The market share of school management system provider ESS SIMS has declined, new figures show a year after it was investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority.
ESS SIMS, which has been owned by ParentPay Group since 2021, is now in 6,897 English state schools and has a market share of 32 per cent, according to the latest statistics from WhichMIS?.
A decade ago ESS SIMS dominated the school management information system (MIS) space with an 85 per cent share of the market.
The Competition and Markets Authority investigated the provider in 2024 after concerns were raised that it was trying to retain customers by making it difficult for them to switch providers ahead of contract renewal dates.
ParentPay Group has said that it remains “confident” about ESS SIMS’ performance.
One of its competitors, Arbor, now has a market share of more than four in 10 schools in England: Arbor is in 9,677 schools (44 per cent), according to the statistics.
Meanwhile, Bromcom is now in 3,493 schools in England, a market share of 16 per cent.
The statistics, published in December, were updated in October.
Changing MIS trends
In 2020 Arbor was acquired by The Key Group, which also owns the Integris and ScholarPack management information systems.
Both Integris and ScholarPack are now being phased out and their schools moved to Arbor, which could account for part of its increased market share.
Across the UK as a whole, Arbor is in 9,858 schools (37 per cent), ESS SIMS is in 7,636 schools (28 per cent), Bromcom is in 4,893 schools (18 per cent) and SEEMiS, which dominates the landscape in Scotland, is in 2,445 schools (9 per cent).
Other MIS companies that have grown their market share include Compass, which increased its number of schools from 72 to 102.
ParentPay Group said it had “committed to invest significantly to rebuild SIMS following many years of underinvestment” by ESS SIMS’ previous owners.
A company spokesperson added: “This work will conclude in 2026, and we are delighted that many thousands of customers are now using the next generation of SIMS daily, with high degrees of customer satisfaction.
“We are confident that the investment in SIMS...will deliver market-leading, inter-operable products that will delight current and returning customers.”
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