Education specific
There are many HR software solutions on the market, although it is important to ask how they meet the needs of a school. Working in education, you will need access to key information such as pay scales for teachers, support staff and government funding. MATs also need accurate and up-to-date data from every academy, in order to be able to report on the performance of the trust as a whole.
By using bespoke systems designed by education experts with schools, academies and trusts in mind, HR and finance teams can be sure that the solution is tailored to their needs and, most importantly, scalable.
A modern filing system
As a school starts to grow, manual systems can become time-consuming and can often be inaccurate. Working across departments, academies and reporting to multiple external stakeholders means that operating on multiple spreadsheets or even paper documents can be a huge challenge for HR staff.
Incorporating a digital system saves both time and money - freeing up staff for value-adding tasks. Everything from staff contracts, health and safety handbooks and annual performance forms can be managed online, allowing all staff to access them at the click of a button.
Self-service portals
Quality HR software will remove some of the repetitive tasks that take up your day. Support staff and teachers should be able to log on to the system whenever they want and update any personal details, request holidays, fill-out absence forms and send expenses digitally. Before selecting a system, check that it has a staff portal that can be accessed through smart devices and is user-friendly.
Consistency in monthly payments
Payroll staff can use HR software to automate wages on a specific day, as well as producing pay slips that staff members can view on their portal. Depending on the software, you can also set up direct debits to third parties that you pay on a monthly basis, such as any external contractors or suppliers, like financial advisers and equipment suppliers.
Everything in one place
For MATs in particular, centralising all academy details in one place is crucial to making your workday more efficient. Your school HR software should allow you to access information relating to every academy, as well as comparing data across the trust. This is important for reviewing the budgets for each school and reporting on such matters such as sickness absence rates, as well as spotting key trends and generating multiple reports to meet the needs of a range of stakeholders.
The Access Education software is now brought together on Access Workspace, bringing all your school management software together into one place. Which means that all aspects of a school’s day-to-day administration can be managed and updated, combining HR, payroll, finance, curriculum, and recruitment services.
Using software like Access Workspace for Education, HR and business support teams will benefit from its easy-to-use and streamlined processes, freeing up time for staff taking on day-to-day admin tasks and ultimately saving organisations money in the long run.