What was the biggest challenge before you used Orah at your school?
Knowing where pupils were without physically collecting and reading paper records, especially in an emergency such as a fire drill.
What was the process of getting started with Orah like?
Culturally, the change was essential but had to be proven. Orah assisted us by providing reassurance and succinct solutions to the challenges we faced as a boarding school to the key stakeholders involved in the project.
What has the success/support team at Orah been like to work with?
We have always had a quick response to all our queries (which have been numerous). The support has been professional and excellent at all times.
What was it like to get the rest of your team up and running with Orah?
Culturally, the change has been challenging. But the system is so easy to use that we are able to provide support and reassurance, which is aiding the transformation.
What has allowed you to be so successful with Orah?
As well as a convenient tool for knowing exactly where pupils are, it has allowed pupils to indicate easily where they are going, when they left and when they return without scrambling to a piece of paper in the house. That alongside the very important but secondary safeguarding records have all ensured great security at Eton.
Has there been a particular Orah feature that has helped you the most?
The Orah app to allow remote access to check-in and check out in real-time has been very helpful in terms of usability, safeguarding and security.
What would you say to other schools looking to implement Orah at their school?
A system that is very easy to use, easy to maintain, and set up with great uses across the entire entity of a school. But if you don’t sit around a table and talk with all the school requirements in mind, you may find yourselves redesigning Orah’s front end more than you should. To guarantee success, measure twice and cut once, as they say.
What made you choose Orah over the other options out there?
The system is highly adaptable and has the ability to integrate with other systems, for example, allowing the data to flow back into Eton’s core absence reporting system.
