We invited all MIS providers to tell us about their system and which types of customers their product is best suited to. We then asked them to articulate what made their product different from the rest. Here’s what they said…
N.B. Whilst we asked all the MIS providers to contribute, for whatever reason, not all of them responded…so any exclusions are down to them, not to WhichMIS?
“Arbor is on a mission to transform the way schools work for the better, with brilliant, intuitive tools designed to make a difference.
We’re the UK’s most popular cloud-based MIS, and are used by over 4,000 schools and 400 trusts to work more collaboratively, free staff from busywork and make a measurable improvement to the way they work each day.
More than just a dashboard, our cloud MIS for MATs is custom-built for better collaboration across your trust, with tools that make it easy to work together as one organisation.
Arbor is designed for schools and trusts of all phases, whether you’re a Primary School, Secondary School, Special School, PRU or AP. Arbor MAT MIS is designed specifically for MAT central teams. Our MIS is not designed for independent schools.”
And what makes Arbor different?
“Everything you need, all brought together: We believe that schools work best when all staff have access to a single MIS. Arbor includes the tools all your staff need – whatever their role, and whatever your school phase
Designed to make a difference: At the heart of our MIS is a commitment to make a measurable difference to the way schools work. 92% of our users say Arbor has transformed the way they work for the better
Consistently top-rated: We have a track record of building and launching features that schools and MATs love. From Attendance to Exams, Payments to Comms, Seating Plans to Assessments – we’re the top-rated multi-phase MIS across functionality, service and quality of support
Market-leading data platform: Arbor combines data from the DfE and Ofsted with student, staff, finance and HR data in our market-leading data warehouse
Proven migration process: We’ve migrated more schools from legacy, server-based systems to the cloud than any other MIS provider
The only true MIS for Multi-Academy Trusts: Our School MIS and MAT MIS work seamlessly together, giving our users a single ecosystem for their trust, and making it easy to work together as one organisation”
“Bromcom MIS is a cloud-based MIS developed over approximately 35+ years of close collaboration with schools, teachers, parents and the Department for Education.
Fully integrated with our Finance product, our MIS functionality is best-in-class.
Although our system is really intuitive, we offer training to give you a more in-depth look at getting the best from the system. We understand that everyone learns in a different way and at different speeds, so we have used all of the latest training tools available to really help you get your head around your new MIS.
Bromcom is designed for all phases: nursery, primary, secondary, all through and SEND.”
And what makes Bromcom different?
“Bromcom is the only Queen Award winning MIS company. Our one-stop-shop solution removes the need of a myriad of 3rd party bolt-ons including finance and HR and allows for a single point of truth to be available to all key stakeholders.
Our experience in the marketplace draws together both technical and educational excellence to provide a solution that meets the needs of the school community. The wide range of functionality and configurability of the Bromcom solution allows flexibility so to meet the demanding and specific needs of a school.
Changing MIS should not mean that you need to change your policies and procedures, your MIS should be able to adapt to enhance and improve teaching and learning across your school.”
“Compass Education is run by a passionate, innovative team that wants to help your school. Our all-in-one MIS makes light work of school administration, freeing up valuable time to create inspiring learning experiences.
Proudly serving 2,000+ schools globally, Compass ensures everyone in the school community has the right tools for their job.
From tracking attendance and wellbeing, to organising trips, completing census returns and managing free school meals. Plus, our mobile app keeps parents connected to their child’s learning.
We’re here to make the school day more productive, impactful and enjoyable helping learning to thrive.
Our product is suited to all school types, phases and specialisms, with its core functionality centred around attendance, people, assessments and behavioural data. Each of Compass’ modules are incredibly flexible, and provide a solution for any user, whether it be recording SEN data, sending communications or collecting payments.”
And what makes Compass different?
“Compass brings all things school related into one connected, cloud-based platform. Complete with native iOS and Android applications for staff, students and parents, Compass not only reduces the administrative burden of teaching staff members, but also boosts engagement within every school’s community.
Our modern and visual interface is easy to use and even easier to learn, streamlining the learning curve that comes with switching MIS platforms.
Our ecosystem of over 40 modules ensures everyone in the school community has the right tools and technology for their job.
