Synergy was designed by teachers, for teachers. From the outset it needed to be fast, intuitive and transparent.
Approach
We have achieved this through consistency and simplicity. We don’t use hard to decipher icons or hide features buried in menus three levels deep. Buttons are displayed with text and appear in the same positions. Menus are displayed in full as simple page tabs.
It takes just a few seconds to log into Synergy.
As a class teacher, your timetable is displayed
and with just one click you are ready to take
your class register.
We built the system to be role based so that
it would bring together all the functions and
information needed for that particular role in
school, be it a Class Teacher, Tutor, Head of Year
or SENDCO.
The ‘Class View’ is the key screen for every teacher.
It mimics the tried and tested paper mark books
with student names down the left and attendance
marks, behaviour and notes on the right.
At a glance you can see all the lessons for the
selected half term including lessons shared with
colleagues. Attendance, behaviour and notes are
clearly seen and a single click provides a pop-up
with the information behind the mark.
From the ‘Class View’ you can view seating plans,
student photos, set homework add behaviour and
much more. A click on the ‘Student Profile’ section
expands to show key identifiers such as PP, EAL,
medical, Learning Strategies and SEND. Any new
information is flagged to the teacher to make sure
nothing is missed.
The ‘Tutor View’ provides a weekly overview of activity
and signals from all areas of Synergy. This includes
attendance, positive and negative behaviour marks,
homework submissions, parental communication
and pastoral log entries. A single click on a signal/cell
provides a pop-up with the information.
This holistic overview is designed to support early
intervention and create conversations between a
student and their tutor. It provides an opportunity to
reinforce praise from another teacher or get to the
bottom of a negative sanction.
Synergy encourages transparency in that each ‘Class
View’ and ‘Tutor View’ can be viewed by any member
of staff. This is helpful for subject leaders and for cover
lessons. Areas deemed confidential are easily marked
and locked to protect student privacy.
Subject Leaders and Year Leads have tailored
dashboards and reports bringing together all relevant
key information from around Synergy into one place.