By Stewart Waddell

7th November 2025

Announcing our new Ascend.Education division

From 1st April 2026, we’re launching Ascend.Education – our dedicated payroll and pension service for schools, academies and MATs.

Why we’re doing this

Education payrolls are notoriously complex. Pay scales, backdated pay awards, and staff juggling multiple roles with different contracts.
And then there’s the pension filing – Teachers’ Pensions, plus over 60 different Local Government Pension Schemes.

It’s enough to make most payroll providers run for the hills. And many have.

But schools need a decent payroll service more than ever. One that actually understands how education works and treats you like the professionals you are.

We’ve been here before

Our team has over 75 years of education payroll experience between us. We know what schools need – not just technically, but in terms of how they want to work.

Since we started Ascend a year ago, we’ve had schools approaching us about their payroll problems. Some of the stories we’ve heard have been genuinely shocking.

We knew if we were going to launch a specialist division into the education market, we had to do it properly. Dedicated systems. Different processes. Better technology. We’ve taken the time to get everything right.

Stewart Waddell, CEO explained, “From past experience in the sector, we know so much needs to be different when delivering an education payroll and pension service. We’ve taken our time to get it right, and I’m excited to be working with schools and Trusts again.”

What matters most

Yes, accuracy and compliance are non-negotiable. But what schools really need is peace of mind.

You need to know your payroll is being handled by people who understand the sector, who you can get hold of and who will answer your questions without the jargon, and who actually care about making the whole process as stress-free as possible.

Isn’t that the whole point of outsourcing in the first place?

What we’re offering

Our service covers schools, academies, independent schools, and Multi-Academy Trusts. It’s a complete package – payroll and all pension filing included.

If you are not getting the service you deserve, we’re now taking enquiries for clients starting in April 2026.

Get in touch and we’ll arrange a call to talk about what you need and how we can help.

Author

Stewart Waddell

Stewart has only ever worked in payroll and built his early career working within the payroll team of an accountancy practice, alongside Richard Rowell.

From 2013, Stewart was a director at a payroll bureau where he helped it grow into a 130-strong organisation with a specialist education division. After a short stint in the world of large corporate payroll providers, he realised he wanted to build something less impersonal.

So in 2024, he teamed up with Richard Rowell to set up Ascend Payroll. Both had seen managed payroll clients treated as just another number, stuck with impersonal service and annual price hikes. They knew it could be done better.

As CEO, Stewart is the driving force behind Ascend's customer promise and building a culture whereby ‘do the right thing’ is embedded throughout every aspect of the business.

For Stewart, great payroll always comes back to people.

"Payroll is personal. Every payslip is someone's rent, their food shop, their plans for the month, so getting it right every time is the minimum.
What clients remember is how you treat them. They want an expert who knows their business, picks up the phone and tells them the truth, even when it's not what they want to hear. Give them that at a fair price, and they'll stay with you for years."

That's the standard he sets for the whole team, and it's why Ascend's values will always be so much more than just words on the Boardroom wall.

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Stewart co-founded Ascend in 2024 and is an Associate Member of the CIPP. With over 30 years of experience, he has worked in managed payroll his entire career. As CEO, he runs the business day-to-day and leads the team, ensuring every client gets the personal, reliable service Ascend promises.

Frequently asked questions related to this blog

What is Ascend.Education and when does it launch?

From 1st April 2026, Ascend is launching Ascend.Education, a dedicated payroll and pension service for schools, academies, and Multi-Academy Trusts. It is a complete package covering payroll and all pension filing. The service is aimed at schools, academies, independent schools, and MATs that need a provider who understands how education payroll actually works.

Why is education payroll so complex?

Education payrolls are notoriously complicated. Pay scales, backdated pay awards, and staff juggling multiple roles with different contracts all add layers that most payroll providers are not set up to handle. Then there is pension filing. Teachers’ Pensions, plus over 60 different Local Government Pension Schemes. It is enough to make most payroll providers run for the hills, and many have. Schools need a service that understands the sector technically and knows how they want to work.

What experience does the Ascend team have in education payroll?

The team has over 75 years of education payroll experience between them. Since Ascend started, schools have been approaching them about payroll problems, and some of the stories have been genuinely shocking. Ascend knew that launching a specialist education division meant doing it properly: dedicated systems, different processes, and better technology. They took the time to get everything right rather than bolting education onto a general payroll service.

What do schools need most from a payroll provider?

Accuracy and compliance are non-negotiable, but what schools really need is peace of mind. They need to know payroll is being handled by people who understand the sector, who they can get hold of, who will answer questions without jargon, and who care about making the whole process as stress-free as possible. That is the whole point of outsourcing in the first place. A provider who treats school staff like the professionals they are, not a nuisance on the end of a helpdesk ticket.

How can schools find out more about Ascend.Education?

Ascend is now taking enquiries for clients starting in April 2026. If you are not getting the service you deserve from your current provider, get in touch and they will arrange a call to talk about what you need and how they can help. The launch is timed for the start of the new financial year, giving schools time to plan a switch before the next academic cycle gets into full swing.

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About the Author

Stewart co-founded Ascend in 2024 and is an Associate Member of the CIPP. With over 30 years of experience, he has worked in managed payroll his entire career. As CEO, he runs the business day-to-day and leads the team, ensuring every client gets the personal, reliable service Ascend promises.

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