Effortless teacher reporting
After a short familiarisation period, trained staff can complete most routine reports in less than 15 seconds, with rarer longer reports keeping the average below 30 seconds.
Innovate UK CfI SEN · Phase 1
EII Sentinel — seeking one school in the UK as design partner
The Education Improvement Institute is bidding for Innovate UK's challenge on earlier identification of children with special educational needs. We need one school in the UK to co-design and pilot EII Sentinel — with paid SENCO and teacher time funded through the project subcontract if the contract is awarded.
In a nutshell
Practical reporting for teachers. Professional control for SENCOs.
Teachers notice SEN concerns early, but reporting is often too slow or skipped because it does not fit the teaching day. EII Sentinel addresses that with integrated workflows — not another heavy form at the end of term.
Our usability target is that proficient, trained staff complete routine reports in less than 15 seconds, with rarer longer reports keeping the average below 30 seconds per report.
Human-led SENCO triage
A clear queue, audit trail, and professional judgement at every step. Nothing auto-labels a child as having SEN.
Strengths and needs record
One longitudinal view that grows with the pupil, sitting alongside your MIS rather than replacing it.
High-volume efficiency
When several students need to be reported on a similar matter, reusable reporting patterns make the time saving especially large.
Optional governed AI
Redacted text assistance with staff approval only; deployment can be UK-hosted or institution-controlled.
Interface preview
What the workflow looks like
Representative preview from the EII Sentinel prototype — teacher reporting, SENCO triage, and the growing strengths and needs record.
Report a concern
Target: most reports under 15 seconds once familiar
BehaviourLiteracyWellbeing
Submit concern
Triage queue
- Year 4 · reading gapNew
- Year 7 · attendanceReview
- Year 9 · SEMH noteLogged
Strengths & needs record
Teacher concern logged — literacy support discussed with parent.
SENCO triage: classroom strategies agreed; no label applied.
Review checkpoint — progress noted; next steps assigned.
Paid
Staff time
SENCO and teacher time through the UK subcontract — not volunteer research.
12 mo
Phase 1 R&D
Co-design and term-time pilot with milestone reviews if the contract is awarded.
1
School in the UK
One design partner academy or school with engaged SENCO leadership.
Who should get in touch
Maintained, academy, or independent schools in the UK — and MAT teams nominating a lead school — with headteacher support for a focused pilot cohort.
- SENCO or inclusion lead willing to co-design triage workflows.
- Teachers open to building fast, consistent reporting habits across the school day.
- Leadership interested in using stronger reporting habits to improve student discipline, spot SEN needs earlier, and surface other alarming matters before they escalate.
- Safeguarding and data protection processes ready for a structured pilot.
Partnerships and programmes
Collaborative projects for future-ready learning
EII works with educators, NGOs, schools and public partners to design programmes that combine learning impact with responsible implementation.
ESA Astro-Pi and Mission Space Lab
International STEM learning connected to coding, data analysis and space science.
LIBRE curriculum ThinkTank
Collaborative curriculum discussion and education improvement activity across multiple years.
Educators for Educators
Active teacher collaboration, professional exchange and peer-led education development.
AI readiness pilots
Emerging work with schools and education leaders on responsible AI adoption and governance.
Built for review, partnership and scale
Project work is structured around learner outcomes, educator capability, governance and transparent evidence.
- Clear programme logic and delivery responsibilities.
- Evidence packs suitable for partners, funders and boards.
- Safeguarding and privacy posture considered from the start.
Next step
Interested in becoming our design partner?
Contact Sean McDonnell, Chief Operating Officer, for a confidential conversation about scope, timelines, and the paid design partner role.