When it comes to managing a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), ensuring that your admissions process is smooth and efficient can be quite the challenge. This complexity arises from the need to coordinate multiple schools, multiple members of staff, over a number of sites, manage different criteria, and handle a large volume of applications.
However, with the right solutions in place, such as Admissions+ and Applicaa’s MAT Dashboard, alongside streamlined workflows, the challenges faced by MATs can be resolved and streamlined, saving hours of staff time as we will hear about shortly.
By leveraging technology, MATs can enhance communication, improve data accuracy, and ultimately provide a better experience for students and parents alike. Why not benefit from the automation that software can provide to allow staff the time to use their expertise and to have the capacity to implement those all important human touches.
In this post I will be referencing a MAT we currently work with at Applicaa and how our joint efforts have significantly enhanced the admissions process for the MAT, the schools, the parents, and the pupils.
Consider this: “Efficiency is bettering what is already being done.” This collaboration is a testament to that principle. By integrating our solutions, we’ve not only optimised the workflow, but also allowied the staff involved in admissions to take on more workload as they have significantly increased their output. The trust have advised us that they have saved 180 hours of work just by benefiting from our integration with their MIS, meaning that staff no longer have to manually transfer the data from applications. This is without even considering some of the other areas of the platform that save a huge amount of time!
So, how can your MAT benefit from such improvements? Read on to discover the tangible impact and learn how you can achieve similar results.
Table of Contents
- The Challenge: Disjointed and Time-Consuming Admissions
- The Solution: Introducing Efficiency and Cohesion
- The Impact: Streamlined, Accuracy, and Happiness
- Transforming Challenges
The Challenge: Disjointed and Time-Consuming Admissions
The MAT I’m talking about is a prominent MAT that has 32 schools, including 14 primaries and 18 secondaries. While their commitment to education is unwavering, they faced significant hurdles in their admissions process, particularly within their secondary schools. Key issues included:
- Poor Quality of Admissions Data: The incoming data was often inaccurate and incomplete, causing numerous headaches for staff.
- High Operational Costs: The traditional method of manually transferring admissions data was not only time-consuming but also expensive.
- Lack of Oversight: The trust needed a more holistic view of the admissions process across all its schools.
- Administrative Burden: Each school operated in siloes, leading to a very admin-heavy process that drained resources and time.
Clearly, something had to change.
The Solution: Introducing Efficiency and Cohesion
We stepped in with a targeted solution designed to streamline the admissions process across all 18 secondary schools. The transformation was remarkable. Here’s how our solution made a difference:
- Automation and Integration: By automating the data entry process, we eliminated the need for manual transfer. This alone saved the schools an astonishing 180 days’ worth of work.
- Improved Data Quality: The quality of admissions data improved significantly, ensuring that the information entering the MIS (Management Information System) was accurate and reliable.
- Operational Savings: Beyond the time saved on data entry, the schools also benefited from streamlined communications, better organisation of events, and more efficient enrolment days.
- Enhanced Oversight: The trust gained a comprehensive view of the admissions process, enabling more effective management and oversight.
The Impact: Streamlined, Accuracy, and Happiness
The results speak for themselves. After implementing our solution, the MAT reported several positive outcomes:
- Increased Efficiency: Staff members who were previously bogged down by admissions-related tasks now have the freedom to focus on other responsibilities, boosting overall productivity.
- Higher Quality Data: With accurate data flowing into their MIS, the schools experienced a smoother transition during admissions.
- Happier Parents and Students: Perhaps the most rewarding outcome is the increased satisfaction among parents and pupils. The streamlined process has made a significant positive impact on their experience.
In the words of the trust, “The positive impacts we’ve received on the back of using Applicaa are a huge increase in efficiency, improved data quality in our MIS, and significantly happier parents and students.”
Transforming Challenges
This real-life example illustrates how addressing admissions challenges with the right solutions can lead to substantial improvements in efficiency, data quality, and overall satisfaction.
By implementing an online admissions system, the trust was able to significantly reduce processing times, ensuring that data was accurately captured and easily accessible. This not only improved the workflow for administrative staff but also enhanced the experience for prospective students and their families.
For MAT leaders looking to streamline their processes and enhance their schools’ operations, the lesson is clear: investing in the right tools can transform daily challenges into opportunities for growth and success. Moreover, the ripple effect of these improvements can lead to increased applications and therefore funding, better resource management, and a stronger institutional reputation.