The GCA Framework for Schools: How to Book Supply and SEND Staff Under RM6376

At a glance

The GCA framework is the government's ready-made contract for hiring agency supply staff, officially called RM6376 Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment. It caps what agencies can add to each worker's daily pay, at £38 a day for a SEND teaching assistant, and runs from 30 April 2026 to 29 April 2029. Academy trusts must use it from September 2026, and maintained schools can use it too.

• Any school or trust whose expected agency spend tops £207,720 including VAT needs a compliant buying route, and the framework is the simplest one.
• Booking takes three steps: find agencies in the GCA agency selection tool, sign the GCA short order form once per agency, then book as normal.
• After 12 weeks you can take a supply worker on permanently with no transfer fee, on 4 weeks' notice.

If you book cover for a special school or a busy SEND department, talk to us about SEND supply staff.

Contents

• What is the GCA framework for supply staff?
• Do you have to use the GCA framework?
• What will a SEND teaching assistant cost under the framework?
• How do you book supply staff through the GCA framework?
• Lot 1 or Lot 2: which suits your school?
• How do you make a supply worker permanent without a fee?
• What should you check before you sign?
• Frequently asked questions
• Booking SEND staff through the framework with Five Education

What is the GCA framework for supply staff?

The GCA framework is a ready-made contract that lets state schools hire supply and agency staff from pre-approved agencies at capped fees. Its full name is Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment, reference RM6376, and it is run by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA). The GCA is the new name for the Crown Commercial Service, which changed on 1 April 2026, so older paperwork that says "CCS" still applies.

The Department for Education (DfE) negotiated the deal because schools in England spend about £1.4 billion a year on agency supply staff, and too much of that went on agency mark-up. The framework replaced the old RM6238 supply framework and is offered with two other public buying bodies, YPO and ESPO.

It covers temporary, fixed-term and permanent roles: teachers, teaching assistants, SEN specialists, cover supervisors, senior leaders and support roles such as admin, IT, catering and site staff. On 12 October 2026 the GCA agreement page listed 208 agencies on Lot 1 and 16 managed service providers on Lot 2.

Do you have to use the GCA framework?

Trusts are mandated from September 2026, maintained schools may choose it, and independent schools cannot use it. Your total agency spend also matters, as the rules below set out:

• Academy trusts (single and multi): yes, from September 2026, under the 2026 Academy Trust Handbook. The only alternative is a route that complies with the Procurement Act 2023 and costs no more than the framework rates. Our guide to what RM6376 means for academy trusts covers the governance side.
• Maintained (local authority) schools: you are not mandated, but you can use it. You must use a compliant buying process if your expected agency spend over the life of the contract is above £207,720 including VAT, according to the DfE's guidance on using the framework.
• Schools in Wales: the framework is open to public sector schools across the UK. Without a DfE sign-in, Welsh schools request access by emailing the GCA team, as set out on the agreement page.
• Independent schools: cannot use it.

If you already have a contract with an agency, the DfE will not force you out of it early, as long as it complies with the Procurement Act 2023. The advice is to compare your rates with the framework before it renews.

What will a SEND teaching assistant cost under the framework?

You pay the worker's daily pay, their on-costs (National Insurance and pension) and the agency's supplier fee. The framework caps only the supplier fee. Worker pay is untouched, and the DfE has said agencies must not use the caps as a reason to pay supply staff less.

The maximum daily supplier fees are:

A worked example. The DfE's own illustration shows a real school being charged a £71 supplier fee per worker per day. If that worker were a SEND teaching assistant booked through the framework, the fee could be no more than £38, a saving of at least £33 a day. Over a 39-week school year of five-day weeks (195 days) that is at least £6,435 for one full-time placement, before you count any agency that has bid below the cap.

The caps are ceilings. The DfE notes that many agencies on the framework submitted lower rates, and you can see each agency's rate card in the GCA agency selection tool before you choose. Agencies must also show you, per worker, what the worker is paid and what the agency keeps.

How do you book supply staff through the GCA framework?

