As an International fee-paying school, you’ll be no stranger to the Student Information System (SIS) market. There are an increasing number of solutions available, all seeming to meet your daily operational needs as an education institution. But what about your needs as a business?
As the demands on K-12 fee-paying International schools continue to grow, so does the need for a more comprehensive solution than the traditional database SIS. An ERP could be the software that your school needs to truly thrive in an evolving market.
A school ERP for International schools in Asia means more than just everyday data management. So, you need a provider that can keep up with your scaling demands. While your current systems may be powerful, now might be the time to consider how you can move beyond the SIS, towards a more comprehensive, whole-school approach to software.
An SIS has always been the traditional go-to software option for schools, whether fee-paying or publicly funded. These offer all the key functionality your school needs to run, from an educational operations perspective. This might include timetabling, student data management, cover management, and more.
However, fee-paying schools are typically more than just schools. Full business management requires a far wider scope of operations, including academics, but also administration, finance, HR, communication, and more.
An ERP extends beyond what a traditional SIS can offer. ERP software doesn't make an SIS obsolete, but simply work in tandem with your school management system to ensure that the entire school body is functioning efficiently and to maximise your success.
As schools turn into powerful businesses, ERP software may be the better option for driving growth and scaling business operations for your school leaders.
The requirements placed on school administrative teams become more and more complex. With growing numbers of campuses, a diverse range of curricula, and even a global workforce, software demands can only increase with business growth.
However, these software demands don’t only originate from your school admin teams. Parents have higher expectations for real-time communication from their student’s schools. They are keener to be involved in their child’s learning than ever, and it’s your school’s responsibility to meet those needs in order to maintain that vital connection.
It’s also important to note that each country and each school face their own challenges relating to both financial management and compliance requirements. Many school management systems weren’t built with these needs in mind, and can lack the required flexibility and functionality.
There is a plethora of dedicated solutions on the market for each of your school’s departments – but how do you know whether you’re making the right decision for your institution?
There are a few key benefits to note when considering implementing a full school ERP for International schools. Note the following during your research phase:
While it’s important to recognise the benefits of a full school solution, it’s not guaranteed that your providers can offer all the functionality that your school needs. Take the time to create a list of key functionality for your school before engaging with potential software partners. These will differ for each school, but here are just a few key suggestions for the right solution:
Now that you have just a few key components to search for, it’s critical to have a structured process to begin your software search. It can be easy to choose a system that doesn’t ultimately work for you when your search process is disorganised, and without a clear goal.
Step 1: Assess your current system limitations
If you’re searching for a new software suite, chances are that your teams are not satisfied with your current options. That’s a great place to begin. Speak to those that interact with your current software and understand their challenges, concerns, and gripes with your daily drivers. These should form the basis of the must-haves as you engage with new suppliers.
Step 2: Involve all stakeholders
It can be easy to get bogged down by the loudest voices when making changes in any school. However, it’s not simply the leadership team or even IT that should 100% drive this decision. Your admin teams, teachers, parents, finance managers, and more all interact with and rely on your school systems. Ensure you’re taking all opinions and requirements into account.
Step 3: Prioritise scalability, flexibility, and integrations
It’s important to take a proactive and positive position when searching for new systems. Your primary goal as a school is to grow, so you need software that can keep up. Bear in mind the future of your school, not just the present, when assessing all the functionality offered by a potential software provider.
Step 4: Regional support and compliance are unique
You may find there are a range of suppliers that boast similar functionality and overall package. This is where the small things often become the decision-makers. In the case of International schools, regional support can be vital but not a given for all providers. Take the time to discuss your region-specific needs and ensure alignment.
From the very beginning, iSAMS was built to grow and evolve. The education industry has never stood still, so neither should your software. What was built to serve as a comprehensive MIS, has now extended into a full suite of systems that hold the needs of Independent and International schools at their heart.
The future of efficient school management lies in flexible, scalable systems that can adapt to a continually updating landscape. That’s why iSAMS not only expands, but integrates with a range of additional solutions – to enable you to build the solution that really works for you.
Start with the SIS, and then chat to us about our full range of systems to support global K-12, fee-paying schools: