Our Managing Director, Bruce and Marketing Manager, Flo recently shared insights for Workplace360's category focus article, discussing challenges and trends in the education sector. With a keen awareness of the daily difficulties facing the schools we supply; we're equipped to help schools navigate the complexities of their budget restraints. Whether it’s drawing on our team's years of experience, consolidating purchasing needs or providing guidance through our feature-packed webstore, we're here to help weather the budget storm.

School budgets 

Schools continue to face budget challenges despite an increase of over £1.8 billion in core school funding in England for 2024-25, compared to the previous financial year. Rising costs, energy prices, maintenance expenses and recruitment issues are all contributing to diminishing purchasing power and difficult choices. The Institute for Fiscal Studies project a 1% fall in the purchasing power of school budgets in 2024–25 with a further £600 million needed in extra funding over and above existing plans for 2024–25.

Our expertise in the education sector enables us to seek solutions to these problems, whether it's offering budget-friendly swaps, personalised pricing, sourcing bespoke products, or streamlining procurement processes. Imagine the convenience of equipment, workwear, print, signage, furniture and refurbishments managed and invoiced from one place. Our all-in-one approach enhances efficiency, meaning more time to dedicate to schools' other needs.

Breezing bulk order season

Like schools, we're also in the midst of the busiest six months of the year. With school budgets released, there's a rush to purchase everything needed for September. It's all hands on deck to ensure those important bulk orders are processed smoothly as we strive to meet the demands of schools and provide them with the products they need for the upcoming academic year.

Bruce remarks: "Despite changing habits and sometimes unpredictable purchasing patterns, the run-up to the summer holidays and the new academic year in September constitute the key buying season for schools. Our summer bulk order campaign delivered to many schools in 2023, and just a few weeks into our current campaign, the early indicators are very positive. We have a busy schedule of refurbishment projects lined up, so we have every reason to be optimistic."

Summer refurbishments

Summer holidays are a key time for our interiors team, as schools are eager to complete larger projects while pupils and staff are away. All areas are on the table: toilet refurbishments, accessibility upgrades, common areas, canteens, playgrounds, offices, and more. We find that other bigger budget purchases include furniture upgrades, replacements, and expansions. With a vast selection of high-quality, durable furniture styles from trusted brands, we help schools make smart choices that will endure the rigours of school life and provide longevity to their spending.

Evolving order lists

We're always evolving our 50,000+ catalogue of products, working with new brands, introducing environmentally friendlier alternatives, and retiring options that have fallen out of favour over the years. As the way lessons, coursework and admin tasks are conducted changes, it's no surprise that certain educational supplies are less popular, particularly those that are heavily paper-based, such as filing products. Tech-based learning and digitisation naturally retires many document processes, freeing up precious storage space along with time and productivity.

Observing purchasing trends, classroom staple items such as pencils, glue sticks, laminating pouches, and whiteboards/markers remain in high demand. Flo, our Head of Marketing and product expert, notes: "Traditional products such as exercise books, writing instruments, and glue sticks don't seem to be affected by budget pressures or the move to digitisation."

Sustainability

Despite the Department for Education's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, it is evident that the transition towards schools opting for more environmentally friendly products is only just beginning to take root. While it may be true that eco-friendly options do not always align with budget constraints, we take pride in the fact that we provide options that will be available as buying habits evolve. Our eco-friendly product range continues to grow each year as we introduce the latest green alternatives to essential everyday supplies, ensuring that we stay ahead of the curve in promoting sustainability within educational settings.

According to Bruce: "There's no doubt sustainability has become a core topic in education, although how much its impacting procurement decisions remains to be seen. Price, availability, and service are such prevalent factors that we're not yet seeing evidence of a genuine green agenda from our education customers."

We're committed to offering an ever-expanding eco range at the best possible prices, and many products are bursting with green credentials as standard, such as KI Europe's Postura+ chair and Monarch's storage trays, both made from recycled materials and are recyclable.

Our commitment to supporting schools

We're proud that one of Egan Reid's core strengths is building customer relationships, often developed over many years. Bruce says:

"It's a factor that seems to bear even greater value in education than it does in the B2B arena. We get a lot of feedback from schools about a lack of trust and being let down by competitors."

It's important to us to be an indispensable partner, growing and learning as the landscape and needs of schools and educational establishments evolve. We can hope that the changing political climate may offer change for the state of education, too.

If something in this blog resonates, let us know. Whatever the challenge, we're here for everything for education.