More Than a System

On the Button is software, but what customers become part of goes much further.

So what do you actually get?

That is what More Than a System has grown to mean.

On the Button is specialist safeguarding and well-being software for early years, but our supplier relationship is built around something wider: helping settings actually embed good safeguarding practice. The philosophy comes from lived experience. Founder Catherine Lyon has worked across hands-on practice, nursery leadership, safeguarding, inspection, quality assurance, training, mentoring and consultancy, and has lived many of the pressures customers describe. A wider team supports early years expertise, communications, business development and technology, turning that experience into a service that can grow sustainably.

Personal support from the start

The relationship often starts before purchase. After someone chooses to watch our online demonstration, we call to ask whether it raised any questions. Penny at Greenfields had looked at school-based systems that felt “too detailed, too complicated” for a small independent setting. She chose On the Button because it fitted early years and particularly valued the fact that it continues to be improved around users.

Trust Pilot 5 star review - When we first introduced On The Button, we hoped it would strengthen our safeguarding procedures. What we didn’t expect was just how much it would transform our entire safeguarding culture. The biggest difference has been giving staff the confidence to report every concern, no matter how small. They no longer sit wondering, “Should I disclose this?” or worry about being judged or facing any form of retribution. They know that even the slightest niggle can be logged safely and professionally, helping to build the bigger safeguarding picture over time. Every concern matters, and every voice is heard. The whistleblowing feature has also empowered our team. Staff understand that concerns don’t only relate to children, they can also raise wellbeing concerns about colleagues if they feel someone needs support. This has created a culture where people genuinely look out for one another, and everyone feels their concerns are listened to and taken seriously. On The Button has helped us create a far more open, transparent and proactive safeguarding environment. It has improved communication, accountability, staff wellbeing and given everyone confidence that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. From a management perspective, it has also been invaluable. Training records are all in one place, with automatic alerts when training is due, saving time and ensuring nothing is overlooked. It has significantly improved our time management and compliance. A special mention has to go to Catherine, who has clearly poured her heart and soul into developing this platform. The regular videos she releases are informative, practical and easy to share with staff, keeping safeguarding at the forefront of everyone’s minds. One of the unexpected benefits has been becoming part of the wider On The Button community. The regular meetings with other settings and organisations provide a fantastic opportunity to discuss safeguarding topics, share ideas, learn from one another and work together to continually improve practice. It genuinely feels like having your own safeguarding network, supportive, knowledgeable and passionate about keeping children safe. I can honestly say that On The Button has transformed the way we approach safeguarding. It has strengthened our safeguarding culture, improved transparency, supported staff wellbeing, streamlined administration and given every member of staff the confidence to speak up. I would wholeheartedly recommend On The Button to any organisation looking to create a positive, open and effective safeguarding culture. It is much more than a safeguarding system, it is a community that helps organisations continuously improve and ensures safeguarding remains at the heart of everything they do.

When a setting joins, we arrange a personal set-up conversation rather than simply issuing login details. Senior staff have a 5-minute 25-second introduction; educators watch one practitioner video of just over 12 minutes and can begin using the system. We encourage practitioners to add their own key children so implementation begins on the nursery floor rather than becoming another management job. Hayley, a Deputy DSL, later described an ongoing case involving four or five staff who all added their own information without needing her beside them because they had watched the training videos.

Support then continues by WhatsApp, phone, email or online meeting, with short help videos inside the software and no premium support tier. When one new customer was struggling with verification, we arranged a late-evening video call after she had visited her mother and stayed until she felt comfortable. Nursery manager Kate Luther says “they actually listen”; IT specialist Mateusz Chlebiej described the combination of video calls, WhatsApp and user meet-ups as “a refreshing standard that other businesses could learn from.”

