Wales - MIS & Finance

Bromcom Cymru

MIS & Finance

Bromcom Cymru

MIS & Finance

Partnering with schools in Wales

We are now bringing our market-leading Management Information System (MIS) and Finance solution to schools across Wales.

Bromcom has a long-standing partnership with Wales, where our eRegistration devices have been used across the country since the 1990’s! Since launching our Cloud MIS solution in 2011, we have helped thousands of schools across the UK to take control of their data, and we are working hard to bring our solution to the Welsh education community. We believe that education technology should be a catalyst for positive change, enabling educators and learners to thrive in an ever-evolving world. To ensure that our software aligns perfectly with the requirements of the Welsh educational community, we have committed to the following steps:

Collaboration with Welsh Educators

We are actively engaging with Welsh educators and institutions to understand their unique challenges and requirements. Through collaborative partnerships, we aim to co-create tailored solutions that address specific Welsh educational needs.

Collaboration with Welsh Educators

Dual language MIS

We are dedicated to making Bromcom software available in Welsh as an option for all Welsh local authorities, schools, families and any other stakeholders. We have enlisted the support of Welsh organisations to ensure accurate use of the Welsh language.

Dual language MIS

Welsh statutory returns

We are committed to ensuring that Bromcom software enables schools and local authorities in Wales to be fully compliant with Welsh data returns. We have engaged a range of experts and are on course to make these features available from Summer 2024.

Welsh statutory returns

Localised Content and Support

We are dedicated to providing localised content and support in Welsh - including user groups and documentation - ensuring that our solutions are accessible and relevant to educators and learners across Wales.

Localised Content and Support

Continuous Improvement

Our commitment to excellence means that we will continually refine and improve our software based on feedback from our Welsh customers. And our interactive development roadmap means your thoughts and insights can be input directly .

Continuous Improvement

Training and Resources

We will invest in training and resources for Welsh educators, ensuring they can harness the full potential of our technology to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

Training and Resources

We will invest in training and resources for Welsh educators, ensuring they can harness the full potential of our technology to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

Community Engagement

We are excited to become an integral part of the Welsh education community. Look forward to our participation in local educational events, conferences, and initiatives that support the growth of Welsh education.

Community Engagement

Contact us

No more expensive bolt-ons

We are proud to have developed the most comprehensive cloud-based MIS on the market, complete with a fully-integrated Finance solution. While other providers expect you to take a Frankenstein approach and buy costly bolt-ons, Bromcom's one-stop shop provides you with all the functionality you need - and saves you money. Some of the key modules we provide that other MIS don't are explored below:

No more expensive bolt-ons

Module	Bromcom	Arbor	Scholar Pack	Iris	Juniper	RM	SIMS
Core MIS
Timetable
Exams
ePayments
Trips and Clubs
Meal Management
Teacher App
MAT Access/Reporting
Parent Comms
Assessment
Finance
Safeguarding
Seating Plans
HR
Power BI
365/Google Integration
Student Portal
Shared 6th Form
Shared Campus

Savings based on Total cost of ownership

Blaenau Gwent	£18,593	Merthyr Tydfil	£233,675
Bridgend	£538,985	Monmouthshire	£305,754
Caerphilly	£817,557	Neath Port Talbot	£474,647
Cardiff	£1,091,410	Newport	£474,647
Carmarthenshire	£1,029,878	Pembrokeshire	£575,400
Conwy	£556,449	Rhondda Cynon Taf	£1,065,916
Denbighshire	£501,004	Swansea	£866,101
Flintshire	£720,148	Torfaen	£274,215
Gwynedd	£931,017	Vale of Glamorgan	£484,404
Isle of Anglesey	£423,670	Wrexham	£634,116

LA savings based on SIMS 2022 prices

It's time to switch

We understand the pressure faced by schools and Local Authorities of being locked into long-term contracts with their current MIS provider – and if you're feeling cornered by looming deadlines and lack of alternatives, we're here to help. Our experienced team has successfully transitioned hundreds of schools en masse to Bromcom. In West Sussex we moved 200+ schools from SIMS and FMS onto our MIS & Finance solution within a single term. While in Coventry, we transitioned their schools onto our MIS & Finance solution within three weeks.

