Background
- Location: Cambridgeshire, UK
- Size: 150 employees
- Sector: Education
- Omny engagement date: October 2017
This long-standing client is a thriving, co-educational independent school with a strong reputation for academic excellence, pastoral care and holistic development. The Church of England school, set within beautiful grounds, offers a distinctive blend of tradition and innovation, nurturing pupils from Nursery through to Sixth Form. The school educates 400 pupils, with a further 80 children in the nursery, and employs approximately 150 staff comprising teaching, pastoral and support staff – a mix of full and part-time staff alongside several self-employed contractors.
The client first engaged Vero HR (Part of the Omny Group) in October 2017 to strengthen its people operations and ensure the team met its legal and safeguarding obligations consistently as it grew.
Challenge
Before partnering with Vero, the client’s HR function was led by the School’s Bursar with a part-time administrative assistant undertaking routine personnel recruitment activities. Recruitment cycles were slow, casework placed a heavy burden on senior leaders, and there was a tendency for senior leaders to be drawn into administrative tasks, taking valuable time from their strategic operations.
Additionally, without a dedicated, trained HR professional, senior leaders were reliant on their own non-specialist knowledge when considering day-to-day matters.
They needed a partner who understood the educational context, could bring compliant, best-practice frameworks, and would act both strategically and hands-on as an extension of their team.
Solution
Vero HR introduced a tailored solution from October 2017, which included an on-site HR Administrator, with access to specialist higher-level advice when needed, as part of its Time Bank model. This has grown over the years to include more specialist on-site support with Director-level assistance for more complex cases.
Recruitment and onboarding
This includes streamlining recruitment journeys, safer recruitment training for hiring managers, and improved onboarding/induction checklists (including pre-employment checks) to reduce time-to-hire.
Retained HR advisory and case management
This consists of a named/dedicated HR Advisor providing day-to-day guidance on HR matters, absence, performance, and safeguarding-aligned procedures.
Policy suite and compliance
The auditing and refresh of core policies such as disciplinary, grievance, absence, safer recruitment and safeguarding adjacent HR practices, mapped to the latest statutory guidance and ISI/Ofsted expectations.
Leadership and governance support
This includes briefings for SLT on HR, workforce planning, and culture.
Results
Since partnering with Vero HR, the school has seen significant improvements across people, process, and compliance:
1. Time savings
Releasing SLT capacity for teaching and learning priorities. Plus, by standardising the school’s recruitment workflow, the client has shortened decision cycles end-to-end. SLT and hiring managers spend far less time on administration and more on high-value conversations with candidates, leading to smoother onboarding and earlier impact in the classroom.
2. Recruitment Processes
Since partnering with Vero HR, their recruitment process is faster, more professional, and securely compliant end‑to‑end. Hiring managers are supported with interview packs, enabling consistent, evidence‑based selection and a polished, values‑aligned approach at every stage.
Compliance is embedded:
- KCSIE‑aligned safer‑recruitment practices
- DBS and Right to Work checks completed before start dates
- Auditable files
- Standardised offers and contracts ensure robust governance and readiness for inspection
The result is less reliance on agencies, smoother onboarding, and new colleagues who arrive well‑briefed and ready to make an impact from day one.
3. Improved overall compliance
100% completion of Safer Recruitment checks before start dates, with all core HR policies updated and understood by managers. Local Authority and Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) inspections have praised the approach of the School to Safer Recruitment procedures.
4. Better employee experience
From an employee’s perspective, the recruitment and onboarding journey is now quicker and calmer: clear timelines, prompt updates, and e-signature offers remove uncertainty. Feedback shows the process feels respectful, transparent, and efficient, with less stress and more time invested where it matters.
“Vero HR (Part of the Omny Group) feels like part of our team rather than an external provider. They’ve brought clarity, pace, and confidence to our HR operations - modernising policies, supporting sensitive casework, and helping us recruit well in a challenging market. The result is more time for teaching and learning, stronger compliance, and a calmer, more consistent experience for staff. The personal approach is unlike any other provider we have worked with – we are made to feel like we are their most important client. We’re delighted with what we’ve achieved together.”