Most schools use Lot 1, which means signing a short GCA order form with one or more agencies and then booking them directly, with no minimum spend. The steps are:

1. Check your current agencies. List who you use now and look them up in the GCA supplier list. An agency can only take framework bookings once it appears in the tool.
2. Open the GCA agency selection tool. Schools in England sign in with their DfE sign-in. If you do not have one, use the request access form on the GCA agreement page. Enter the role you need, then search for agencies by distance from your school.
3. Compare rate cards and specialisms. For SEND roles, shortlist agencies that can show SEND-specific vetting and training, not just a place on the list.
4. Sign the GCA short order form. You sign it once per agency and send it to them. There is no limit on how many agencies you set up, and no minimum spend. The GCA simplified the form on 23 July 2026 and has published video guidance.
5. Book as usual. Call or email the agency when you need cover. If there is a person you already know and want, the framework lets you request them as a "nominated worker".

Use the framework's own terms and the GCA order form. If you sign an agency's own terms and conditions instead, the DfE warns that you may lose the fee caps, the free temp-to-perm rule and the framework's safeguarding protections.

Lot 1 or Lot 2: which suits your school?

Lot 1 (work directly with agencies) suits most single schools and smaller trusts. You choose your agencies and book them yourself, usually through "award without competition", which the GCA recommends when you need someone quickly and are happy to pay the agency's framework rate.

Lot 2 (managed service provider) gives you one provider who fills most bookings and manages a supply chain of other agencies for the rest. It suits larger trusts managing cover across several schools, and it is normally awarded through a competition between the Lot 2 providers. The DfE says it takes more effort to set up but can be simpler once running.

Not sure? The DfE links to a GCA decision tree on its guidance page.

How do you make a supply worker permanent without a fee?

After a supply worker has been with you for 12 weeks through the framework, you can take them on permanently with no transfer fee, provided you give 4 weeks' notice. Many agency contracts outside the framework charge a temp-to-perm fee. The DfE reports that waiving these fees saved one school about £150,000 over 18 months.

For SEND settings this matters. A teaching assistant who already knows a pupil's communication system, routines and triggers is hard to replace, and the framework lets you keep them without paying to do it.

What should you check before you sign?

Framework approval means an agency has passed the GCA's evaluation and must vet workers to Keeping Children Safe in Education standards. It does not tell you whether the agency can staff complex SEND provision. Before you sign, ask each agency:

• Rates: what is your actual supplier fee for SEND support staff, and is it below the framework cap?
• SEND vetting: how do you check suitability for SEND roles beyond the standard checks?
• Training: what SEND training have your staff had, and is it live or a click-through module?
• Matching: who matches staff to pupils, and how well do they know EHCPs, complex needs and your setting?
• Standards: are you a member of both the REC and APSCo, and which audited standards do you hold, such as REC Audited Education or APSCo Compliance+?
• Paperwork: will you contract on the GCA order form and call-off terms, with nothing added?

Our guide to choosing a SEND recruitment agency goes further on the questions that matter for high-needs cover.

Frequently asked questions

What does GCA stand for?

GCA stands for the Government Commercial Agency, the government body that runs public sector buying frameworks. It was called the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) until 1 April 2026. Contracts and documents that say CCS remain valid.

Is the GCA framework the same as RM6376?

Yes. RM6376 is the reference number of the GCA's Supply Teachers and Education Recruitment framework, which is the GCA framework schools use for agency supply staff. It replaced RM6238 and lasts three years.

Can a maintained school use the GCA framework?

Yes. Local authority maintained schools can use it, although only academy trusts are mandated from September 2026. Any school or trust whose expected agency spend is above £207,720 including VAT must use a buying process that complies with the Procurement Act 2023, and the framework is the simplest way to do that.

Does the fee cap reduce what supply staff are paid?

No. The cap applies only to the agency's supplier fee. Worker pay and conditions are unaffected, and the DfE asks schools to report any agency that claims it must pay staff less because of the framework.

How do I find agencies on the framework near my school?

Use the GCA agency selection tool. Schools in England sign in with a DfE sign-in, choose the role and search by distance from the school. The tool shows each agency's rate card, so you can compare fees before signing the short order form.

Booking SEND staff through the framework with Five Education

The GCA framework sorts out the contract and the price. What it cannot do is decide who walks into your SEND classroom tomorrow morning, and that is where a specialist earns its place.

Five Education is approved on RM6376 and works only in SEND recruitment, across the South West and South East Wales. We are members of both the REC and APSCo, hold APSCo Compliance+, and give our staff live SEND training before they start. If you want SEND cover booked on the framework terms, get in touch about your school's SEND staffing.