GCA Framework myth: The GCA framework caps mean less pay for our supply teachers

September never turns up empty-handed, does it?

New timetables, new starters, a photocopier that's decided to retire, and this year, a new procurement framework to get your head around too.

Between the guidance documents, the acronyms and the well-meaning advice from the trust down the road, it's genuinely a lot to take in. So it's no surprise that a few myths have started doing the rounds.

The one we’ve heard most recently? That the new caps are about to leave your regular supply teachers out of pocket.

Let's put that one to bed.

Will GCA framework caps impact our teachers?

Short answer: No.

The caps apply to agency fees, not to worker pay. Your regular supply teachers carry on being paid the rates agreed locally, exactly as before.

The DfE has been refreshingly blunt about this: the framework caps what suppliers can charge, not what workers take home. Pay and conditions for agency staff are entirely unaffected.

So if Mrs Patel has covered Year 4 every Thursday for the last three years, her rate doesn't quietly drop on 1 September because of the new framework.

How do the GCA framework caps work?

Think of your invoice as two separate things:

1. The worker's pay: their daily rate, plus employer NI, pension and holiday pay.
2. The supplier fee: the agency's operating costs and profit.

The cap sits on number two. Only number two.

It's also a ceiling, not a standard rate. Plenty of suppliers charge below it, particularly for longer placements or higher volumes — so it's always worth asking.

The real win: you can finally see the numbers

Historically, those two parts were often blended into a single daily rate. Which made it almost impossible to tell what you were paying for teaching, and what you were paying for admin.

Under the framework, suppliers have to break it down and show you. Itemised. In full.

That's where the savings actually come from: not from squeezing teachers, but from academies and trusts being able to see exactly where the margin sits, and ask about it.

Come and talk to us

We're a named supplier on the framework, and transparent pricing isn't a new requirement for us – it's how we've always worked. So while the sector works through the inevitable teething issues, nothing changes at our end.

Got a question about your rates, or want a clear breakdown of what you're currently paying? Get in touch – we're happy to talk it through.