What is BlueSky Education?
Link appraisal, professional development and school evaluation in one seamless solution
BlueSky Education’s award-winning platform helps school leaders to strengthen appraisal and performance reviews processes, and gain a deeper understanding of the impact of continued professional development on classroom practice and school improvement. Linking school quality assurance with holistic intelligence tools allows leaders to easily evaluate progress, while staff are engaged through a rich, ongoing professional dialogue.
BlueSky Education allows schools to design a tailored approach to teacher appraisal that aligns with the culture of the organisation, whether the school uses annual performance reviews or more frequent feedback conversations throughout the
cycle. The flexible platform encourages staff to align their own professional objectives to school and trust priorities and helps to create an open and continuous dialogue with their coach or manager that supports incremental development.
BlueSky is used by thousands of schools, trusts and groups around the world. It is the leading online solution of its kind – and has previously won top awards including a Bett Award for Leadership and Management.
BlueSky Learning: Online CPD for teachers and school staff
BlueSky Learning is an affordable online library offering over 150 hours of high-quality, flexible learning for your entire school workforce. Led by leading practitioners, each research-based module provides focused interactive learning to enhance current knowledge, develop new skills and improve strategies for classroom teaching and behaviour management.
Opal Review: Develop your people through facilitated 360° performance reviews
Opal Review is a simple and intuitive facilitated 360° feedback tool which supports a developmental approach to performance reviews for all staff in an organisation. Opal Review is designed to support a forward-focused performance review strategy. Organisations can use the global competency frameworks or create bespoke review frameworks that align
with their culture and strategy.
Get in touch with the BlueSky team today to book your free demo today.
Educational Impact
Additional evidence
 Company | Business Name: BlueSky Education HQ Location: United Kingdom Founded: 2001 |
| Age Range | 0-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, 14-16, 17-18, 19+ |
 Features | 360 FeedbackAction ResearchAppraisal ProcessBespoke FrameworksCareer DevelopmentCoaching ConversationsCollaborationContinued Professional DevelopmentCpdDeep DivesEarly Career FrameworkEvidence Profile Individual PortfolioIndividual Progress SummaryInstant ReportsInternational StandardsIsiJournalLearning WalksLesson ObservationNational StandardsOfsted InspectionPerformance ReviewsPerformance ManagementProfessional DevelopmentProfessional LearningProfessional ObjectivesQuality AssuranceReal-time ReportingReview MeetingsSchool DevelopmentSchool ImprovementSefSelf-evaluation FrameworkStaff DevelopmentStakeholder ReportsStrategic PlanningTeacher StandardsTalent ManagementTrust-wide Reporting |
 Languages | English |
 Accessibility | Moderate features |
 Policies |  Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyGDPR |
 Requirements | Internet - Low BandwidthInternet - High BandwidthDesktop - MacDesktop - WindowsDesktop - ChromebookMobile - iPhoneMobile - iPadMobile - WindowsMobile - Android Browser-based online platform: Access via any device with an internet connection. Single sign-on (SSO) with Office 365 and Google. MIS integration via Wonde. |
 Set Up | Set up usually takes less than 24 hours. |
 Training | Live OnlineWebinarsDocumentationVideos Tailored online planning and initial training is included in your membership. BlueSky is designed to be very easy to get started and intuitive for all staff to use for day-to-day processes. |
 Support | EmailFAQs/ForumKnowledge BasePhone Support All school staff can access unlimited technical support via email or telephone, and can access our comprehensive knowledge bank which includes training materials, guidance, FAQs and video resources. |
| Home Learning | School must create the account. |
 Tags | AppraisalSchool DevelopmentProfessional DevelopmentTeacher AppraisalLeadership Performance ManagementTeacher DevelopmentProfessional learningWorkforce appraisalTalent ManagementSuccession Planning |
BlueSky Education PricingPricing Plans Paid Subscription BlueSky Education pricing starts from £350 / year Pricing plan available upon request.  Optimised for a quick response | |
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BlueSky Education Reviews
from 57 Verified Reviews
User rating
Country
Sally Filek
Performance & Development Coordinator
Used BlueSky Education daily for 5 years+
Dec 2023
Very good system, but it would be made easier if as Administrator you could clear completion of say objectives if impact statements were missing without having to contact Blue Sky. Also to reinstate leavers who return.
