Our Vision*
After being contacted by St. Joseph’s RC Middle School in Hexham, Northumberland and learning of their frustrations with their current student report process we set about researching and working with them to develop a solution to their problem; an Online Student Report System (OSRS).
Analysing our research we found that schools are using a range of methods to complete their student reports. These range from various software packages through to teachers being limited to working in school on local file systems or working from home saving work to CDs, USB pens, etc then having to copy this across when they get back into school. Ultimately there was no one solution they were 100% happy with or would recommend to other schools.
We approached this problem by initially stepping back to look at the process of report writing and each element involved to see how each of these elements could be better connected to make the overall process easy, effective and hassle free for each and every teacher, member of senior management and administration staff.
In addition to the process of report writing we felt it very important that we work inline with the BECTA vision for 2010/2012 to improve parental engagement with school communities. It is with this in mind that we are further developing the OSRS to become a secure, informative and intuitive environment to bring together schools, teachers and parents online.
The OSRS meets all government requirements for online reporting which come in to force in 2010 for secondary schools and 2012 for primary schools. Feedback from staff and parents has been very positive indeed. Staff have found the OSRS to be extremely user-friendly and it has provided them with the flexibility to complete their reports either at home or school, at their own convenience.
Having a busy music schedule inside and outside of school OSRS has allowed me to write reports in my own time, wherever I can find an internet connection. Being able to quickly find students on the system has also speeded up the report writing process for me.
Feedback from staff and parents has been very positive indeed. Staff have found the OSRS to be extremely user-friendly and it has provided them with the flexibility to complete their reports either at home or school, at their own convenience.
Simplicity
One of the key factors in developing the OSRS is making it simple and intuitive from a user perspective, making sure all of the clever stuff works for the user making their job as time effective as possible.
We appreciate that everyone has differing levels of I.T. literacy and therefore the system must cater for all. Many existing report solutions appear dated in look and feel – although they have the technical workings of a good product, this is let down by poor usability and design.
Individual Solutions
Every school is individual and because of this we provide a bespoke, flexible solution based around the core principal of online reporting and communication. Creating a solution that works for your school is paramount, catering for every need and exceeding your expectations.
We want to implement a future-proof system allowing further development if required allowing the OSRS to move forward with the school remaining at the forefront of online reporting and communication.
Creating Online Communities
One of the key factors in developing the OSRS is making it simple and intuitive from a user perspective, making sure all of the clever stuff works for the user making their job as time effective as possible.
We appreciate that everyone has differing levels of I.T. literacy and therefore the system must cater for all. Many existing report solutions appear dated in look and feel – although they have the technical workings of a good product, this is let down by poor usability and design.
The OSRS meets all government requirements for online reporting which come in to force in 2010 for secondary schools and 2012 for primary schools. Feedback from staff and parents has been very positive indeed. Staff have found the OSRS to be extremely user-friendly and it has provided them with the flexibility to complete their reports either at home or school, at their own convenience.
Having a busy music schedule inside and outside of school OSRS has allowed me to write reports in my own time, wherever I can find an internet connection. Being able to quickly find students on the system has also speeded up the report writing process for me.
Feedback from staff and parents has been very positive indeed. Staff have found the OSRS to be extremely user-friendly and it has provided them with the flexibility to complete their reports either at home or school, at their own convenience.