Teacher Survey results

What difference does Trellis make?

During the initial phase of the pilot, Trellis supported more than 450 meetings across seven Scottish local authorities. Feedback from the 31 educators who took part in the survey was striking. 

90% reported a direct, measurable reduction in write-up time, with an average saving of 57 minutes per meeting. Overall, this equated to a 68% reduction in administrative time.

“Staff have not been disappointed... Trellis takes away that need to work in the evening and weekends on this paperwork." (Falkirk Focus Group)

But the impact went far beyond paperwork.

Educators consistently described how Trellis reduced stress and improved wellbeing because they no longer had the pressure of unfinished write-ups hanging over them. 

One teacher described the impact simply:

“It’s changing my life, I must admit”

Trellis allows staff to reclaim time without compromising the quality of documentation. Instead of starting from a blank page, teachers can review a structured summary with clearly organised actions and agreed next steps. 

In the survey, staff reported that this improved clarity, consistency and professional confidence.

One educator commented:

"This is impressive: an accurate summary of the things that we discussed. It captured everyone's voice in the room - quite powerful.”

The pilot also highlighted something deeper: better quality meetings.

In many review meetings, staff try to lead conversations while simultaneously taking notes. That split focus makes it hard to actively listen to families and build strong relationships.

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With Trellis handling the note-taking, staff can be more present, more engaged, and better able to focus on children and families. As Image 2 demonstrates, 77% of educators reported they were better able to balance active meeting participation and listening.

One teacher reflected:

“I can just think about the child which is amazing… I am so much more present and can offer more support.”

The speed of communication also changed dramatically, with an 84% faster document turnaround to families and multi-agency partners. 

Before Trellis, schools often needed one to three weeks to finalise and circulate documentation after meetings. During the pilot, many schools were able to send plans and minutes within days, or even hours. 

The faster turnaround helped schools implement support more quickly and strengthened trust with parents.

"We often have 5 or 6 meetings back-to-back and it's so important that the plans can be actioned straight away and given back to the parents ASAP; Trellis helps make that possible." - Teacher, Falkirk

The pilot also demonstrated strong early success in complex meetings involving multiple professionals, varied accents and families where English was an additional language.

What next?

While the system continues to evolve, the feedback is consistent: Trellis reduces workload, improves meeting quality and allows staff to spend more time where it matters most: supporting children and families.

At a time when schools across England are facing growing SEND pressures, recruitment challenges and increasing accountability demands, that shift could make a real difference.

Because ultimately, the goal isn’t better paperwork, it’s better support for children and young people. ‍

“I am blown away by what the system has done. These were probably our most complex pupils and the meetings were not straightforward. Trellis captured everything accurately.” - Teacher, Renfrewshire

Why not transform the administrative workload in your school?

Discover how Trellis can restore work-life balance for your teaching staff and accelerate support for families.

To enquire about a place on the pilot, or if you’d just like to talk please email andy@trellis.scot or book a call. Thank you!

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