How we've helped teachers to take control of their data
An assessment platform that tracks and monitor pupil's progress
A new beginning
Pupil Progress founders approached us in early 2019 when the company realised they've reached a limit of how far they can get with the old version of the app and decided it's time to build a new one from the scratch. They were looking for a partner who knows how to deliver world class product along with the benefit of nearshore development costs.
After diving into the nitty gritty details of the old system it quickly became obvious the company had a huge potential but desperately needed a new platform that had to be incredibly complex and flexible at the same time. Working together with the founding team we've developed a set of wireframes that promised an app with seemingly infinite scalable potential - by allowing to add new different “plug-and-play” data types as and when needed.
Finding the right look
Next we took on the task of rebranding and designing both the new system as well as accompanying website. It was clear the company needed a new modern look that would appeal to schools and teachers. Our goal was to deliver a clean and uncluttered UI that wouldn't distract people from the main aspect of the system - pupil's data.
Putting it all together
Engineering of Pupil Progress platform was a very challenging task because of the built-in flexibility of “plug-and-play” data types. Company's team wanted to be able to re-create every single exam board specific trackers (incl. GSCE, BTEC etc.) with any grade type and for any subject area - which in result shaped a lot of decisions on how resulting meta-data had to be stored, processed and segmented.
We came up with a scalable technical architecture build on top of AWS cloud with AWS-managed PostgreSQL cluster used as central database for the system. The app itself was build on top of modern tech stack consisting of dedicated Rest API built with PHP7 Symfony framework and React + Redux front-end apps.
Hidden gems
All trackers available in the system are built in the platform's admin panel using predefined “fields” (data types). This approach allows the company to recreate every single exam board specific tracker for any subject area - available now or in the future.
The system supports taking snapshots of all school's data and quickly comparing the progress made between snapshots and live tracking data.
Pupil Progress offers various types of subscriptions - based on number of subject areas or courses a school wants to track.
Back to school!
The system launched in August 2020 and was quickly embraced by over 200 UK schools.
Meanwhile the founding team used the new technical platform as one of the main company’s highlights during a successful bid to raise funding to scale the company world-wide.
"FRAM have used their experience to deliver a very large and technically challenging platform to a very high standard. Their foresight and professionalism throughout the design stages identified potential challenges and solutions early on to make the whole build process incredibly smooth, with no surprises.
The final product is beyond what we hoped for thanks to FRAMs expertise and advice as our interim tech lead; they have delivered exactly what we need to scale our business."