This article provides a detailed week-by-week onboarding guide for new schools using the Arbor MIS, outlining tasks and training to be completed over 12 weeks to ensure a smooth transition and effective use of the system. It emphasises the importance of data entry, training sessions, and communication with staff throughout the process.
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.
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 setting up your new Arbor MIS over the next 12 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 9.
Phase 1
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:
- Welcome email containing access to the Arbor training hub so you can complete your Onboarding - Extended course and your blank Arbor site so you can start adding data
- Access the Arbor Training Hub and begin your brand new site set-up training
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
-
- Access your blank Arbor MIS using instructions received in an email from the onboarding team
- Start the brand new site setup training
- Start data entry into Arbor by adding the data that corresponds to your training
Top Tip for Week 1!
Don’t add any data into Arbor until you have watched at least the first site setup module, as you’ll need to add your data into Arbor in a specific order - this will be covered in more detail in the training videos.
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 brand new site setup training videos that are available in the Arbor Training Hub and enter your data into your site.
As well as brand new 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 in plenty of time 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
- Continue the Site Setup Training
- Add the relevant data to your site following the training
- Book your Arbor Foundations 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 should continue to focus on the brand new site setup training and data entry into your new Arbor MIS (watching module number 4 and adding staff data into Arbor).
You should also attend your Arbor Academy 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
- Continue Site Setup Training and add the relevant data to your site
- Attend your Arbor Foundations training and share recordings with the wider team if required
Top Tip for Week 3!
Do you have a large number of staff members to enter? If so, import them into your site in bulk using our Entity Importers!
What happens this week?
You’re halfway to go live and about to finish phase 1 of your implementation!
In Week 4, you’ll receive your Go Live Priority Operations Survey in a separate email. Please fill this out and return to us asap so we can get started on preparing some helpful resources to send out to you on Week 5 when phase 2 of your implementation begins.
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 about to finish phase 1, it’s vital you check back on a few key points, to ensure phase 2 goes as smoothly as possible. For example, are all student details on the site? Is your pastoral structure set up?
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Complete and return your day one priority modules survey
- Continue data entry into Arbor
- Ensure you have entered all necessary data into Arbor ready for Go Live
Top Tip for Week 4!
We recommend that you start having a look at the Help Centre guidance and articles relating to the Arbor modules you want to start using straight away and familiarise yourself with the information available.
Phase 2
What happens this week?
Welcome to phase 2! You’ve now finished phase 1 of your onboarding journey, which means this week you’ll start implementing your go live priority operations. These are the modules you need to be able to run in Arbor from the same day you first take attendance.
Over the last 4 weeks you should have:
- Watched and attended your brand new site setup training to learn how to add your data onto your site
- Entered all of the relevant data from your brand new site setup training into your black Arbor
- Informed the wider school team of the move to Arbor
Great job!
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
-
- Access the information provided in relation to the priority modules you deemed important on the survey submitted in week 4
- Book and attend additional training you purchased to help with setting up your modules
Top Tip for Week 5!
Use the Help Center to access extra training resources and articles to support the implementation of your go live priority modules.
What happens this week?
You've been working hard over the last few weeks to get your data into your new Arbor MIS site, so now you should turn your focus to ensuring your day 1 priority modules are set up ready for you to use on week 9.
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Continue your pre-go-live Arbor Foundations sessions
- Use your additional training and our Help Centre guidance to set up your day 1 priority modules
- Check-in with your team and make sure everyone is aware of the move
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?
In Week 7, you should continue to focus on setting up the modules you would like to use from day 1. You should also attend any additional training you have purchased which will really help you get the most out of your new MIS, and help you feel comfortable using the system.
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Ensure your training has been completed/is almost completed
- Continue setting up your priority modules
Top Tip for Week 7!
Alongside setting up your day 1 priority modules, please also take the time to check that all phase 1 tasks have been completed as this data allows you to take attendance smoothly.
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 key data (listed in the ‘Data’ tab of your workbook) should be in Arbor, alongside any key modules you needed to set up for day 1. If you haven’t done this already, this should be your main priority and you should add this into Arbor this week.
Where on the timeline are we?
- Continue training
- Continue site set-up
- Share your URL with the wider team so they can log in to take attendance in week 9
- Check your tasks for phases 1 and 2 have been completed
- Ensure staff have a work email address and business role
Top Tip for Week 8!
Check out our handy onboarding checklist that’s available on the Arbor Training Hub and also attached to weekly emails.
Phase 3
What happens this week?
It’s Go Live week! This week you should make sure attendance is taken on Arbor and relevant staff feel comfortable accessing and using registers alongside using any go-live priority operations.
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
-
- Ensure all staff can log into the school Arbor site
- Make sure registers are taken on Arbor
- Connect third-party applications
Top Tip for Week 9!
Take a look at this article which explains how to troubleshoot logging-in issues for staff.
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 whilst beginning to consider the setup of non-priority operations.
In week 10, 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
- Check in with your team and make sure they are getting on okay
Top Tip for Week 10!
Change is exciting but can be daunting! It’s important to make sure that your team feel as comfortable as possible. Check out our handy guide here about managing change.
What happens this week?
By week 11, 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 for 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
- Ensure you are using your day 1 priority operations as widely as possible
- Start setting up your non-priority operations and explore areas of Arbor you haven’t accessed before
Top Tip for Week 11!
Have a browse of our Help Centre! We have thousands of articles catered to ensuring that you can make the most of your Arbor system, some of these are tailored to setting up and using different modules like Behaviour or Communications whilst others refer to common support queries or FAQs! Remember to share these with your team to share the knowledge!
What happens this week?
Congratulations! Your onboarding journey is complete. Over the last 12 weeks you have:
- Completed various training sessions
- Added all necessary data to your Arbor site
- Set up your day 1 priority operations
- Connected your third-party applications to your Arbor site
- Taken attendance on your new Arbor site!
Where on the timeline are we?
Actions for this week
- Look out for an introductory email from your Account Manager
- Book any outstanding training on the Arbor Training Hub (remember your training expires 1 year after you receive access to the course!)
Top Tip for Week 12!
Keep exploring Arbor! There’s always something new to learn and helpful to use, we hope you love it as much as we do!
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