Context
In 2003 the Department for Education and Skills published “Standards for LEAs in Overseeing Educational Visits”, as a supplement to “Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits”. This document places clear responsibilities on local authorities and schools to implement a system of risk assessment, including prior approval for certain types of educational visits. Implementing a system to address these new responsibilities can significantly increase bureaucracy and workload for school and local authority staff if the system is inefficient.
EVOLVE is a fully managed online service specifically designed to enable the efficient processing of educational visit proposals. The service has been designed by eduFOCUS.co.uk in conjunction with Clive Atkins - a leading expert in the field of Educational Visits and consultant to a number of local authorities and other organisations. EVOLVE is now in several local authorities and is increasingly being regarded as the preferred choice.
What Is EVOLVE?
EVOLVE is an online Educational Visits notification, approval and database system that has completed rigorous trials in the London Borough of Redbridge, London Borough of Waltham Forest, Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough. It is now being offered to other local authorities in the full knowledge that it will be well received.
In developing EVOLVE, we have drawn upon the extensive experience of Clive Atkins, a well respected and acknowledged expert in the field of Educational Visits. Clive is Consultant Outdoor Education Adviser to several local authorities, is former Secretary of the Outdoor Education Advisers’ Panel, a freelance AALA inspector, and he is a member of the DfES working group that developed the supplements to HASPEV. Clive now coordinates the EVOLVE user-group, ensuring that the system constantly meets the requirements of all users.
Due to the efficiency and reliability of EVOLVE, the system is now available at a considerably lower cost than other systems.
Main features of EVOLVE:
- A robust notification and/or approval system, based on a consensus of the requirements of Local Authorities and which contributes to the Every Child Matters framework.
- Adaptable to suit specific Local Authority requirements
- User-group coordinated by Clive Atkins giving constantly updated and improved facilities at no additional costs.
- Core/Modular system structure allows each Local Authority to select (or request the development of) additional criteria to be applied to their notification/approval process.
- 100% web-based, no need for any additional hardware/software.
- All data incorporated within a powerful database environment.
- Stores and cross-references individual pupil records. Upload pupil details from school information management systems (e.g. SIMS), track pupil visits attended, and download pupil reports in a format compatible with the national Children and Young Person Information Sharing Index.
- Powerful search and sort facilities to assist monitoring procedures.
- Comprehensive built-in, and self-specified, set of monitoring and reporting tools.
- Incorporated messenger facility linked to notification/approval system.
- Clear audit trail.
- Ability to upload attachments to Visit Forms.
- Comprehensive visit and provider evaluation tools.
- More than a database - a one-stop shop for Educational Visit planning, monitoring and evaluating. Powerful online web-page editor and document manager enables Local Authorities to fully control and customise the appearance and content (text, images, colours, uploaded files etc.) of their Home, Guidance, Document Library, Training Courses and Contact Details sections.
- Full Data back-up and ‘quick access hardcopy backup’ facility.
- Comprehensive incorporated online help facility and free priority online/email support.
- Free upgrades automatically applied without the need for Local Authority involvement
- Local Authority control panel provides real-time user, content and document manager.
- Fully managed and reliable service infrastructure. Our hosting infrastructure is housed in a UK based high-performance, secure data centre, which benefits from ‘no single point of failure’. Our infrastructure is protected by sophisticated and effective firewalls, and it utilises aggregate direct connections to the internet backbone.
Current EVOLVE Users
Local Authority |
Commencement Date |
|---|---|
London Borough of Redbridge |
Feb 2004 |
London Borough of Waltham Forest |
Apr 2005 |
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council |
Sep 2006 |
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council |
Jan 2007 |
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council |
Feb 2007 |
Medway Council |
Apr 2007 |
Surrey County Council |
June 2007 |
Hull City Council |
June 2007 |
Devon County Council |
June 2007 |
Buckinghamshire County Council |
June 2007 |
Sunderland City Council |
July 2007 |
Luton Council |
July 2007 |
Herefordshire Council |
Sep 2007 |
Norfolk County Council |
Oct 2007 |
London Borough of Bexley |
Oct 2007 |
Hertfordshire County Council |
Oct 2007 |
Derbyshire County Council |
Nov 2007 |
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council |
Dec 2007 |
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council |
Dec 2007 |
| Salford City Council | Jan 2008 |
Trafford Council |
Jan 2008 |
Darlington Borough Council |
Jan 2008 |
London Borough of Enfield |
Feb 2008 |
Slough Borough Council |
Feb 2008 |
| London Borough of Barnet | Apr 2008 |
| North Somerset County Council | May 2008 |
| Blackpool Council | Jun 2008 |
| Stoke-on-Trent City Council | Aug 2008 |
| Cambridgeshire County Council | Sep 2008 |
| Thurrock Council | Sep 2008 |
| York City Council | Sep 2008 |
| Northumberland County Council | Sep 2008 |
| Durham County Council | Oct 2008 |
| Plymouth City Council | Nov 2008 |
| Southend Borough Council | Feb 2009 |
| Isle of Wight | Feb 2009 |
| Wokingham Borough Council | Mar 2009 |
| Brighton & Hove City Council | Mar 2009 |
| West Sussex County Council | Mar 2009 |
| Royal Borough of Kingston | Apr 2009 |
| Bath & North East Somsert Council | Mar 2009 |
| Hampshire County Council | Apr 2009 |
| Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council | Apr 2009 |
| Gateshead Council | Apr 2009 |
| London Borough of Southwark | Jul 2009 |
| Central Bedfordshire Council | Jul 2009 |
| Bedford Borough Council | Jul 2009 |
| North East Lincolnshire Council | Sep 2009 |
| Carmarthenshire County Council | Oct 2009 |
| London Borough of Havering | Dec 2009 |
| Halton Borough Council | Dec 2009 |
| Calderdale Council | Jan 2010 |
| Sheffield City Council | Mar 2010 |
| Leeds City Council | Mar 2010 |
| Nottinghamshire County Council | Mar 2010 |
Cost of EVOLVE
There are three types of subscription to EVOLVE. There are no set-up costs, and no first year premium to be paid, just a simple flat-rate subscription.
| Individual Establishment | £1,999 + VAT pa |
| Local Authority (up to 400 schools, colleges and Youth Centres) | £4,999 + VAT pa |
| Local Authority (over 400 schools, colleges and Youth Centres) | £6,999 + VAT pa |
Further Information
If you would like further information about EVOLVE, or would like to see the service in operation then please contact us on:
info@edufocus.co.uk