Are you prepared to confidently navigate the new Department for Education mandate and GCA framework?
Bringing together leading voices from across government and industry, this session will provide a comprehensive view - from policy intent through to real-world implementation.
What to expect:
Beth Lord, Commercial Lead at the Department for Education, will share the background behind the mandate, outlining the journey to its introduction and what it means for the sector.
In addition, John Wilson, Senior Commercial Lead at the Government Commercial Agency will explain the GCA framework in detail, including how schools and trusts can access and procure through it effectively.
Alongside this, Stephen Casey, Recruitment Manager at Astrea Trust, will offer a valuable practitioner perspective, sharing Astrea’s experience as an early adopter and how the framework is delivering in practice today.
Why attend?
Gain a clear, practical understanding of the new Department for Education mandate and what it means for your organisation.
Build confidence in navigating the GCA framework and making compliant decisions.
Learn from policy experts and sector practitioners on how to apply the framework effectively in practice and take advantage of the opportunities ahead.
Meet the speakers
Beth Lord, Commercial Lead, Department for Education
Beth has over 10 years of commercial experience covering central and local government, the utilities and energy sector, and the private sector.
Her expertise lies within commercial strategy formulation, assessing market health and interventions, creating frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems, and commercial category management, covering a number of markets including children’s social care, marketing, technology and electrical distribution.
Beth’s current role at the Department for Education is leading the commercial strategy for agency supply within the ‘Maximising Value for Pupils’ policy.
John Wilson, Senior Commercial Lead, Government Commercial Agency
As a Senior Commercial Lead within the Government Commercial Agency (previously Crown Commercial Service), John delivers contingent labour agreements that provide public sector bodies with access to a range of recruitment agencies for compliant sourcing of temporary workers, while achieving value for money.
He has over 25 years of public sector procurement experience, with the majority of the last 10 years within the health and education workforce team.
He works with stakeholders such as the Department for Education, Department for Business and Trade, NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and industry bodies including APSCo and the REC.
Stephen Casey, Recruitment Manager, Astrea Trust
Stephen is the Recruitment Manager at Astrea Academy Trust, bringing a strong background in education recruitment and a proven track record of supporting schools to access high-quality agency staff.
Known for his relationship-led approach, Stephen works closely with leaders across Astrea to navigate complex staffing challenges with confidence and clarity.
Over the past 12 months, he has played a key role in working with the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework, helping schools within Astrea improve compliance, strengthen safeguarding, and build trusted partnerships with suppliers. This work has delivered meaningful time and cost savings, while improving the overall safety and consistency of agency staffing.
Stephen is passionate about creating recruitment solutions that are efficient, transparent, and ultimately make a difference to school leaders and the pupils they serve.