Our Story
The original cloud-native platform, built on 25 years of education technology innovation
The story behind Senso began in a school in 2001. It led from the first safeguarding software designed to combine concerning-word detection with contextual visual evidence to the first cloud-native platform unifying student safety, classroom control and school IT.
#SensoDidItFirst
Chapter 1
It began inside a school in 2001
In 2001, while working within the education sector, Jon Valentine saw that schools needed more than separate classroom controls and basic website restrictions. Staff needed a centrally managed way to understand what individual students were doing, identify concerning activity and retain meaningful evidence for review.
He went on to create the first school safeguarding software designed to detect concerning words and phrases, capture contextual screenshots and raise attributable alerts for staff review. It sat within a centrally managed approach that also helped schools control classrooms and manage their technology. This laid the foundation for modern endpoint-based student safeguarding software today.
Chapter 2
Detecting concern, not simply blocking access
The model developed beyond controlling applications and websites. It introduced the ability to detect concerning words and phrases associated with identifiable users and provide contextual visual evidence to authorised staff.
This changed the role of school monitoring. Instead of merely preventing access, technology could help safeguarding teams identify possible bullying, self-harm, exploitation, radicalisation and other emerging risks that might otherwise remain unseen.
Designed by the pioneering creator of keyword-based safeguarding detection with contextual visual evidence for schools.
Founder vision
Our Vision for Safe, Secure Learning
More than 25 years ago, the ambition was never simply to identify a concerning word or phrase.
It was about giving educators the context and evidence to understand and respond to what students were doing and writing on their school computers, while creating technology that could support the whole school. That early vision has stayed with me throughout my career, and today Senso carries it forward on a global scale.
Our mission for the future is clear: to continue pioneering the next generation of safeguarding innovation, while giving schools the intelligence and tools they need to monitor, manage and protect their students and devices.
Chapter 3
Building experience before building Senso
The original technology moved from an idea created in a school to a growing international education software business. Formal UK offices opened in 2010. By 2015, that technology had been adopted in more than 80 countries and was trusted by nearly half of UK secondary schools.
In 2015, after selling a majority stake in that earlier business, Jon chose to start again, taking this technology to the Cloud. The business behind Senso was incorporated to build a new generation of education technology from first principles, without carrying forward a legacy on-premise architecture.
Chapter 4
Senso was cloud-native from day one
Senso was not an existing on-premise product moved into a hosted environment. It was designed from first principles as a cloud-native platform capable of centrally managing a few devices or millions of devices across individual schools, multi-school groups and geographically distributed organisations.
Senso secured its first commercial orders from early adopters in 2017 and officially launched in January 2018. It was the first cloud-native unified platform built specifically to bring student safety, classroom control and school IT together through one centrally managed service.
Chapter 5
Student safety, classroom control and school IT, unified from the beginning
Senso brought safeguarding, classroom management and school IT operations together through one cloud-native service, one centrally managed hierarchy and one deployment model.
This unified foundation is why Senso can serve an individual school while also giving a multi-academy trust, district or education group central oversight with delegated local control.
Chapter 6
Experience is only valuable when it improves what schools can do today
- Keyword and keyphrase detection informed by long safeguarding experience
- Contextual visual evidence for authorised review
- Central administration across multiple schools and sites
- Delegated roles and local control
- Classroom management and student safety working together
- Filtering, safeguarding and response controls operating as a connected system
- School IT tools available through the same platform
- Cloud delivery designed for distributed organisations
- Continued expansion through modular products and individual capabilities
Chapter 7
A global Senso team for a global community
Senso opened its first dedicated office in Nottingham in 2017. A Texas office followed in 2020, strengthening support for schools and districts across North America. In 2024, Senso opened its Australian office, establishing teams across the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.
Chapter 8
From one school challenge to more than 12,000 schools
Today, more than 12,000 schools across 30 countries use Senso. The platform continues the same underlying purpose that began in 2001: helping schools understand activity, act earlier, manage technology centrally and create safer, more productive digital learning environments.
#SensoDidItFirst
Timeline
Two decades and counting
Jon Valentine creates the first school safeguarding software designed to detect concerning words and phrases, capture contextual visual evidence and raise attributable alerts for staff review, within a centrally managed approach to classroom and school technology.
The original education technology business opens formal offices in the United Kingdom as its international growth continues.
After the original technology reaches more than 80 countries and nearly half of UK secondary schools, Jon sells his majority stake in the earlier business. The business behind Senso is incorporated to create a new platform from first principles for cloud delivery.
Senso opens its first dedicated Nottingham office and secures its first commercial orders from early adopters.
Senso officially launches as a cloud-native unified platform for student safety, classroom control and school IT.
Senso opens its Texas office to support growth across North America.
Senso opens its Australian office, establishing teams across the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.
More than 12,000 schools across 30 countries use Senso.
Questions
Frequently asked
See the platform the story built
25 years of safeguarding and education technology experience, delivered through one cloud-native platform.