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David Higginson / SchoolsBuddy — Call Prep (Updated 23 March 2026)

Call: Monday 23 March 2026, 3:00 PM London Participants: Stephen, Shelley (Nachelle) Crowther, David Higginson Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83301169554?pwd=atccBWNd4B3f4GF15fcvE35s6Yru5h.1

David's Pre-Call Intel

David sent us the iSAMS platform page as homework: https://www.isams.com/platform/school-management-information-system-mis/

Why he sent it: iSAMS is the dominant MIS in independent schools (1,700+ schools, 93 countries). He wants us to understand the "comprehensive system" model that already exists, including its limitations, before the call. This tells us David thinks about this from a SYSTEMS perspective, not just features.

His exact words: "Having spent time working with schools on systems for twelve or so years now... it also has limitations which we can discuss on the call."

He's signalling: "I know what works and what doesn't. Let me tell you where the gaps are."

Who Is David Higginson?

  • Co-founded SchoolsBuddy in 2013 with Gary Hector
  • SchoolsBuddy: activities, payments, parent-teacher conferences, transport, event sign-ups
  • 400+ schools in 50+ countries
  • Acquired by Faria Education Group in 2019
  • David became International Sales Director for SchoolsBuddy within Faria
  • 12+ years working with schools on systems
  • Based on the south coast of UK
  • Knows the school tech stack, integration nightmare, and data layer problems

Faria Education Group (David's parent company)

  • ManageBac — learning and teaching platform (IB curriculum)
  • OpenApply — admissions management
  • SchoolsBuddy — activities, payments, school-to-home
  • Strategy: integrated SaaS suite covering entire student lifecycle
  • Backed by TA Associates (private equity)

The iSAMS Landscape (David's Reference)

What iSAMS Is

  • Cloud-based MIS from IRIS Software Group
  • Dominant in UK independent schools (largest market share)
  • 1,700+ schools, 93 countries
  • Single database, modular approach (add modules as you grow)
  • REST and Public APIs for third-party integrations
  • Focus: admissions, student management, timetabling, reporting, fees

Core Modules (16 included)

Admissions Manager, Agent Manager, Census Manager, Daily Bulletin, Discipline Manager, HR Manager, News Manager, School Reporting, Student Manager, Student Profiles, Registration Manager, Student Registers, Teaching Manager, Timetable Manager, Hosting, Support

Additional Modules (17 optional)

Activities Manager, Admissions Portal, Curriculum Manager, Cover Manager, Calendar Manager, Data Protection (GDPR), Fee Billing Manager, Internal Exams Manager, iTeacher App, Gradebooks, Medical Centre, Reward & Conduct Manager, Parent Portal, iParent App, Student Portal, Tracking Manager, Wellbeing Manager

iSAMS Limitations (from research + reviews)

  1. Rigid data model. Built for traditional school structure: Child → Class → Teacher → Term → Grade. Non-linear, child-led learning doesn't fit.
  2. "Trying to be modern but still the same old" (Feb 2025 review). Presents as innovative but follows traditional approaches.
  3. Complex and long-winded. Users report difficulty learning the system and "very long winded process to send something simple like an email."
  4. Schools work around limitations. Need to "look for solutions outside of iSAMS" for specific needs.
  5. Support issues. March 2025 review: "atrocious service, no response for weeks, basic features broken."
  6. SEND support is bolt-on. Has Student Registers and Wellbeing Manager, but not purpose-built for child-led or alternative provision models.
  7. No explicit support for alternative provision or child-led education. The system can be configured but isn't designed for these pedagogical approaches.
  8. Average rating: 3.2/5 (EdTech Impact, 6 reviews)

The Broader MIS Market (2025-2026)

Segment Leader Market Share Notes
UK State Schools Arbor ~44% Overtook SIMS in late 2025
UK State Schools SIMS ~32% Declining rapidly, losing 7K schools in 4 years
UK Independent Schools iSAMS Dominant 1,700+ schools
International Schools Faria (ManageBac) Leading IB David's world
Alternative Provision/SEND Nobody Gap This is GenEvolve's opportunity

What This Means for GenEvolve

The Gap David Will Likely Confirm

  1. iSAMS is built for traditional schools. Its data model assumes linear progression (year groups, terms, grades). GenEvolve's model (child-led, Bloom's taxonomy, whole-family, non-linear progression) doesn't map to any existing MIS.

  2. Faria's "buy and integrate" strategy has limits. They acquire point solutions (SchoolsBuddy, ManageBac, OpenApply) and stitch them together via APIs. But the underlying data structures in each product were designed independently. Deep integration remains a challenge.