Sally Filek found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload
- Significantly provides school data
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency
- Slightly improves teacher wellbeing
- Moderately improves school processes
Paige Frape
Communications and Admin Officer
Used BlueSky Education monthly for 7–12 months
Nov 2023
Customer support area rsponds quickly, easy application to use
Paige Frape found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“smoother process of appraisal process”
- Slightly provides school data
- Does not significantly improve teaching efficiency
- Slightly improves teacher wellbeing“Application is easy to use”
- Slightly improves school processes
Nov 2023
It can take time to embed, some of the systems ( for example logging CPD ) could be more flexible and easy to bespoke to school. Staff can find it difficult to use, but from an admin side it's great
India found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“Streamline CPD request process”
- Significantly provides school data“PM objectives, colleagues self review, lesson observation”
- Moderately improves teaching efficiency“Link to CPD priorities”
- Does not significantly improve teacher wellbeing
- Significantly improves school processes“Easy to monitor”
Anton McLean
Head of School
Used BlueSky Education daily for 4-6 months
Nov 2023
It's a very useful system that has helped with efficiency. There are 1 or 2 things that could be done better.
Anton McLean found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Not necessarily workload, but efficiency of systems”
- Moderately provides school data“Observation reports; Appraisal objectives”
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency“Observation reports”
- Does not significantly improve teacher wellbeing“Maybe CPD, but difficult to quantify”
- Significantly improves school processes“Appraisal, CPD”
Lawrence Collins
Headteacher
Used BlueSky Education monthly for 1-2 years
Nov 2023
Lawrence Collins found BlueSky Education:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Negates need for excessive 'form filling' and sharing of paper work with line managers / appraisers. Both would usually involve email exchanges and this increases the risk of conversations not being captured in a timely manner.”
- Slightly provides school data“Informs evaluation of whole school targets on the development plan (mapping of appraisal expectations against the focus areas for school development)”
- Slightly improves teaching efficiency
- Significantly improves teacher wellbeing“Teacher's feel valued and their voice captured. Transparency on the information shared helps teachers to 'own' their personal development.”
- Moderately improves school processes“One system for evidencing and recording of whole appraisal and CPD”
Bernard Cassidy
Head Teacher
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 5 years+
Nov 2023
Easy to use, good value and outstanding customer support.
Bernard Cassidy found BlueSky Education:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Simple record keeping. Allows meaningful discussion on appraisal with low level bureaucracy for teachers.”
- Significantly provides school data“Focused on school shared outcomes. Also provides leaders with internal data on CPD, self evaluation and appraisal at a touch of a button.”
- Significantly improves teaching efficiency“Clear links to professional standards and frameworks and helped us focus our staff on mechanism for improving teaching and learning.”
- Significantly improves teacher wellbeing“Records discussions on well being and ensured a whole school, systemic focus.”
- Significantly improves school processes“Simplified processes and communication for Call aspects of professional development.”
Leyla
Head of Professional Learning and Talent
Used BlueSky Education monthly for 5 years+
Nov 2023
Great to use for appraisal functionality
Leyla found BlueSky Education:
- Does not significantly reduce teacher workload“No”
- Significantly provides school data“Accessible information on staff appraisal objectives available through the reporting function”
- Does not significantly improve teacher wellbeing“No”
- Does not significantly improve teacher knowledge“Not aware of how it can be used for this function”
- Significantly improves school processes“Online functionality of recording and tracking staff appraisal objectives and reviews”
Chris Wilshaw
Deputy Headteacher
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 4-6 months
Oct 2022
BlueSky have been very supportive in producing a bespoke appraisal system that fits us as a school. They have always been very quick to respond to queries and understanding that we've not yet mastered the system. Nothing is ever too much trouble. We are delighted to be able to have the overview we now do of appraisal and development plans, and that this can be seen so quickly and efficiently. I wish we'd moved across years ago!
Chris Wilshaw found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“No need for printing appraisal, taking to someone different in the school to hand in a paper copy. Line managers can see all the targets of people they line manage easily on one screen.”
- Moderately provides school data“Easy to gain an overview of the targets all school staff have set. Can now track which teacher standards staff are focussing on, and which school development priorities their targets link to. This would have taken a lot of work with our previous (paper based) system.”