Our customer-facing Product team is dedicated to ensuring our Product roadmap aligns with user and market needs, meaning our innovation is guided by the real needs of the users of our product.
Combine that with our in-house support and training program that is second to none, Compass is a team of passionate experts that are committed to helping your school thrive.”
“Discover the primary-first MIS.
The cloud-based school Management Information System (MIS) that’s uniquely engineered to meet the needs of primary schools. Juniper Horizons provides everyone in the office and the classroom with all the tools they need to manage their busy school day.
Its straightforward intuitive design makes it really easy to use so you benefit from more efficient processes for a lot less effort.
And what makes Horizons different?
The MIS your team will use in and out of school:
It’s intuitive and easy for all staff to use – no lengthy training required.
Navigation is effortless, features are intuitive and data is easy to interrogate.
Say goodbye to overly complicated admin tasks and hard to find information:
Designed logically for today’s busy school staff, Horizons groups tasks so that the next step is exactly where you’d expect it. Assign meal choices as you take the register, send letters home from an attendance report or access key pupil or staff information from the search bar – it’s all just one click away.
Clear, transparent and competitive pricing:
No hidden fees when the invoice arrives, and no paying extra to unlock the most useful features. We offer inclusive software that will help you run your school successfully as standard. We also offer discounts for longer-term financial security and flexible payment plans to support ongoing budgeting.
Everything a primary school needs in an MIS without unnecessary complications.”
“Designed for independent and international schools of all types and sizes, HUBmis is a fully modular and scalable, cloud- native MIS.
Its strength lies in the user-friendly and intuitive interface, supporting the entire school from the classroom to the school office and more. HUBmis will streamline administrative procedures, improve communication and engagement, and enhance all areas of academic information management.
As a world-class and cost-effective solution for the future, implementing HUBmis will ensure your school can continue to focus on what’s important – delivering outstanding education.”
And what makes HUBmis different?
“Feature-rich, built from the ground up, HUBmis sets new standards for what Independent schools can expect from an MIS, specifically around:
User interface and experience:
Best in class design for a next generation user experience, resulting in a beautiful product that is so intuitive it requires little or no training.
Cloud-native technology:
HUBmis uses the latest technology to deliver a best in class, next generation solution, providing a gold standard in security, architecture and user experience.
API and integration:
Built on API, HUBmis will not only ensure data integrity across your chosen systems, but allows for deeper integration than currently possible, opening up new possibilities within the EdTech space.”
“IRIS Ed:gen is a next-generation, fully cloud-based Management Information System (MIS) which is flexible and customisable to meet the evolving and unique needs of schools and Multi Academy Trusts (MATs).
It enables leaders to stay ahead of regulatory change; streamline school management by automating mundane and complex operational tasks to drive success; and engage employees, parents and students to exchange important information and build valuable relationships.
IRIS Ed:gen combines comprehensive functionality and real-time data with a user-friendly interface saving staff time and promoting informed decision-making, meaningful intervention and sustainable growth –
making a real impact on the outcomes of students.”
And what makes IRIS Ed:gen different?
“IRIS Ed:gen is a game changer in school MIS’; supporting back office staff, teachers, school senior leadership teams, and trust management to work smarter. Not harder.
The modular design – incorporating more than 40 modules as standard – combined with seamless integration, delivers unparalleled functionality and a future-fit MIS capable of meeting the evolving needs of schools and MATs.
To give an example of an integration in action, the safeguarding and pastoral care tool is fully incorporated with other parts of the MIS and offers workflow-driven management, notifying schools when there is a reason to be concerned about a student and an intervention needs to be made.
IRIS Ed:gen provides MAT leaders with visibility and control over all financial, academic, admissions, wellbeing, and administrative data. It achieves this within a single, intuitive school MIS to deliver better trust management and performance across all KPIs.
Customisable to meet unique school and MAT requirements, IRIS Ed:gen supports more collaborative working practices, and is proven to streamline operations and supercharge performance.
The smart MIS is powered by IRIS Central, which has the capability to consolidate data from any system into rich and insightful dashboards, enabling fast and impactful decision making.
