Why senior roles are changing as school groups grow

Originally featured in School Management Plus

The growth of school groups has changed the leadership roles available and how they are recruited, writes Hayley Mintern

The UK’s independent schools sector is undergoing a significant structural evolution.

In response to intensifying financial pressures, shifting parental expectations, and looming regulatory changes, many schools are now forming or joining school groups. These are designed to create operational resilience, enable strategic growth, and unlock efficiencies.

At Anderson Quigley, we are seeing first-hand how this shift is transforming leadership structures, recruitment strategies, and the wider employment landscape across the sector.

I wanted to share some of the changes and things to look out for:

The growth and diversity of school groups

What was once a sector of fiercely independent institutions is now home to a growing number of federated structures and group models. These take several forms:

• Federated or aligned groups: Typically retain individual school identities and governance but share resources and senior leadership across finance, HR, and operations.
• Fully integrated charitable trusts: Operating as a single legal and governance entity, often with a group CEO or Executive Head and central services supporting multiple campuses.
• Commercial or investment-backed groups: Acquiring schools as part of a strategic growth model. These groups bring a distinctly corporate approach, focusing on scalability, international reach, and brand consolidation.
• Values-led networks: Often rooted in religious foundations or aligned educational philosophies, prioritising mission continuity while adopting more modern group infrastructures.

This diversity in group types is reflected in the emerging leadership structures and the shifting skillsets now required at the executive level.

New leadership roles and structures

The rise of school groups is generating an entirely new layer of leadership roles that move beyond traditional Head and Bursar models. Increasingly, we’re seeing positions such as:

• Group chief executive officers (CEOs): With strategic oversight of operations, growth, and educational delivery across multiple schools.
• Chief operating officers (COOs): Responsible for estates, HR, finance, risk, and IT, ensuring consistency and efficiency across sites.
• Directors of mergers and acquisitions (M&A): A particularly notable addition in the commercial and growth-oriented groups. These professionals, often from private equity, banking or corporate advisory backgrounds, focus on identifying acquisition targets, managing due diligence, and integrating new schools.
• Group directors of education or teaching and learning: Maintaining academic consistency and innovation across the group.
• Directors of compliance and safeguarding: Centralising policy implementation, regulatory adherence, and risk management.

What’s striking is that many of these roles are now being filled from outside the sector. Senior professionals from higher education, healthcare, charity, and even retail or legal sectors are increasingly entering independent schools at the professional services level. This is particularly evident in roles like CFO, director of people, or general counsel.

The rise of school groups is generating an entirely new layer of leadership roles.

These individuals bring a depth of operational experience and commercial awareness that many schools now recognise as essential for future sustainability.

Recruitment: More complex, confidential, and strategic

The recruitment cycle for both educational and professional services roles is changing rapidly.

Firstly, the timeline has accelerated. Secondly, the recruitment process itself is more commercially sensitive. We are increasingly engaged in searches conducted under Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). This confidentiality protects both the organisation and the individual especially when roles relate to mergers, restructures, or leadership transitions not yet publicly communicated.

Thirdly, professional services appointments are becoming far more strategic. Schools are no longer recruiting just “a good bursar” or “a strong HR lead” – they are seeking experienced professionals capable of leading cultural change, delivering group-wide digital transformation, or navigating complex compliance environments. As a result, we’re regularly hiring candidates from FTSE-listed companies, NHS trusts, and major non-profit organisations.

These recruitment shifts require schools and boards to be clearer about role purpose, organisational direction, and the total employment offer elements that are increasingly being shaped in partnership with external search specialists.

A new employment offer: Bonuses, benefits and beyond

As school groups become more commercial in structure and mindset, so too does the employment offer – particularly at the senior level.

• Bonuses and performance-related pay are now commonly used for executive roles. These may include year-end bonuses, retention incentives, or growth linked rewards such as hitting enrolment, financial, or acquisition targets. For many career educators, this is unfamiliar territory. The idea of a bonus structure, KPIs or performance targets can feel alien but they are increasingly the norm, particularly in groups operating with private capital or growth mandates.
• Defined benefit pensions (eg. Teachers’ Pension Scheme) are becoming rare, particularly in commercial or for-profit school groups.
  Many schools exiting the TPS cite affordability concerns, and while some offer defined contribution schemes as an alternative, the overall pension provision is often less generous than in the state sector. This is a key factor in the recruitment and retention challenges for teaching staff and academic leaders transitioning from the maintained system.
• Total reward packages may now include private medical insurance, flexible working arrangements, relocation assistance, professional development budgets and, in some cases, equity inventives or long-term incentive plans for group-level executives in commercial entities.

Where groups are struggling to compete on headline salary, many are investing in non-financial benefits and creating pathways for career development across multiple campuses offering variety, stretch, and leadership progression that standalone schools simply cannot match.

Bonuses and performance-related pay are now commonly used for executive roles.

We are increasingly seeing schools and groups remove the fee remission which for many has been a real appeal to working in the sector, which is certainly an interesting development in the attraction of staff.

More than a structural change

The evolution of school groups is more than a structural change it’s reshaping the entire leadership and operational culture of the independent sector. As these organisations mature, they demand leaders with agility, strategic vision, and commercial fluency whether from within education or beyond.

Boards, owners, and trusts must now think differently about recruitment and leadership support – who should they recruit, how should they recruit them, what should they offer, and how do they retain and develop leaders in increasingly complex organisations.

The rise of school groups marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of the UK independent schools sector. We are witnessing a shift from tradition-bound institutions to strategically led, multi-site organisations capable of adapting to a rapidly changing educational and economic landscape.

As these organisations mature they demand leaders with agility, strategic vision, and commercial fluency.

This is not simply an administrative or structural change it represents a redefinition of how independent education is delivered, governed, and led.

As schools navigate this transformation, the sector stands at a crossroads: with the right leadership, strategy, and support, school groups have the potential to preserve the distinctiveness of independent education while ensuring its long-term resilience. It is, without doubt, a defining era and an exciting one for those ready to lead it.

International Schools and Their Leadership Challenges

Hayley has supported the education sector for the last ten years, providing executive search and interim and consultancy solutions to Independent Schools, Academy Trusts, FE Colleges, and Universities. Her speciality is understanding the education sector and connecting talent that is passionate about providing high quality inclusive education. Hayley has built a track record with education leaders and helped many organisations identifying top talent.

Hayley has a passion for education, she is a governor for MAT working closely with the head and trust leaders to ensure excellent levels of education. She previously worked closely with England Rugby Schools to deliver inclusive sport in schools and has strong understanding of the curriculum.

Hayley joined the AQ team to further develop the schools and colleges practice and is driven by making a positive difference to the education sector through the quality of leadership appointment.

You can email her at hayley.mintern@andersonquigley.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.