About
The River Nile School is an inspiring school educating and enriching the lives of the community’s most vulnerable young women.
“Introducing Compass has been overwhelmingly positive in helping us streamline our student record keeping, taking us to that next level as a school.”
River Nile School
The Challenge
Initially, staff recorded individual student details in Excel, a process described as ‘clunky’. Staff needed a school management system that would make collecting, storing, and accessing student records easier, especially as these records enable the school to claim Commonwealth funding and are essential in the event of an audit. The school’s unique requirements even extend to something as essential as roll marking: while RNS is not formally required to keep records of attendance, staff at the school are often the only adults looking out for students, and on the occasion of an unexplained absence, locating their whereabouts is a matter of ensuring their wellbeing.
“Introducing Compass has been overwhelmingly positive in helping us streamline our student record keeping, taking us to that next level as a school.” Lisa Wilson, Principal (retired).
Choosing Compass
Staff at the school began by asking educators at schools facing similar challenges what school management system they used, however, the systems recommended did not quite meet the needs of RNS – either in terms of functionality or cost. A number of members of staff at the school were familiar with Compass – either professionally or personally, as parents of students whose schools use Compass. This familiarity led them to invite Compass to deliver a demo to teachers, where it became clear that Compass offered the solution required.
Results
Compass have provided what Lisa describes as “the system we wanted, an eminently professional set up, done quickly and priced at a point that was unbelievable to us.” The school’s particular needs required rethinking aspects of the Compass platform, a process Lisa says was performed with expert attention. This is particularly noticeable with the school’s use of Chronicle, which creates a complete picture of each student’s unique and complex needs, rather than simply being used for behavioural observations. This picture then informs the funding RNS receives, and creates peace of mind for staff that the correct processes are being followed and recorded.
