Baines Cutler Solutions Ltd

Baines Cutler is a data and business consultancy to independent schools in the UK and internationally. We advise governing bodies and senior leadership teams on the business of running a school: financial sustainability, fee and affordability strategy, workforce and reward, governance, and organisational culture. Our advice is underpinned by the sector’s leading benchmarking data on school finances, teacher pay and staffing, and fundraising. We are the only consultancy in the sector to combine large-scale benchmarking, strategic consultancy, and cultural insight, so schools can make decisions grounded in robust evidence, peer-group intelligence, and a clear understanding of who they are.

Many boarding schools already know us through our benchmarking surveys, and many have welcomed us in to work alongside them. We understand that boarding is often at the heart of a school’s identity, and that it brings its own pastoral responsibilities, staffing models, and costs. Our financial benchmarking and fee modelling help bursars and governors see how their boarding provision compares with their peers’ and how to sustain it. Our teacher pay and workload reviews give proper weight to the residential and out-of-hours commitment of boarding staff. They also examine the balance between the co-curricular contribution expected of teachers and how it is rewarded, a balance that has come under increasing pressure since the pandemic. Our parental and 360 identity surveys help schools hear from their families and say clearly what boarding, alongside other aspects of their offer, means to them. We are committed to helping boarding schools stay financially secure, true to their values, and rewarding places for pupils to live and staff to work.