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Free MIS Discovery Sessions for Schools, Academies & Trusts this September

Nick Finnemore 2 Comment

On the back of a LOT of requests from schools, academies, partners and MATS, this September we were pleased to independently host a series of MIS Discovery Sessions.

With everything going on in the MIS market at the moment, schools have a real appetite for understanding all the MIS+Finance options available to them. They told us they’d like to take a look at all the MIS options available in England & Wales so this month we were pleased to host the three largest multi-phase, cloud-based school MIS+Finance suppliers: Bromcom, Arbor and IRIS Ed:gen.

Who were the Sessions for?

We hosted the MIS Discovery Sessions as virtual events which are completely free of charge to participate in and to attend. The sessions were open to all schools, MATs and academies in England and Wales, plus anyone else from the sector who’d like to find out more.

 

What did the Discovery Sessions cover?

We asked suppliers to talk about how their MIS meets the needs of key people within schools (including business managers, SLT, teaching staff, finance, students, governors, and parents) and asked them all the follow the same agenda to make it easier to compare.
But it wasn’t just about the software; we also asked suppliers to talk about their organisation and culture, and what it’s like to work with them – especially when it comes to switching MIS. There was plenty of Q&A throughout each day and the goal was to help everyone feel confident about the options open to them and the next steps.

I was unable to attend, can I access recordings and information now?

Yes, all the suppliers are happy to share the recordings plus more info on everything discussed in the sessions, just click on the links below:

 

Bromcom MIS Discovery Session

Arbor MIS Discovery Session

IRIS Ed:gen MIS Discovery Session

Thank you to all the suppliers who took part, and to all the participants who joined us in the sessions. We had over 240 people register across the three days and the feedback has been great.
We’re looking to run further sessions in the future – watch this space!
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What’s the role of Management Information Systems in schools these days? 

Sarah Finnemore 2 Comment

What’s the role of Management Information Systems in schools these days?  Something to save teachers time?   That’s what is was first invented for in the 80’s but it’s not what it’s about now.

Something to give the government more insight?  While government and academy chiefs want to know more about each child, teachers say data entry has become burdensome and a source of stress.

We work with MIS suppliers all the time but I wanted the opinion of a school leader, so I asked my headteacher friend what she thinks schools need from an MIS.  Her response was straight to the point:

  1. Everyone needs to be able to use it whenever they want, however they want
  2. It’s not just about school staff any more – it’s for parents and students too
  3. You need to prove you’re getting value for money
  4. It needs to make your lives easier every day
  5. It has to support your School Development Plan
  6. It can’t be unnecessarily complicated – people just won’t use it.

So what do you choose to achieve the above?

There are more choices available now than ever. Local MIS support units who traditionally only supported a single supplier now offer their customers a range of MIS contracts. They support the process, not the product.

MIS will continue to evolve as schools and academies evolve – it has to.  There’s no point in sticking with the old way of doing things purely because “this is what we’ve always done”.