MIS Industry News

As we arrive at the end of academic year, we thought we’d provide a brief update on some general MIS news:

WhichMIS? – Annual Summary 2024/25

MIS Market Shifts

• ESS SIMS has continued its dramatic decline, dropping to just 33% market share in England’s maintained schools—down from 67% in 2021.

• Arbor surged ahead, now holding 38.6% of the market and poised to become the dominant provider as it absorbs Integris and ScholarPack schools by February 2026.

• Bromcom also gained ground, reaching 15.5% English school market share as well as securing major contracts in Northern Ireland and Wales, pushing its UK total school count @ 4,782.

 Key Milestones

• Arbor overtook SIMS as the UK’s leading MIS provider in July 2025, ending SIMS’ 40-year reign.

• Bromcom was named one of the UK’s fastest-growing companies in the 2025 Business Leader Growth 500, with a 116% increase in sales over three years. (see below)

• Compass Education UK grew from zero to nearly 200 signed schools in just over three years, marking a strong entry into the MIS space.

Strategic Moves

• The Key Group (owners of Arbor, Integris, and ScholarPack) announced plans to consolidate all schools onto the Arbor platform by early 2026.

• SCOMIS, a major SIMS support provider, confirmed it will no longer support SIMS, prompting further migration away from ESS.

• Legal tensions flared as Bromcom launched a multi-million pound lawsuit against Arbor over alleged unfair contract wins.

• SchoolPod announced the relaunch of an MIS specifically designed to make supporting the progress and wellbeing of children with SEND easier for schools.

• Go 4 Schools launched their long-awaited MIS at the London School & Academy show in May.

• Veracross, owners of Firefly & Digistorm launched their UK MIS focused in the Independent School sector

UK-Wide Expansion

• Arbor and Bromcom both expanded into Welsh local authorities, with Arbor winning Cardiff’s 128 schools and Bromcom securing 284 Welsh schools from Swansea, Wrexham, Ceredigion and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

• In Scotland, dissatisfaction with SEEMiS has led some local authorities to explore alternatives.

Sector Trends

• Schools and MATs are increasingly prioritising cloud-based platforms with full functionality, driving migration away from legacy systems like SIMS 7 Next Gen, which remains incomplete.

• MIS providers are offering free migration periods to ease transitions, making it simpler for schools to switch.

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Bromcom has earned a well-deserved place in the 2025 Business Leader Growth 500 programme, a prestigious listing that recognises the UK’s fastest growing and most dynamic companies.

Founded in 1986 and based in London, Bromcom has established itself as a leading force in the business services sector, specialising in cloud-based Management Information Systems (MIS) for schools and multi-academy trusts. Under the continued leadership of founder Ali Guryel and his family, the company has demonstrated exceptional growth, innovation, and resilience—attributes that define the spirit of the Growth 500.

Over the past three years, Bromcom has seen a remarkable 116% increase in sales, with revenues growing from £9.8 million in Year 1 to £21 million in Year 3. This growth has been underpinned by the company’s strategic focus on digital transformation within the education sector, helping schools modernise their data and operational systems. With a healthy profit margin of 11% and annual profits of £2.3 million which is re investing back into the company, Bromcom’s sustained commercial performance reflects both the strength of its solutions and the trust it has built with its customers. Its inclusion in the Growth 500 is a testament to its impact, growth trajectory, and continued commitment to excellence

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When I joined in February 2022, there were 7 people in the UK team and we had no customers. Fast forward to today: we’re racing towards our 200th signed school, with a team of almost 40 (and a lovely new office 😍). We’ve seen success in nearly every educational setting—from Independent Schools to MATs and APs. For all of these schools, Compass has represented genuine choice—and choice is powerful. 🙂

A huge thank you to the entire team at Compass UK, IE, and AUS for your energy, commitment, and support over the last few years. It’s been an honour to work with you, and I have no doubt you’ll continue to thrive long into the future. 💙

I’ll be taking the next few weeks off (mainly to wrangle my kids during the summer holidays!) before diving into the next chapter in the tech and SaaS space—particularly with purpose-driven companies where I can contribute to developing GTM strategies, building high-performing teams, and driving meaningful growth.

If you know of anything exciting, or just fancy a chat, I’d love to hear from you. DMs are open! 💬

https://www.linkedin.com/in/petecollison

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Dies is an accomplished leader with more than 30 years of experience driving transformation and growth at large, global organisations. Most recently, he served as Interim CEO of Pitney Bowes, a $3 billion technology, logistics and financial services company with over 11,000 employees, serving more than 90% of the Fortune 500 and over 500,000 medium and small businesses globally. During his tenure, Dies drove a culture of client-centricity and innovation, while accelerating operational efficiency and performance.