Schools Mobile - Digital Wellbeing Platform
- Client:
- Schools Mobile (SEQRD Technology Ltd)
- Industry:
- Website:
- schoolsmobile.com
- Duration:
- 3 years ongoing (10 weeks initial MVP)
- Team:
- 1-5 developers (currently 2 ongoing)
Schools Mobile is a comprehensive digital wellbeing platform protecting 10,000-15,000 students across 50+ UK schools, including Marlborough College and Eton College. We built cross-platform mobile apps (iOS/Android), web admin dashboards for schools, and parent portals - all on a distributed architecture ensuring 99% uptime and complete school independence.
THE CHALLENGE
Schools Mobile needed to build a comprehensive digital wellbeing platform from scratch to protect students across multiple UK schools. The challenge wasn't just technical — it was about creating a system that schools could trust with their students' safety while giving parents control at home.
The complexity
- Build cross-platform mobile apps (iOS and Android) that work independently of device management features
- Create school-specific admin dashboards for policy control
- Enable parent oversight without compromising school policies
- Ensure that one school's technical issue never affects others
With major institutions like Marlborough College and Eton considering the platform, reliability and data security were non-negotiable. Schools Mobile chose AnvilEight based on our 7+ years of proven delivery. They needed a lean, professional team that could move fast without sacrificing quality—and handle the responsibility of protecting thousands of children.
THE RESULTS
What started 4 years ago as a startup concept is now a trusted platform protecting students across major UK educational institutions.
10,000-15,000 Children Protected Daily
50+ UK Schools Using Platform
100,000+ Harmful Requests Blocked Daily
99% Platform Uptime
Business Transformation
- 90 seconds onboarding time (reduced from hours/days)
- Real-time protection monitoring replacing periodic manual checks
- Zero cross-school outages due to distributed architecture
- 3 years of continuous partnership and platform evolution
Technical Achievements
- Multi-tenant architecture with complete school independence
- Cross-platform mobile protection without device management dependencies
- Seamless license transfers as students move between schools
- Real-time detection of protection being disabled or bypassed
OUR APPROACH
We started lean with a single developer building the MVP in 10 weeks, then scaled to 5 developers during peak development, now maintaining with 2 dedicated engineers as the platform matured. We remain flexible, delivering maximum efficiency and speed while maintaining cost-consciousness.
Technical Architecture
- Backend: Django REST Framework + PostgreSQL for robust data handling and security
- Mobile Apps: Flutter for true cross-platform native apps (iOS + Android from single codebase)
- Web Admin: React + TypeScript for school administrators
- Parent Portal: React for parent settings and monitoring
- Infrastructure: Distributed architecture where each school operates independently
Key Technical Decisions
School Independence Architecture
We designed a distributed system where each school runs on its own instance. If one school experiences technical issues, the other 30-50 schools continue operating normally. This architectural decision was critical for Marlborough College, Eton, and other major institutions who needed guaranteed uptime.
Cross-Platform Without Device Management Dependency
Unlike competitors relying on Apple's Managed Device or Android Enterprise, we built platform-agnostic protection that works everywhere. This meant engineering our own monitoring and control mechanisms that function regardless of device management enrollment — a major technical challenge but crucial differentiator.
License Transfer System
Children move between schools. We built a seamless license transfer system that maintains protection continuity while handling complex data migration, permissions, and billing across school boundaries.
Smart Protection Detection
Engineered monitoring that detects when protection is disabled — whether from technical failure or student tampering — and immediately alerts parents and schools. This moved from periodic checks to real-time detection, dramatically improving reliability.
Testimonial
"They’re reliable and get along easily with our clients."
Through AnvilEight’s high-quality contributions, each solution has performed spectacularly and attracted positive reactions from third-party commissioning firms. The team’s adaptable workflow, responsive communication, and consistent delivery continue to add value and flexibility.
Neil Buirski - Founder & Director of SEQRD Technology Ltd
TECHNICAL CHALLENGES SOLVED
Challenge 1: School Independence & Resilience
Problem: How do you protect 30-50 schools while ensuring one school's technical issue never affects others?
Solution: Distributed architecture where each school operates on its own instance. Complete data isolation, independent infrastructure, and separate failure domains. When one school experiences issues, the other 49 continue protecting students without interruption.
Challenge 2: Platform-Agnostic Protection
Problem: Competitors rely on Apple's Managed Device or Android Enterprise—limiting deployment and requiring complex IT setup.
Solution: Built native protection mechanisms that function independently of device management systems. This "Virtual Pouch" feature and policy enforcement work on any device without IT department configuration, enabling 90-second onboarding vs. hours/days with competitors.
Challenge 3: License Transfer & Student Mobility
Problem: Students move between schools. How do you maintain protection continuity while transferring licenses, data, and permissions across school boundaries?
Solution: Engineered a seamless transfer system handling data migration, parent account linking, policy transition, and billing across schools—maintaining student protection throughout the transfer process.
Challenge 4: Tamper Detection & Reliability
Problem: Students are clever. Protection being disabled (accidentally or intentionally) must be detected immediately, not hours later.
Solution: Real-time monitoring detecting when protection is off, whether from technical failure or tampering. Immediate alerts to parents and schools, with automatic attempt to re-enable protection. Transformed reliability from periodic checks to continuous monitoring.
KEY FEATURES
For Schools
- Complete device restriction control
- App access management
- Screen time policies
- "Chill time" scheduling
- Virtual Pouch (instant full lockdown)
For Parents
- Home policy controls (complementing school policies)
- Usage reports and blocked content visibility
- Protection status monitoring
- Suspicious activity alerts
- Settings management
Platform Intelligence
- Smart detection when protection is disabled
- Automatic alerts for potential tampering
- Real-time synchronization across devices
- Independent of Apple/Android device management features
TECHNOLOGIES USED
- Backend: Django | Django REST Framework | PostgreSQL
- Mobile: Flutter | iOS | Android
- Frontend: React | TypeScript | JavaScript
- Infrastructure: Distributed Architecture | RESTful APIs
SCHOOLS USING THE PLATFORM
Major UK Institutions
- Marlborough College
- Eton College
- More than 50 schools total
Protecting 10,000-15,000 students across UK schools nationwide.
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