Secure and Specialist Education:
Customisable Software for Unique Needs
The Challenges
Rebecca and the team had previously used an alternative MIS but experienced issues managing the additional complexities that caring for their students created. The old system was also sold as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, which unfortunately didn’t align 100% with the organisations needs. This meant efficiency was lessened, and objectives were harder to meet without the right software support.
The main challenges that SchoolBase was chosen to resolve were as follows:
The chosen MIS needed to offer complete flexibility to tailor processes to meet student needs. The system also needed to able to cope with a large number of different student needs across a number of locations.
Due to the ongoing need for customisations, which are sometimes required at short notice, the chosen provider needed to be willing to work collaboratively.
There are also many elements to contend with being part of a local authority regarding data protection, especially when children are involved.
Supporting Vulnerable Children
At Furlong, we believe an MIS should offer a suite of adaptable digital tools. This allows educational providers to manage tasks without barriers.
One of our SchoolBase users who perfectly embodies this requirement is Secure and Specialist Education. Providing support to some of the UK’s most vulnerable minors, this incredible organisation helps to make education accessible to those who cannot attend traditional schools. Without the dedicated and niche assistance provided by the local authority initiative, many vulnerable children would not be given opportunities in the present to help them shape a positive future.
We recently spoke with Rebecca, Head of Service (Secure and Specialist Education), about how SchoolBase has been adapted to suit the unique needs of the children that the team cater their services to.
Unlimited Customisation Potential
Rebecca came across SchoolBase through a recommendation from a school where she serves as a governor. The bursar was very complimentary about SchoolBase and also spoke highly of the customer support provided. After seeing a demo and connecting with Paul (Sales Manager at Furlong), SchoolBase was selected.
One area in which our MIS stood out was that features could be tailored to meet the companies’ exact requirements. Rebecca commented, “We deal with lots of vulnerable children, including those who are under local authority protection, detained by the Ministry of Justice, not well enough to go to school, have moved around due to being placed in care or students who simply don’t have an available place at a school.
The sensitive nature of these students’ backgrounds means that at any given point, we are required to share detailed information with parents, carers, SEN services, local services, and many other stakeholders. In addition to the MIS, including reporting functionality, the team is also currently developing a customised update, which we can send out every week to improve our communication even further. The fact that SchoolBase is flexible to our needs in this way is top-notch. It’s also helpful that even when a customisation is in the works, the team can often provide a workaround that makes tasks easier in the short term.”
Impressive Customer Support
One of the non-negotiables for Secure and Specialist Education was that the supporting team must understand the organisation’s unique needs. Rebecca praised the Furlong team’s ability to offer consistently positive support by commenting, “All tickets are always answered by the same person, which is brilliant as they already understand our unique requirements. This is worth its weight in gold.”
I can honestly say that it also comes across that the team genuinely care about our organisation which I know is also the case for other schools. It’s refreshing to find a team that understands what we are talking about and always greets any request with patience. With our previous MIS provider, we sometimes waited a few months before hearing anything but now we know any request will be managed quickly.
Nothing has been a bother and the entire team, especially Paul and Rhiannon, have sorted all requests we’ve had.”
An MIS Ideal for Managing Data
Another area of importance for Secure and Specialist Education is managing data correctly. Being part of a local authority and caring for vulnerable minors, the organisation has lots of hoops to jump through for even the simplest of tasks. Not only has SchoolBase allowed a secure way to store data, share details and manage access for relevant stakeholders, but Rebecca also commented that “despite the challenges we’ve given to the Furlong team with our unique data needs, they have been nothing but patient and keen to help the best out of our MIS. This makes our jobs easier and gives everyone peace of mind that students are protected.”
