The best of Irish education to innovate UK schools
Dublin, Ireland (PRWEB UK) 24 October 2014 -- VS School MIS, Ireland’s fastest growing ed-tech start-up, has gained over a quarter of the Irish post-primary school market in less than a year with its innovative school management information system (MIS), a web-based product used by schools to manage their student data and communicate with the Department for Education. It launched in the UK earlier this year, after raising additional VC funding, and started supporting its first public school in England shortly after.
Described by Managing Director Patrick Barry as the first and only school management system created specifically for the “desktop-less" IT environment, as schools shift their spending to mobile hardware, reflecting the overall decline in the personal computer market.
It will be on view for the first time at the London-based Bett show, Europe's largest educational technology focused trade show, in January. The company have eschewed traditional data-heavy and overly complex systems by offering a solution that aims to be both easy and quick for school staff to use, just at a time when schools are being asked for ways to reduce teacher workload.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan have both recently pledged to reduce teacher workload. John Baker, assistant head teacher at the London Academy of Excellence in Stratford, recently wrote in the NAHT Edge to suggest MIS should be the first step. “One area I think we could do small but vital work in reducing the load is in an area I’m sure many middle leaders will shudder to think of: school management and information systems (MIS).”
VS School MIS has been working with Irish schools from its headquarters in Dublin for the past four years, transforming school administration by giving educators a modern, more user-friendly and cost-effective alternative to other types of MIS. It is based in the city’s thriving Digital Hub, set up by the Irish government in 2003, a technology incubator that has housed the likes of Amazon, Havok and Etsy.
“We are very excited to bring VS School MIS to the UK,” said VS School MIS UK Business Manager Adrian Bantin. “We’ve received a lot of interest from schools here. The message we receive time and time again is that schools are fed up at the lack of innovation, high cost and increased workload in operating their current MIS. Schools are beginning to recognise there are alternatives to a market that has previously been dominated by large, slow-moving corporations that struggle to keep up with the pace of technology.
“Ease of use is our key priority. The last thing we want is for school administrators to get lost in the data; an MIS should be there to make their lives easier and to provide immediate, accurate access to student information when it is needed. For this reason, we have added a number of additional features to VS School MIS, such as a robust room booking system, behaviour escalation service, online payments and SMS support, all at no extra cost.”
VS School MIS will be located at Stand E320 at Bett 2015, which is taking place from the 21st-24th January at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre, and will be the company’s first appearance at the event. Delegates will be able to enjoy live hands-on demonstrations, as well as talk to the product’s creators. More information is available on its website http://www.vsware.co.uk
Adrian Bantin, School Thing UK Ltd, http://www.vsware.co.uk, +44 7507664163, [email protected]
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