IRIS Education know that school life is busy and switching to a new MIS system is a significant change. So, the team make sure that all schools or MATs switching to IRIS Ed:gen receive expert training and around-the-clock support to manage the transition from legacy systems.”
“iSAMS MIS and suite of systems are built for Independent and International schools.
The iSAMS MIS is a secure, configurable, and centralised cloud-based management information system with a suite of portals and apps for parents, students, and teachers. iSAMS gives your school full control of all administrative, academic, admissions, finance and wellbeing information. Over 1,300 schools globally trust our solutions to manage their daily school operations.
Our module-based approach allows schools to build their own system and grow it to their exact needs. iSAMS solutions are 100% cloud-based to prioritise your data security.”
And what makes iSAMS different?
“We offer a 100% cloud-based system for both the iSAMS’ MIS and Finance solutions. Our comprehensive API also allows for third parties to seamlessly integrate with the iSAMS MIS.
We have a dedicated support team available 19hrs each day on the phone, via email or through our ticketing system. Our support website is accessible 24/7 with helpful guides to help users understand and manage iSAMS.
95% of our support queries get resolved by our support team, with a 95% satisfaction rating given by our users. iSAMS schools are also allocated their own dedicated Customer Account Manager.
We also offer a range of training services for new and existing schools, including our e-learning platform, iUniversity, offering unlimited access to over 70 courses to help schools get the most out of the iSAMS system.”
PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS) provides schools and educational organizations with a highly configurable platform that meets their specific needs. From timetables to grading to staff, student, and parent information, PowerSchool ensures that your management tools are secure and centralized so that you can better support each student’s unique needs.
And what makes PowerSchool different?
In today’s ever-evolving learning environment, it’s critical to have a student information system that can adjust with the times. PowerSchool Student Information System (SIS) offers you key flexibility and interoperability to help meet your needs today as well as set you up for future success. PowerSchool’s unmatched expertise helps educators get the most out of your edtech investment. Our dynamic worldwide community of active users collaborates to improve education operations and share best practices. PowerSchool helps keep your data safe, secure, and accessible with our dedicated team of security and compliance experts. With optional cloud hosting via Microsoft Azure, there are no more extra costs or time involved with self-hosted maintenance. PowerSchool SIS adheres to the highest security standards, holding ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications.
PowerSchool has partnered with Snowflake to provide schools and organisations with Connected Intelligence, the first fully management data-as-a-service (DaaS) platform for education. PowerSchool Connected Intelligence secures all of your data in one place to empower educators with key insights while improving student outcomes.
“Satchel One is a cloud-based MIS built from over 10 years’ experience in the UK education sector. With a teacher-first approach and a focus on ease of use, Satchel One supports schools of all sizes, from smaller Primary Schools to large Multi-Academy Trusts, thanks to its streamlined communication between home and school and powerful classroom management. An evolution of the award-winning learning platform, the Satchel One MIS contains everything you need to run and manage your school from the cloud. Launching October 2023.
Satchel One is built to support Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Multi-Academy Trusts and Independent Schools. With its added functionality that supports holistic classroom management, it is primed for modern schools wishing to streamline their technology without compromising on functionality.”
And what makes Satchel One different?
“Satchel One is the first MIS in the UK to start out as a learning platform with functionality that covered homework, behaviour management, seating plans, attendance, detentions, mobile apps, reporting and more. Satchel One already has incredibly high adoption across all stakeholders in schools. The MIS will connect school and home, providing one login for teachers, students and parents on desktop and mobile.
The strength of Satchel One is its holistic approach to teaching and learning and access to data related to these areas, which can be better utilised when part of an MIS. Through knowing more about the school community with data points from home-learning, behaviour, welfare concerns and attendance rates, schools can better understand and support their learners, better implement their policies and better run and manage their school.
As strengths of integrations have grown, along with the breadth of functionality for administrators and senior leaders, the natural progression for Satchel One to become a ‘One Stop Shop’ was the evolution into a full, cloud-based MIS.”
“ScholarPack is the simple school office MIS that primary schools love to use. It lightens the load for office staff and makes every day easier.
ScholarPack gives your team streamlined essentials like attendance, reporting, and meals in one simple, visual system. Get wherever you need in 3-4 clicks, meaning it’s easy to master and helps you filter out complexity from day one.
