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Copy linkHow Dataplan and Every support growth at Northern Star Trust
Northern Star Academies Trust (NSAT) is an educational organisation that has experienced significant growth over the past few years. Originally managing nine schools, the Trust onboarded six additional schools in May 2024, more than doubling in employee size. The HR team, consisting of five members in the central team, was faced with the challenge of managing this rapid expansion. In response, they turned to Dataplan and Every, two solutions provided by IRIS, to streamline their HR and payroll processes and ensure seamless integration of the new schools.
Highlights
- Integration between HR and Payroll
- A smooth onboarding process for six additional schools
- HR Operations streamlined
Technology that supports a growing Trust
NSAT’s HR team, led by Louise Wade-Rayne, Head of HR, and Karen, HR Lead, partnered closely with the IRIS team to prepare for the onboarding of six new schools. Reflecting on the process, Louise tells us, “Dataplan was already in place when we joined the Trust, as was Every, but neither was being utilised to its full potential. We focused on optimising these systems in our existing schools first, before integrating the additional six schools. Throughout, we collaborated closely with the IRIS team to ensure a smooth transition.”
Despite initial apprehension about the scale and timeline of the onboarding, the team was reassured by the strong support they received. Karen says, “Onboarding six schools in bulk was undeniably daunting, especially given the tight timeframe. But we were well-supported by our dedicated project manager at IRIS, which made all the difference.”
Louise echoes this sentiment, highlighting the exceptional collaboration: “We were assigned a project manager and worked with an incredible team at IRIS. The consultants were outstanding—they made the entire process feel effortless, and no request was too much trouble. We couldn’t be happier with their support.”
Their collective effort and close collaboration with IRIS ensured the transition was not only manageable but highly successful.
Wave goodbye to duplicated efforts
Every and Dataplan provide a unified platform that streamlines HR and payroll processes across the Trust. By January 2025, with these systems fully implemented in all 15 schools and the central team, the HR team will no longer need to duplicate administration tasks, such as raising Smart Forms in Dataplan. Instead, real-time updates within Every will enable seamless integration, allowing payroll and HR tasks to be completed simultaneously and significantly reducing manual effort.
Karen explains: “Once Dataplan and Every are fully set up across all 16 sites, the time savings will be enormous. We’re really looking forward to starting the new year with these efficiencies in place.”
The impact of this integration is already evident. “The difference Every has made is incredible,” Karen adds. “The support from the IRIS team has been fantastic—they’ve gone above and beyond to ensure we have everything we need, resolving any issues promptly. We’re already benefiting from the time savings and the smoother processes.”
With the onboarding of the new schools complete and the final integration of Every’s HR and Payroll modules scheduled for January, NSAT is well-prepared to continue its growth. The HR team is confident that as the Trust expands, Dataplan and Every will scale seamlessly alongside them, ensuring high standards of HR management and compliance while eliminating administrative bottlenecks.
A thriving future
The partnership between NSAT, Dataplan, and Every has been a resounding success. By leveraging the combined capabilities of these two systems and the dedicated support of the IRIS team, the Trust has been able to integrate six new schools smoothly, streamline its HR operations, and free up valuable time for strategic tasks. With Dataplan and Every, NSAT is not just managing its growth – it’s thriving.
Louise tells us, "Dataplan and Every HR are outstanding systems that significantly streamline our processes and save us countless hours each week. The team behind these products is exceptional, making collaboration a breeze. We consistently recommend IRIS Education to other schools and trusts for their remarkable solutions."
