A Star Attendance is a North East-headquartered EdTech business which was founded in 2018 by former attendance officer, Jill Robson.
Having spent many years working within local authority attendance services, Jill witnessed first-hand the long-term consequences of poor pupil attendance and identified a growing need for a more effective approach to managing absenteeism in schools.
The business currently employs seven staff members and continues to invest in product development to meet the evolving needs of schools, academy trusts and local authorities. The most recent phase of development has been supported by innovation programme funding from the North East BIC.
Challenge
School attendance remains one of the highest priorities within education policy. Schools, academy trusts and local authorities are under increasing pressure to reduce persistent absenteeism and improve long-term attendance outcomes.
A Star Attendance supports more than 305,000 pupils across Britain, with 400+ schools using its attendance platform reporting attendance improvements of up to 8%. The system proactively identifies at-risk pupils, automates time-consuming processes for schools and enables earlier interventions, creating thousands of additional learning hours and improving outcomes for children nationwide.
However, to support an evolving education system and the legislation associated with it, there ongoing investment into product enhancements and system improvements is required by the company to ensure it remains a market-leader.
Innovation project
A Star Attendance sought the support of the Innovation Programme to ensure the continuous improvement of its attendance platform, ensuring it remains compliant with the systems utilised by schools and local authorities and ahead of solutions being developed by its competitors.
Amount received
£10,000.00
Grant impact
The grant contributed towards the most recent phase of development of the A Star Attendance platform.
Without the support, the business would have had to invest significant time and money into developing the platform, potentially resulting in reduced development lead times and slower growth.
Additional support
While the grant played an important role in supporting the latest phase of platform development, Jill says the support provided by the BIC’s innovation advisers was equally valuable.
“The funding enabled us to enhance the A Star Attendance platform, but the guidance we received from the BIC throughout the process made a significant difference to the project,” said Jill.
“The advisers took the time to understand our business and the challenges facing the education sector. This helped to identify opportunities for growth and innovation that aligned with our long-term goals.
“Having access to that level of support gave us confidence in the decisions we were making and ensured we were developing a solution that continues to meet the ever-evolving needs of the education system.”
Key outcomes
Since 2020, A Star Attendance has invested more than £500,000 in the ongoing development and enhancement of the platform.
The latest phase of development was supported by innovation programme funding from the BIC, helping the company to not only enhance its product offering, but also strengthen its long-term growth plans through the BIC’s expert support and advice.