Social responsibility

Our business

Zentar Education is the education recruitment arm of the Zentar Group. We partner with primary, secondary and SEND schools and trusts across the UK, supplying teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, specialists and support staff through temporary, fixed-term and permanent routes.

As a people-centred service organisation, we take our ethical and social responsibilities seriously. Classroom impact sits at the centre of every placement decision: the professionals we put forward should strengthen learning, safeguarding and school culture — not simply fill a rota.

Our people

Our consultants are at the heart of how we work. We invest in clear role expectations, regular feedback and collaboration so every colleague understands how they contribute to schools and candidates.

We support diversity, fairness and equal opportunity, and we expect integrity in every client and candidate interaction. Education recruiters receive ongoing training on safeguarding, compliance and sector change — including how our equal opportunities, anti-bribery and modern slavery commitments apply to day-to-day work.

Recognition is based on contribution and outcomes that matter: successful placements, retained relationships and honest advice when a role is not the right fit.

Commitment to education

We provide an essential service in a regulated, public-facing sector. We are accountable for the professionals we introduce to schools and, by extension, for the children and young people those professionals work with.

Every candidate we place must be appropriately checked, fairly treated and ready to make a positive classroom contribution. We align recruitment practice with Keeping Children Safe in Education and aim for safeguarding processes that meet — and where possible exceed — school and trust expectations.

We work to reduce unnecessary turnover by matching people carefully, being transparent about setting context, and supporting schools and candidates through the early weeks of a placement. Our delivery sits within recognised quality and supplier frameworks, including GCA Framework accreditation for education workforce supply, SaferJobs / JobsAware partnership, APSCo membership and ISO-aligned quality and health & safety practice.

Our candidates

We are part of a candidate’s career journey — not just a booking agent. Belle and the Education team focus on understanding classroom philosophy, preferred settings and professional ambitions before putting anyone forward.

We aim to offer clear choice and timely support across supply, fixed-term and permanent pathways, including professionals moving within the UK and SEND practitioners seeking the right environment. We listen, avoid one-size-fits-all assumptions, and remain objective about someone’s situation without personal judgement.

Candidate wellbeing and safer recruitment matter equally. We partner with SaferJobs / JobsAware to support safer job searching and help combat recruitment scams, and we are clear about agency-worker rights, pay expectations and compliance requirements from the first conversation.

Our school partners

Schools and trusts deserve fair value, consistent quality and reliability. We aim for high professional and ethical standards — honest, open and commercially transparent in every engagement.

Collaboration helps us adapt processes to each setting’s curriculum, SEND profile and safeguarding thresholds. Inclusive sourcing means proactive outreach to career changers, returners and regional talent pools so shortlists better reflect the diversity of learners schools serve.

Framework and accreditation routes help leadership teams make informed hiring decisions with clear commercial terms. We do not quietly recycle professionals between clients when a safeguarding or conduct concern remains unresolved.

Our community

Wherever practical, we favour local and responsible suppliers for operational needs and look for opportunities that create education employment in the communities around our partner schools.

We work with schools, trusts and local authorities to improve access to teaching and support roles — particularly in areas where specialist SEND, STEM and cover capacity is hard to find. Inclusive recruitment is a social outcome as well as a commercial one: widening who can enter and progress in education workforces strengthens local provision for children and families.

Our people are encouraged to contribute beyond placements — sharing sector insight, supporting professional development conversations and helping schools build sustainable staffing plans rather than short-term firefighting alone.

The environment

We recognise our environmental impact as a recruitment business and continue to take steps to reduce it. Remote and hybrid ways of working, digital interviews and paper-light processes help cut unnecessary travel and resource use in the early stages of recruitment.

Across the Zentar Group we publish a carbon reduction plan and pursue practical efficiencies in how we operate — from energy use in offices to reducing journeys that do not improve placement quality. We encourage environmentally responsible habits among our teams and keep refining how we source, interview and onboard candidates with a lower carbon footprint.

Health and safety

The safety and wellbeing of our staff, candidates and school partners is a priority. We align with ISO 45001-informed health and safety practice and expect colleagues to work in ways that protect themselves and others.

Mental wellbeing sits alongside physical safety: clear workloads, professional support and honest conversations about capacity help our teams sustain high-quality service for schools. Candidates are supported through compliance and placement transitions so they can focus on classroom readiness.

Our goals

• Keep raising education recruitment practice for the long-term benefit of schools, trusts and learners
• Maintain and strengthen safeguarding processes that protect children and vulnerable young people
• Widen access to education careers through inclusive sourcing and fair candidate support
• Reduce the environmental impact of our operations in line with our group carbon reduction commitments
• Build durable partnerships with schools and communities — measured by retention, trust and classroom impact, not volume alone