We use OnlineSCR across our Trust. It gives us clarity, consistency and more importantly, the simple interface identifies gaps for us at both a school and Trust level. It also passed the test with flying colours in a recent external safeguarding audit! Highly recommended!
Having just had the inspectors visit our School in Hertfordshire, I wanted to say how pleased we were to have subscribed to your SCR system last year.
The Inspectors were very impressed with the clarity and accuracy of the system and commented that it was the best SCR they had seen.
This ensured that our Inspection got off to a great start and filled our Senior Leadership Team with much confidence for the rest of the Inspection.
As HR & Operations Manager, I find the system user friendly and with the added support of Matthew and his team I feel very supported in this crucial part of my role.
We recently implemented the online SCR system within our School, and we have found it to be extremely beneficial.
It is much easier to use than our previous excel system, and we can now identify missing information with ease, and ensure we remain compliant at all times.
We have recently undergone and passed a full compliance inspection of our HR records, and we were able to demonstrate compliance easily using the online tool coupled with our paper records.
They provide unlimited telephone and remote support, and we have found their team to be very helpful and responsive.
I can highly recommend this online tool to other schools, I would definitely not be without it.
When we first decided to look into going on line with our SCR, we were of course a little apprehensive. We didn’t need to be!
From the original meeting where we discussed what the service would provide, through to the daunting task of transferring our data, the process was smooth and transparent with a supportive team on hand answering any queries along the way.
Following the recent implementation of the online SCR the benefits are already noticeable. The speed and accuracy of the service has been excellent. We have confidence in the knowledge that we are meeting all the required checks, and that we are compliant in our statutory obligations where safeguarding is concerned.
It is still early days for us however; I would urge any school to seriously consider moving to this system. It not only saves on administration time, it is also very easy to use and an accurate snapshot of your SCR at the click of a button.
Mrs H White
HR Manager
September 2018
As a hospital school with many different professionals working with our students at any given time, we have a large and varying staff list that needs to be on our SCR.
The workload to keep this up to date at all times was ever increasing and was proving to be difficult and time-consuming.
We required a more user-friendly solution, ideally one that would alert us to any updates or checks to be made, dependent on the role of the individual, instead of us being required to constantly manually check the SCR ourselves.
In addition, the introduction of GDPR and frequent changes to safeguarding guidelines regarding the different categories of individuals working with young people, were an additional challenge.
Having used SCR for our online DBS applications, and always having been impressed with the speed, simplicity and accuracy of the service, we decided to explore their new online SCR system, which automatically updates from the online DBS applications. We invited them in to explain the system and were instantly impressed with the layout, simplicity and functionality of it.
After registering for the online SCR, the task of transferring our existing data felt like a daunting task, but in reality, proved to be a simple and smooth process. We sent an encrypted version of our existing Excel SCR, which was then uploaded by their team to the online portal. Although this
proved that we were already fully compliant with statutory requirements, this resulted in us discovering some areas that were in need of attention in order to ensure that we met best practice guidelines.
Throughout the transition, and ever since, the team have been fully supportive, always available, and extremely helpful in training our ongoing development in the use of the system. We have chosen to utilise it to its full extent, but would have required very little support had we simply been looking to be fully compliant, due to the simplicity of the system.
We were inspected by Ofsted in February 2019, a few months after moving completely over to Online SCR. Ofsted were most impressed with the system saying, “The system and procedures are robust” and “All safeguarding records are detailed, thorough and securely held.” We were delighted with this as it was something we had been nervous about, given the importance Ofsted place on each school’s SCR.
Moving to Online SCR has been a fantastic move for our school. The time saved from our admin team far outweighs the cost of the system, which represents exceptional value for money. All aspects of our safeguarding record keeping, from recruitment to ongoing DBS checks and updates are faster, smoother and more detailed than ever before. It is impossible to put a price on safeguarding children, but this system is definitely worth the cost.
Mr P Arrowsmith
Headteacher
In September, we signed up to Single Central Record Ltd which has further ensured we are meeting all of the statutory checks, for anyone working with children at the school. The clear system has enabled us to save time on processing the necessary checks; keep well up to date well in advance of any renewals being required and further strengthened the culture of being vigilant at the school. The School Business Manager, the governors and I can easily check we are completely compliant.
We have already noticed a huge difference since using this system, in terms of reducing workload and also making sure nothing is ever missed on our Single Central Record. The extra support that comes with this package is excellent and any questions are answered swiftly and accurately.
We would strongly recommend this product any school.
