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Gable Asset Finance provides specialist finance and leasing for educational organisations across the UK. We work with village primary schools, single independent schools, multi-academy trusts (MATs), further education colleges and multi-campus universities to deliver flexible, cost-effective funding for buildings, equipment and services. Our aim is simple: help education bodies stay up to date with changing requirements for buildings, technology and training while maximising the value of available budgets.
Education is a dynamic sector. Classrooms and campus spaces must adapt to evolving teaching methods, digital transformation and regulatory requirements. Budgets are often constrained and cyclical, while capital priorities compete with everyday operating needs. Education leasing and tailored finance solve this challenge by enabling schools, colleges and universities to:
Our experience covers the full spectrum of educational providers:
We fund a wide range of assets and projects that education organisations need to operate and improve. Typical examples include (but are not limited to):
We tailor funding according to project size, asset life, accounting preferences and procurement rules. Typical products include:
An operating lease provides the right to use equipment for a specified period without taking ownership. It’s ideal for fast-moving technology such as tablets, AV kits and interactive displays. Benefits include off-balance sheet treatment in many cases, low starting rentals and straightforward upgrade paths.
Finance leases spread the cost of equipment across its useful life, often with a final balloon or purchase option. They are suitable for longer-life assets such as laboratory equipment, kitchen fittings and furniture.
Under hire purchase you make fixed payments and own the asset on final settlement. HP is commonly used when institutions want full ownership for assets with a long service life and where capital allowances may be beneficial.
Secured or unsecured loans can finance equipment purchases outright. Loans suit larger building upgrades or projects where the institution prefers to manage assets directly.
Organisations that own equipment or vehicles can sell them to a funder and lease them back to release capital while retaining use. This is often used by multi-site trusts and colleges to improve liquidity.
For major works and multi-phase projects we structure bespoke facilities with staged drawdowns, enabling finance to follow project milestones.
Working with vendors, we can include multi-year software licences and support contracts within finance agreements so institutions pay a single monthly fee for hardware and software combined.
Choosing leasing or tailored finance brings several advantages to education providers:
Public education bodies must follow procurement rules and audit requirements. We work with schools, academies and universities to ensure finance arrangements comply with:
We can support procurement by providing documentation, vendor frameworks and compliant finance structures that fit capital approval processes and demonstrate value for money to governors and trustees.
Smaller schools often face tight budgets. Leasing allows them to refresh classroom tech such as interactive whiteboards, mini-IT suites and safeguarding camera systems without large capital spends. Shorter lease terms aligned to equipment refresh cycles work well for rapidly evolving EdTech.
MATs benefit from standardisation. We create campus-level finance programmes that fund IT kit for multiple schools under one agreement, negotiate volume discounts and provide centralised reporting for trustees.
Independent schools often invest in performance arts, sports facilities and advanced science labs. Hire purchase and finance leases allow these institutions to acquire high-value assets while matching payments to fee cycles.
Colleges require specialist workshop machinery, simulators and industry-standard kit. We structure project finance for equipment that meets employer needs and supports apprenticeship programmes, often including training packages for lecturers.
Universities invest across research, teaching and campus infrastructure. We provide large-scale funding for research equipment, student housing refurbishments, campus security and fleet vehicles, with facilities structured to match grant cycles or research income.
One of the strongest benefits of working with Gable Asset Finance is the ability to include services within the finance package:
Reducing energy consumption and improving building performance is a priority for many institutions. We arrange finance for sustainable projects such as:
Green finance packages and specific lender programmes may offer preferential terms for energy-saving projects. Where appropriate, grants and incentives can be blended with finance to reduce capital cost.
Challenge: A rural primary needed 15 new classroom touchscreens, a small suite of laptops and WIFI upgrades but had limited capital in the current year.
Solution: An operating lease that covered hardware, installation and a three-year teacher training package. Monthly payments matched the school’s termly budget cycles.
Outcome: Immediate uplift in pupil engagement, reduced teacher prep time and the ability to budget IT costs predictably across three years.
Challenge: A 10-school MAT wanted identical student devices and centralised device management across all campuses to simplify support.
Solution: A single finance facility with staggered deliveries, insurance and centralised management licences included in the monthly fee.
Outcome: Economies of scale on price, simplified procurement governance and uniform device standards for improved digital learning.
Challenge: A university department required advanced lab equipment and an overhaul of ventilation to meet new research needs.
Solution: A blended facility combining a capital loan for the building works and a finance lease for lab equipment; maintenance and calibration services were bundled into the agreement.
Outcome: Research capacity expanded, the department secured new grants, and equipment downtime was minimised through included service agreements.
Education projects frequently combine multiple funding sources. We help institutions structure blended finance that may include:
Our role is to optimise the finance stack so that grant funding is preserved for qualifying costs while leasing covers the remaining need in a compliant and transparent way.
To assist public bodies and large trusts, we support procurement via:
This approach reduces administrative burden and speeds equipment deployment — vital when upgrades are required between terms or to meet sudden needs (e.g. remote learning rollouts).
Yes. We routinely structure centralised MAT programmes that allow a single finance facility to fund equipment across multiple sites with staged deliveries and centralised reporting for trustees.
Public sector accounting and trust funding rules differ. Operating leases and finance leases have different balance sheet treatments — we work with your finance team or auditors to select compliant structures and ensure clarity for funding bodies.
Absolutely. Bundling training, warranties and maintenance provides a single monthly charge and reduces the burden on staff to manage multiple contracts.
Smaller technology deals can be financed and delivered within a few weeks, subject to supplier lead times and procurement approvals. Larger, multi-phase projects require longer planning but can be staged to meet term schedules.
Yes. If an institution prefers to purchase outright or via a loan, we arrange those facilities and compare options to demonstrate the most cost-effective path.
Many operating leases include mid-term upgrade options or swap arrangements. We recommend specifying upgrade paths at the outset so the institution can adapt to changing needs without costly break clauses.
We specialise in education finance. Our team combines sector knowledge with access to a broad panel of lenders to deliver:
We appreciate the importance of safeguarding and compliance in education. Our proposals respect data protection requirements for IT rollouts and ensure supplier contracts include DBS/DBS-equivalent checks where installations occur in occupied classrooms. We also work with suppliers who follow strict safeguarding and health & safety processes when working on school sites.
If you are a school, college or university planning a refurbishment, IT refresh, equipment purchase or sustainability upgrade, Gable Asset Finance can help. Our education finance specialists will work with you to structure the most appropriate finance solution, simplify procurement and ensure the project is delivered on time and on budget.
Contact us today to discuss your needs and request an indicative quote. Please have any supplier quotes or project brief documents available for a faster assessment.
Gable Asset Finance — helping UK schools, colleges and universities access the equipment, buildings and services they need through flexible, compliant and cost-effective finance.