Ofsted reporting set to be revolutionised with IRIS Central 

IRIS Software Group (IRIS), one of the UK’s largest providers of software solutions to educational organisations, is today launching IRIS Central, a powerful new cloud-based tool that enables schools within Multi-Academy Trusts to supercharge critical in-the-moment decision making and reduce admin burdens amid more demanding Ofsted reporting, further empowering Trusts to be timelier and more efficient in making life changing decisions.  

Having access to powerful, up-to-date analytics enables Trust leaders to make better decisions for the good of students, staff, individual schools and the Trust as a whole. Real-time dashboards allow trends to be spotted more easily, so Trusts can understand where they are seeing success and replicate this in other areas across the group. Or conversely, where there is a problem, to make interventions early on. This allows leaders to operate efficiently and empowers teachers to spend more time on the real job at hand – teaching. 

IRIS Central supports Trusts in moving their focus and time away from the arduous collecting and organising of data, to using it to make critical decisions, so they can drive impactful change as they embark on their growth journey. With easy to access and near real-time intelligence, IRIS Central presents an opportunity to fundamentally change the way Trusts are managed as businesses.  

David Houghton, Chief Operating Officer, Kernow Learning comments, “As a Trust leader, we receive countless reporting requests that can take weeks to create; and this is precious time we don’t have. IRIS Central gives us an efficient system that centralises reporting, bringing together all the data in one place and presenting the information as one, comprehensive set of data.  

“Critically, this cuts the time spend on administrative work and reduces the margin of error – maximising output and minimising the energy put in. IRIS Central is an exciting, robust solution that is revolutionising our central Trust databases. It ensures our leaders are empowered to spend more time on creating a better experience for our pupils.” 

There are currently 1,170 Multi-Academy Trusts in England that manage at least two schools. Most (78% of Trusts) plan to grow in the next 12 months and all schools in England are aiming for academy Trust status by 2030. However, the majority of education leaders have to manually organise data to create meaningful insights, taking critical time away from what matters most – improving the life chances of students. This issue is heightened during critical Ofsted reporting, which 74% of teachers believe is associated with a huge amount of unnecessary extra work.  

Real-time insight that can be accessed anywhere can help significantly reduce the stressful run up to Ofsted inspections. With more accurate, efficient reporting already in place ahead of these inspections, teachers and leaders can focus more time on improving outcomes for students.  

Simon Freeman, MD for Education at IRIS Software Group comments, “The breadth of data available to Trust leaders and staff is enormous, but it is often locked in spreadsheets or not easily available to inform crucial decisions. In some cases, Trusts are relying on data from weeks ago to make in-the-moment decisions, which don’t have critical context or insight that is needed. This makes it impossible to understand why things are happening, forcing leaders to make decisions without all the information required.  

“The focus must move away from organising data, to using it to make impactful reporting and decisions. IRIS Central can fundamentally improve the way Trusts run their business. Through surfacing data in easy-to-read formats, tracking trends over time and drilling down at a school or pupil level, leaders and teachers can have a holistic view of Trust data that reveals the real story behind the numbers. This is especially important during Ofsted inspections to ensure accurate reporting and measurement. IRIS Central enables leadership teams to drive change and enable staff to focus their precious time on improving outcomes for students.” 

IRIS Central works with any MIS, but customers using the IRIS Ed:gen MIS will benefit from faster data connection, the ability to push settings and assessments to the MIS and many more extra functions. It also supports mixed estates so growing Trusts can easily get data from new schools.  

To find out more about IRIS Central, click here.