What is Orah?

Orah is a student management and communication platform designed specifically for schools and boarding schools. At Eerde, we use Orah to help us manage important information about student life, wellbeing and safety, and to support clear communication between students, families and the school.

Orah is used across both School and Boarding, although some functions apply only to boarding students.

Orah for All Students

Orah supports a number of important whole-school processes for both day and boarding students.

We use Orah to:

• maintain an accurate overview of students who are on or off campus;

• register students for school trips and After School Activities;

• record behaviour concerns arising during the school day;

• award Merits (House Points) for positive behaviour, effort and contribution to school life;

• record and, where appropriate, share pastoral, welfare or student-life information;

• communicate relevant information with parents and guardians; and

• collect or update important student and family information when required.

Orah is also used internally by Eerde to securely record safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding records are confidential and are only accessible to appropriate members of staff. They are not automatically visible to students or parents.

Parents may receive notifications through Orah when information relevant to their child has been recorded or when an action or response is required.

Orah and ManageBac

Orah does not replace ManageBac. The two systems have different purposes and are used alongside one another.

ManageBac is Eerde's academic management platform. It is used for areas including:

• report cards and formal academic reporting;

• homework and assignments;

• assessment information;

• class information and resources; and

• information relating directly to a student's academic programme.

Orah focuses on the wider student experience, including:

• student safety and whereabouts;

• behaviour and positive recognition;

• pastoral care and wellbeing;

• activities and trips;

• boarding processes; and

• relevant communication between Eerde and families.

A simple way to remember the distinction is:

ManageBac = academics and learning

Orah = student life, wellbeing, behaviour, safety and communication

Orah for Boarding Students

For boarding students, Orah is an important part of everyday boarding life and provides additional functions relating to students' whereabouts, leave, health and wellbeing.

Passes and Leave

Boarding students use Orah Passes when requesting permission to leave campus or for other approved periods away from boarding.

Passes may be created by students, staff or families and provide the Boarding Team with the information needed to understand where a student is going, when they are leaving and when they are expected to return.

Where an outing falls outside a student's normal permissions – for example, a day trip to Amsterdam or an overnight stay with a friend – a parent or guardian may be asked to endorse the pass through Orah before permission can be granted.

This enables the Boarding Team to maintain an accurate overview of:

• which students are on or off campus;

• departure and expected return times;

• weekend leave and overnight stays;

• approved outings and activities; and

• other authorised absences from boarding.

Students are responsible for following the correct sign-out and sign-in procedures in Orah when leaving and returning to campus.

Health and Wellbeing

Orah also helps us monitor and support the health and wellbeing of boarding students.

The Boarding Team uses Orah to record relevant health information, including illness, absence from lessons due to illness and the administration of medication. Parents may receive notifications through Orah when their child is absent from school because of illness.

Orah also provides students with a Mood Check function. This gives students a simple way to indicate how they are feeling and, where needed, let staff know that they would like someone to check in with them.

These tools help the Boarding and Student Support Teams maintain a joined-up picture of a student's wellbeing and identify when additional support may be helpful.

Parent and Guardian Access

All Eerde parents and guardians – both day and boarding – should have access to Orah.

Parents receive an email invitation from Orah which allows them to create an account linked to their child at Eerde. An account cannot be independently connected to Eerde without an invitation from the school.

Once an account has been activated, parents can access Orah through the web platform or the Orah Families App.

Depending on whether your child is a day or boarding student, you may use Orah to:

• receive relevant school and student-life information;

• view behaviour notes and Merits where these have been shared;

• respond to forms or requests for information;

• receive relevant health or welfare notifications; and

• for boarding students, review and endorse passes where parental permission is required.

Parents and guardians are asked to keep their Orah account active and ensure that notifications are enabled so that important requests and information are not missed.

Student Access

Boarding students are provided with their own Orah access and are shown how to use the system as part of their introduction to boarding.

Students are expected to use Orah responsibly, particularly when requesting passes and recording when they leave or return to campus.

Getting Help with Orah

If you have not received an invitation, are having difficulty accessing your account, or have a question about the way Orah is used at Eerde, please contact:

Heather Rennie – hrennie@eerdeibs.nl 

Kika Dymackova – kdymackova@eerdeibs.nl 

Our aim in using Orah across School and Boarding is to make communication clearer and more consistent while ensuring that Eerde maintains an accurate and joined-up picture of each student's safety, wellbeing and wider school experience.

A guide for use can be found here: