HR Connect updates - 30 January 2026
30 January 2026
The latest update from HR Connect includes the State of HR in Education 2025 Report.
The State of HR in Education 2025 Report - download free now!
Download your free copy of HR Connect's State of HR in Education 2025 Report, a major new industry benchmark based on insights from more than 125 schools across the UK, including primary, secondary, special and independent settings, as well as academy trusts.
The findings paint a picture of a sector under strain, with school leaders and HR professionals grappling with unprecedented budget pressures, persistent recruitment challenges and mounting compliance demands, all against the backdrop of the Employment Rights Act, the biggest change to UK employment law in decades.
Here are just a few of the key findings:
- Budgets at breaking point - 56% say funding is their biggest HR challenge
- Hiring is slowing down - three in four schools take over a month to fill vacancies
- Pay is the deal-breaker - salary and benefits are the number one barrier to attracting talent
- Nearly half of schools are standing still - 49% have made no changes despite rising staff competition
- HR systems remain fragmented - only 5% of schools are very confident their systems are fully integrated
- Major legal change is coming - fewer than one in eight feel very familiar with the Employment Rights Act.
- And many more insights... download the report now!