Practical advice on compliance, references, and placing candidates faster, across education, care, healthcare and more.
A registered manager needs a carer for Monday, and the shift comes down to one reference. Who counts as a valid referee, and what does CQC actually want it to cover? Here's what Regulation 19 requires, in plain English.
You've sent three polite emails. A week has gone. The placement is stuck. Then a colleague picks up the phone and the reference is done before lunch. Here's why the phone works when email doesn't, and what that means once you're doing it at scale.
25 July 2026 · 8 min read
An inspector at a care home pulls a file for one of your agency workers. CQC doesn't inspect your agency, but the provider's duty lands on your desk anyway. Here's what CQC checks, where the line sits, and what you should be able to produce on request.
25 July 2026 · 9 min read
Most recruitment software was built for permanent-placement agencies. A temp education desk fills tomorrow's absence before 8am. That difference is why so much of the software on the market doesn't quite fit.
25 July 2026 · 9 min read
One of our consultants once spent a full Friday on emails, chasing, and a spreadsheet, and placed nobody. She wasn't slow. The desk was full of work that has to happen and never counts as a placement.
25 July 2026 · 8 min read
A consultant is on the phone while a candidate reads out a share code. Underneath the admin sits a bigger question: whose job is this check, and what makes it stand up? Here is the duty split most temp desks get wrong, in plain English.
25 July 2026 · 9 min read
Most education recruitment agencies are doing reference checks the same way they did ten years ago. The problem isn't the people doing the chasing. It's that the whole process depends on memory and individual effort at every step.
1 April 2026 · 7 min read
Most reference checking software was built for enterprise HR teams. The compliance requirements for UK education agencies are different. Here's what the main options actually offer.
1 April 2026 · 5 min read
Nobody sits down and calculates what reference chasing costs them. They know it takes time. They know it causes delays. But most agencies never work out the actual number.
1 April 2026 · 6 min read
You sent the reference request four days ago. Nothing back. The school is asking for an update. The candidate is asking for an update. Most of the reasons this happens are completely avoidable.
1 April 2026 · 7 min read
Safer recruitment isn't a single check. It's a process. References are the piece that takes longest and causes the most delays. They're also the piece that gets scrutinised hardest when things go wrong.
1 April 2026 · 7 min read
Checking references for a supply teacher isn't the same as a standard employment reference check. The regulatory context is different, the people you're contacting are different, and the stakes are higher.
1 April 2026 · 6 min read
In education recruitment, a reference check takes around 7 working days on average. When things don't go well, which is often, you're looking at two weeks. Here's why, and what actually speeds it up.
15 March 2026 · 6 min read
Everyone in education recruitment knows references are required. Ask what KCSiE actually says and the answers get vague. Here's what it actually requires, no paraphrasing, just the rules and what they mean in practice.
15 March 2026 · 7 min read
The candidate is ready. The school is waiting. Somewhere in a headteacher's inbox is an email that hasn't been opened in five days. Here's what actually works.
15 March 2026 · 7 min read
Get our fortnightly newsletter
AI, compliance, and recruitment. No fluff.
We use analytics cookies to see how the site is used. Okay with that? Privacy policy