Caretaker Recruitment: The Hidden Costs and Chaos for Schools

While much attention has been given to the teacher recruitment and retention crisis, support staff shortages are even more acute. Caretakers and site staff sit at the heart of this challenge

A report from TIB Services shows that recruiting skilled site staff isn’t just an operational headache; it affects classrooms, senior leaders and the smooth running of schools.

The true cost of in-house recruitment

Recruiting caretakers internally may seem straightforward, but the disruption it causes is often underestimated:

• 30 hours per new hire: The time senior leaders spend on recruitment and vetting admin for each caretaker.
• Two months of disruption: From advertising to offer acceptance, notices periods and KCSIE vetting, schools often wait weeks before a new hire makes an impact.
• Cumulative impact across MATs: For three new hires in a single academic year, disruption can total 216 days.
• Repeated recruitment cycles: If a candidate pulls out or isn’t right, schools face additional time, cost and stress.

These figures highlight the strain on senior leaders, who juggle recruitment alongside teaching, safeguarding and extra duties to keep the site open and compliant.

Real life challenges

The impact is clear in national reports:

• In South London, a headteacher has doubled as a lollipop man while also leading safeguarding, simply because staff are lacking.
• In Worcestershire, a headteacher had to unblock toilets and clear the playground of dead rats in the absence of a permanent caretaker.

These scenarios are not isolated. Many schools across England face similar pressures.

A smarter path forward

TIB Services is the UK’s only specialist in school site staffing, covering both temporary and permanent placements. With a nationwide pool of over 10,000 candidates, they can usually provide cover in under two weeks. All candidates are KCSIE-vetted and fully trained, ready to make an immediate, positive impact.

Leaders must treat caretaker recruitment as a strategic priority. Understanding the cost, chaos and risk is the first step toward building resilient, well-supported school site teams.

This is a sponsored article by TIB Services.

To avoid disruption and secure skilled caretaker cover in under two weeks (subject to availability):

Call: 0333 772 9633
Email: [email protected]
Visit: tibservices.co.uk