Six campuses.
One lockdown alert.
Activate Learning, the second largest college group in the country, needed one lockdown and incident alert that worked everywhere — from lecture theatres to a land-based campus with its own zoo.
Desktop systems that stopped at the door
A reliable lockdown alert was essential across six very different sites. Traditional desktop tools fell short outdoors, where staff could neither report a concern nor receive critical communications — leaving them isolated and at risk.
The group needed a system that integrated with its existing infrastructure and met the demands of every campus.
We needed a system where staff could get the message whether they sat at the computer or via an app on their phone while working outdoors. teamSOS seamlessly filled the gap.
Group Head of Resilience and Statutory Compliance
Four things it had to do — everywhere
Activate assessed several systems against the reality of six campuses: outdoor teaching, lone workers, a land-based site, and staff who are rarely at a desk.
Cost-effectiveness mattered too: site-wide co-ordination with the essentials and none of the unnecessary frills.
Proved in a lockdown drill
The Oxford campus pilot ended Activate’s reliance on radios and call queues. Staff ran incident exercises and full lockdown drills, reporting and responding from wherever they were — with the right teams pulled in automatically.
It’s already improved our first aid communications. Every second is required, especially if it’s something like a cardiac arrest where you need to get a defib.
Three places it changed who knows what
Outdoors, and still in the loop
Staff working across the grounds — a site with its own zoo — raise and receive alerts on a phone. No desktop, no radio, no walking back to reception to report something.
Check in, without being tracked
Real-time check-ins let staff share their location and safety status when they choose to, so nobody is isolated during a critical moment.
Support without leaving the room
Staff like that they can contact the right support without having to leave their classroom or the student to find assistance — so they stay present and attentive.
Reception used to ring responders one at a time. Now a single alert reaches all of them, the nearest person responds, and everyone else can see it is being handled.
You know if something’s being handled or not. Everyone’s looped in whilst something’s being dealt with and addressed.
From safety tool to group infrastructure
As the group grows, teamSOS is being written into the plans that have to work on the worst day of the year — not just the everyday ones.
Safety management
Consistent incident response across six very different campuses.
Compliance and continuity
A recorded, auditable trail of how each incident was handled.
Emergency plans
Lockdowns and immediate hazard response, group-wide.
It will definitely be a big part of our compliance and business continuity system, safety management, and our emergency plans, including lockdowns and immediate hazard responses.
I’ve already recommended it to several institutions. Communication-wise, why would you use WhatsApp illegally?
See what this looks like across your campuses.
Book a 20-minute demo and we’ll show you teamSOS across a multi-site estate.
