As part of our ongoing partnership with The Assignment Report, WhichMIS? is pleased to bring you a monthly selection of carefully chosen articles exploring the people, products and trends shaping education technology in schools.
In this second edition, we highlight three companies widely used across the education sector, offering insight into company announcements.
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Wonde announces partnership with Blackout Education
Wonde, a provider of cloud-based school data management, has entered into a partnership with Blackout Education, the London-based provider of safeguarding technology for schools. The agreement will enable schools using Wonde to integrate Blackout’s platform, enabling schools to establish controlled “blackout” periods that aims to reduce digital distraction, encourage positive behaviour and foster safer learning environments.
Commenting, Mark Hadley, CEO of Blackout Education, said: “Blackout turns smartphones into brick phones during the school day. The data shows that when we remove the digital noise-dropping notifications by over 90% in some cases, we don’t just stop distractions; we fundamentally change the school culture. We’re proud to join forces with Wonde and together we can scale this impact, helping more schools move from constant policing to a focused, healthier learning environment.”
Juniper Education appoints Sarah Barton as CEO
Juniper Education, the Horizon Capital-backed provider of software and professional services to UK schools, has announced the appointment of Sarah Barton as its new CEO. Prior to joining Juniper as COO in 2021, Sarah Barton was Deputy Director of Education at Reach2 Academy Trust, the largest primary-only Multi-academy trust in the country. She succeeds Chris Scarth who is remaining with Juniper but in a much more focused role, working with Juniper’s partners and on its largest opportunities with MATs and schools in a strategic commercial capacity.
Sarah Barton’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Juniper with the launch at BETT 2026 of JoinUp, the company’s new proposition aimed at helping schools and Multi-academy trusts work more effectively by connecting people, systems and services. The JoinUp platform provides schools with a connected foundation for managing statutory data alongside the Juniper products they choose to support school improvement.
Inventry – Company Results
Inventry, the Leeds-based provider of sign-in solutions for visitors, staff and contractors, has reported an EBITDA of £1.1m for the year ended 31 March 2025 (2024: £1.3m), on revenue down 3% to £10.6m (2024: £10.9m). EBITDA margin fell 130bps to 10.4% (2024: 11.7%).
Inventry said the decrease in revenue was a result of the company shifting away from one-off sales of hardware and software to subscription based packages. Customer renewals in FY25 were over 90%, Inventry said. The shift to subscription packages is reflected in Inventry’s gross margin, which increased 450bps to 75.2% in FY25 (2024: 70.7%).
The average monthly number of staff employed by the company in FY25 increased 10% to 144 (2024: 131).
The company had net funds of £1.6m at the year-end (2024: £2.2m).
Founded in 2010 by Phil Lawson and Philip Brooke, Inventry’s visitor management system was originally designed for schools but is now in operation across a range of sectors including healthcare, government and business. The company said its flagship integrated visitor entry system is used by more than 10,000 schools and businesses, generating 5.7 million sign-ins and outs and capturing over 146,000 visitor images every week.
| Inventry | |||
| Year ended 31 March (£ million) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
| Revenue by type | |||
| Subscriptions and maintenance packages | 5.3 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| Sales of hardware, software and consumables | 5.3 | 6.8 | 5.2 |
| Total revenue | 10.6 | 10.9 | 9.8 |
| Gross profit | 8.0 | 7.7 | 7.0 |
| Gross margin | 75.2% | 70.7% | 70.9% |
| EBITDA | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 |
| EBITDA margin | 10.4% | 11.7% | 15.2% |
| Source: Inventry Holdings Ltd. | |||
First published in the February 2026 issue of The Assignment Report www.theassignmentreport.com