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Customer Stories
How MagicBooking Simplified Wraparound Care and Passed the Ofsted Test at Ashby Hill Top & Donisthorpe Primary Schools
Stop making life difficult and start using MagicBooking! - Lucy Savory, School Business Manager
4 min readMeet Symphony Learning Trust
Symphony Learning Trust is a progressive Multi-Academy Trust in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, built on shared expertise and accountability. It empowers schools to raise attainment and deliver a richer educational experience through collaboration and centralised support.
Ashby Hill Top Primary and Donisthorpe Primary School recently brought their wraparound care services in-house. In doing so, they needed a booking management system that could handle safeguarding responsibilities, give parents full control over bookings, and dramatically simplify admin and financial reconciliation.
With no previous booking or payment system in place, they turned to MagicBooking after consulting other schools in the trust. It quickly became clear that MagicBooking was the all-in-one childcare management software they needed.
Challenges
Bringing wraparound care in-house created immediate operational pressures, from booking management to meeting safeguarding standards.
Without an existing school management system in place, the team needed a robust, all-in-one solution that parents and staff could trust from day one.
“It quickly became clear that we needed a more efficient and user-friendly solution.” - Lucy Savory, School Business Manager
Key Issues
When wraparound care was taken in-house, the schools faced immediate logistical and operational hurdles:
- No existing booking or payment system
- Urgent need to support safeguarding responsibilities
- Difficulty handling parental communication and manual reconciliation
- Lack of visibility into account management for parents
After evaluating several providers, the decision was clear: MagicBooking’s scheduling software offered the complete package - with powerful features, exceptional onboarding support, and excellent value.
Solution
Lucy Savory and her team implemented MagicBooking to bring structure, transparency, and efficiency to their wraparound care management. The transition was smooth, with thorough training and responsive support from the MagicBooking team.
Key Features
- Instant setup support: Hands-on training and proactive assistance during onboarding and go-live
- Integrated invoicing and reminders: System-generated invoices and automatic payment chasing saved hours
- Secure safeguarding & Ofsted readiness: Accessible digital records and financial reports for inspections
- Finance made simple: Quick weekly reconciliation and easy-to-understand monthly financial reports
- Easy parent self-service: Mobile-friendly booking and payment access for busy parents
Impact
Since implementing MagicBooking’s booking system, the schools have seen marked improvements across safeguarding, parent satisfaction, and financial administration.
What once required manual effort and patchwork methods in lieu of an all-inclusive booking system is now streamlined, compliant, and easy to manage.
Outstanding Ofsted Compliance and Safeguarding Confidence
During a recent Ofsted inspection at one of the schools, MagicBooking proved its value:
“We were able to provide the required reports very quickly. The registers are straightforward to use, and children's records are easy to access and manage, which gives me confidence that the system fully supports our safeguarding requirements.” - Lucy Savory, School Business Manager
MagicBooking helped the schools meet critical regulatory requirements with ease, ensuring compliance with the education inspection framework. All safeguarding, and health and safety data, was securely digitised, auditable, and immediately accessible.
Seamless Implementation & High Staff Confidence
MagicBooking’s onboarding received a perfect score, a testament to the high quality of MagicBooking’s customer support.
- Ease of Implementation: 10/10
- Confidence Building: Staff were fully confident within 3 months of using MagicBooking
- Top Beneficiaries: Finance Team and Club Managers
- Reliable & diligent support: MagicBooking’s team members were helpful, thorough, and responsive
“The training provided was thorough, and when we went live, the MagicBooking team was incredibly supportive in helping us and our users with any queries.” - Lucy Savory, School Business Manager
Financial Efficiency with Real-Time Visibility
The schools have saved time on admin and improved their financial management.
- Invoices are created automatically
- Parents are chased for payments without staff intervention via automated reminders
- Month-end reconciliation is simple and fast
- Financial reports are user-friendly and ready for audits or internal reviews
- Tracking financial performance is simple and instant
“The reports are very easy to understand and access. The fact that Magic booking creates all the invoices and chases parents for payments is a real time saver.” - Lucy Savory, School Business Manager
Parent Satisfaction and Ease of Use
MagicBooking is a hit with parents:
- Parent satisfaction score: 10/10
- Online booking system, allowing registration and booking from any device
- No phone calls, no paper forms - just fast, seamless booking
- Mobile-friendly, enabling parents to take full control of bookings for their children and family
The Final Word
For Ashby Hill Top and Donisthorpe Primary Schools, MagicBooking has replaced stress and paperwork with structure, speed, and confidence. They intend on sticking with MagicBooking long term and have encouraged the rest of the Trust to follow suit and use MagicBooking.
“Stop making life difficult and start using MagicBooking!" - Advice from a school business manager: Lucy Savory.
Want to simplify safeguarding, admin and finance in your school’s wraparound care?
Book your free demo today and see how MagicBooking can streamline your operations.
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