MIS - Essential and Desirable

[rpettit]

We are currently evaluating different MIS systems.

 

I know each school is different in its requirements, but what 5 essential and 5 desirable features would you look for? - It can be more than 5!

 

Also..what would you say adds value for money.

 

Thanks

[matt40k]

Be a supplier on the UK gov's MIS framework personally - RM1500 (Information Management and Learning Services | Crown Commercial Service), seems a bit silly to be selling a MIS system in the UK and not being on the UK government MIS framework, kinda covers you from all sorts of problems. I believe Novatia plc are just resellers really as they don't have a MIS of their own so if one or more of your chosen ones aren't listed, you might be able to use them to get your chosen MIS via the framework to get the protection - just remember they'll add a charge and contract is due for renew\replacement March '16, so if you can hold off \ time limit it.

 

Beyond procurement you'll want to have stat returns as essential (census\workforce). Also worth thinking about a finance system, does this need to link into your MIS, how are you paying staff, does your HR\Payroll provider have limitations in regards to what your choices are.

 

There are a load of generic questions on EduWare - The MIS Challenge Survey Questions | The Eduware Network, hopefully your MIS systems will have already answers them.

 

Would also have a word with your ICT Coordinator in terms of what path your going down, are you going to be a Google Apps or Office 365 school for example, so if your having all chromebooks, you'll want to try it on a chromebook. This is specially true if your looking at SIMS, you'll need to add the Teacher App \ Emerge \ WebFolder otherwise you'll have trouble getting people to use the system. Then just think about some tasks you'll need to do, just simple things like, are the children going to mark themselves present on the smartboard? Little ideas that seem trivial, but some might have better solution and that might be the difference between the attendance register being entered promptly and regularly and you having to nag staff.

[PhilNeal]

1. Stat Returns - there are lots of them
   
2. An effective school improvement tool - attendance, assessment & behaviour
   
3. Provides efficiencies in terms of staff time & resources
   
4. Provides essential tools to perform the back office function - admissions, timetable, exam entries, fees (if Indy)
   
5. Provides effective parental/pupil engagement function
   

[scholarpack]

Essential

 

1) Easy to use - increase staff engagement..

2) Easy to deploy - hosted or not? We believe hosted is the right choice in 2015.

3) Easy to access - can teachers easily access in the classroom, from home, on a trip, etc?

4) Integrated modules - does assessment talk to MIS, is comms/SMS integrated with attendance

5) Friendly support - can you speak to someone when you need to

 

 

Desirable

 

I imagine that list is different for every customer! But primary Free Schools tend to want:

 

1) out-of-the-box assessment tied into the new curriculum

2) web based/cloud based

3) tablet friendly

4) lots of guidance re statutory returns in year 1

5) Open, easy to use, free to use API so they can tie in other 3rd party software where required

[GREED]

All said above is spot on. The only thing I would say, and have said for years now, is an MIS should be a jack of all trades, master of none especially when it comes to the specialisms such as assessment management and analysis (Phils comments notwithstanding), communication and parental engagement, business intelligence... things like that. Not saying these suppliers above do or do not do these well, but just don't go in thinking yiur MIS should and must do everything itself to the level you need.

 

Let's be fair, if they did there would not be the eco system of 3rd party suppliers out there! Assessment is the big one, as is any interaction with hardware (cashless catering, payments etc).