Retained Advisory
At PAG, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities that face educational institutions and local authorities. Our retainer offer is designed to provide schools, academies, trusts, and local authorities with dedicated, bespoke ongoing support to grow and enhance their services, streamline their operations, or formulate and refine their strategy.
With our retainer offer, your organisation gains access to a team of industry professionals with extensive hands-on experience and leading public-sector research credentials, who specialise in growth, improvements, strategic operations, and organisational strategy. At PAG, we are committed to your success and will work closely with you and your team to address challenges and implement innovative solutions, all to ensure your continuous improvement.
PAG's experience & expertise
Since our inception, PAG has partnered with a diverse array of educational institutions, from the largest MATs in the country to smaller maintained schools. Our expertise also extends to working with local authorities across the UK, ensuring tailored solutions for every client.
Our clients, including many we’ve had working relationships with for years, have greatly benefitted from retaining our services. This approach allows them to access our expertise without needing to commission specific projects, offering better value for money and a more efficient process, enabling us to build long-term partnerships focused on continuous improvement.
PAG's retainer service
PAG has built its retainer offer around three core areas; your operational sustainability, growth with resilience, and strategic impact. Below you can see examples of how we apply our expertise to support you in each area:
Operational sustainability
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Capacity mapping and workload analysis
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Governance design and improvement planning
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EHCP quality, funding, and process reviews
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Organisational structures for long-term efficiency
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Financial modelling and sustainability reviews
Growth with resilience
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Strategic development of new and satellite provision
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Feasibility studies and options appraisals
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Stakeholder and community engagement planning
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Support for free school and independent school applications
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Mergers, acquisitions, and collaboration modelling
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Alignment with DfE, local authority, and regional priorities
Strategic clarity and impact
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Strategic planning in response to changing policy
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Risk assessment and mitigation frameworks
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Impact-led monitoring and evaluation models
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Trustee development and capacity-building workshops
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Focus groups, survey design, and stakeholder research
What our clients say
Emma Bradshaw
CEO, Alternative Learning Trust &
DfE RISE Adviser
“Working with PAG has enabled us as a trust to grow and develop, with strong project management, bid writing, and support, the team that supports us are can-do and very supportive, it is great having them as part of our team”
A discussion with Emma Bradshaw,
CEO of Alternative Learning Trust
For a webinar PAG organised for MAT leaders, Emma and our consultant Danielle sat down to answer some questions on ALT's experience working with us under our retainer service, the challenges they face as a trust, and how a PAG retainer has helped to solve them.
Client impact & service insights
Explore overviews of our client impact and featured insights below:
PAG has maintained its retained advisory role with The Duston Education Trust (TDET) since 2022, offering comprehensive support tailored to the Trust's specific needs.
The scope of assistance provided encompasses extensive research
pertaining to Trust growth, meticulous review of TDET's strategic and governance documents, and additional ad-hoc services such as aiding in recruitment and providing insights into relevant conferences and meetings.
This support extends to fostering connections with Regional Directors (RD) and other key stakeholders, further amplifying TDET's engagement within the educational sector.
Presently, PAG is assisting TDET with a variety of technical authoring projects, part of which involves liaising with a marketing agency to refine the Trust's outreach strategy to other Single Academy Trusts (SATs) and schools.
This multifaceted support underscores PAG's commitment to bolstering TDET's strategic position and enhancing its influence within the educational landscape.