- Moderately improves teacher wellbeing“Reduced time spent on emailing and printing versions of paper appraisal back and forth.”
- Slightly improves teacher knowledge
- Significantly improves school processes“Much easier and quicker to see whether all appraisals, targets and development plans are complete. Line managers and SLT can now simultaneously see and read these, without passing paper copies between them.”
Stefanie
Head of Governance
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 5 years+
Aug 2022
I have used BlueSky for several years and find it really supports staff development. It also aligns objectives to the priorities of the School/Trust. BlueSky provides a platform that helps staff to feel that they are personally being invested in, making staff feel valued.
Stefanie found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“Helps support a paperless system. Pulling everything together into one report for analysis”
- Moderately provides school data“The system provides data of CPD impact allowing for further support where required. Also provides data on learning walks and mentoring/coaching, which supports with teacher development”
- Moderately improves teacher wellbeing“The system provides staff with an area to reflect on practice to help staff with future opportunities. It allows staff to know they are valued, through coaching, appraisals and CPD.”
- Slightly improves teacher knowledge
- Moderately improves school processes“All schools use the system so there is a streamlined process across the Trust. Reports provide efficient information to help analyse requirements across the schools/trust. E.G. CPD impact supports future CPD training requirements.”
Joanne
Associate Assistant Headteacher
Used BlueSky Education monthly for 3-4 years
May 2022
It has helped to streamline our performance management systems. It’s easy to use and intuitive allowing leaders to have oversight of a variety of school processes in one place.
Joanne found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“It’s quick and easy to navigate.”
- Significantly provides school data“Quality Assurance data is easy to retrieve and in a sensible format.”
- Significantly improves school processes“Centralised CPL systems”
Mandy Alexander
Teacher Development Manager
Used BlueSky Education daily for 5 years+
Mar 2022
Mandy Alexander found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload
- Moderately provides school data“Data on appraisal and learning walk thrus informs teacher development.”
- Slightly improves school processes“Appraisal process. Analysis of observations and CPD imapct”
Kieran
Headteacher
Used BlueSky Education daily for 5 years+
Mar 2022
Always been happy with the concept, product, support and development
Kieran found BlueSky Education:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Feedback from observations”
- Moderately provides school data“CPD outcomes / engagement”
- Significantly improves school processes“Systematizing professional dialogue”
Deb Poole
Director of Staff Development
Used BlueSky Education daily for 7–12 months
Feb 2022
The support team are brilliant; the system is very user-friendly (despite my several attempts to break it) and the possibilities are endless with the fact you can make everything bespoke to your setting. Whenever I can't figure stuff out (often) or how to do something (often) the team are always on hand to remind / help / support or find a clever work around that does the job better than I'd hoped. They're FABULOUS. Corinne, our main person, holds a) our Trust and b) my sanity together.
Deb Poole found BlueSky Education:
- Does not significantly reduce teacher workload“no, sorry”
- Significantly provides school data“The ability to develop our own observation proformas, own ranking scales and then a pie chart afterwards is just MINT”
- Significantly improves school processes“The link between appraisal, CPD and observations”
Uzma Zaffar
Vice Principal - Quality Assurance
Used BlueSky Education daily for 5 years+
Feb 2022
Fantastic service
Uzma Zaffar found BlueSky Education:
- Does not significantly reduce teacher workload“NA”
- Significantly provides school data“CPD data PD Data”
- Significantly improves school processes“CPD needs and requirements PDs Probation period reports Lesson Observations Overview Statements”
Charlie Larrington-Vandy
Lead Practitioner of Teaching and Learning
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 5 years+
Feb 2022
There are still some things I believe that could be more editable to create really bespoke uses for our school.
Charlie Larrington-Vandy found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Paperwork over duplicating learning walks is gone!”
