Kent County Council has put back the launch of a new commercial trading company that will sell education services to schools.

The company - The Education People - had been scheduled to start operating in April but will now begin trading in September.

The delay will affect 500 staff who are due to move over to the venture from EduKent, the authority’s in-house team.

The company will - once up and running - offer schools in Kent and beyond various support services. Its website describes the company as “a one-stop shop for education services, we always ensure you receive a high quality product and get value for money.”

It will offer a wide range of support services to schools, including leadership programmes, financial management advice and educational psychology specialists.

However, the launch date will now be September.

In a letter to headteachers, the education director Matt Dunkley says:

“As you may be aware, Kent County Council has been working for many months to prepare for the launch of The Education People.”

“I am writing to let you know that we have taken the decision to revise the start date for the company to the beginning of term in September to ensure that we are in the best possible position to trade at the point of going live. Everyone has worked hard to get to this point and we want this exciting new venture to start off on the right foot.”

The new time frame would allow a “clear transition into the start of the new academic year; and to allow more involvement with schools and settings in product development.”

The new company, which is expected to have an annual turnover of £25m. It will be wholly owned by KCC but able to invest its operating surplus into the services and support for schools.

There has been a renewed focus on KCC's commercial trading activities recently after Invicta Law, the authority's legal services company, failed to deliver a dividend of £1m and had posted losses of £500,000.