Tag: Arbor Updates

There are countless ways we could show you how we’re the UK’s number 1 when it comes to being the most-loved MIS. But we figured that this Arbor by numbers blog would be a good starting point.  Over 9,000 schools and 850 trusts have chosen Arbor Making us the UK’s most popular cloud MIS Most…

Today we’ve written to all schools using ScholarPack and Integris to let them know that we are discontinuing these MIS systems in February 2026. We will instead support all schools using ScholarPack and Integris to move to Arbor. This is a big change, but we’re confident it will be a positive one, so we wanted…

Introduction: Where it started We launched Arbor in 2011 to address a very clear problem: more than 60% of a school’s time, attention and work is spent on non-teaching tasks. Reporting. Data. Analysis. Communication. Admin. All weighing staff down, and getting in the way of teaching and learning. We recognised that most non-teaching work is…

We’re aware that there have recently been a series of pieces published on the relationship between Local Authority teams and MIS providers. Specifically, people have been asking why MIS providers might pay fees to LA teams. We wanted to take some time to explain what happens, and what specifically we’ve done at Arbor, to get…

Most SIMS contracts are set to renew in 2025 and 2026 – which means the majority of schools and MATs now have about 4-6 months to take a look around and find the best MIS for their teams. At Arbor, we think this is an incredibly exciting opportunity for schools and trusts. We’ve always believed…

I’m really pleased to welcome the schools, products and teams behind TimeTabler to The Key Group today. I wanted to explain a little bit about why we chose to acquire TimeTabler, and what this means for the schools we work with.   Who is TimeTabler? TimeTabler is a leading timetabling, options and cover management tool…

We’re aware that SIMS is encouraging schools to sign a new 3 year contract now, ahead of your 2025 renewal. I wanted to take the chance to do some myth-busting before you make your decision! – Don’t feel rushed into re-signing without seeing what’s out there – schools save 30% by switching rather than sticking!…

We are excited to announce that Arbor Finance, formerly RM Finance, has recently been chosen by East Sussex Local Authority as the new accounting system for its 111 schools.  Arbor Finance was recently brought into the Arbor Education family, home to the UK’s most-loved school software.  This fantastic opportunity in East Sussex represents the first…

I’m thrilled to welcome the schools, platforms and teams behind RM Integris, RM Finance and RM Accounts to The Key Group today. There has been a lot going on in the world of Management Information Systems over the past year; schools have realised that cloud-based systems can open up an entirely new way of more…

I’ve never written an open letter before, but I think it’s fair to say that the past few months have seen a lot of “firsts” in the Management Information System (MIS) space…! You’ll probably know by now that back in November SIMS announced it would only offer 3 year contracts to schools. Whilst thousands of…

Join us on the 27th April for the Schools & Academies Show 2022, taking place in the Excel Centre. We are excited to join the biggest names in education in what has become the UK’s largest education policy event, attracting over 8,000 attendees from schools, academies, MATs, LAs and government. Sign-up to the event for…

We’re delighted to announce that Scomis is now an accredited support partner for Arbor MIS! Scomis is a leading specialist in school support services, working with over 810 schools and MATS across England in 53 local authorities. Scomis pride themselves on providing the highest levels of service which empower everyone at all levels within a…

At Arbor we pride ourselves on working closely with school staff across the country to help us develop the tools that will make the biggest improvement to the way they work. 92% of school staff say Arbor has changed the way they work for the better. 81% say Arbor has improved how they analyse and…

Schools have been adapting and innovating endlessly over the past 12 months. It’s been tough, but it’s also resulted in some innovative, positive changes to how schools work.  To handle these new ways of working, we’ve seen more schools than ever before planning to move to a cloud-based MIS (Management Information System) like Arbor, with…

Click here to find out about ArborFest: The New Features Edition, taking place virtually on May 5th, 2022. Last Thursday and Friday (18th-19th March), we were delighted to host the third ever ArborFest – a two-day virtual festival with talks, workshops and forums exploring innovative ways of working with Arbor MIS. A huge thank you…

