1 is award without competition, you identify a supplier via GCA’s agency selection tool, sign a short order form, and you’re ready to go. That form only needs to be completed once per supplier.
Lot 2: Managed Service Provision is for schools or trusts that want a single provider to manage all their temporary and permanent staffing requirements. There are 16 approved suppliers on this lot. The managed service provider either fulfils requirements directly or draws on a supply chain of agencies. This lot also gives access to technology platforms for booking, timesheets, invoicing and management reporting. The recommended route under Lot 2 is award with competition – you invite all listed suppliers to tender, evaluate against your criteria, and select one. This approach takes longer but is designed for organisations with higher-volume or more complex workforce needs.
Key Features of the Framework
A few things worth highlighting for anyone engaging with RM6376 for the first time:
Capped fees. Supplier fees are capped at £45 per day for teachers and £38 per day for education support staff. Buyers can see exactly what the worker is paid and what the agency takes – transparency of costs is built into the framework.
Safeguarding compliance. All suppliers must vet workers in line with DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) standards. This is a baseline requirement for accreditation on the framework.
Temp-to-perm transfers. After 12 weeks, schools can move a temporary worker to a permanent role at no additional cost, with four weeks’ notice. For schools that want to trial a candidate before committing to a permanent appointment, this is a useful provision.
What This Means for Education Recruiters
For agencies working in the education sector, the framework defines the landscape for supply staffing in a significant way. To supply through it, agencies must be listed as an approved supplier on either Lot 1 or Lot 2, there are 167 on the former and 16 on the latter.
For permanent recruitment, it’s worth noting that the framework covers fixed-term and permanent appointments as well as temporary ones – so understanding where permanent hiring sits within the framework, and whether your preferred agency is accredited, is increasingly relevant for schools thinking about their broader talent strategy.
Finding Out More
The GCA has published a buyer guide, a lot decision tree, a short order form and FAQ document – all available on the RM6376 page. There’s also an agency selection tool for schools in England with a DfE sign-in, which allows you to search for approved suppliers by role type and location.View the full RM6376 framework on the GCA website →