Shared eAdmissions service is a hit for London
January 8, 2007
London's eAdmissions service is the only online school admissions system to have been implemented as a shared service in the UK and is an excellent example of how shared services are benefiting local communities and enhancing local authority services.
London's eAdmissions system was launched in September 2006 and early results for user adoption of the service have been very positive. The system was developed to allow the 33 London boroughs to offer online schools admissions. Take up results in the first year of operation have been encouraging, with the London Borough of Hackney, achieving the highest results nationwide - 81 per cent of its secondary school applications were made online. Others that achieved significantly higher online applications than the national average were the boroughs of Sutton, Merton, the City of London Corporation and Richmond. Overall, on average, the London boroughs achieved 14 per cent take up.
The system was implemented by the Pan London Coordinated School Admissions Programme and London Connects, led by Wandsworth Borough Council and was developed and hosted by System Associates, a privately owned web technology partner. London eAdmissions sits under the eAdmissions National Project, which has overall responsibility for supporting 150 local authorities across the country in delivering and promoting online school admissions.
Primary and secondary school applications can now be made online by parents, at a time convenient to them, via the Your London portal, making it easier for today's busy parents to apply for a school place. For secondary applications, parents can apply cross-borough by filling in a single application form. Parents can also access useful online services, such as Ofsted reports and school prospectuses, which help them to select a school.
If an applicant changes their mind, or their circumstances alter, amendments can be made right up until the school admissions deadline. If an application has not been submitted a week before the deadline, reminders are automatically sent via email. Once the application has been completed, parents can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with receiving an immediate confirmation of receipt via email.
As well as considerable benefits to parents, development of a shared system has delivered significant benefits to school administration teams. Administration and stationery costs are reduced by online school admissions and results from an early feasibility study estimated that the coordinated online service will have reduced overall costs by more than 50 per cent when compared to each borough procuring and implementing their own local system.
Peter Williams, Deputy CEO for London Connects, comments "Significant economies of scale can be achieved by sharing online services. www.yourlondon.gov.uk has provided a platform upon which the 33 London boroughs can adopt a unified approach to all pan-London services, and save money in the process. Your London's role is to provide a central point of access, making it easier for anyone with an interest in London to locate the information they are looking for."
The system aims to mirror the processes and procedures already in place for London's school admissions, yet adds additional value in terms of reporting and feedback. However, joining 33 back office systems is a technological challenge. There are three main proprietary systems used for the administrative handling of school admissions. System Associates developed a system which allows for this and automatically translates data taken from the online application form into the specific, compliant XML required for back office administration.
A new tier of management and reporting tools has also been enabled, allowing administrators to monitor the number of applications submitted to each borough. The process by which applications are administered can also be monitored by tracking an application by its number, parent name, child name, postcode or date of birth.
Local authorities have the ability to log in and see data and reports relating to applications for their borough and, as an additional part of the school administration process, primary schools have limited access to the eAdmissions system to monitor whether all Year 6 pupils have applied for a secondary school place. This acts as a safeguard, ensuring that all children in the area apply for a school place for the following year. Those that have not applied can be reminded through their primary school and helped through the admissions process if necessary.
After completing an application, applicants are given the opportunity to offer feedback about the online admissions process and this can be very useful in terms of enhancing and improving the facility, over the long term.
David Macken, managing director of System Associates, comments "Joining government is the way forward for the nation's public services. Providing online school admissions has encouraged parents to interact with the education system, making it more convenient for busy parents to apply. There is certainly a demand for online transactions and more accessible government services and since the development of Your London, we are finding more and more uses for the portal and for presenting a unified approach to London's services.