Alongside our focus on encouraging diversity and inclusion in the Arbor team, our Product Designer, Christie, wanted to shine a light on the work that our new Front-End development and User Experience (UX) team have been doing to integrate inclusivity into the design of Arbor MIS our products. Our mission is to transform the way…

Schools have had to be particularly resourceful with budgets this year. With that in mind, it’s especially important to have visibility over how this year’s spend compares to previous years, and to other schools, so you can plan an effective budget going forwards.  To help save you time when planning your annual budget and present…

At this time of year, we’d normally be getting ready to meet schools and MATs at BETT (over lunch and a glass of wine!). Sadly that can’t happen this year due to Covid-19, so we’ve decided to make a new plan instead. You and your whole team deserve a break after what’s been a challenging…

The Schools and Academies Show is back! Join us online this week from Tuesday 17th – Friday 20th November to learn more about Arbor’s cloud-based MIS! Previous Schools and Academies Shows have been fantastic opportunities for schools and trusts to meet different suppliers, see products in action with live, tailored demos, and have honest conversations…

Click here to find out about ArborFest: The New Features Edition, taking place virtually on May 5th, 2022. Last week we welcomed over 1,500 members of staff from over 500 schools, trusts and partner organisations to ArborFest – our virtual customer conference dedicated to transformative ways of working.  The benefits of being online were that…

Schools are at the heart of Arbor. Hear from Arbor’s Head of Product, Hilary, all about how we use feedback from schools and the “RICE” framework to shape the vision for our MIS.   At Arbor, we’re always looking for new ways to help schools work better. When we develop new features in our MIS, we…

Today we’re announcing Arbor’s biggest product release ever, with seven new features designed to help you work faster, smarter and collaborate more across your school or trust.  Working hand-in-hand with school staff like you, we’re constantly improving and evolving Arbor to meet the new demands facing staff. This wave of brand new tools forms part…

As the fastest-growing MIS provider in the country, we’re learning and changing all the time. As we grow further, Arbor’s Talent Acquisition Manager Sophie, explains why Diversity & Inclusion is one of our top priorities. Striving for a wide range of perspectives Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) is a very important topic at the moment, both…

When you’re putting together your School Improvement Plan, an important first step is to gather evidence of your school’s performance. Understanding your attainment in depth, including the attainment gaps between different student groups and the factors that cause them, will help you identify the areas your improvement efforts could have the most impact. Since there…

The summer break is usually a chance to step back, reflect on the last Term, and gradually start preparations for Autumn. This year, with so many new timetabling and curriculum arrangements coming in September, there’s likely to be even more planning to do in July and August.  Whilst you’re preparing for the new Term, you…

Click here to find out about ArborFest: The New Features Edition, taking place virtually on May 5th, 2022. Last week we welcomed 100 School Leaders, Business Managers, Teachers and Admins from schools and MATs using Arbor across the country. It was a fantastic day of keynote speeches, breakout sessions and discussions on topics across the…

What we do and why… At Arbor, we’re on a mission to transform the way schools work with smarter, hassle-free tools teachers love to use.  You’ve seen the headlines. Sadly, the mess and stress of data and admin is a major source of unhappiness in our schools. 60% of a teacher’s time is spent on…

As I’m sure you’ve read, the new Ofsted Inspection Framework has now come into effect. Central to the new framework is the idea that there isn’t a “correct” way for schools to do things – whereas the old framework encouraged inspectors to look at your school’s results and use data for accountability purposes, the new…

What’s the best way for your school to engage with parents? Far too often we’ve seen schools struggle with a mixture of asking parents to check letters, forms, payment systems, booking systems, and report cards. This causes too much manual work for schools, and makes it hard for parents to keep on top of everything.…

More and more schools and MATs are choosing to move MIS, with 1,000+ schools and MATs predicted to switch this year, and we’ve definitely noticed interest in our own products and services increasing. We now work with over 600 schools spread across hundreds of MATs and Local Authorities, driven by a desire to transform the…

We know that switching MIS can be a daunting idea, but it doesn’t need to be. Schools & MATs who are thinking of switching MIS often ask us what moving to Arbor involves, so we’ve written this short blog to show how easy it is. You can do it in 5 simple steps! Step 1:…