Management {SURVEY RESULTS}
Survey reveals that MIS could offer more to schools
EdExec, in collaboration with IRIS, set out to explore your views on school MIS. The results offer some powerful insights into the current state of school management information systems - and reveals some important next steps needed to make systems future fit
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urvey respondents for this research were evolution in what MIS software can do for schools. The almost exclusively made up of school leaders details reveal long-held demands and limitations that and school business managers. The survey need to be addressed for the schools of the future. posed a series of questions intended to uncover the challenges currently faced by CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION schools and MATs – the problems experienced with TIME AND MONEY MIS today – and what future-fit MIS software would One-in five (21%) respondents noted that lack of time look like and deliver. The major themes which emerged for other staff members to complete tasks impacted the revolved around the demands of time and funding, as ability of school leaders to their jobs; their use of data is to be expected in modern education settings; however, is only as effective as the source and if teachers and other interesting threads in relation to reporting, and other colleagues lack the time to input and manage data the demands of data reporting and analysis, were also effectively there is a serious flaw in the process. clear to see. Funding was another universal theme identified With money and time scarce in education, among the most significant challenges faced by schools; technology needs to deliver on many levels. When it was listed by 29% of respondents as a major difficulty searching for the best product, school leaders will be facing schools. The DfE’s call for the purchase of MIS looking for something that integrates packages that software that provides value for money - rather than provide for all operational needs. This research shows simply being the cheapest - is likely to be undermined by that a future-fit MIS will need to assist schools in the state of school budgets. Indeed, 87% of respondents registering students and mapping attendance, agreed (31%) or strongly agreed (56%) that as well as assisting in ensuring that they were expected to do more with safeguarding is front and centre in all less funding and fewer resources. that they do. In short, this research When asked about the barriers to the of respondents demonstrates that future-fit MIS introduction of new technology, agreed that they software needs to seamlessly address the funding was by far the most were expected to key pressures facing different groups of often cited, with 77% of do more with less colleagues in schools and MATs. respondents saying this The headline from this survey is was the first and second funding that there is a demand for change and most limiting factor.
87%
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Summer 2021
