Manage school applications efficiently
Managing school places is never easy, not least because the process can involve complex parental enquiries, where detailed knowledge of each application is crucial.
Our admissions and transfers software simplifies the whole process, featuring convenient, online self-service portals for schools, parents and carers which are fully integrated with powerful back office functionality, removing the need for admissions teams to manually add applications.
The citizen portal enables parents and carers to complete the full application process from their smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs, including updating information and tracking progress on offers. Other features include in-year functionality to allow parents to apply more than once in the same academic year, and the option to allow responses to an update by accepting or declining an offer. You can also configure the system to only allow online applications for schools within the home local authority.
Where schools are their own admission authority, our school portal enables them to set ranking criteria and rank applications directly. This automatically updates local authority back-office education data, saving your teams from manually collating information.
From making it easier to manage waiting lists and meet statutory requirements, to having a detailed, easily-referenceable history to manage appeals and enquiries more efficiently, we help admissions teams manage applications and transfers more effectively, fairly and consistently.
560,000 applications
➥ Successfully processed through our software in 2022
> 80 local authorities
➥ Local authorities in England using our admissions software
94.5% applications
➥ Submitted by parents online in 2021
2 months
➥ Time saved for a full-time staff member at one local authority
01
Streamline processes
The whole process of applications and transfers is streamlined, including waiting lists, appeals and meeting all government admission code requirements. Automatic confirmation of offer places and reminders can be set up to go to parents at specified times.
02
Parents and carers feel more involved
Designed to improve ease of access to all the information parents and carers need for a positive experience, you can offer them useful information in the application tile summary to help with their applications and they benefit from being able to check the system for any available offers.
03
Easier administration
Up-to-date information is immediately available to admissions teams, with the portal storing a snapshot of all application-related data when the parent submits or resubmits their form. It’s also easier to cross-reference information, even when shortened variations of first names are entered.
04
Customise citizen and school portals to meet local need
You can customise both the school portal and the parents and carers portal, including tailoring explanatory information to meet local requirements.
05
Intelligence to improve outcomes
Easily identify children who frequently change school, giving a clearer picture of a child’s situation to shape interventions if necessary. In addition, we offer our insight analytics tool to analyse your admissions data so you can understand trends and better plan where to target future resources.
06
Make it easier to remain compliant
Statutory returns are simpler - information is easily extracted in the right format for DfE preference returns and the file produced ready for upload. The portals are fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act, ensuring your equality commitments are met.
How we get school admissions day right, every time
Applying for a school place can be a stressful time for parents and children, as well as for the local authorities and schools who need to process applications and share a huge volume of data.
Find out how we’re making it easier for local authorities and schools to meet statutory requirements and ensuring parents receive the decision promptly and seamlessly.
Self-serve options for schools to ease the admissions burden on local authorities
Schools who are their own admissions authority, such as church schools, special schools and academies, can set their own ranking criteria and rank applications directly via the schools portal. The information they enter automatically updates the back office records so local authority teams no longer need to manually collate and enter information. Schools can also be given access to view applications for phase and in-year transfer groups, the latest waiting lists, and to view and verify sibling applications, removing the need for local authorities to report and send data to schools, and making the data transfer process more efficient and secure.
Enhanced support subscription service to help manage admissions
Designed specifically to support admissions teams in managing and de-risking the admissions cycle, our flexible remote support service provides direct access to our admissions specialists. They’ll help with implementing new features as well as giving support on day-to-day activities, when you need it, to ensure that key (and sometimes unfamiliar) routines and tasks are carried out correctly.
Parents and young people
The citizen portal offers an easy way for parents and carers to apply for their child’s school place online via a choice of platforms including mobile phones, tablets, laptops and PCs.
Local authority admissions teams
As information entered by parents into the citizen portal is automatically integrated into your education data, there’s no need to re-key information, avoiding duplication and reducing the risk of error as staff can make use of the most up-to-date data.
Schools
Schools who are their own admissions authority can view applications, the latest waiting lists, and view and verify sibling applications via the school portal, with the information they enter automatically updating the local education authority record.
Moving online has cut the number of late applications. Information is captured automatically, so there is no longer any need to send out letters or spend time re-keying data into the system. The whole process is slicker and the equivalent of two months’ work has been saved for a full-time member of staff, who can now spend more time on other tasks.
