Blessed George Napier School in Banbury was struggling to fill key teaching and support roles. Traditional job boards weren’t cutting through, and agency costs were mounting. Recruitment was becoming a drain on time, budget, and staff.

That changed when they partnered with Gaia.

The school saved £10,000 by ending its TES contract, made 10 hires across teaching and support roles, and significantly reduced time-to-hire. This was achieved by shifting to a targeted, social-first strategy that reached passive candidates, improved the quality of applications, and boosted employer visibility within the local community.

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The challenge

The school was struggling to fill vacancies across multiple departments, particularly in core subjects like IT, Music, Drama, and English. Advertising through TES was costly and delivered limited results, reaching only candidates actively looking for work. The school was also relying on agency staff, adding more pressure to an already stretched budget.

At the same time, they lacked the in-house expertise to promote vacancies across social media or build a strong employer brand. This made it difficult to engage passive candidates or stand out in a competitive education job market.

The result: unfilled roles, rising recruitment costs, and internal teams stretched thin just to keep day-to-day operations running.

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Our solution

Gaia partnered with the school to rethink and modernise its recruitment approach. The focus was on expanding reach, improving candidate quality, and reducing dependency on expensive job boards and agencies.

The strategy included:

• Targeted social media campaigns to reach wider and more relevant audiences

• Passive candidate targeting, going beyond active jobseekers

• Real-time tracking tools to monitor interest and speed up follow-ups

• Employer branding support, helping the school improve ad messaging and showcase what makes it a great place to work

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The impact

• £10,000 saved by ending their TES contract

• 10 hires across teaching, admin, and LSA roles

• Significantly reduced time-to-hire, freeing up internal resources

• Higher-quality applicants, thanks to better targeting

• Improved visibility as an employer and school within the local community

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Conclusion

By moving away from costly, outdated methods and adopting a smarter, more targeted approach, Blessed George Napier School has not only solved its immediate recruitment challenges but also laid the groundwork for a more sustainable hiring strategy. The team now has a better understanding of how to position the school as an attractive employer, how to reach a broader pool of candidates, and how to use real-time insights to make faster, more informed decisions.

With multiple roles filled, stronger visibility in the local market, and £10,000 saved, the school has shown what’s possible when recruitment is approached strategically.