{"id":247344,"date":"2026-06-08T14:02:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:02:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=247344"},"modified":"2026-06-09T09:41:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:41:41","slug":"schools-expected-to-use-government-route-to-buy-mis-from-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/schools-expected-to-use-government-route-to-buy-mis-from-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Schools ‘expected’ to use government route to buy MIS from 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

Schools will be \u201cexpected\u201d to secure management information system (MIS) suppliers through a new government framework from next year.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s announcement comes after Schools Week <\/em>revealed last year<\/a> that ministers were looking to shield schools from the \u00a3200 million MIS turf war by creating the new purchasing route.<\/p>\n

The move is part of the Department for Education\u2019s \u201cmaximising value for pupils\u201d programme<\/a> \u2013 a wide-ranging scheme aiming to boost \u201cinvestment in the school system, so every pound delivers for children\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking this afternoon, education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: \u201cOur new framework\u00a0means schools no longer\u00a0have to\u00a0do it themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are stepping in to support them to drive down costs, protect pupils\u2019 data, and lift the burden so the school workforce can focus on what they came into the job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

2027 target<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The department told leaders in November it understands buying MIS \u201ccan be difficult\u201d, as it looked \u201cto create a simpler purchasing route that reduces costs and legal risks with suppliers\u201d.<\/p>\n

Slides shown during a DfE webinar the same month said officials want to ensure data \u201cflow[s] smoothly across school, trust, local authority and national levels\u201d.<\/p>\n

They also hope to \u201cease\u201d information transfers when schools move trusts and simplify \u201ccontract exit around [the] transfer of data while protecting relevant supplier IP\u201d.<\/p>\n

And now the government has said all schools with \u201csufficient broadband\u201d will be expected to procure their MIS through the framework from September 2027 \u201cunder a comply or explain approach\u201d.<\/p>\n

The framework – which will provide “a list of approved suppliers” – is due to be published next summer.<\/p>\n

\u2018Buying power\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Schools \u201cshould not break existing contracts\u201d. Instead, they will be expected to \u201cidentify when their current agreement expires and plan their transition accordingly\u201d.<\/p>\n

DfE added the framework will give officials \u201cthe collective buying power of 22,000 schools\u201d.<\/p>\n

Currently, most schools secure their MIS \u2013 which is their \u201ccore administrative software\u201d containing pupil data, like attendance figures, safeguarding records and SEND data \u2013 independently.<\/p>\n

This, the department said, creates \u201cunpredictable price increases, unclear exit clauses, inconsistent data security standards, and significant administrative burden \u2014 diverting time and resource away from teaching and learning\u201d.<\/p>\n

Procurement \u2018minefield\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Education consultant Duncan Baldwin previously argued that \u201cnavigating procurement for these systems is a minefield\u201d for many schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this framework provides a simpler, less risky route then it\u2019s a good thing, so long as fairness and openness for suppliers is maintained,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody \u2013 schools or suppliers \u2013 wants the complexity and cost of legal wrangles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emergence of cloud-based suppliers has led to big changes in the MIS world, estimated to be worth about \u00a3200 million.<\/p>\n

SIMS, which has long dominated the sector, has seen its market share shrink to 34 per cent, down from 74 per cent in 2021, according to analysis by the Bring More Data blog.<\/p>\n

It has been eclipsed by Arbor (39 per cent), while rival Bromcom\u2019s share now sits at 16 per cent.<\/p>\n

Legal fights<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The changing hand in suppliers has led to high-profile legal disputes. United Learning Trust, England\u2019s biggest trust, lost a high court battle with Bromcom in 2023 after a judge ruled the business should have won a \u00a32 million MIS contract.<\/p>\n

This was despite ministers handing ULT \u00a31 million to challenge Bromcom as it tried to protect the wider academy sector, amid claims the firm had \u201ca history of litigiousness\u201d, trust correspondence with the government said.<\/p>\n

Ali Guryel, Bromcom\u2019s executive chair, previously said the \u201clitigious\u201d comment was \u201cunfair and defamatory\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lift Schools, previously called Academies Enterprise Trust, settled a three-year legal battle with Bromcom just over 12 months ago.<\/p>\n

The Competition and Markets Authority was pulled into a dispute two years ago after SIMS announced its customers would be breaching their contracts if they sent copies of their databases to third parties. The watchdog later closed the probe, saying intervention is \u201cnot currently needed\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New framework should be used by all schools to purchase MIS from next year in bid to reduce ‘legal risk’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311204,"featured_media":247342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[572,1746,449],"post-theme":[2425],"class_list":["post-247344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-department-for-education","tag-mis","tag-school-funding","post-theme-school-funding"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t