It's time to switch

Hear from Coventry's Ollie Burnett on their move to Bromcom

West Sussex one year on - with James Richardson and Matthew King

Hosting with Bromcom

Moving to Bromcom does not mean LAs lose hosting opportunities. On the contrary, Bromcom permits third parties to host our MIS and Finance products, providing LAs with an opportunity to generate income or pass on discounts to schools. For LAs who have invested in infrastructure and are concerned about retaining the right to host SIMS on behalf of schools, Bromcom provides a flexible and cost-effective alternative. Please get in touch if this is something you'd like to discuss in more detail.

Hosting with Bromcom

For Wales, with Wales

Tailored solution

Welsh statutory requirements

*including CBDS, Hwb accounts & Welsh Language Act

Retain local LA support

MIS and Finance Recordings

Bromcom recently participated in a half-day webinar organised by Finnemore Consulting, where we demonstrated our MIS and Finance solutions to schools, LAs, and support partners from around the UK, including a number of Welsh attendees. We've broken down the recordings into the different topics covered - please take a look to find out more about our offering.

Part 1 - Why Schools Choose Bromcom

This session covers:

Implementing and Migrating to Bromcom.
The products and services we offer.
How we work with and harness AI.
The Bromcom community & testimonials.
Support, Training and Onboarding.
Welsh Commitment.

Part 2 - Product demo for the Office team

This session covers:

Logging in to Bromcom
(manually or via SSO)
Parental engagement and correspondence
Using MyChildAtSchool
Quick Reporting and live Data Dashboards
Running School Census and Documentation
KS1 and KS2 Assessment

Part 3 - Teaching and Learning

This session covers:

In the Classroom
Supporting Progress
Classroom Management

Part 4 - SLT and MATs

This session covers:

Targeting Trust needs and supporting School improvement plan.
Trust leadership through data.
Live data dashboards and analysis.
Built in Safeguarding functionality.
Central access and oversight through Vision.
Our commitment to developing Bromcom our users’ needs.

Part 5 - Finance

This session covers:

What makes Bromcom Finance different from other solutions
Navigating and using Bromcom Finance
MAT Finance functionality
Financial Reporting and Year end compliance/CFR Returns

Community Driven Learning

Bromcom enables the entire school community to support each step of a student's educational journey.

Everything under one roof

Our MIS & Finance solution features everything from Assessment to Parental engagement, Analytics and Clubs management.

100% Cloud Based

Don’t be tied to a desk, our school management system is accessible from any device with a web browser.

Supports decision making

Identify issues before they get out of hand with our advanced analytics and automated alerts.

See how it works

FAQs

Over the course of our discussions with schools in Wales, we’ve collected a wide range of questions that you’ve been asking and placed them all into this document for handy reference. If you need any further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via enquiries@bromcom.com

Ordering, Pricing and Support

How much does Bromcom MIS / Finance cost?

As we work in partnership with your local authority or support provider, you'll need to contact them directly for a quote.

You can also contact us directly via the details below.

Our contact details

Email: enquiries@bromcom.com

Telephone: 020 8290 7171

What is your business model for your relationship with the LA?

As a company we don't financially incentivise LAs to recommend our products, although we do allow LAs to host on schools' behalf. We generally find that LAs want to be MIS agnostic and talk through the options for each school so they can make an informed decision. Some LAs choose to go through a tender process and award the contract to a specific provider.

If Bromcom takes on Welsh schools, will it impact your support resources for schools who are currently looking to switch providers?

Bromcom has hired resources and invested in the team to carry out these developments. As a family owned company with no financial stakeholders, we invest 100% of our profits back into the company, and our development and customer services team are the largest departments in our company.

Classroom & Curriculum

Can the attendance register be selected by children on an interactive whiteboard?

Bromcom works well with a touch screen and children can register their attendance themselves. For security, sensitive data is hidden in whiteboard mode and the teacher must enter their password to return to the normal view.

Can you import existing assessment marksheets and templates from existing MIS systems?

Yes, you can import the data after you have created the marksheets in Bromcom, the process is very simple and for a mid-size school will only take a couple of hours to map across all assessment information.

Administration

Does the system allow for pupil roll over into the next academic year?

Yes, Bromcom provides a wizard to help you complete the end of year process as well as lots of documentation.

Do all these features (attendance, assessment, behaviour, emails, etc) come as standard?

There are different levels of Bromcom so you can choose the appropriate version for your school. However, the one that is being recommended as the best value is the one-stop-shop that will do all this and more.

