MIS functionality: Timetabling
2 May 2024
What do the various MIS providers offer to help schools with timetabling – we asked and they answered.
Presenting a balanced view of the UK’s MIS landscape
featuring news, reviews and expert commentary.
MIS functionality: Reporting and analytics
11 April 2024
Last week we posted an article on finance systems within an MIS. In this post we look at reporting and analytics functionality, and specifically about the use of AI.
MIS functionality: Attendance
19 April 2024
In this post we focus on the attendance functionality within your MIS and how this helps you to comply with the reporting requirements.
MIS functionality: Finance
29 March 2024
We asked the MIS providers to tell us what they provide for school finance and here are the responses we have received.
MIS data migration
29 March 2024
We asked the MIS providers how they handle data migration in light of recent announcements relating to the inappropriate use of backup files.
IRIS Ed:gen releases Welsh language version
13 March 2024
IRIS Software Group have become the first MIS provider to announce that they have released a full Welsh language version of their MIS product..
Spring Term 2024 update
13 March 2024
The spring term has been hectic for us at WhichMIS? and we thought as we rapidly approach the end of term it might be a good idea to offer a refresh on what we’ve been up to for the past few weeks.
MIS Provider Interviews at BETT 2024: #4 of 4 – Chris Kirk from Bromcom
23 February 2024
3 months in to his new role as Chief Commercial Officer at Bromcom, we asked Chris to outline the Company’s priorities as he sees it, to what extent their latest contract win will put strain on their current customers, what they are doing to ensure they retain existing business.
MIS Provider Interviews at BETT 2024: #3 of 4 – Phil Roberts from ParentPay Group (ESS SIMS)
21 February 2024
Phil Roberts took on overall commercial responsibility for ParentPay Group, which owns ESS SIMS, back in April 2023. We asked Phil about the journey the Group has been on as a whole since he joined the business, the progress being made with SIMS Next Gen and the key challenges they face as an organisation. Watch the video >>
MIS provider interviews at BETT 2024: #2 of 4 – Louise Raw from Satchel
20 February 2024
Show My Homework has been used in secondary schools across the country for many years – so what prompted Satchel to move into the MIS market? How is Satchel:One different to the rest, and what advice would they give to schools intent on changing their provider?
Bromcom provide ‘backup’ in their argument with ESS SIMS around MIS data migration.
19 February 2024
Whilst ESS argue that there are easy and approved methods for migrating school data when changing from SIMS to another provider, schools, MATs, Support Teams and other MIS providers all argue that these methods are not the best way to handle the data migration and that the use of a SIMS backup file for this purpose has been ‘industry standard’ for many years.
ESS SIMS responds to concerns over data migration
15 February 2024
We have posted two articles recently around concerns raised over ESS SIMS’ warning to schools and to other MIS providers around using the SIMS backup files for data migration purposes. In this post we let you hear what ESS SIMS have to say about this subject.
Interviews with MIS providers at BETT 2024: #1 of 4: Fergal Moane of Bromcom
13 February 2024
At the recent BETT 2024 event, we took the opportunity to interview some of the key personnel from the MIS providers that were exhibiting.
The first video interview is with Fergal Moane, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Bromcom.
Does this amount to a declaration of war?
9 February 2024
Arbor have today published an open letter to all SIMS customers.
The letter argues that SIMS recently announced position that their customers can no longer use a database backup file to transfer data to a new MIS supplier is wrong, pointing out that using backup files for this purpose has been standard industry practice for at least the past 10 years.
Pressure on all fronts!
12 February 2024
Bromcom had already taken the lead in this battle and had fired the first shots offering a full indemnity to schools and by applying to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to halt what they describe as ‘this anti-competitive behaviour by ESS Ltd.’
BETT 2024 review
5 February 2024
In recent weeks we’ve been posting a fair amount about BETT which took place between 24th and 26th January at ExCel London.
This year over 40,000 visitors from more than 140 countries attended the event. The overall exhibition space seemed smaller than last year and was split over two halls.
Key considerations when thinking of changing your MIS
9 February 2024
Changing MIS can be a daunting task with many differing viewpoints, so if you are thinking of a change, there are several considerations you should make…
Bromcom to supply MIS software to Schools in Northern Ireland
24 January 2024
The Education Authority (EA) Northern Ireland comprehensive procurement process completed in December 2023 sees Bromcom play a key role in the overall solution delivery alongside a range of partners.
Webinar: Transitioning to cloud-based school management
22 January 2024
Satchel One are hosting a webinar on Wednesday 31st January at 12 noon, looking at the onboarding process to a cloud-based MIS.
Juniper Education acquires leading Bulgarian MIS provider
22 January 2024
Shkolo joins Juniper Education to provide a comprehensive solution for managing modern education establishments and improving learning outcomes.
