Arbor
London-based cloud MIS for schools, multi-academy trusts and local authorities, part of The Key Group
Quick Overview
| Company | Arbor Education Partners Limited |
|---|---|
| Category | School Management Software |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - United Kingdom (UK) |
| Data Location | Not stated on the pages checked |
| Open Source | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | No |
| Main Features | School MIS, MAT MIS, local authority MIS, finance, workflows, AI tools, HR (SAMpeople), TimeTabler, independent school MIS |
| Pricing | Not published on the pages checked; see website |
| Best For | English and Welsh schools and trusts moving to a cloud MIS |
| Replaces | PowerSchool, SIMS |
Detailed Review
Arbor is a cloud management information system built for schools in the UK. Its website lists separate products for single schools, multi-academy trusts and local authorities, plus finance, workflow, HR and timetabling products that form what it calls the Arbor School Management Suite.
The operating company is Arbor Education Partners Limited, registered in England with company number 07790198 and registered in London. It states that it is part of The Key Group, which also owns ScholarPack and Integris.
One Suite for Schools and Trusts
Arbor sells an MIS for individual schools and a MAT MIS for trusts, and a local authority edition. The site also lists Arbor Finance, Arbor Workflows, Arbor AI, SAMpeople for HR and TimeTabler for timetabling.
The company says more than 12,500 schools and trusts use Arbor.
Switching Without Paying Twice
Arbor advertises a Pay-for-One Promise: a school locked into another MIS contract is not asked to pay for its core Arbor licence until that contract ends. The page uses SIMS contracts running until 2027 or 2028 as its example.
For a school planning a migration away from an older system, that removes one of the usual cost barriers.
Jurisdiction and Data
Arbor is a UK company and its privacy notice is written under UK data protection law. The notice also says that some group companies and service providers operate outside the UK and EEA, with safeguards in place.
The pages we checked do not state the hosting location of the MIS itself, so a school should ask for it in the data processing agreement.
Limitations to Consider
Arbor is built around English and Welsh school practice, so it is a poor fit for schools elsewhere in Europe. Prices are not shown on the pages we checked. Its privacy notice says some group companies and service providers run operations outside the UK and EEA, and the hosting location of the MIS is not stated. It is a UK company, not an EU one, so UK GDPR rather than EU GDPR is the base framework.
Who Should Use Arbor
State schools, academy trusts and local authorities in England and Wales that want a cloud MIS from a UK vendor and may be switching from an older system.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Separate editions for schools, trusts and local authorities
- Finance, HR and timetabling products in the same suite
- Pay-for-One switching promise
- UK company with a published company number
- Large stated customer base (12,500+ schools and trusts)
Cons
- Focused on UK school practice
- Prices not published on the pages checked
- Hosting location not stated on the pages checked
- Part of a larger group with operations outside the UK and EEA
Alternatives to Arbor
Other European school management software worth comparing before you decide:
Untis
Austria · Timetabling and WebUntis school platform from Austria
Pronote
France · School life, grades and timetable software from Index Education
Schulmanager Online
Germany · Modular school organisation platform priced per module
SIMS
United Kingdom · Long-established UK school MIS, rebuilt for the cloud
See all European school management software or compare them directly against PowerSchool on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Arbor Education Partners Limited, a company registered in England (07790198) with a London registered address. It states that it is part of The Key Group.
Yes. The vendor lists a MAT MIS and a Local Authority MIS next to the school MIS.
A commitment that a school should only pay for one MIS at a time. If it is locked into another MIS contract, Arbor says it will not charge for the core Arbor licence until that contract ends.