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United Kingdom

The duty rota costs more than the software

Break, lunch and same-day cover are usually owned by a head, SENCO or assistant head. These three studies put a number on that using STPCD 2025/26 leadership pay: a 15-staff primary, an 88-staff secondary, and a five-school MAT.

  • 2,262 hoursgiven back each year across the three schools
  • £123,122net of every GBP subscription in these studies
  • From £79a month, with every feature on every plan
Start your 30-day free trialDuty rota software
15 staff on the rota

UK primary school

A 15-staff primary gets 5 hours a week back

In a small UK primary the duty rota is often owned by the head or the SENCO, though a deputy or office manager may hold it. Break and lunch cover, sick cover, reprinting the sheet and sending it round take at least 5 hours a week. SchoolRota cuts that to about half an hour a week, then emails the PDF and syncs Outlook.

Hours back a year
240
Net saving
£13,646
Return on plan
18.3x
Read the study
88 staff on the rota

UK secondary school

An 88-staff secondary stops rebuilding cover by hand

A typical 11-16 secondary has a much larger support-staff pool and lesson cover on top of break, lunch and gate duty. Cover supervisors print lists. The person who can decide who may cover a lesson is usually an assistant head. SchoolRota turns about 8 hours a week of that work into a short daily review.

Hours back a year
384
Net saving
£23,131
Return on plan
13.9x
Read the study
193 staff on the rota

UK multi-academy trust

Five schools, one seat pool, and three days a week of time back

A five-school trust mixes two small primaries, a larger primary, a junior school and a secondary. Each site is at least at the 5-hours-a-week primary floor, then a central officer chases PDFs. One SchoolRota organisation on the XL plan replaces about 35 hours a week of scattered work.

Hours back a year
1,638
Net saving
£86,346
Return on plan
25.7x
Read the study

At a glance

Hours and net saving compared

Hours, plan cost and net saving for each modelled school
StudyStaff on rotaHours a month, by handHours a month, with SchoolRotaAnnual planNet saving a year
UK primary school15222£790£13,646
UK secondary school88353£1,790£23,131
UK multi-academy trust19315215.5£3,490£86,346

Worked example

5 hours a week of rota time, for £790 a year

Break and lunch cover, sick cover, then sending the sheet round, at least 5 hours a week in a small primary. SchoolRota publishes the day, emails the PDF and syncs Outlook.

91%less time
11x faster22 hours a month becomes 2
Hours on the rota each month

Specialist time spent building the rota, covering absence, rebuilding sheets and sending them.

  • Spreadsheet and email22 hours
  • SchoolRota2 hours
What that time costs each year

Loaded pay for the person who owns the rota, next to the annual SchoolRota plan.

  • Cost of doing it by hand£15,879
  • Cost with SchoolRota£1,444
  • Starter plan, per year£790
Open the primary study

Methodology

Pay is STPCD 2025/26 leadership spine. Loaded pay includes TPS and employer NI, then is divided by 1,650 hours. A small primary starts at 5 hours a week (22 hours a month).

Plans are the GBP annual prices on the pricing page. See also the US studies. Last reviewed 17 August 2026.

Common questions

Are these named UK schools?
No. Each study is modelled on a typical English school using STPCD 2025/26 leadership pay and a conservative hours floor. They show the scale of the saving rather than quoting one school by name.
Why use headteacher and assistant-head pay?
An office manager can own the sheet. In practice it is more often a head, SENCO or assistant head, because the work needs knowledge of availability, first aid and who is already teaching.
How much does SchoolRota cost in the UK?
UK plans are billed in GBP from £79 a month, with two months free on annual card subscriptions and a 30-day no-card trial.

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