Planning your Module Rollout for Secondaries

This article is designed for Secondary Schools moving to Arbor to help plan the rollout of Arbor's various modules

Please Note: If your school is part of a Trust, your Trust may have already planned the rollout for certain modules and could be standardising bespoke modules across all their schools. Please check with them directly on their specific plan.

Foundation Modules

Once you've successfully gone live, your school data will be migrated and ready for you to use Arbor for core functionalities from Day One. Your Onboarding Manager will be available to offer guidance on the rollout of your Foundation Modules.

These are the areas of Arbor that will be ready to use from your go-live date, enabling you to hit the ground running. 

• Attendance Registers (Statutory and Lesson by Lesson): Efficiently manage daily attendance.
• Communications: Send emails, texts and letters from Arbor. Please note SMS messages are chargeable - how to top up SMS credits
• Emergency Procedures: Access vital information for critical situations.
• School Timetable: View and manage your school's schedule.
• Staff Absence and Cover: Streamline the process of managing staff leave and cover.
• Exams: Handle exam entries and related data.
• Behaviour (Incidents only): Log and manage behaviour incidents. Additional Behaviour setup is included in the bespoke modules below.
• Interventions: (Requires basic setup once live) Begin tracking student interventions.

The Foundation Training available during onboarding will teach you how to use these areas effectively from day one. Getting to grips with these foundation modules first is key to a more successful and smoother overall implementation of Arbor. 

Bespoke Modules

Arbor also offers a range of bespoke modules that are customisable to your school's unique needs. These require specific setup by your team. They include:

• Assessments
• Behaviour (additional setup)
• Parent Portal
• Student Portal
• Meals/Payments
• My Classroom

We strongly recommend a 'crawl, walk, run' approach to module adoption. This means focusing on successfully implementing and embedding your foundation modules first. Once your staff are comfortable and the initial dust has settled, you can then begin exploring and building out your bespoke modules. 

You can discuss these modules with your Customer Success Team when you're ready to explore how they can further enhance your school's operations.

Important: Although we recommend focusing on the Foundation modules first, some schools may need to start using Behaviour or Assessments straight away. We'll send you a survey before onboarding to identify if your school requires these within the first 6 weeks after go-live. If this applies to you, your designated Behaviour/Assessment Lead will receive an email in Week 2 of your onboarding, detailing next steps and relevant training.

Key considerations when planning your module rollout

Roles & Responsibilities

Identify 'Arbor Champions' within different departments. These key individuals will support their colleagues and advocate for the system, ideally with one champion allocated per module for rollout. This systematic approach ensures a more organised and manageable implementation.

Review of current systems

Before planning your rollout, gain a clear understanding of your current systems: what's in use, who uses it, and where. If using third party systems, look at contract dates - what can you continue to use for a short time while staff get used to the basics, or what expires that Arbor needs to replace sooner?

Set Objectives, Plan & Communicate

Develop a clear plan for each module's rollout, including a timeline of key dates and training. A clear communication strategy is essential for successful adoption. Ensure everyone knows what's happening, when, and what it means for them - this includes Staff, Students and Guardians. 

Training

Comprehensive training on your Foundation Modules is essential. It builds staff confidence and enables them to use the new functions effectively. 

For more information on when to complete Training for both Foundation and Bespoke modules, please see here.