Helping a leading education organisation scale their digital offer and streamline access to essential learning content.
We partnered with Challenging Education to enhance their WordPress platform and build bespoke tools that support the delivery of their Recorded RADY programme—making it easier for schools to engage, apply, and access vital resources that improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged learners.
In 2020, Challenging Education approached VOiD Applications to improve their existing WordPress site, which provided access to pre-recorded videos of their Recorded RADY programme. Recorded RADY was developed as a cost-effective, scalable solution for schools to independently implement RADY (Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters), addressing educational inequities between learners in poverty and their peers. The programme allows schools to begin their RADY journey over a 12-month period with recorded training and the option for bespoke coaching thereafter.
Initially, VOiD Applications supported the business with web maintenance, hosting, and extending the WordPress site to manage user sign-ups and provide secure access to content. As the number of schools engaging with RADY grew, the administrative demands became significant. VOiD Applications responded by creating bespoke web applications to streamline user creation, manage access via APIs, and enable the charity Achieve Equity to process applications for free RADY materials, ensuring that disadvantaged schools could benefit from the programme without financial barriers.
Challenging Education is an organisation dedicated to raising aspirations, improving outcomes, and fostering educational equity for disadvantaged learners. Their work focuses on empowering schools and educators with the strategies and tools needed to close attainment gaps, ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed. Through initiatives such as RADY (Raising the Attainment of Disadvantaged Youngsters), Challenging Education supports schools in creating meaningful, lasting change in their approach to equity and excellence.
Challenging Education discovered VOiD Applications through our strong online presence. Recognising VOiD’s expertise in web development and bespoke solutions, the organisation partnered with us to enhance and expand the capabilities of their online platforms, ensuring they could meet the growing demand for RADY and continue making a significant impact in the education sector.
VOiD Applications has been a long-term partner for Challenging Education, offering innovative solutions that have evolved alongside the growth of their business. Initially, the work was support-focused on maintenance and hosting for their WordPress site, along with custom WordPress development to enhance functionality. As the needs of the business expanded, we provided bespoke web application development to address their unique administrative challenges, ultimately creating a comprehensive system that streamlines the RADY application and access process for schools supported by the charity Achieve Equity.
Key features of the solution include a range of tailored services designed to meet the client’s specific goals, enabling schools to register and securely access RADY content through the WordPress site. To reduce the administrative burden on internal staff, processes were automated that were previously managed by lengthy spreadsheets. A bespoke web application was developed to manage RADY enquiries, allowing applications to be submitted, reviewed, and approved, with user accounts automatically created and managed, including tracking access end dates. Additionally, VOiD provided ongoing WordPress maintenance and hosting services to ensure the platform remains secure and functional.
What sets this solution apart is its ability to integrate seamlessly with existing systems while addressing unique challenges. The WordPress development required precise implementation of tools to ensure compatibility with the existing setup. The custom admin web application is entirely unique, enabling schools to register directly with WordPress using APIs and allowing admins to efficiently manage accounts. The bespoke RADY web app further streamlines the application process, ensuring a smooth experience for both individuals and administrators.
The project incorporates several technologies to deliver a robust and efficient solution. The primary website platform is WordPress, enhanced with custom plugins and off-the-shelf solutions. The web applications are built using PHP (Laravel) to manage administrative and user access functionalities. This combination allows for a seamless integration of content delivery and backend administration.
The system has been designed with scalability, security, and performance in mind. The infrastructure ensures that as the number of users and schools engaging with Recorded RADY grows, the platform remains reliable and responsive. Security measures are built into every aspect of the system to safeguard user data and ensure compliance with best practices.
Key integrations include APIs that connect the bespoke admin web application directly with the WordPress website, enabling streamlined user management and automated processes. Additionally, standard content delivery networks (CDNs) and Cloudflare implementations have been employed to enhance speed and responsiveness, ensuring an optimal experience for users.
The partnership between Challenging Education and VOiD Applications has enabled the business to grow significantly, with more schools adopting the RADY programme each year. The bespoke solutions provided have streamlined administrative processes, reduced workload for internal teams, and enhanced the overall user experience for schools engaging with Recorded RADY.
In addition to its success with schools, the business has expanded its impact by founding a separate charity, Achieve Equity. This charity is designed to provide direct RADY support to individuals, ensuring that disadvantaged learners have access to the resources they need to succeed.
VOiD Applications continues to support the project with ongoing maintenance, hosting, and the development of additional bespoke features as needed. This collaboration ensures that the platform remains scalable, secure, and capable of meeting the evolving needs of both Challenging Education and the schools and individuals they support.
I originally contacted VOiD Applications with an App idea but ended up talking to Chris about the needs we had for expanding our companies online presence. We had been working on a new product, which we explained to VOiD and they gave us a very clear price breakdown for the work we outlined. They stuck to the timeline that was essential to us and delivered each element to schedule. The testing was exhaustive and involved our team, ensuring that we had a clear understanding of how all elements worked. There were very few snags other than those extras we decided we wanted which the VOiD team accommodated with ease and for a very reasonable pre-agreed fee. There were no surprises in the process for us other than the really excellent personal service we got from Chris, who feels like a member of our team. The best value for any investment we have made in Web Development and we have already recommended to others and would continue to do so.
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