Unifying Special Needs Education and Care: Aurora Group Adopts Engage Management Information System for their Schools, Colleges and Residential Homes
The Aurora Group, a leader in special education and support services for individuals with special educational needs and disabilities, has been making strides in nurturing positive outcomes since its establishment in 2015. Committed to enabling children, young people and adults to lead fulfilling and independent lives, the Aurora Group has emerged as a beacon of excellence in the UK’s landscape of education and care. Consisting of fifteen schools, two colleges and various adult & children’s care homes the group’s expansive portfolio reflects its dedication to fostering growth and empowerment for individuals with unique needs. As the Aurora Group continues to expand, its commitment to innovative and personalised education and care remains unwavering.
The Challenge
Bridging Operational Gaps and Unifying Practices to Enhance Efficiency
Before implementing Engage, the Aurora Group faced a series of challenges that stemmed from their complex organisational structure. Disparate systems, inconsistent data recording practices and fragmented communication hindered collaboration among sites and made group-wide reporting impossible. The group’s unique blend of educational and healthcare services required a flexible solution that could cater to different contexts and adapt to their specific needs.
The Solution
Empowering Positive School Outcomes through Engage MIS
Recognising the need to overcome their operational challenges, The Aurora Group embarked on a journey to find a solution that could align their diverse range of educational and care services. Their journey led them to Engage Management Information System (MIS) from Education Horizons,a versatile solution that offered the ability to harmonise their intricate web of schools, colleges and residential care homes.
With Engage, the group implemented a comprehensive strategy to streamline their processes, consolidate data recording practices and foster better communication across sites. The introduction of Engage’s centralised platform eliminated the need for disparate systems, allowing for consistent data recording practices across the organisation.
The Aurora Group’s commitment to effective change management played a pivotal role in the successful implementation of Engage. The establishment of MIS champions in each site, along with a tiered escalation system for support queries, ensured that staff were well equipped to navigate and utilise the system. Regular training sessions, webinars and monthly meetings further bolstered engagement and knowledge sharing across the group.
Through their collaboration with Engage, The Aurora Group found a flexible solution that addressed their multifaceted challenges. By consolidating their practices, enhancing communication and fostering adaptability, Engage enabled the group to create a cohesive ecosystem where data driven decision making and positive outcomes flourish.
The Results
Unified Data Management, Centralised Reporting and the Adaption of the MIS to Specific Needs Empowers Success
The implementation of Engage has seen a series of transformative results for Aurora Group:
- Unified Data Management: Engage provides a single platform for recording and managing data across all sites, eliminating inconsistencies and misinformation
- Centralised Reporting: The integration of Power BI has enabled Aurora Group to have full visibility and consistency with reporting, offering insights into various aspects of their services. This has empowered data informed decision making and action plans
- Adaptation to Specific Needs: Aurora Group has successfully customised Engage to accommodate the unique language and requirements of their care homes, creating a flexible and responsive system
- Improved Training and Support: The clear escalation system implemented within the group has ensured effective troubleshooting and support thus strengthening their teams confidence in Engage
- Positive Feedback and Adoption: The MIS champions reported positive feedback from various sites, highlighting the user friendliness of the system, particularly the parent portal
- Streamlined Communication: The introduction of the parent and young person portal has enhanced communication between schools, colleges, care homes and parents. Standardised surveys and consent forms have helped gather valuable feedback
Future Plans
The Aurora Group’s adoption of Engage’s parent and carer portal marks the beginning of improved communication with families, a trend they plan to continue.
Looking ahead, The Aurora Group aims to integrate timetables, assessment modules and individualised targets to enhance their ability to monitor student progress effectively. These steps underscore their dedication to continuous improvement and their mission to provide exceptional education and care services to individuals with special educational needs and disabilities.
Ongoing Customer Support
The Aurora Group has been impressed with the continuous support from the Education Horizons onboarding, professional services and support teams. They’ve found that requests for system upgrades are addressed quickly with clear communication to the Aurora team.
Engage’s responsive support system in conjunction with regular meetings and open communication with the schools dedicated Customer Success Manager has been instrumental in the successful implementation and continued use of the system.
Why Choose Engage?
Engage instantly makes working together easier, more efficient and more effective.
- One comprehensive system at the heart of your school to manage all your school data
- Excellent user experience with intuitive design and navigation
- Responsive for smartphones and tablets
- Safe, secure and accessible in the cloud
- One system that creates connected teams and streamlined communications
- Easily creates, access, share and update essential school information
- Highly flexible and customisable
