Why September is the best time to upgrade your school's sign-in
There are two moments in the school year when making a change to your reception process makes sense — the start of the autumn term and the start of the spring term. September is the better of the two. Staff are fresh, routines are being reset, and there is time to embed a new process before the busy period of parents' evenings, inspections and contractor works that typically follows.
Making the change mid-term is harder — staff are settled into routines, and any disruption to reception processes creates friction. September removes that friction. A new system introduced in the first two weeks of term becomes the normal way of doing things by the end of the month.
What parents and Ofsted inspectors see when they walk in
Your reception is the first thing anyone sees when they enter your school. For parents, it shapes their impression of how the school is run. For Ofsted inspectors, it is one of the first signals about your safeguarding culture.
A paper sign-in book sends a specific message — that visitor management is informal, that data is not properly controlled, and that the school may not have thought carefully about who is on site and why. It also means previous visitors' names and companies are visible to anyone who picks up the book.
A digital sign-in system sends the opposite message. It shows that the school takes visitor management seriously — that every visitor is properly recorded, that their identity has been verified, and that the school knows exactly who is on site at any given moment.
From paper to digital: what the transition looks like
Most headteachers are surprised by how straightforward the switch is. With DigiGreet:
- Setup takes less than one working day — no IT department involvement required
- The system runs on any existing iPad, tablet or laptop at reception — no new hardware to buy
- Staff training takes around 30 minutes — the interface is designed to be intuitive for reception staff and visitors alike
- Visitors sign in on the tablet — the process takes under 60 seconds
- The relevant staff member is notified automatically the moment their visitor arrives
There is no complicated migration from the paper book. You simply start using the digital system from day one of term. Historical paper records can be filed away — DigiGreet handles everything from the moment it goes live.
Can it integrate with your existing MIS system?
Many schools ask about integration with their Management Information System (MIS) — systems like SIMS, Arbor or ScholarPack. DigiGreet's late student and early leaver module works alongside your MIS rather than replacing it. Late student sign-ins are recorded in DigiGreet with a timestamp and reason — this data can be used to update the MIS register manually or, depending on your MIS, via export.
For visitor management specifically — signing in parents, contractors, supply teachers and other visitors — DigiGreet operates independently of the MIS. No integration is required to get started.
Getting the whole staff team on board
The most common concern headteachers raise is staff buy-in — particularly from reception staff who have used the paper book for years. In practice, this is rarely the problem it seems. Reception staff are typically the biggest advocates for a digital system once they have used it, because it removes the friction of illegible handwriting, missing entries and the scramble to find visitor records when someone calls asking who signed in last Tuesday.
A few things help the transition go smoothly:
- Introduce the system at a staff briefing before it goes live — show how it works and explain why the school is making the change
- Make one member of reception staff the system champion — someone who knows it well and can help others when questions arise
- Run a practice session with staff before the first day of term — let them sign themselves in so they understand the visitor experience
- DigiGreet's UK-based support team is available if any questions come up during the first weeks
Safeguarding — what changes and what stays the same
A digital sign-in system does not change your safeguarding policy — it makes it easier to follow. The same safeguarding principles apply: verify visitor identity, ensure visitors are accompanied or supervised appropriately, and maintain a record of who has been on site.
What changes is the quality of that record. DigiGreet logs whether ID was verified, shows visitors your safeguarding information at sign-in, requires them to confirm they have read it, and generates a complete, time-stamped audit trail of every visit. When Ofsted asks to see your visitor records, you can produce them in seconds — not by flicking through a paper book.
What about late students and early leavers?
DigiGreet includes a dedicated module for late student sign-in and early leavers — separate from the main visitor sign-in flow. When a student arrives late, they sign in through their own interface. When a student is collected early, their departure is logged with the time and reason. This gives the school a complete, real-time picture of who is on site — not just visitors, but every person in the building.
This is particularly useful for fire evacuations: the live on-site list includes late students who signed in after registration, ensuring the evacuation roll call is accurate even for students who weren't present at morning registration.
GDPR and the new school year
The start of a new school year is also a good moment to review your visitor data practices under UK GDPR. Key questions to ask:
- How long are you keeping visitor records from last year — and do you have a documented retention period?
- Is last year's paper visitor book still accessible — and is that a risk?
- Are you showing visitors a privacy notice at sign-in?
- Could you respond to a subject access request about a visitor in under a month?
DigiGreet handles all of these automatically — applying your retention period, showing a privacy notice at sign-in, and making it simple to find and export any visitor's data on request.
Set your school up properly for the new term. Book a free 20-minute demo at digigreet.com/contact-us or call 01865 55 60 70.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can DigiGreet be set up at our school?
Most schools are fully set up within one working day. Our UK-based team provides free setup support and will configure the system to match your school's specific requirements — including safeguarding information, visitor types and badge design.
Do we need to buy a new tablet or iPad?
No. DigiGreet runs on any internet-connected device. If your school already has an iPad or tablet at reception, you can use it as-is. If not, any low-cost Android tablet will work.
What happens if the internet goes down?
DigiGreet caches data locally, so the sign-in process continues to work during brief internet outages. Data syncs automatically when the connection is restored.
Is DigiGreet used by primary schools as well as secondary?
Yes. DigiGreet is used by primary schools, secondary schools and sixth form colleges across the UK. The system is configurable for any school size — from a small village primary to a large multi-form secondary.
Can we show our school's safeguarding policy to visitors at sign-in?
Yes. DigiGreet can display your safeguarding information — or a summary of it — at sign-in, and require visitors to confirm they have read it. This confirmation is logged with a timestamp against the visitor's record.
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