teamSOSEnterprise
Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College
Case study · Catholic secondary comprehensive

One phone. One clipboard.
Fifteen minutes.

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College retired its email-to-text on-call phone for teamSOS Enterprise — and low-level disruption fell, because students know help arrives in minutes.

WorcesterSmall siteMixed population area
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15 min
how long help could take before — now it’s minutes
2 on call
responders at once, each seeing the other’s incidents
No paper
the clipboard, and the typing-up afterwards, are gone
Two clicks
to call for help, from any device and any location
The challenge

A room number, sent to a phone being passed around

Staff emailed an automated system, which texted the single on-call mobile phone.

The text carried a room number — no name, no context, no way to triage.
Patchy signal, and the handset was passed around — sometimes lost.
One phone meant only one person could respond at a time.
Teachers heard nothing back, so a student was often sent to reception.

Our low-level disruption has significantly reduced, as students know that someone will arrive within minutes.

Paul Edmunds
Assistant Headteacher and project lead
Then and now

The same call for help, step by step

Paul found teamSOS in a search, ran a quick trial, and rolled it out across the college. This is what changed at each point in the process.

Step
Before
With teamSOS
Raising it
BeforeEmail an automated system, which texts the on-call phone.
With teamSOSTwo clicks, from any device, anywhere on site.
Getting through
BeforePatchy signal on one handset, passed between staff — and sometimes lost.
With teamSOSWhatever staff already carry — mobile, tablet or desktop.
What responders see
BeforeA room number, and nothing else.
With teamSOSWho is asking, where they are, and the nature of the incident.
Who can respond
BeforeOne person — whoever is holding the phone.
With teamSOSTwo responders on call, each seeing what the other is handling.
What the teacher knows
BeforeNothing, until somebody appears — sometimes fifteen minutes later.
With teamSOSWho is coming, when, and advice while they are on the way.
The record
BeforeA clipboard, then typed into the behaviour log by the office.
With teamSOSA digital evidence log, written as the incident unfolds.
Same people, same on-call rota. What changed is that the process around them got out of the way.
What it changed

Staff hold the room, knowing help is coming

The best thing about teamSOS is that it gives staff confidence. When something happens in the classroom, they know someone will turn up in minutes, which we never had before. Staff feel fully supported — and if a student doesn’t agree with them, they know help is only minutes away and someone will back them up.

Paul Edmunds, Assistant Headteacher

Guidance before anyone arrives

Responders share best practice and advice during the incident, before they reach the room — so the teacher is supported rather than replaced.

Call for Help — choosing the incident type on teamSOS
Two clicks: the incident type, and the call is with the right team.

Workload, off two teams at once

The evidence log and automated reporting took care of the on-call team’s hand-recording, and the administrators’ data entry that followed it — and the log is held securely, available as a report whenever it is needed.

Supply teachers, on the same page

A generic teamSOS login means a supply teacher in an unfamiliar building can call for help and get guidance immediately — so everyone follows the same approach, whether they’ve been there ten years or ten minutes.

Paul’s rollout notes

Keep it simple, then add the rest

Start with on-call incidents only. Add the other features once teamSOS is fully embedded.
Have a clear, defined call-out system that lists who is on call.
Make sure every member of staff can log in properly, with notifications switched on.
Responders take their device into meetings, so they can answer an incident as it arises.
Next

Reviewing the rest of teamSOS with a view to expanding its use — starting with announcements for lockdown and evacuation scenarios.

We’ve seen how teamSOS has dramatically reduced our response times, and it gives staff confidence knowing the on-call team will be on hand in minutes.

Paul Edmunds, Assistant Headteacher, Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College

We would definitely recommend teamSOS to other schools. The system is very simplistic to use, and it gives us a much improved on-call incident management solution.

See what this looks like in your school.

Book a 20-minute demo and we’ll show you teamSOS with your own on-call scenarios.

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