Introduction

We had been looking for an MIS system that would serve our school population (teachers, students, parents, and administration) for approximately 18 months and had been visited by various representatives from different companies to show us their products. All of them had elements we liked but were missing other parts, or we did not like the functionality of certain elements.

Discovery of Satchel

A friend who is an Assistant Principal in a UK state school told me about a new product, Satchel, they were using in their school alongside their existing SIMS program. She spoke about the ease of use and efficiency of connecting with parents on Satchel. Most importantly, as a practical teacher of Music, she found the new system incredibly easy to award students or report any issues without detracting from her lessons. She was able to give me a direct comparison between her experience of the two systems mentioned above. I looked at the 'behaviour' section of Satchel on her mobile device and was very impressed.

Initial Contact

So, last July (2023), I contacted the company through their website, and within a few days, we had set up an online meeting where Paul Monney gave us insight into the system and what it could do for us. They asked about our needs and highlighted what they could provide.

User Experience and Support

I feel it has done exactly what we had hoped it would, asked for our feedback, and listened when an element has been more difficult to master. They provide consistent personal support as well as an advanced chat feature which is super helpful and quick in its responses. If I have needed information for certain tasks in school and I have not known how/where to get it, I have spoken with Paul, he produced it, and then showed me how to do it myself for the next time.

Financial Clarity and Implementation

Financially, they were able to set out the exact costs once they knew what we needed and the size of our school and needs. We were literally signed up within weeks and using the system. They organised all students to be uploaded into the system so that we had a September start and also delivered staff training to the teachers in September. Training continued regularly throughout the year and was summarised at the end of the school year with plans for more in September 2024.

Customer Service

We were, and remain, so impressed with the product and the support. They come in early to take meetings suitable for our time difference. On the rare occasions we have had difficulties, they jump on Teams calls together and talk us through methodically.

Exceptional MIS System

Satchel One is an exceptional MIS system and learning platform, but the most outstanding part of the package is the customer service. The set-up of the platform for our school was easily accessible and happened in an effective and professional manner. The platform was quickly launched in our school with staff training being available in a variety of ways. The team was willing to provide separate sessions for different working teams within our school and also added drop-in sessions for teachers to ask additional questions/play with the system.

Ongoing Support and Training

Meetings are usually recorded and shared with us, making it easy for us to revisit areas and share with new staff members where applicable. There are also a multitude of help videos which are well-labelled and easy to access from Satchel pages.

Technical Support and Feedback

When a new element of the MIS is introduced, online meetings with specific specialists are offered, and if there are any technical difficulties, then the website chat box will allow the creation of tickets which are dealt with in a timely manner. They also return to check with us that the issue has been resolved (through the chat and through email). We also like the way in which our queries and suggestions are often incorporated into the system, showing they are listening carefully to constructive feedback in order to improve their product even further.

Confidence and Application

The support we receive gives us confidence to apply more and more of the system in our school. It is a particular strength of Satchel One. Another strength is the strong understanding within the company of the needs of schools, and the impetus is on making life in schools easier to manage for teachers, parents, and students.

Recommendation

I cannot recommend Satchel One highly enough – it has transformed the way our school approaches all the different tasks that we have. By intrinsically linking elements, it saves us time and effort, and staff do not feel that they have to reproduce data and information over and over again. The students and parents react positively to the platform and feel a much closer link to the school. We feel much more organised and are able to share crucial information in a much more effective way.

Areas for Improvement

Areas for improvement are from our school side - there are so many elements and so well structured and laid out that we need more time to master them all. The only area we found difficult was using the timetable software compatible with Satchel - however, there was so much support which meant that the work felt shared between us and Satchel, and where the Satchel team could make corrections and amendments, they did to save us time and confusion. Once the timetable was all uploaded, it was a great feature in Satchel One and has proved very useful, so it was worth spending the time to do this. We can see at a glance where anyone (teachers and students) is, as well as manipulate rooms and resources.