Unlock the full potential of your school’s data strategy with our new white paper, designed to help you turn challenges into actionable opportunities
Since the beginning of 2025, Education Executive has been on a mission to uncover what’s really standing in the way of confident, data-informed decision-making in schools. Launched as part of our Insight Unlocked series, this initiative set out to better understand the challenges school business leaders face when using data to make decisions that shape pupil outcomes, staff wellbeing and financial planning.
Every day, school leaders make hundreds of choices, large and small, all of which affect pupils, staff and budgets. With so much to juggle, it’s no surprise that SBLs increasingly rely on data to guide their actions. In the midst of time constraints, competing priorities and often conflicting interests, data can help cut through the noise.
After gathering data, feedback and perspectives from the school business community, we are proud to launch the Solutions Driven: Data Insight Report – a collaboration between Education Executive and SIMS. This report is built on insights collected through nationwide engagement with school business leaders, conducted across a range of platforms including our EdExec LIVE events, the Education Executive magazine and our digital channels.
This white paper builds on the foundation of the Insight Unlocked survey, which gathered responses from SBLs across a range of schools. These insights provide an honest and detailed look at how schools are currently handling data – and where they might go next.
Listening to the Sector
To truly understand the challenges schools face, it’s essential to listen to the voices of those working in the system every day. That’s exactly what we’ve done. By capturing the experiences, frustrations and aspirations of school business leaders across the country, this report highlights a clear and consistent message: SBLs need systems that are not only data-rich, but intuitive, adaptable and designed to actively support strategic planning – not just store information.
The insights gathered through this research reveal a consistent and compelling narrative. Even when systems are technically compliant, many still report difficulties with extracting and interpreting data effectively. These aren’t just technical shortcomings – they reflect deeper issues around user confidence, clarity of information and the overall capability of systems to truly support informed decision-making. In fact, only 26% of our respondents felt confident that their MIS is adaptable enough to meet future demands.
Four Areas of Focus
While these findings highlight some clear challenges, they also open the door to real, achievable improvements. The Solutions Driven: Data Insight Report doesn’t just identify what’s going wrong – it offers strategies to help schools move forward. From better training and clearer data presentation to system integration and future-proof planning, the report has been designed to act as a starting point for your data improvement roadmap. It’s a stepping stone for school business leaders to start meaningful conversations, reframe their approach to data, and build greater confidence in the systems they rely on every day.
The report is structured around four central themes:
Reporting, Planning and Decision-Making
How can schools make financial and strategic decisions with more clarity and less hassle?
Ease of Use, Support and User Friendliness
Why do many users still feel overwhelmed or under-supported by their systems?
Data Literacy and Upskilling
What kind of training and cultural change is needed to truly empower staff?
Security, Compliance and Futureproofing
With increasing digital complexity, how can schools protect data and stay ahead?
Read On, Reflect, and Start the Conversation
If you’re a school business leader, IT manager or senior leader, this report is your starting point. The insights are here – the next step is yours. Use the report to spark conversations, share challenges and explore solutions with your team. And if you’re looking for more guidance, we’ve got you covered. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing a series of digital articles to support this white paper – each one designed to help you navigate key themes and prompt the conversations that matter most.