Sign our petition asking for transparency over referral fees paid when MIS recommendations are made
15 January 2024
We believe all schools should know if the MIS that is being recommended to them is paying the support team a referral fee.
MIS providers and BETT – we ask the questions for you.
16 January 2024
With BETT 2024 fast approaching we asked MIS providers the following questions:
MIS Market Ethics
29 December 2023
Over the past couple of months, we’ve published four articles on the topic of ethics in the MIS market. Now that there’s more churn than ever before, we think that all providers should ensure that no barriers are put in the way. However we’ve had sight of the latest missive from ESS to their SIMS Support Units which makes some worrying points.
MIS Referral Fees – Comments from Industry Insiders
15 December 2023
On the 29th November we published part 3 of a series of blogs relating to MIS referral fees, or as some people have said ‘Kickbacks’
In a supporting LinkedIn post we asked for comments, and in this final blog on the subject we thought we’d share some of these comments.
MIS Market Churn – Winter 2023
18 December 2023
The census data is in, and the new MIS market share stats are here!
Our thanks, once again, go out to our good friend Joshua Perry who analyses each set of census data and provides insights into the MIS market players, how many schools they have, the ‘winners and losers’ etc. in his blog which we urge you to read.
teamSOS and SIMS: A partnership for School Incident Management
23 November 2023
A partnership between SIMS and teamSOS to enable improved school incident management.
MIS referral fees – part 3
29 November 2023
We asked MIS providers how much they pay external support teams for providing support to their schools and how much they pay in referral fees when a school purchases their platform after being referred by a partner.
What’s going on in Scotland?
13 November 2023
We’ve been hearing misgivings around the delayed roll out of both the new SEEMiS Schools MIS as well as the SEEMiS Early Years Management System that have long been planned by SEEMiS (Scottish Electronic Education Management Information System).
MAT Leaders’ Challenges
9 November 2023
Our colleagues at Strictly Education carried out a survey of MAT leaders in July 23.
Whilst this survey isn’t specifically related to the world of Management Information Systems it does address issues that affect all schools which is why we thought we’d share some of the key elements.
New Chief Commercial Officer for Bromcom
13 November 2023
A couple of weeks ago Bromcom announced the arrival of Chris Kirk and their new interim Chief Commercial Officer.
Judicial Review into Oak National Academy approved
9 November 2023
The Judicial Review claim relating to the Department for Education’s proposed operating model for its new arm’s length body, Oak National Academy, has been granted permission to proceed by the High Court.
The wellbeing of IT staff in Schools/MATs
19 October 2023
Are IT, Admin & Data professionals, and the specific nature of technology roles in schools and MATs, given enough weight in the wider discussion about staff wellbeing?
We think they certainly should be. Which is why we wanted to shine a light on the wellbeing of IT, Admin and data professionals in schools and MATs across the UK.
Managing your Management Information System (MIS)
20 October 2023
Procuring your MIS is just the start – managing and maintaining a School Management Information System (MIS) is a critical task for educational institutions. MIS systems play a pivotal role in managing student data, staff information, and various administrative processes and need to function efficiently at all times.
Having the courage to admit your mistake
9 October 2023
If you had chosen a new MIS provider and, after migrating, realised that it wasn’t quite what you had hoped, would you have the courage to admit your mistake?
School support teams and referral fees: Ethical or not?
12 September 2023
You may have seen a recent blog by our friend and colleague Nick, from Finnemore Consulting, entitled ‘What’s next for school support teams?’
The article made us think about the ethics of referral payments within this context.
The difference between a referral fee and a kickback
14 September 2023
We received many comments about the ethics of local authority support teams receiving referral fees. We thought we’d clarify the difference between a referral fee and a ‘kick-back’.
New MIS provider enters the UK market
12 September 2023
In our MIS directory we list 18 different systems currently available in the UK, some specialising in the Independent sector, whilst others are stronger in
Capita’s counter to the ESS allegations: Part II
22 August 2023
Capita’s response to ESS’s claims of copyright infringement and breach of contract in relation to the provision, through Capita, of SIMS to schools in Northern Ireland.
ESS SIMS Versus Capita – Part III
5 September 2023
On 14th August we posted an article about ESS’s claim that Capita Managed IT Solutions is using SIMS in Northern Ireland schools without licence. On the 17th we posted Capita’s counter defence. Here’s the Court’s initial judgement on the case…
Capita faces injunction threat over ‘pirated’ SIMS software – from ESS
14 August 2023
According to an article in the Telegraph on Saturday (12th Aug), (Capita faces injunction threat over ‘pirated’ schools software (telegraph.co.uk)), Capita is threatened with an
Update on the ESS / Capita ‘pirated’ software dispute: Part I
17 August 2023
As we explained previously, Capita is facing the threat of an injunction over their provision of the SIMS software to schools in Northern Ireland, with
MIS Market churn – Summer 2023
2 August 2023
SIMS continues to lose market share; Arbor and Bromcom continue to gain; The Key, with 3 MIS brands in their portfolio, look set to become the biggest MIS provider in England within the next year, although Bromcom have now captured 14% of the academies.