Reviews - Sam Brookes, Manager - 104-place Day Nursery – Little Blossoms Nursery “I am very impressed with the exceptional customer service I receive. It is incredibly attentive and responsive. Time is taken to answer all my questions with patience and consideration of any suggestions I make. This truly made a difference to my experience. Thank you for making it so easy and enjoyable to do business with you.” Diana Scott, DSL - Small Preschool – 5 star Google Review – Little Acorns Preschool “Not only was it very reasonable on the pricing but also very easy to use. It is safe and secure and has been a real asset for us as a setting. There is also help and support on hand when needed via email, message and text.” Julie Starns, Nursery Owner - Two Settings – Sunrise Day Nurseries “As a new user to OTB, it has streamlined our safeguarding record keeping and provided reassurance that nothing is missed and staff can sensitively and/or anonymously report concerns.” Jess, Practitioner - 111-place Day Nursery – 5 star Google Review – Busy Bees Nursery School “Absolutely amazing… so much easier to record information and much faster. Gets to the safeguarding officer in no time without us walking around the building to find her, and better than writing it all up on paper. Definitely recommend.”

A safeguarding community around you

Our Get-Togethers move that relationship beyond technical support. DSLs and safeguarding leads attend even when they were not involved in the original purchase, and managers make time within the working day for them to join. We were surprised when one customer even chose to attend remotely while not feeling 100%, because she did not want to miss the conversation. Tracy described the community as feeling like “your own safeguarding network.”

Customers help shape what comes next

Listening also changes the product. Our annual customer survey gives us a structured view of what is actually being used; in 2026 Children’s Chronologies were the most-used feature, with Away From Nursery and Well-being recording among the next most-used. Informal feedback matters too. A suggestion at a Get-Together led to absence entries being highlighted green within children’s chronologies. Other customer feedback has influenced family well-being, whistleblowing and usability. Rebecca Mackenzie independently recognised this, saying On the Button “incorporates user feedback” and continually improves around professional users’ needs.

Accreditation and Champions

Accreditation gives us another opportunity to check whether On the Button is genuinely embedded rather than simply purchased. Settings talk through who uses it, how it is used and anonymised examples from practice. If they are not ready, support is offered rather than a badge. We also recognise an On the Button Champion each month. Once accredited, settings can receive commission when an introduction results in another provider purchasing.

Support beyond the software

For customers, support also arrives through newsletters, urgent Bulletins, practical resources and our Annual Circular. The community then extends beyond paying customers. We produce Child Safeguarding Practice Review learning, blogs, videos, safeguarding quizzes, practice tools and downloadable and printed resources. Recent examples include an Ofsted-readiness booklet covering safeguarding, well-being, inclusion, complaints and compliance, and a detailed September 2026 EYFS readiness checklist designed to save leaders repeatedly searching for changes.

On the Button Conversations take this further by bringing sector specialists into public discussions; our first explored AI in early years with Richard Waite. We also contribute articles to sector magazines, including Teach Early Years and NMT, with a further NMT article on inclusion due in the August/September edition. Our Trusted Partners network connects settings with specialists in their own fields, while our developing YouTube channel is bringing together experts, suppliers and services that support safeguarding and the well-being of children, practitioners, leaders and families.

When safeguarding becomes real

The value of all this is ultimately seen when safeguarding becomes real. Two settings have told us that reports from On the Button were used to support court-related proceedings. Practitioners have trusted the anonymous route to raise concerns about colleagues; separate small observations have built into patterns that helped leaders approach families differently; and serious absence concerns have remained documented through welfare checks and Social Care involvement. These are not theoretical benefits. They are examples of settings using the system in the situations it was created to support.

They are examples of settings using the system in the situations it was created to support.

All of this sits within one transparent subscription: £8 per registered place annually or 73p monthly, plus a one-off £1 per-place set-up fee. Support, updates, Get-Togethers and first Accreditation are included, backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee.

More Than a System is not customer service wrapped around software. It is a growing, team-supported early years safeguarding community designed to help settings use the technology well, learn from one another, influence what comes next and have somewhere knowledgeable to turn when safeguarding responsibility feels at its heaviest.

On the Button today

At the time of writing (August 2026)

764 staff/users - 22 English counties - 12,929 real records created in On the Button

Recognised in 2025–26
NMT Technology Product Finalist • GESS Finalist • Teach Early Years Highly Commended • UK Small Business Awards Finalist for Best Customer Service and Best Social Impact.