Plus, switching is quick and easy with 24 hour migration. Only one day of training is needed and no configuration.
ScholarPack is designed for Primary Schools only.”
And what makes ScholarPack different?
ScholarPack is the only MIS designed specifically for Primary Schools. It’s a light, cost-effective system that does the basics really well and filters out complexity.
Office staff can pick it up quickly and run with it – get wherever you need in 3-4 clicks and navigate your way around our colourful, visual system with ease. Heads can access what they need quickly and directly, too.
Get and running in just 2 days: Switching is quick and easy with 24 hour migration, only one day of training needed, and no configuration. ScholarPack gives you ready to go tools, out of the box.”
“SIMS management information system (MIS) from ESS is trusted by thousands of schools. As the UK’s leading MIS, SIMS provides key insights for leaders into all aspects of school life, be it measuring attainment, tracking absences or monitoring wellbeing, greatly simplifying school management.
Recently acquired by the ParentPay Group, a planned £40m investment programme is underway to deliver SIMS Next Gen – a new suite of products that uses cloud and the latest technology to make it simpler to spot issues or trends. Take Register, the first SIMS Next Gen development has already been deployed in primary schools and allows teachers to take the register on any device including their mobile phone.
For over 35 years, SIMS has led the way in UK schools and has a presence in 40 countries around the world. We have solutions for primary, secondary, independent and international schools. SIMS is also used by specialist settings across the UK.”
And what makes SIMS different?
“The SIMS MIS provides the richest functionality available and is completely flexible, meaning schools can define the exact data they want for the specific needs of their school.
It allows you to quickly deliver savings in both the time and the cost of running key school processes – from continuous pupil assessment, monitoring attendance and behaviour, parental engagement, financial management and staff performance.
All key school functions are integrated to provide a real-time picture of your pupils, school or MAT so teachers, management and support staff can make informed decisions that have a direct impact on pupil outcomes.
Take Register (part of SIMS Next Gen) frees up teachers from burdensome administration by making registration an altogether simpler task. SIMS Insights, which is currently being rolled out, gives schools and MATs further insights to easily identify absence patterns in pupil attendance. In time, the goal is to provide teachers and parents with notifications when a child is absent, enabling schools to address the issue with relevant interventions before a more significant problem takes hold.”
“Veracross is your one-stop-shop for managing information across your entire school community. With solutions for every department built upon our one-person, one-record database, Veracross solves the unique problems that face independent schools everywhere.
Veracross helps you unify your community, improve communication for parents and students, and streamline workflows for your teachers and staff.
Our 100% cloud-based platform maximizes data privacy, security, and accessibility, giving every member of your community access to the tools and information they need—anytime, from anywhere.
With market-leading NPS scores and 99.5% customer retention, Veracross is trusted by hundreds of schools in 30+ countries.
Veracross MIS serves independent and international primary and secondary schools. We provide solutions for every department including admissions and enrolment, academics, accounting and finance, fee billing and payment processing, fundraising and more!”
And what makes Veracross different?
“Single-Record Database: Solutions for every department are built upon our one-person, one-record database—including admissions, academics, accounting and finance, fee billing, fundraising and more. Each person in your community from applicant to alumni, parent to donor, has only a single record associated with them for life, meaning that data doesn’t get copied, pushed, or pulled to serve various departments. Veracross is your trusted source of truth, supplying everyone with information they need to do their job quickly, efficiently and accurately.
Online Fee Billing: The Veracross fee billing solution makes it easy for schools to bill and collect school fees from families. Schools can choose to allow families to pay fees via credit card or bank transfer—even offer multiple payment plans—all while receiving next day settlement. And with individual account records automatically updating upon payment completion, schools are freed from time-consuming reconciliation.
Interoperability: Veracross MIS features a best-in-class open API that powers deep, two-way integrations with the solutions that schools are already using. With over 175 integration partners (and growing!) schools can connect the solutions that work for them into our single-record database, keeping Veracross as the system of record across all departments.
Market-Leading Support: Our NPS score of 58 and 99.5% customer retention demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our customers, our market-leading support model and our passion to support educators across the globe!g
