What's new in SIMS

Reporting and Insights 

We’ve released three new Pupil Insights Reports and two Pupil Drill-Down Reports, giving schools clearer visibility of pupil demographics, SEND needs, behaviour patterns and funding support.  

What’s new 

Pupil Insights Reports 

Interactive dashboards providing high-level trends with instant filtering: 

• Demographics 

• SEND 

• Suspensions & Exclusions 

Pupil Drill-Down Reports 

Detailed, pupil-level data in a clean, filterable format: 

• Key Attributes 

• Pupil Support Funding (formerly Pupil Premium report) 

Why it matters 

These new reports give schools the clarity they need to make confident, data-driven decisions: 

• Plan teaching and allocate resources based on real demographic and needs data. 

• Identify vulnerable or priority groups (SEND, EAL, FSM) and tailor interventions. 

• Understand suspension and exclusion patterns to support earlier, more effective action. 

• Prepare for Ofsted, governors and statutory reporting with clear, up-to-date pupil information. 

• Monitor the impact of funding, including pupil premium, against national benchmarks. 

Together, these reports help schools gain a fuller, more accurate picture of their pupil population, and act faster where support is needed most. 

Group Hub MIS 

Fast, flexible pupil search across the trust 

The new Pupil List gives trusts instant access to pupil information across all schools, even when only partial details are available.  

What’s new 

Search with partial information 

You can now find a pupil using: 

• Pupil name 

• Parent/guardian name 

• Parent/guardian email address 

• Parent/guardian phone number 

Jump straight into the pupil profile 

Once located, you can open the pupil’s full record in the school MIS instantly. 

Why it matters 

The new Pupil List is built for real-world scenarios trust teams face every day. For example, when a parent reports an absence but doesn’t name the school, or when an external agency (e.g. police) requests information quickly, you can search centrally, locate the pupil and access their SIMS Next Gen profile immediately. 

Group Hub MIS 

New trust-wide reports: Demographics, SEND, Suspensions & Exclusions 

We’ve added a new set of reports to Group Hub, giving trusts a clearer, more consistent view of pupil context across their schools. Trust leaders can now compare key demographics, SEND information and behaviour patterns side by side, supporting stronger strategic planning and targeted interventions. 

What’s new 

Pupil Demographics Report 

A trust-wide summary of key pupil characteristics, including: 

• Pupil Premium 

• EAL 

• Summer-born pupils 

• Ethnicity 

• First language 

• And more 

SEND Report 

A clear overview of SEND need across the trust, showing: 

• Total number and % of SEND pupils 

• EHCP status (including status E) 

• Need types and distribution across schools 

Suspension and Exclusion Report 

A trust-level view of behaviour incidents, showing: 

• Suspension and exclusion counts and rates 

• Comparisons against national figures 

• Breakdowns by school and exclusion type 

Why it matters 

These new reports allow trusts to: 

• Compare schools using like-for-like data in a familiar SIMS Next Gen layout 

• Make proactive decisions based on need, not assumptions 

• Support schools more effectively with accurate, trust-wide context 

• Prepare for governors, inspection and strategic reviews with confidence 

Groups Management 

Pastoral Groups now live with Early Adopter schools 

This new module gives administrators a simple, flexible way to view, create and manage the pupil cohorts that underpin daily school life, from registration groups and year groups to houses, tiers and special pastoral groups. 

What’s new 

Pastoral Groups brings all key group types into one place. Schools can easily view, search, filter and sort these groups in a clean table view. 

Create and edit groups with confidence 

Administrators can: 

• Edit group details 

• Add or remove pupils 

• Assign pastoral staff 

• Set room information (for registration groups) 

• View group membership across current and previous academic years 

• Use bulk actions to merge or split groups 

• Create new groups as needed 

Plan ahead for the next academic year 

The tool supports both current-year pastoral structures and future-year planning, giving schools the flexibility to prepare early and stay organised. 

Why it matters 

By providing a single, user-friendly place to manage these groups, SIMS Next Gen helps schools: 

• Stay compliant and organised 

• Reduce administrative workload 

• Ensure every pupil is in the right group at the right time 

• Improve the quality of pastoral care and support