WCBS Unveils New Features and Modules for the Upcoming Academic Year
24 July 2023
WCBS, a leading provider of school management solutions for Independent and International Schools, has today announced the forthcoming updates rolling out in their HUB product in advance of the 2023/2024 academic year.
MIS Demo #5: HUBmis from WCBS
31 July 2023
HUBmis is specifically designed for independent & international schools and includes an interesting overview of admissions, assessment & wellbeing. Here we have a product demo
Suffolk County Council commence market engagement on a new MIS for their 400+ schools.
10 July 2023
Suffolk County Council intends to conduct a procurement exercise during 2023 to procure a MIS system for all their LA Maintained schools.
How MATs can improve staff recruitment and retention
19 July 2023
As everyone in education knows all too well, the UK is currently suffering from a severe shortage of teaching staff – something that’s exacerbating issues such as teacher workload, low morale, and workplace stress.
Delta Academy Trust and Bromcom
10 July 2023
At the recent ‘Bromcom at The Shard’ event, Ian Gilsenan, Delta Academy trust’s Data Director, explained why they chose Bromcom and how they use it
Bromcom at the Shard
22 June 2023
Yesterday afternoon (21st June 2023), WhichMIS? attended the annual Bromcom event at the Shard.
A win for SIMS? Now that really is news!
28 June 2023
After much discussion in recent months about the large number of schools that SIMS have been losing, it was a pleasant surprise to receive news
Interview with Stephen Bilboe, CEO at WCBS
21 June 2023
Continuing our series of interviews with senior leaders of MIS, we now turn our attention to WCBS – a long-standing player in the market, with solutions for MIS, income and admissions software for Independent and International schools.
Learnings from a key public procurement ruling
21 June 2023
WhichMIS? attended a lunchtime webinar recently on the topic of public procurement. This session intended to provide practical advice, based on learnings from the recent High Court case Bromcom v. United Learning.
FREE Online Educational Conference: CONNECT by Veracross
21 June 2023
CONNECT by Veracross is a free educational and networking seminar for private and independent schools, with registration now open for this year’s event, taking place between 17 – 28 July.
News Release: Ark to standardise on Bromcom across all its schools
6 June 2023
Bromcom has announced that it has been awarded a contract by Ark Schools to deliver Management Information Systems (MIS) across its 39 schools in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth.
Interviews With MIS Providers At BETT 2023: #4 Of 4: Arbor Education
29 May 2023
We interviewed the four MIS providers that exhibited at BETT 2023 and have been adding each of their video interviews over recent days. Today we
MIS Demos #4: Arbor Education
29 May 2023
The fourth, and final, in our series of demos recorded with MIS providers exhibiting at BETT 2023 – here we have Arbor Education being shown
Interviews With MIS Providers At BETT 2023: #3 of 4: Compass
26 May 2023
We spoke to the the four MIS providers who exhibited at BETT 2023 and will be adding each of their interviews over the coming days.
MIS Demos #3: Compass UK
26 May 2023
Number 3 in our series of demos recorded with MIS providers exhibiting at BETT 2023 – here we see Compass UK in action… Our colleague,
Bromcom & SCOMIS partnership – what does it mean for the MIS market?
22 May 2023
So SCOMIS and Bromcom have announced a partnership between them designed to support schools and trusts nationally. Click for their full press release here. Under
Interviews With MIS Providers At BETT 2023: #2 of 4: IRIS
18 May 2023
We interviewed the four MIS providers that exhibited at BETT 2023 and will be adding each of their video interviews over the coming days. Today
MIS Demos #2: IRIS Ed:gen
19 May 2023
Number 2 in our series of demos recorded with MIS providers exhibiting at the recent BETT Show – here we see IRIS Ed:gen in action.
Interviews with MIS providers at BETT 2023: #1 of 4: Bromcom
12 May 2023
We interviewed the four MIS providers that exhibited at BETT 2023 and will be adding their video interviews over the coming days. Today we start
MIS demos #1: Bromcom
18 May 2023
Whilst at the recent BETT exhibition we were able to obtain demos of some of the MIS at the show, including some of the new
WhichMIS? at the Schools & Academies Show
19 May 2023
Wednesday (17th May 2023) saw the Schools & Academies Show at London’s Excel. Steve & Stuart attended, arriving mid-morning and joined a longish queue to
MIS churn: Spring 2023
10 May 2023
So, what is happening to the MIS players? Have schools continued to switch away from SIMS to other providers or has the slide been halted?
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