SIMS has recently written to schools to say that they will only be able to complete their Census in SIMS7 until Spring 2026. After that, all schools on SIMS will need to start doing their census in SIMS Next Gen to continue meeting statutory requirements.
If you haven’t had time to dig into the details, here’s what we understand is happening:
- You can complete Census on SIMS7 until Spring 2026 — but not after
- SIMS Next Gen is a new version of SIMS – with a new look, and new functionality to learn
- Next Gen is not yet complete — many features won’t be built until 2026
So for the first time, there’s no question that schools on SIMS will need to start using a new MIS. And at Arbor, we believe this is a really exciting opportunity to make that change count.
More than half of English schools have made the switch to an alternative MIS – with more choosing Arbor than all other systems combined. With Arbor, on average schools save:
- Up to 2 hours every week for busy office teams, as Arbor is so easy and intuitive to use
- Over an hour and a half for Headteachers, as Arbor brings together the data you need, and the tools to act on it in real-time
- £5,000 per year on average by replacing separate systems for things like comms, payments, and parent portal/app
And for four years in a row, Arbor’s MIS has been voted the most-loved by schools.
This Autumn, we’re running dedicated demo sessions to help demystify the changes for schools on SIMS and show you what life looks like with Arbor MIS. Sign up below to see Arbor in action, or reach out if you’d prefer a one-to-one conversation.
Don’t worry if you’re locked in a long SIMS contract – with our Pay-for-One Promise, you can switch to Arbor any time and we won’t charge you for your core Arbor licence until your SIMS contract expires. Read more here.
Thanks for taking the time to read this – I hope it helps in your decision-making, and I look forward to speaking with many of you soon!
James
James Weatherill, CEO at Arbor