Mr Andrew Hunt
Headteacher
Using the online SCR has really made a real difference to our HR administration. There are timely reminders when documents need renewing which ensures nothing is ever missed and we stay fully compliant. The system is extremely easy to use and has increased our efficiency. We also use the system to order DBS checks which is an extremely smooth process as it automatically updates SCR with the progress of the check, making us consistently up-to-date with our administration.
The SCR Online is a fool proof tool that enables the school to accurately and securely log all mandatory information for all school employees, volunteers and contractors. The ability to export the SCR into a simple anonymised document with a cover sheet for all persons takes the stress out of inspection and gives me confidence when the SCR is scrutinised. In short, it is efficient and very effective.
This will be our second year that we have been using SCR after seeing the online tool demonstrated at a School Business Managers’ conference. I was a little sceptical at first to change from the Excel spreadsheet that had no financial outlay, to pay for an annual subscription, but I am now glad that we decided to go down that route.
The system itself is very user friendly, easily identifies any gaps in the data that is required and keeps up to date with the current legislation. Both Mike and his colleagues are helpful and friendly, right from the beginning when we were setting this system up. Automatic weekly reports are generated which are useful, to provide an overview of what requires updating.
I can highly recommend this online tool to other schools.
Thorngrove School has been using Online SCR for over a year now and the difference it has made to us as a school has been hugely noticeable. The on-boarding process was fairly straightforward. It took a bit of time to work on our existing data once uploaded on the portal but it was time well spent and well worth the effort to have clean data to work with. From then on, it made the keeping of our single central register much easier. We used to use an Excel spreadsheet and it wasn’t as user friendly as this, as it is specifically designed to record all the information schools need to keep from a compliance point of view.
It also has the added bonus of being able to run reports and export the data, which we couldn’t do previously with our Excel-based system.
A few months ago, the school was inspected and the school was deemed to meet all the standards as set out by the ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) with regard to the suitability of staff. There is no doubt that using Online SCR helped the school greatly in ensuring all requirements were fulfilled.
The team at Online SCR is also very helpful and responds very quickly and efficiently to all queries. Overall, this is a great tool that we would have no hesitation in recommending to other schools.
SCR is a great platform that allows us to maintain and order safeguarding checks in a secure domain. The website is easy and quick to navigate and alerts clearly any errors or areas that are not compliant, so you can chase effectively. The staff at SCR are extremely helpful and quick to fix and guide through any problems that occur.
Their training to use the website is also very efficient and staff guide you through patiently and are happy to answer questions. I feel very supported by SCR and their Team and would highly recommend.
Online SCR is a great system which allows Parallel Learning Trust and the 7 Academies to keep the SCR’s compliant. It has tools built within the system which flags up any actions that need to be taken to ensure 100% compliancy. The team members at Online SCR are extremely helpful and their response time to emails is always rapid – you can tell that they work very hard to ensure customer satisfaction. Overall, Online SCR is a great system for Parallel Learning Trust and we love working with them!
Mollie Warne
Marketing, Development and HR Officer
The UST is a unique partnership of six world-leading universities and five sector-leading bodies who are working together to deliver a shared vision of inclusive, high quality and transformational education delivered by schools which are deeply rooted in the communities they serve.
Currently consisting of St Paul’s Way Trust School, which is an All-Through School, encompassing a primary school, secondary school and 6 th form. Royal Greenwich Trust School is a former UTC, converted to a start-up secondary school.
Both schools were using an excel spreadsheet to record SCR information. This required manual input, was time-consuming and laborious to maintain and keep updated. The UST needed an efficient system with adaptability to a growing multi-academy setting, giving ease of access to individual schools as well as management overview from the central core team.
Online SCR has ticked all these boxes for us. Implementing the data transfer was the first hurdle, which required close working relationship with the system support team. We found them helpful, ready to listen and always at hand to support and answer any queries.
We have been using Online SCR for approximately one year and the benefits are very much noticeable. The system has been carefully built around ease of use, ensuring compliance with all statutory checks, alerts and notifications for renewals or missing information via the system and from weekly individualised school reports sent by email.
Safeguarding is an integral aspect of our school process and we have found that Online SCR covers all the areas pertaining to this. It is a cost effective, time saving system that helps us demonstrate compliance in accordance with Ofsted and Keeping Children Safe in Education. I would recommend Online SCR unreservedly to any school.
We made contact with Online SCR after seeing the system being demonstrated at an exhibition. It looked really easy to use. We were worried about the time and effort it would take to transfer the information from our Excel version, but we need not have been.
The team were fantastic, helping us through every step of the process from the initial query through to ‘going live’. They were on hand with any queries and the whole process was far simpler than we could have imagined.
