Reviewing a school or academy trust supplier contract

A school or academy trust buys on its own contract, written around safeguarding, pupil data and public money, and a supplier who signs it takes on obligations that follow its staff onto the site and its systems into the classroom. I review the contract from the supplier's side and return it marked up with an explanation of the changes worth asking for and the obligations to prepare for, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days, or £895 for a multi-school trust agreement with schedules.

Who this is for

Suppliers of services, software, catering, cleaning, tuition, consultancy and goods in England and Wales contracting with schools, academy trusts, colleges and early years settings, who have been sent the school's or trust's contract and want to understand it before signing.

What to look for in a school supplier contract

Safeguarding, vetting and your staff

School contracts require supplier staff to be vetted to the school's safeguarding policy, including criminal record checks at the level the role allows under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, to comply with the school's policies on site, and to be removed at the school's request, and the review checks what checks are required for which staff, whether the supplier can obtain them, what evidence the school wants before staff attend, and what happens if a check is delayed. A supplier whose staff never enter the site can ask for the obligations to be limited to those who do.

Pupil data and the processor clauses

Where the supplier processes pupil or staff data, the contract will include the processor obligations under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 with the school as controller, plus security standards, breach notification within short periods, restrictions on subprocessors and on processing outside the UK, deletion at the end and audit rights, and the review checks that the supplier's platform and subprocessors comply, that the obligations match the data processed, and that the contract does not prohibit legitimate uses such as service improvement without the school's agreement.

Term time, delivery and performance

The review checks the service hours and days against the school calendar, access during holidays, the specification and any service levels, the school's rights to vary the service as pupil numbers change, and the supplier's obligations under section 13 of the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 to perform with reasonable care and skill. Catering and cleaning contracts need particular attention to variation of volumes and the price consequences.

Payment, funding and the trust's authority

Payment is on the school's stated terms against correct invoices, with the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 allowing an agreed period, and the review checks for clauses that let the school reduce or end the contract if funding is withdrawn, for audit rights over the supplier's charges, and for the trust's authority provisions, which say that only named officers may commit the trust and that variations agreed with others do not bind it. A supplier relying on a head of department's email has no binding commitment.

Termination, staff transfer and compliance

The review examines termination for convenience and its notice, termination for safeguarding concerns and how they are defined, the transfer of staff to the school or a new supplier under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 where the service is continuous, and compliance obligations under the Bribery Act 2010 and section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 flowed down from the trust's own obligations, and proposes limits where the drafting is wider than the school needs.

What it costs

Standard review, £495. Marked-up document and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Complex review, £895. Heavily negotiated or unusually complex documents. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the contract review page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own contract returned with my amendments as tracked changes, plus a clean version with every change accepted, ready to send to the other side
• Comments in the document where a point needs explaining
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, marking the points I would hold firm on and the ones that are negotiable
• A view on what is normal market practice and what is the other side pushing their luck
• One round of follow-up questions by email, included

What is not included

• Negotiating directly with the other side, which I quote separately once I know who is on the other side. Where the other side is willing to share a live document, I can work in that document directly
• Drafting a replacement contract from scratch
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Disputes about a contract that is already signed

Questions I am often asked

The contract requires criminal record checks for all our staff. Only two go on site. Can we limit it?

The review proposes limiting the vetting obligations to staff who attend the site or work with pupils, which is what the school's safeguarding policy is concerned with. Most schools accept that when it is put clearly.

The contract lets the school terminate if funding is withdrawn. Can we get compensation?

The review proposes a notice period and payment for services delivered and committed costs, which schools sometimes accept. Termination for funding loss itself is rarely negotiable, so the price should reflect the risk.

What is the difference between the standard and complex review for a trust contract?

A single-school contract is a standard review. A trust-wide agreement covering several schools with separate schedules, service levels and data arrangements is a complex review, because the work is in the schedules.

Related guidance and services

• Contract review, £495, the service this page describes
• Terms and conditions drafting, £995
• Purchase terms for a school or academy trust buying services
• Reviewing a council contract for a local supplier

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.