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.

Who were the Sessions for?

What did the Discovery Sessions cover?

Bromcom MIS Discovery Session

Arbor MIS Discovery Session

IRIS Ed:gen MIS Discovery Session

Our first fireside chat of the new academic year is with education thought leader, Duncan Baldwin. Duncan brings a wealth of sector experience to our chat, from teaching positions and his time at Capita SIMS (now ESS SIMS), to influencing government as Deputy Policy Director at ASCL and his current Headship at The Castle Rock School, part of the Apollo Partnership Trust.

In part 1 of this fireside chat, we discuss:

• Duncan’s background (including his encounter with Margaret Thatcher!) and how he has come to hold such a variety of posts across education
• His focus on outcomes, data for improvement, and how he’s helped people understand the asset they have in MIS software.

In part 2 we cover:

• How he’s utilised his breadth of experience within his Headship role
• Government initiatives and how data is used to show they were working
• ASCL policies and initiatives
• His project with SISRA and encouraging school-to-school collaboration

Part 3 focuses on:

• What are the better performance measures out there?
• Duncan’s work with SMID and askEddi on identifying trends
• Why Christmas jumper day is not always the fun thing you think it might be for many pupils!

In part 4 we discuss:

• Unearthing insights by collaborating with other schools on data
• The challenges of MFL – especially when pupils move to secondary school – and the challenges of transitioning from Year 6 to Year 7 in a global pandemic
• The impact of the SixIntoSeven project, developed in partnership with school leaders in response to Covid-19 school closures and cancelled SATs in 2021

And finally, in part 5 I ask:

• What’s next for Duncan, his school and his Trust?
• As an outward-facing education thinker, would he be willing to collaborate with schools and industry further?

Next in our series of Q&As with edtech thought leaders is Co-founder of Applicaa, Guthrie Denniston.

Guthrie and the team at Applicaa have created a solution so schools can manage their admissions process online, saving time and money in the process.

The admissions process has become even more of a challenge with the restrictions Covid has brought, but Applicaa has found ways to support schools further with virtual open days.

Check out Nick and Guthrie‘s virtual get together below where they talk about what makes this solution unique, the difference this company makes to schools and parents, and future challenges.

We’ve split the full interview into parts to make it a bit easier to digest. Enjoy!

Over the summer, we took the opportunity to have a virtual get together with thought leader and entrepreneur Josh Perry to talk all things education.

Josh has a diverse and creative background, having worked in a large, progressive MAT himself and then going on to start numerous edtech businesses.

Really interesting views on everything from the role of MATs in an emerging tech market, his new projects (including Carousel, Smartgrade and advisory work), trends in the MIS sector, his Bring More Data blog, thoughts on forthcoming MIS mergers/acquisitions, and a great deal more!

Lots of insightful stuff was discussed so we’ve split the interview out into separate parts below – enjoy!

Over the summer holidays, Nick caught up with Scholarpack CEO, Richard Harley, for the next in our series of Q&As with edtech business leaders.

Scholarpack is the only MIS created specifically for primary schools. In this interview, Nick and Rich discuss why creating a unique MIS to meet the specific needs of primary schools has worked so well, and how the MIS educations sector might change in the future.

We’ve split it into three parts to make it easy to digest.  Enjoy!

Have you read the publication from TES https://www.tes.com/news/why-are-some-children-leaving-school-still-unable-read on why some children are not able to read adequately by the time they have left Secondary school?  What a travesty!  It’s an issue we need to understand better on the causes, but it is essential we resolve.

What Dianne and James Murphy focus on is absolutely correct, no child should come out of Secondary Education without being able to read sufficiently. We all need to be passionate about this due to the potential social issues that permeate, like the greater risk to the person becoming a NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training) or even ending in prison.

Reading is one of the fundamental life skills that needs to be instilled into pupils as part of their Primary Education.

I fully appreciate that not every child either enjoys or is able to read to the standards of their peers.  However, the main principals need to have to be learnt by the time they have left Primary education. I worry that too many children ‘slip through the net’ due to needs that are not understood until too late.  As with adults, children are fully aware of the stigma of not being able to read and as such try to hide any potential issues rather than look for support.

Personal Experience

On a personal level I am fully aware of how dyslexia can affect your ability to read or write – and the impact on how you digest information. As I grew up I have had to find mechanisms to help me (thankfully my wife is a great proof reader of my content!).  However, at school I did what a lot of students do and became disruptive and a truant to disguise this issue.

Can technology help?

We need to look towards technological solutions to identify these individual needs and not just rely on what either a pupil says or does. We should be looking at technology to support the professional job that teachers do so they can put in place those strong interventions so that none of our children fall behind.

As part of the work I do in looking at technology to solve the needs in education, one company I was really impressed with has a solution that is up for the Bett awards called Lexplore . It can identify reading needs in children, not just dyslexia, I would suggest having a look and make your own minds up. This is a great tool and, alongside our great teachers, we can stop the travesty of our children leaving education without being able to read!!