Setting up a new online appraisal system to manage any process can seem like a daunting task, but it needn’t be when you follow the right steps. 

Many schools choose to set up BlueSky Education when the focus of the appraisal policy has also been shifted to place a greater emphasis on professional development. This calls for a new approach to managing appraisal that not only allows individuals to take ownership of their learning pathways but also encourages professional accountability and feedback cycles that promote ongoing development. 

For others, it may be as simple as needing to move from a paper-based system and improve efficiency and oversight of appraisal and professional learning processes, that have proved difficult to manage ‘offline’ or in spreadsheets. 

BlueSky’s customer-focused approach means that we work with our members to ensure that set-up and implementation are smooth and quick, but also effective in the long run. 

Discover our simple 3-step journey below – you could get your school set up in as little as two hours. 

1. Discover our solutions 

When you first get in touch, a member of our team will book a ‘discovery’ call to understand your school’s appraisal, professional development, and quality assurance practice, and will then show you how BlueSky’s flexible solution can support you in achieving your objectives. They may share some relevant case studies which will give you an example of what BlueSky can do. 

We believe in equitable proof for all school staff. The annual subscription cost of BlueSky will be based on the number of qualified teaching staff in your organisation, however, all staff in your school, trust or group will be able to access a personal portfolio. 

This means that every member of your school’s workforce can benefit from a fair appraisal and professional development process, which allows you to recognise the essential work of teaching support, operations and even lunchtime supervisors.

Example – Diverse Academies Trust

BlueSky helps the Professional Development team overcome some of the challenges of managing CPD at Diverse Academies Trust. “Keeping all records of people’s development in BlueSky saves thousands of hours because you have all the information you need in one place. Once people know the process, they can quickly request CPD and we can approve the same day – you’re not chasing a piece of paper. 

“It supports the finance team by ensuring that people aren’t just booking onto CPD programmes – there is a process to keep track of our spending and that supports our financial compliance as a trust. 

“I want to mention that the customer support we get from BlueSky is exemplary. Whenever I have a question, I get a response straight back and any issues are solved. That certainly saves time too; any queries I have are resolved quickly.” 

Diverse Academies Trust uses our online appraisal system.

2. Get set up for success. 

Once you join BlueSky, a member of our Customer Success team will be assigned to support onboarding, implementation, and training. They will work with you to apply bespoke settings to align BlueSky’s tools with your organisation’s practices and policies, whether that is adjusting how many modules are shown, changing the terminology used for different features or creating bespoke forms. 

Your account manager will then offer tailored online training for your leadership team and staff, demonstrating how to manage key activities that you and your staff will use day to day. 

Watford Grammar School uses our online appraisal system.

Example – Watford Grammar School for Girls

After reviewing alternative solutions, Watford Grammar School for Girls chose BlueSky, as it offered the highest level of customisation and support with onboarding. Deputy Headteacher Chris Wilshaw was impressed with how easy it was to start using the platform and the ability to tailor BlueSky to fit the school’s specific culture and appraisal process. 

“That was one of the important reasons we chose BlueSky – we needed something that could be customised for us as a school. Through a number of planning meetings, our account manager helped us to design the appraisal process we wanted to implement, and then to create bespoke proformas and templates, and has delivered targeted training for staff ahead of our appraisal deadline so they could use it to record their appraisal and set their objectives for the coming year.” 

3. The support you need, when you need it 

After BlueSky has been set up for your organisation and your training has been delivered, you will still be able to make changes to your account set-up and access unlimited technical support throughout your membership. 

BlueSky members can contact BlueSky by phone or email with any queries and can also access our online Help Centre for instant answers to frequently asked questions, how-to guides, tutorial videos and webinars. 

If your school processes change, simply get in touch with your account manager and we’ll help you set up new templates or modules. You can add new staff at any time and can access refresher training each year. 

In addition, our monthly newsletter offers helpful guides, case studies and news of our customer success webinars.

Example – St George’s Primary School

At St George’s Primary School, Bernard Cassidy, the school’s Headteacher, explains how a staggered implementation has benefited his staff: 

“What has made BlueSky transformational for us is the customisation tools; we’ve been able to tailor the platform to the way the school works. We built up our use of the system over time, with support from the BlueSky team. This has helped ensure it is integrated with our appraisal cycle, with forms that are tailored to different roles.” 

“I feel that the support we’ve had from the Customer Success team in achieving our ambition has been absolutely great. They understand that schools sometimes need to work backwards; we needed to know what was possible with the platform and then we could define our process, and they helped us to get to that point.” 

St Georges Primary uses our online appraisal system.

Start your BlueSky journey today! 

To learn how our all-in-one workforce development solution could support your school, trust or group’s professional development and reduce the workload of a bespoke appraisal model, why not have a no-obligation conversation with a member of our team? 

Talk to our team today to learn more about the BlueSky platform and how we can support your school’s appraisal process.

Tamsin Denley

Author: Edward Bellett-Travers
Digital Marketing Executive

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