- Moderately provides school data“We use it to see on whole school impact of new initiatives”
- Moderately improves school processes“learning walks are easily monitored and tracked”
Livvy Black
Assistant Headteacher
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 4-6 months
Feb 2022
It's brilliant especially with the trainer input
Livvy Black found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Reduced paper work for applying for CPD and lesson observations”
- Moderately provides school data“QA data”
- Significantly improves school processes“Streamlining QA”
Sonia
Appraisal Coordinator
Used BlueSky Education daily for 4-6 months
Feb 2022
It's a game changer
Sonia found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Less paperwork”
- Significantly provides school data“All reports and percentages lead us to close gaps with the right cpds”
- Significantly improves school processes
Brian Crombie-Fisher
HR Director
Used BlueSky Education occasionally for 5 years+
Feb 2022
Brian Crombie-Fisher found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload
- Moderately provides school data
- Moderately improves school processes
Kate Marchesi
Head
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 4-6 months
Feb 2022
It started off well with regular meetings and conversations but not heard much in the last couple of months only to be told they are leaving.
Kate Marchesi found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Classroom observations and feedback”
- Does not provide school data“None”
- Moderately improves school processes“PMP”
Andrew Williams
Head of High School
Used BlueSky Education daily for 5 years+
Feb 2022
Thought my time working in three schools and using Bluesky the support has bee tremendous. Casper and her team have been incredibly supportive - especially when I have set this up in new schools. It also has a significant impact on school development, standardisation of activities as well as monitoring.
Andrew Williams found BlueSky Education:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“Analysis of data collected is quick and easy”
- Significantly provides school data“We recently used Bluesy as part of data collection for our annual inspection and as a result it supported our move from good to very good.”
- Significantly improves school processes“Lesson observations, PD and Performance management are now streamlined through the whole school.”
Laura Pearson
Education Director for Training, Development and School Improvement
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 3-4 years
Feb 2022
Some functions can be difficult to navigate - not always user-friendly
Laura Pearson found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“Keeps appraisal information in one place.”
- Does not significantly provide school data
- Moderately improves school processes“Appraisal targets;observations”
Adam
Vice Principal - Sponsor Support
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 5 years+
Feb 2022
Other products are now available which present similar functionality.
Adam found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“Aids administration by collating evidence / observation / targets/ reviews all in one place.”
- Moderately provides school data“Allows easy overview of custom QA strategies and PM progress.”
- Moderately improves school processes“Allows all the above to be centrally located and reported upon”
jennese alozie
Director of Effectiveness and Performance
Used BlueSky Education monthly for 3-4 years
Feb 2022
The platform and the team of staff are just incredible and it has supported the Trust's success journey to date.
jennese alozie found BlueSky Education:
- Significantly reduces teacher workload“teachers have one place to store, update and upload all their professional development, career aspirations, evidence of impact and performance management. it also allows for further engagement with line managers and sharing resources with other teachers”
- Significantly provides school data“Helps to improve pupil outcomes as we can regularly track actions taken, monitor impact to date and review/evaluate impact and make next step decisions all in one place - so efficient, user friendly and related to how well pupils achieve and make progress. To date, results in terms of pupil outcomes put the Trust in top 5%”
- Significantly improves school processes“All central team and school based staff use the platform so unified approach across the Trust. Catering staff performance management and Heads of service evaluations of impact are all conducted across the Trust because of Blue sky platform. so much more efficient way to demonstrate and monitor and support processes that used to take us far too long and we were not getting an accurate cross Trust picture. I also means we are now finding even more creative and efficient ways to work with impact, from catering and IT to leadership development and premises”
M Hillier
Headteacher
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 5 years+
Feb 2022
M Hillier found BlueSky Education:
- Moderately reduces teacher workload“Appraisal is much more efficient”
- Moderately provides school data“Easy to see objectives and CPD needs”
- Significantly improves school processes“Targets, CPD and overview statements”
Brendan Anglim
Assistant Head Teaching and Learning
Used BlueSky Education weekly for 3-4 years
Feb 2022
The support is exemplary, Corinne has been instantly available and incredibly knowledgeable when trying to solve problems.
Brendan Anglim found BlueSky Education:
- Slightly reduces teacher workload“The performance review or appraisal process would still have to be done, whatever the system. The BlueSky portal provides a realtively clean interface for that process and cuts down on email traffic.”
- Moderately provides school data“For inspection purposes, having easy access to records of observations and evalutaions is invaluable.”
- Moderately improves school processes“Steamlining and developing high quality review processes is possible in BlueSky as we tweak and perfect our forms.”