Does Bromcom support the statutory returns that are required by the Welsh governement?

Yes, as part of our commitment to Wales, the Bromcom system supports all statutory returns required by the Welsh government

Does Bromcom include a Safeguarding module?

Yes, Bromcom has a full safeguarding suite including a dashboard to help officers keep on top of the case load. Staff can easily log concerns from within the MIS to save switching between systems and remembering multiple logins.

Can Bromcom be used to record staff absence?

Yes, Bromcom has a fully built in absence and cover module allowing you to not only record absence but allocate cover and provide comprehensive cover reports.

Parental Engagement

Can parents make payments for meals?

Parents can pay for meals or top-up their account through the parent portal and app. There is a complete school shop included along with clubs & trips management. You can also allow PayPoint payments or allow parents to order products that will subsequently be paid for in-person.

Can you organise parents’ evenings with the system?

Yes, you can arrange parents evening and it can automatically create Teams or Google meetings if required. Parents can book appointments through the parent portal or app.

Can teachers write end of term reports to parents using the system?

Yes, and it will create and publish reports directly onto the parent app. Many of our schools no longer print any paper reports save thousands in print costs.

Can we collect information for pre-admission parents online?

For pre-admission data to be collected the parents can be provided with a login to the portal or app. This allows them to populate all their data online and make the application process fully paperless.

Migration & Integration

What information is migrated from SIMS?

Bromcom migrates a huge amount of data including all staff and pupil data, attendance, behaviour, dinner money and for secondaries - exams and timetable. We migrate five years’ worth of data as standard with additional years available upon request. Scope documents are available for all migrations, so you can feel confident about what will be included.

What third party systems does Bromcom integrate with?

We integrate with hundreds of third-party systems either through our own free API's or via Wonde and Groupcall - Check the full list of partners here: https://bromcom.com/partners

Would this system also replace ParentPay or integrate with it?

Bromcom can either integrate with ParentPay or replace it. We recommend bringing it all into Bromcom so parents can pay for meals and clubs whilst they read termly reports and see their child's latest achievements.

Does the One-Stop-Shop approach mean I don't need any third-party systems?

Our goal is to bring everything under one roof to ease both the financial and administrative burden of all your essential tasks at school. However, we realise that you might not want to change on day one as it's a lot to take on at once. Many schools see out their existing contracts and utilise more of the inbuilt Bromcom functionality over time. This is where the cost savings can really come in and you can maximise the value of your MIS. Regardless of this, there is always the option of keeping your favourite third party systems if you prefer them and there are areas we haven't ventured into yet, such as visitor entry systems, cashless catering and so on.

Secondary Specific

Does this program link with Nova for timetabling?

Yes, it does but Bromcom comes with its own Timetable system that allows two way communication so any changes made in the MIS are also reflected in the timetable system. In addition, with Bromcom you rely on the timetabling system far less during the year as it can be properly managed within the MIS.

Is there an Examinations module?

Yes, we have a fully compliant JCQ module built into Bromcom. It can manage your base data, entries, results, and analysis, reducing the need for third party products such as 4Matrix and Sisra.

Are Cover and Options modules available?

Yes, cover and options are embedded within the MIS. Please contact us if you would like a further demo.

Can individual student timetables be adjusted as needed?

Yes, this can be done directly within the MIS, and any changes are send back to the Bromcom timetable system giving you a 2 way process.

Finance

Can we purchase Bromcom finance without the MIS?

Yes, this is possible, but we will need to discuss on an individual basis as it is just the Finance system and does not include things like MCAS, the parent portal/payments app.

Will existing ledger codes and cost centres be migrated from our current FMS system?

We will work closely with your Finance team to setup your Chart of Accounts (ledger codes and cost centres). As part of this, you'll also have the opportunity to have a tidy up and get rid of any you no longer need.

Is accounts payable and accounts receivable included?

Yes, this is all part of the base Bromcom Finance product.

How frequent are the transfers of payments from parents into our bank account?

The transfers take place once a week.

Can you do 5-year planning on your system, beyond the 3-year forecasting requirement of LAs?

5 Year Budget forecasts are available. The forecasting page allows you to forecast up to a maximum of 5 years, so you can choose to use as many years as you like. We also have a forecast factor function to make that process a little bit easier

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