  3. SchoolsBuddy's data layer is one-way sync. Data flows FROM the school's MIS TO SchoolsBuddy, not back. This means SchoolsBuddy is a consumer of school data, not a source of truth. GenEvolve needs to BE the source of truth for its type of learner.

  4. AP/SEND schools are underserved. A bitnets.co.uk article titled "The Great MIS Exodus: Why AP & SEND Schools Deserve Better Than Mainstream Hand-Me-Downs" confirms this gap. Every mainstream MIS (iSAMS, Arbor, SIMS) bolts on SEND as an afterthought.

Questions for David (12 prepared)

About the MIS Landscape

  1. "David, you've worked with schools on systems for 12 years. What's the single biggest frustration schools still have with their MIS in 2026?"
  2. "iSAMS has 33 modules. How many do schools actually USE? What percentage of the platform goes untouched?"
  3. "The state school market is in chaos (SIMS collapsing, Arbor taking over). Is the independent school market also about to fragment?"

About Faria's Approach

  1. "Faria's strategy is 'buy and integrate' via APIs. But for a non-linear, child-led model like GenEvolve, the underlying data structures of existing systems just don't fit. If you were building the data layer for a school today, completely from scratch, how would you architect it to avoid the custom-field nightmare?"
  2. "When SchoolsBuddy syncs data from an MIS, it's one-way (MIS → SchoolsBuddy). Has Faria ever considered becoming the source of truth for certain types of data, rather than always deferring to the MIS?"

About Alternative Provision & SEND

  1. "When you sold SchoolsBuddy to Faria, did you ever see them try to address alternative provision or SEND? Or was it always mainstream international schools?"
  2. "The AP/SEND market seems completely underserved by existing MIS platforms. Is that because the market is too small, or because the problem is genuinely hard?"
  3. "Mainstream MIS platforms struggle with AP/SEND. What would a purpose-built MIS for alternative education look like?"

About GenEvolve Specifically

  1. "GenEvolve's model is child-led, non-linear, whole-family. Have you seen any MIS that handles non-traditional progression?"
  2. "Data sovereignty for children's data is central to GenEvolve's pitch. What are the real technical requirements for this?"
  3. "If GenEvolve builds its own data layer, what's the minimum viable set of integrations it needs with existing school systems to be useful on day one?"

The Big Question

  1. "If you were advising GenEvolve — build on top of an existing MIS (iSAMS API), fork an open-source platform, or build from scratch? What would you do?"

Conversation Strategy

Let David talk first. He sent the iSAMS link for a reason — he has opinions about what works and what doesn't. Start with: "David, thanks for sending the iSAMS link. What should we understand about how schools actually use these systems versus what the marketing page says?"

Listen for: - Where he says iSAMS fails (those are GenEvolve's opportunities) - Whether he thinks the independent school market will fragment like state - His view on build vs buy vs integrate - Any mention of AI or data-driven personalisation in school systems - Whether Faria ever looked at the AP/SEND market and walked away

Your role (Stephen): Ask the technical/architectural questions (4, 5, 11, 12). You understand data layers, APIs, and system design. David will respect that.

Shelley's role: Context on GenEvolve's pedagogical model and why existing systems don't fit.

Appendix

Glossary

Term Meaning
MIS Management Information System — the central database for a school
SIS Student Information System (American term for MIS)
AP Alternative Provision — education outside mainstream schools
SEND Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
IB International Baccalaureate — curriculum framework used globally
DfE Department for Education (UK government)
Faria Faria Education Group — owns ManageBac, OpenApply, SchoolsBuddy
IRIS IRIS Software Group — owns iSAMS

Research Tools

Method Tool Cost
iSAMS platform page web_fetch $0
MIS market analysis Gemini 2.5 Flash (Google grounding) $0
David Higginson background Gemini 2.5 Flash $0
iSAMS reviews Gemini 2.5 Flash (Capterra, EdTech Impact, G2) $0

Sources

  • isams.com/platform/school-management-information-system-mis/
  • classroom365.co.uk (MIS comparison, independent schools)
  • whichmis.com (MIS market stats, October census)
  • tes.com (SIMS losing market dominance)
  • involveeducation.com (MIS comparison)
  • bitnets.co.uk (AP/SEND MIS gap article)
  • schoolsbuddy.com (data integration docs, FAQs)
  • faria.org (technology strategy)
  • edtechimpact.com (iSAMS reviews)
  • capterra.com (iSAMS reviews)