ParentPay
ParentPay Group is a UK-based private EdTech company providing an integrated software suite — anchored by the 40-year-old SIMS management information system — for payments, MIS, parental engagement, catering, library, finance, and compliance across 20,000+ schools and 9M+ users.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersCoventry, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ParentPay does
ParentPay Group (legal entity ParentPay Limited) is a UK-based private education technology company founded in 1984 and headquartered in Coventry. The company provides a comprehensive cloud-enabled software suite for schools, multi-academy trusts (MATs), local authorities, post-16 institutions, caterers, and libraries, serving more than 20,000 schools and 9 million+ users across the UK and selectively in international markets. Its core product, SIMS (and the cloud-native SIMS Next Gen successor), is a Management Information System with over 40 years of heritage and dominant installed base in UK schools; this is augmented by payments (ParentPay), parental and student engagement (Schoolcomms), catering management (BlueRunner/Cypad with Kitchen Manager), library management (Reading Cloud, Library Management Cloud), finance (FMS, Finance New Generation), data protection (GDPRiS), timetabling, facility lettings (SchoolHire), and post-16 student records (UNIT-e).
The platform is delivered via subscription-based SaaS (annual billing, quote-based custom packages) with additional professional services revenue from training and consultancy. GTM is sales-led and direct, targeting schools through enterprise sales, tailored quoting for MATs and groups, BESA channel partnerships, content marketing (whitepapers, webinars, the annual LACA-co-produced School Meals Report based on 236,000 parent surveys), and an extensive library of case studies. Customer segments span primary schools, secondary schools, MATs and groups, local authorities, independent schools, international schools, post-16 colleges, caterers, and libraries. The company is private, owned by Montagu Private Equity since December 2020, and has executed five acquisitions since 2017 (Schoolcomms, Cypad, WIS Services, ESS, BlueRunner) to broaden its product surface and enter adjacent verticals such as hospitality and corporate catering.
ParentPay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ParentPay
- Legal name
- ParentPay Group
- Website
- https://parentpay.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- ParentPay Group is a UK-based private EdTech company providing an integrated software suite — anchored by the 40-year-old SIMS management information system — for payments, MIS, parental engagement, catering, library, finance, and compliance across 20,000+ schools and 9M+ users.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ParentPay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Management Software
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Co-Parenting, Father Engagement & Caregiver Inclusion Programs (EDACALAI), Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG)
Keywords
Where ParentPay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Coventry
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
ParentPay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- School Management Software Subscriptions: Subscription-based SaaS model providing schools with access to MIS, payment processing, parental engagement, catering management, and other education management tools. Pricing appears tailored to school size and requirements.
- Catering Management Solutions: Revenue from meal ordering platforms (BlueRunner/Cypad) serving primary/secondary schools and expanding into hospitality and corporate catering markets.
- Professional Services and Training: Training and consultancy services for implementation and ongoing support of education management systems.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Custom enterprise packages for schools and MATs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
ParentPay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ParentPay Group provides a cloud-based education management software suite for UK schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities and caterers, built around the SIMS management information system and the ParentPay payment platform. The suite covers MIS, parental and student engagement, payments, finance, catering, library management, timetabling, school facilities hire, and GDPR/data protection compliance, sold as integrated packages or standalone modules with annual subscription billing and supporting professional services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SIMS: Management information systems (MIS) for schools, MATs, and post-16 education
- SIMS Next Gen
- BlueRunner
- Cypad
- Schoolcomms
- GDPRiS
- Reading Cloud
- UNIT-e
- SchoolHire
- FMS
- Finance New Generation
Products and services
- SIMS MIS for Schools
Quantifiable outcome
- School debt reduced from thousands to less than a hundred pounds per week
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ParentPay
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ParentPay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
ParentPay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- LACA – The School Food PeoplecoreParentPay Group partnered with LACA to produce the annual 2025 School Meals Report, surveying 236,000 parents on FSM eligibility and uptake. This partnership positions ParentPay as a thought leader in school nutrition and catering management.
- BESAminorParentPay Group is a BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association) partner, indicating membership in the prominent UK education technology trade association.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ParentPay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RM plc: RM plc is a long-standing UK education technology company providing hardware, software, and services to schools. It directly competes with ParentPay in UK school MIS, infrastructure, and edtech procurement.
- Bromcom: Bromcom is a UK MIS vendor serving primary, secondary, and MAT customers. It competes head-to-head with ParentPay's SIMS product in the UK state school MIS category.
- Arbor Education: Arbor Education is a UK-based MIS provider for schools and MATs, offering a cloud-native student information system. It is one of the most prominent direct competitors to SIMS/ParentPay Group in the UK K-12 MIS market.
- Satchel One: Satchel One (formerly Show My Homework) is a UK school engagement, homework, and behaviour platform. It directly overlaps with ParentPay's Schoolcomms engagement and parental communication products for UK schools.
Broad incumbents
- Tribal Group: Tribal Group is a UK-listed education software and services provider serving schools, further education, and government. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping EdTech capabilities, but covers a wider portfolio beyond K-12 administration.
- IRIS Software Group: IRIS Software Group provides HR, payroll, and finance software to UK schools and academies. It is a broad incumbent in UK school back-office software, overlapping with ParentPay's FMS/Finance and HR-adjacent capabilities.
Emerging players
- Wonde: Wonde is a UK school data integration platform that connects MIS data to third-party apps. It is an emerging player whose data layer sits adjacent to ParentPay's SIMS MIS, with partial overlap in school data services.
- Groupcall: Groupcall provides UK school messaging, parental communication, and data solutions. It is an emerging player with direct overlap in parental engagement alongside ParentPay's Schoolcomms and ParentPay products.
Regional players
- ClassDojo: ClassDojo is a US-origin classroom and parent communication platform with global reach. It is comparable to ParentPay's parental engagement and Schoolcomms offerings in functionality, but is primarily US-based and serves a different primary geography.
- Clever: Clever is a US-based K-12 identity and data platform that integrates with school rosters and apps. It is comparable in school data infrastructure but operates primarily in the US market, not directly competing with ParentPay in the UK.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ParentPay social profiles
Digital presenceParentPay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ParentPay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
ParentPay subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
ParentPay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ParentPay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A5 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ParentPay
What does ParentPay do?
ParentPay Group provides a cloud-based education management software suite for UK schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities and caterers, built around the SIMS management information system and the ParentPay payment platform. The suite covers MIS, parental and student engagement, payments, finance, catering, library management, timetabling, school facilities hire, and GDPR/data protection compliance, sold as integrated packages or standalone modules with annual subscription billing and supporting professional services.
Is ParentPay a public or private company?
ParentPay is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was ParentPay founded?
ParentPay was founded in 1984. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is ParentPay based?
ParentPay is headquartered in Coventry, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does ParentPay make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. School Management Software Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are catering Management Solutions and professional Services and Training.
Who are ParentPay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RM plc, Bromcom, Arbor Education and Satchel One. Broad incumbents are Tribal Group and IRIS Software Group. Emerging players are Wonde and Groupcall. Regional players are ClassDojo and Clever.
Does ParentPay have an API?
No public API is recorded for ParentPay.
What industry is ParentPay in?
ParentPay's product category is Education Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADALAD, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education, with a secondary code of EDACALAI, Co-Parenting, Father Engagement & Caregiver Inclusion Programs. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.