​​What is RM6376?

RM6376 is the UK government's central procurement framework for supply, fixed-term and permanent teaching and non-teaching staff. It's run by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) – formerly the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) – in partnership with the Department for Education (DfE). It replaces the previous RM6238 Supply Teachers and Temporary Staffing (STaTS) framework.

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You must use the framework if:

• you're an academy trust buying supply staff from this term (autumn 2026), or

• your total expected supply staff spend is above £207,720 including VAT (calculated across the whole trust, not per school)

 

If neither applies, using the framework is still recommended as best practice, but not mandatory. Schools that choose not to use it must use another route that complies with the Procurement Act 2023.

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If you’re an academy trust, see the Academy trust handbook 2026 and the DfE guidance on the supply staff mandate for full details.

 

Who can use it

Any public sector education establishment can access the framework, including:

• Maintained schools (primary and secondary)

• Academies and multi-academy trusts

• Special schools, pupil referral units and nurseries

• Further and higher education institutions

• Other public authorities with education needs (local authorities, central government, and similar)

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Lot 1 and Lot 2 of the framework

Teachers Together operates under Lot 1, working directly with schools and trusts. A common misconception we found when speaking with School Business Managers when the framework and mandate launched was that large or multi-site trusts had to move to a managed service provider (MSP) - that's not the case. There's no volume or size threshold that requires it: you can meet high-volume or multi-site needs by working with one or more Lot 1 agencies directly, with no minimum spend commitment either way.

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Lot 2 (Managed Service Provision) is a genuine option for some trusts - it can bring a single point of contact and a technology platform for bookings and reporting - but it's a choice, not a requirement, and it's worth weighing against the flexibility and choice of working directly with one or more Lot 1 agencies. Use the GCA buyer lot decision tree if you want to compare the two.

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What's in scope?

Under Lot 1, named suppliers provide temporary, fixed-term and permanent staff across:

• Classroom teachers

• Teaching Assistants

• SEN specialists

• Cover supervisors

• Senior leaders, including headteachers

• Operational staff – admin, IT, facilities, catering and site roles

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Safeguarding and compliance

Every worker supplied through the framework is subject to safeguarding and pre-employment checks in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) standards, including identity, right to work, DBS and qualification checks. This is a mandatory requirement of the framework, not something individual suppliers opt into.