NEW FOR 26/27 · EXCLUSIVE TO EDUCATION

Be Awarded as an Education Employer of Choice

'Education Places to Work' is a brand-new, exclusive-to-education certification for Schools and Trusts who are aiming to be identified as a top education employer.

Following an employer questionnaire and anonymised employee engagement survey, your certification award is split into two levels:
26/27 Certified Education Places to Work Trophy 26/27 Certified Education Places to Work
Awarded to Schools and Trusts meeting our national education employer benchmark.
26/27 Leading Education Places to Work Trophy 26/27 Leading Education Places to Work
Our highest distinction for Schools and Trusts exceeding the required national standard.
5-STEP CERTIFICATION PROCESS

How Do We Get Started?

From registration to certification outcome in four weeks.
Step 01
Register to Become an 'Education Place to Work'

Submit your registration online. Within 2 business days, our team issues your unique employer questionnaire and staff survey links.

Step 02
Complete Your Employer & Employee Survey

Complete your employer questionnaire and invite staff to complete the 5-minute anonymous survey within 14 days (minimum 60% response rate).

Step 03
Assessed Against Our Judging Framework

Anonymised survey results are assessed against our education-specific judging framework across leadership, culture, wellbeing, and development.

Step 04
Receive Your Result: 'Certified' or 'Leading'

Within two weeks of submission, receive your certification outcome alongside your detailed benchmarking report and written action plan.

Step 05
Receive Your Graphic Pack & Trophy

You will be sent your 'Education Places to Work' digital social graphics pack, email signature banners, template letter, and crystal trophy.

FEE STRUCTURE

Transparent. Simple. Valuable.

'Education Places to Work' is committed to full transparency of fees - our fees relate solely to the total headcount number of the School or Trust. There are no additional costs, other than if the awarded organisation wishes to purchase additional 'Education Place to Work' trophies.

Number of Staff Fee (+VAT)
200+ £899
100-199 £799
50-99 £699
20-49 £599
1-20 £399
INCLUDED IN YOUR FEE

What Is Included in Your Entry

Every participating state-funded school, independent school, or Multi-Academy Trust receives full access to our assessment platform, reporting suite, and recognition assets:

✓Employer Dashboard Access: Solo admin access setup for your Trust or School to view live results and engagement rates.
✓Employee Engagement Survey: Full survey setup (takes under 5 minutes per employee and is 100% anonymous).
✓Employer Questionnaire: Structured organisational assessment tailored specifically to the education sector.
✓Employee Launch Letter: Ready-to-send template letter to all employees explaining how to complete the survey.
✓Benchmarking Report: Comprehensive benchmarking report of your results across key workplace themes.
✓Written Action Plan: Clear, practical action plan and recommendations of what can be improved.
✓Crystal Award Trophy: Official 'Education Places to Work' trophy awarding 'Certified' or 'Leading' status.
✓Social Pack & Email Signatures: Announcement social graphics, email signatures, and employee award template letter.
Register Your School or Trust
Download Brochure
PROGRAMME DELIVERABLES

What Do Trusts & Schools Receive?

Actionable workforce intelligence combined with national employer recognition to strengthen staff retention and teacher recruitment.
01 · LIVE EMPLOYER DASHBOARD
Overall Survey Pulse

A dedicated dashboard giving an overall view of scores received throughout the survey, response distribution, participation rate, and year-on-year comparison.

Overall Survey Pulse Dashboard
02 · DEPARTMENTAL BENCHMARKING
Red, Amber, Green Organisational Heat Map

Department-by-department RAG heat map across Executive, People & HR, Teaching, School Support, Admin Support, Finance, Operations, and IT covering 7 core workplace themes.

Organisational Heat Map
03 · DIGITAL RECOGNITION SUITE
Email Signatures & Social Graphics Pack

Official 26/27 'Certified' or 'Leading' digital badges, email signature banners, and social media announcement graphics to showcase your workplace culture to prospective candidates.

Email signatures to celebrate your level of certification Social graphics pack for your organisation to share
04 · REPORT, ACTION PLAN & TROPHY
Benchmarking Report, Action Plan & Trophy

Receive a written benchmarking report of your results, a practical action plan of what can be improved, employee communication template letters, and your engraved crystal trophy.

Certified Trophy Leading Trophy
FAQs & TERMS

Education Places to Work FAQs

Have a question about registering your School or Multi-Academy Trust for the 2026/27 cohort?
Who can apply for Education Places to Work?
The programme is open to all state-funded schools, independent schools, and Multi-Academy Trusts across the UK.
Are employee surveys completely anonymous, and how long do they take?
Yes. Employee responses take less than 5 minutes to complete, are 100% anonymous, and are reported in aggregate form. For respondents who sit within smaller teams in your School or Trust, analysis is restricted for groups of fewer than 5 respondents to protect anonymity.
How long does the process take, and is there a minimum response rate?
We share your employer questionnaire and employee engagement survey link within 2 business days of registration, and your organisation then has 14 days (two weeks) to complete them. At least 60% of eligible employees must complete the survey for results to be validated (extensions can be arranged if needed). Following submission, you will receive your certification outcome, feedback report, and action plan within two weeks.
What are the certification levels and how long does certification last?
Organisations can achieve either 'Certified' (meeting the required national standard) or 'Leading' (exceeding the required standard). Certification is valid for one academic year, and organisations may continue displaying their awarded badge beyond that period provided the original award year remains clearly displayed.
What happens if our organisation does not meet the threshold on our first entry?
If an applicant completes all programme requirements (including the employer questionnaire and 60% minimum survey participation threshold) but does not yet meet the criteria for 'Certified', you will still receive your full written action plan and recommendations for improvement, plus a 20% discount towards re-applying within 12 months.
Programme Terms & Conditions Summary
Education Places to Work is operated by Network for Education Excellence (nEdEx), a trading brand of Education Personnel Management Limited (EPM). Fees are based on total staff headcount, exclude VAT unless stated, and are payable upon registration prior to survey issue. Applicants must invite all eligible employees, maintain voluntary and uninfluenced participation, and achieve a minimum 60% response rate within the 14-day survey window. Personal data is processed in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.