Overview
Create Partnership is a multi-academy trust (MAT) comprising four primary schools in the Birmingham area. In 2023 they, embarked on a journey to move from their existing cloud-based Management Information System to an alternative cloud MIS to better serve their schools’ needs. After careful consideration, Create selected Bromcom’s One Stop Shop as their new provider.
We spoke with Chris Dyson, DCEO of Create, to understand their reasons for wanting to switch MIS, the benefits they saw in Bromcom, and their experience to date moving to a new provider.
Background
Create identified several key areas where their previous MIS was lacking, including reporting capabilities, advanced features such as mail merge and data analytics, and a parent app that was not fit for purpose.
Chris recalls: “We wanted to think about whether a better MIS would support our schools in the longer term, and essentially we wanted to know whether the analytics side of all the data could be exposed to us in a better way than we had with our existing cloud MIS. When we asked our previous provider when improvements could be delivered, they weren’t really able to answer.”
Seeking a solution that would address these challenges and provide a more efficient and user-friendly platform, the trust evaluated Bromcom alongside the incumbent and a third supplier. And because the outcome of the decision-making process would impact all schools, it was important that key members of staff be involved.
“It was a joint decision, we engaged all the schools”, says Chris. “Given that it was such a big call, we had all of the office teams and stakeholders in the demo, and we wouldn’t have switched if they weren’t happy”.
Reasons for choosing Bromcom
Improved Parental Engagement: One of the primary reasons for selecting Bromcom was its robust parental engagement features, particularly the My Child at School (MCAS) app. Create valued the ability to streamline communication and access important information for parents in one centralised location. The trust also wanted the convenience of sophisticated and wide-ranging online payments for parents. They plan to go cashless in the near future, and the paypoint barcode in the MCAS app will enable this.
Enhanced Reporting Capabilities: Bromcom’s pre-built suite of reports and advanced reporting functionalities stood out to Create. The ease of scheduling and accessing professional reports was seen to be a significant improvement for office teams and something that would provide valuable insights for decision-making.
Chris explains the benefits to his trust: “All the Power BI dashboards that you’re providing for the MAT on attendance and behaviour and exclusions, those are phenomenal. We’re going to start using those dashboards centrally in a couple of weeks, something we’re really looking forward to. And the central team are blown away by some of the data that is available through the Power BI report. When you’re a small MAT, that doesn’t have a Data Manager or the resources to build reports, the fact that they’re already there is really helpful.”
Advanced Features and Integrations: Create appreciated Bromcom’s advanced features, such as the ability to mail merge and send free school meals vouchers seamlessly through the comms module and the ability to do comprehensive data analytics. The Assessment system is also seen as a major improvement on what was available before, and staff are looking forward to setting up and using this module. These features offer practical solutions to everyday challenges faced by the MAT and its schools.
User interface: Having a strong interface and access to data was a critical improvement for Create, as Chris points out: “The usability of the MIS interface is key and having access to children’s data really quickly is definitely one of the big strengths of bromcom. The fact that you can add in columns on the main student screen, and have as much information as you want on that screen means you have all the data you want in one place”.
The journey so far
Following the purchase of Bromcom MIS in October 2023, Create have worked with Bromcom’s Onboarding team, and all four of their schools went live in mid-February. Data migration was completed smoothly, and while there were challenges during the onboarding process, Create acknowledged Bromcom’s support and commitment to resolving issues promptly, reserving special praise for their dedicated Customer Success Manager at Bromcom. The transition to Bromcom was ultimately successful, thanks to effective collaboration between both parties and proactive engagement of Chris and his team.
Future outlook
Create are optimistic about the future benefits of Bromcom and look forward to fully leveraging its features, such as the assessment system, to enhance educational outcomes across their schools. They also anticipate ongoing improvements from Bromcom, particularly in areas like attendance management, to further optimise their operations.
While it is still early days, Create’s switch to Bromcom is expected to bring about improved efficiency, enhanced parental engagement, and better access to data-driven insights. Opportunities for further enhancements and ways of working together are being explored. Create appreciates Bromcom’s commitment to addressing their ongoing needs and looks forward to continued collaboration and innovation in the future.
