As an organisation inspiring changemakers, Alumnis Multi-Academy Trust operates with the belief that education should be a journey that fosters a lifelong love of learning. Creating safe learning environments across its collection of nine schools is crucial to ensure the Trust achieves its mission and remains compliant, which is no small feat.
After realising the Trust's previous compliance system was unreliable and no longer fit for purpose, Nigel Martin, Estates Officer at Alumnis, turned to iAM Compliant. We recently sat down with Nigel to discuss the impact our system has had at the Trust.
How were you doing things at Alumnis before iAM Compliant?
We were using a different operations management solution which wasn't meeting our needs. We had to supplement the storage of documents with Google Drive and, in some cases, spreadsheets. It was difficult to manage and hard to find what we needed when we needed it.
What problems were you trying to solve with iAM Compliant?
Ultimately, we needed a reliable, one-stop shop so we could be confident we're always compliant and creating safe environments for students and staff. I often struggled to get all staff to read (and sign for) all the required health and safety documents. This was a challenge to manage across multiple sites, so involved a lot of manual chasing up, requiring time that I simply didn’t have.
How easy was it to implement iAM across all your sites?
The onboarding support we received from iAM Compliant was second to none. I felt supported every step of the way, meaning implementing the system was very seamless. It's given me much-needed visibility across all nine schools.
What outcomes have you seen with iAM Compliant?
We now have a streamlined system that has everything in one place, so I can be confident that we're always audit-ready. It's much easier to use and manage than our previous system, which has helped to reduce user error. On top of that, we can now communicate better with our staff and automatically send important reminders to them, which plays a crucial role in ensuring we remain compliant.
Have there been any additional benefits?
We now have more of an emphasis on assets management with iAM Compliant. We can track and manage critical assets across the Trust and report on them at any time. We can manage our buildings’ conditions and prioritise problem areas too. Overall, the tool has helped us identify things we weren't doing and make changes accordingly. We can manage our estate more effectively, be more proactive with maintenance, and work to future-proof the Trust.
How would you describe iAM Compliant to other schools and MATs?
It’s a fantastic, easy-to-use system that's become a crucial part of our everyday operations within the Trust. It's given me the confidence that we're always compliant and keeping our students safe. The onboarding process was amazing and since then, if I've needed any support the team have been down to earth and very helpful. The system is always evolving too – when upgrades are released they are excellent and enhance the system even more.
Ready to try out iAM Compliant for yourself? Try it for free and see the core features of our comprehensive compliance management tool now.
