Welcome to Arbor!
Congratulations on choosing Arbor as your new MIS and welcome to the Arbor community of schools.
If you’re a new school that is opening soon or a school that doesn’t currently use an MIS - this guide is for you!
You’ll be onboarding and setting up your new Arbor MIS over the next 8 weeks, and each week, you’ll get an email from our Onboarding Team with guidance and resources to help you get ready to use Arbor
This week-by-week guide will give you all the information you need to get you up and running on Arbor and taking attendance by week 5.
Please note the following can vary for a GroupCall API migrator, we are working on adding the GroupCall Migrator specifications to this guide. If you need to raise any data discrepancies post migration please contact Arbor support or your dedicated partner and we will be advised of the next steps.
Pre Go Live
What happens this week?
This week is a busy week during your onboarding to Arbor with lots going on to make sure you get the best start to your journey!
Your Arbor Onboarding Team will reach out via email to say hello and provide you with the information you need to get started with your move to Arbor, such as:
- Your implementation workbook (this include site setup training videos and setup overview)
- Welcome to Arbor Onboarding video
- Instructions on how to log into your blank Arbor MIS
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Watch our ‘Welcome to Arbor Onboarding’ video
- Download your Implementation Workbook and review the ‘Site Setup Training & Overview’ tab
- Access your blank Arbor MIS using instructions received in an email from the onboarding team
- Start the site setup training, watching at least video 1 (School Details and Pastoral Structure)
- Start data entry into Arbor by adding your School Details and Pastoral Structure
Top Tip for Week 1!
Don’t add any data into Arbor until you have watched at least the first site setup session, as you’ll need to add your data into Arbor in a specific order - this will be covered in more detail in the training video.
What happens this week?
Another busy week in your onboarding journey, Week 2 is all about making sure you’re ready to hit the ground running with your new Arbor MIS.
This week, you should continue to watch the site setup training videos that are available in your implementation workbook and enter your data into Arbor.
You’ll also be sent an email to book your live Arbor pre-launch training sessions which will really help you become an Arbor pro!
As well as site setup training and data entry, you should start to contact any 3rd party system providers (such as CPOMS) if you’d like to connect them to your Arbor site. Get in touch with them to let them know you will be using Arbor and they will run through any next steps you need to take. They'll ask for your Go Live date, which is at the top of all our emails. You can find more information on third-party applications here: Third-Party Apps Guide
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Watch Site Setup Training Video 2 (Student Enrolment)
- Add Student Enrolment data to Arbor site
- Watch Site Setup Training Video 3 (Student Profiles and Guardian Profiles)
- Add Student Profiles and Guardian Profiles data to Arbor site
- Update your implementation workbook with progress
- Book your Pre Launch training
- Contact any 3rd party systems/apps
- Tell your team about the move to Arbor
Top Tip for Week 2!
Change is exciting, but it can also be daunting! Your school team might be anxious about the move, so it’s crucial to let them know what to expect.
Having an open forum for people to ask questions and understand more about why you decided to move can help with the change, and ensure people know what their role will be in making Arbor a success at your school.
Check out our guidance on keeping your team informed about the move to Arbor.
What happens this week?
You’re only a few weeks away from your Go-Live, which means you need to be ready to take attendance in Arbor soon!
In Week 3, you should continue to focus on the site setup training and data entry into your new Arbor MIS (watching video number 4 and adding staff data into Arbor).
You should also attend your Pre Launch training which will really help you get the most out of your new MIS, and help you feel comfortable using the system for your day-to-day.
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Watch Site Setup Training Video 4 (Staff Profiles and Absences)
- Add Staff Profiles and Absences data to Arbor site
- Update your implementation workbook with progress
- Attend your pre-launch training and share recordings with the wider team if required
Top Tip for Week 3!
If you have training booked with the Arbor Training Team, make sure the dates and times have been communicated to the wider school team if you would like them to attend the sessions live. Don't worry if not everyone can attend the sessions at the same time, as the attendees will receive training materials such as recordings and slide decks after the session which can be shared with your colleagues.
What happens this week?
You’re almost there - taking attendance in your new Arbor MIS is only a week away!
By now, all of your academic structure, key staff, student, and guardian data should be in Arbor. If you haven’t done this already, this should be your main priority and you should add this data into Arbor this week.
As you’re only a week away from your Arbor Go Live, it’s vital you check back on a few key points, to ensure next week goes as smoothly as possible. For example, can staff log in, and are they confident with how to take registers?
We’ve put a handy guide together here for you to recap on your readiness for Go Live here.
Where are we on the timeline?
Actions for this week
- Watch Site Setup Training Video 5 (Staff HR and Admin)
- Add Staff HR and Admin data to Arbor site
- Don’t forget to update your implementation workbook with your progress!
- Check your Readiness for Go Live
- Ensure you have entered all necessary data into Arbor ready for Go Live
Top Tip for Week 4!
We recommend for you and your colleagues bookmark your school's URL page in your Chrome browser.
You can also bookmark pages that you visit frequently to make finding them easier using Custom Favourites.
Post Go Live
What happens this week?
You’re now halfway through your onboarding journey, which means this week you’ll Go Live with Arbor and start using your new Arbor MIS to take attendance for the first time.
Over the last 4 weeks you should have:
- Watched and attended your training to get you started with Arbor
- Entered all of your key student, staff, and pastoral information into Arbor
- Got the wider school team ready for the move to Arbor
Great job!
Now you can continue your hard work in your live Arbor MIS, by getting all your staff, using Arbor to take attendance, and connecting any required 3rd party apps/systems.
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Ensure all staff can log into your MIS and are confident in managing their area of the system
- Take attendance in your new MIS (we have some guidance here if needed)
- Connect any required 3rd party applications, using instructions in this guide
Top Tip for Week 5!
What happens this week?
You've been working hard over the last few weeks to get your new Arbor MIS setup, so now it's worth using this time to ensure everything is completed with your onboarding and staff are feeling happy and supported with their new MIS.
In week 6, all your staff should now be logged in and using Arbor to take attendance.
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Book/attend any additional training, for example, your Arbor Academy Post Launch training
- Check-in with your team and make sure everyone is happy with their new Arbor MIS!
Top Tip for Week 6!
Don't forget to share your Arbor Academy Pre & Post Launch training session recordings with the wider team, they're really useful resources to help you recap and test your knowledge of Arbor.
What happens this week?
By week 7, your onboarding is almost complete! This week is a good opportunity to really start to learn more about Arbor and embed the processes you’ll want to use in your new MIS going forward.
You should spend some time getting used to all the support options available to you and your team. We would recommend taking some time to navigate our Help Centre and Community so that you're familiar with them.
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Sign up to the Arbor Community here and get involved in conversations with other Arbor schools
- Make sure you’re familiar with your support options to make sure you can get the help and support you need when you need it!
Top Tip for Week 7!
Make sure you and your team know how to contact the Arbor support team, or your partner support team if your support is provided by a 3rd party provider. The quickest and easiest way you can contact Arbor is via Web Chat, which is available from your Arbor MIS and the help centre.
What happens this week?
Your final week onboarding to Arbor!
We’ve loved working with you to help get you started and we can’t wait to see what you do next with your new Arbor MIS.
Over the next couple of weeks, your Account Manager will reach out to introduce themselves and pick up from the Arbor Onboarding Team.
You can continue to get in touch with the Arbor Support Team or your Arbor Accredited Support Partner if you have any day-to-day support queries.
Where are we on the timeline?
Actions for this week
- Ensure all your outstanding training is booked
- Ensure all your data is added into Arbor to make sure you're census compliant
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