How to plan your primary schools' rollout of key modules

This article is designed for Primary and Special Schools and details how to plan the rollout of key areas of functionality after their initial migration.

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. 

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.
• Staff Absence and Cover: Streamline the process of managing staff leave and cover.
• Behaviour (Incidents only): Log and manage behaviour incidents. Additional Behaviour setup is included in the bespoke modules below.

The Foundation Training available during onboarding will teach you how to use these areas effectively from day one. Getting to grips with these fundamental 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 highly customisable to your school's needs. These require specific setup and configuration by your team. They include:

• Assessments
• Behaviour
• Parent Portal
• Student Portal
• Meals/Payments
• My Classroom

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.

Our Recommended Approach: Crawl, Walk, Run 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. This phased strategy is designed to ensure a smooth transition and enables a more confident and ultimately successful implementation of Arbor across your entire school.

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 is paramount. It builds staff confidence, enabling them to utilise the new functionality effectively and ensuring a seamless, well-functioning system

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