We have now been using it for a year and in that time have received unlimited support. Whenever we have a query it is answered straight away and the service is brilliant. We have every confidence that our SCR is always up to date and nothing ‘falls through the cracks’. It is so easy to use, and ordering new checks could not be simpler.
I have no hesitation in recommending Online SCR.
I came across SCR at an Annual Business Managers Conference and was impressed with the set up and the reassurance the system would give us with ever changing requirements.
I was originally supported by North Somerset Council but with the reduction in services our dedicated support desk disappeared and it became increasingly difficult to confirm what information we were required to obtain to keep our single central record up to date.
I had no trouble contacting SCR and registering on the system and they were easily contactable and very helpful during each step of the process. I would have like to have used them to input all our data but it was decided that we would do this ourselves and then upload it for checking. This was quite a task but once completed on their information sheet and uploaded everything was quickly checked. You could clearly see on the returned on-line spreadsheet what if anything was missing so we could then update our system to ensure it remained compliant.
I have yet to use their DBS checking system but I have every confidence that it will do all that is required.
Contacting them for advice or assistance is straightforward and they are very supportive. The system itself is very user friendly to navigate.
I feel very confident now that the single central record that we have is fully compliant which is very reassuring and it is also good to know that there is help at the end of a phone line!
We moved from an Excel spreadsheet to the online SCR system last year. I set up our school with ease. The system enables me to clearly see where any gaps are. It has been extremely beneficial to be able to order DBS checks via the same system and archive leavers.
The team are knowledgeable and always quick to respond to any queries. For the price, it is a really useful tool.
I would highly recommend it to any school.
We had been investigating alternative systems for recording Single Central Record information for a couple of years, looking for a more user-friendly system than the “clunky” Excel spreadsheet when Online SCR came to our rescue!
Our move over to Online SCR was easy and straightforward, with SCR importing the old Excel spreadsheet into the new on-line portal quickly and efficiently. The inputting of individual records is now simple and logical, and it is easy to identify any missing data helping to ensure compliance at all times.
The SCR team are readily available via E-Mail or telephone and are always quick to respond to our queries.
Online SCR is definitely one of the best systems we have introduced into the school in recent years.
Trinity Academy Newcastle Multi Academy Trust decided in Autumn 2019 to implement the online single central record system across the Trust. We have found this system to be extremely beneficial at a Trust and also academy level. It ensures the Trust remains compliant at all times and all staff find the system very easy to use and to upload the necessary information.
The system provides an ‘at a glance view’ and also a reporting function that alerts you to any updates that may be necessary.
The Trust has received very positive feedback from internal and external stakeholders following the implementation and the online SCR customer services team are very helpful and quick to respond too.
We recently implemented the online SCR system at Holland House instead of using an Excel Spreadsheet. We wanted to use a system that would show all the data in a user-friendly format. Mike and his team were very accommodating and it did not take long for the data to be exported into the new SCR portal. I did have a few questions to start with which were swiftly dealt with and I am finding the new SCR format quick and easy to use. I do feel that it is a value for money portal and would definitely recommend it for anyone thinking about using it.
Since transferring our single central record to Online SCR earlier this year I have had nothing but praise for the company. From set up through to the customer service received, all has been great, and very responsive! The weekly emailed report allows you to easily keep track of the outstanding actions, and the checks ordered directly through the system come back incredibly quickly. Thank you Online SCR for taking some of the strain out of the safer recruitment process!
After seeing a demonstration of ‘Online SCR’ I was very impressed with its ease and simplicity. They were able to assist me with the initial set up and to validate my data. This is a fantastic resource that makes the whole process of safeguarding a lot simpler and quicker to manage. It has an easy to view dashboard with full navigation tools. The weekly reports are essential for my line manager and governors and provide an overview of the whole system. It has a full audit trail and gives assurances for both accountability and transparency. I thoroughly recommend both the product and support team.
We’ve been working together with SCR for over a year now and it is has been a very positive experience for us. We are really impressed by the quality of services we received from SCR. The Online portal is fit for purpose, user friendly and has functions that makes it easy for us to maintain our records. The company is professional and courteous in dealings.
The St Mary Magdalene Academy is a large ‘All-through’ school having been used to managing its single central register using a spread sheet in the past; over the last couple of years now we have been using the Single Central Record online which has further ensured we are meeting our
statutory duties and safeguarding of its children.
The system efficiently keeps all checks in one place with the system proactively sending key people in the Academy notifications alerts for required actions to be taken. The system has provided the peace of mind that the system will be kept up-to-date for its statutory compliance and in the knowledge that the system is well supported.
We would recommend Single Central Register Online.
Ian Ship
Director of Finance and Corporate Services
Hive Education Trust
