What Education Software Solutions does

ParentPay Group is a UK-based education technology company that has operated in the school software market for over 40 years, since its 1985 founding, and now serves more than 20,000 schools and 9 million daily users across the United Kingdom. Its core offering is a cloud-native, integrated software suite covering the full operational surface of a school or Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), anchored by the legacy SIMS Management Information System (MIS) and extended through nine branded product lines: ParentPay (payments), Schoolcomms (communication), FMS (finance), Cypad and BlueRunner (catering management), Reading Cloud and Library Management Cloud (library and reading engagement), GDPRiS (data security and compliance), UNIT-e and CEDAR (post-16 MIS and engagement), and SchoolHire (facilities lettings).

Underlying the suite is a cloud-based platform architecture purpose-built for UK educational institutions, with stated compliance to ISO 27001, ISO 9001, PCI DSS, and GDPR, and an A-rated cyber security posture. The portfolio is sold primarily to UK primary schools, secondary schools, MATs, local authorities, independent schools, post-16 colleges, caterers, and libraries, with a stated but underdeveloped international schools segment. Distribution is direct, via consultative enterprise field sales supplemented by events, webinars, and content marketing (case studies, whitepapers, the "Well-run schools" and "Parental engagement 2026" reports).

Revenue is generated through annual or multi-year subscription fees on a quote-based model, with pricing tailored to institution size, number of sites (for MATs), and selected modules; billing cadence is annual and pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or M&A activity in the available data, and operates as the umbrella group for several acquired brands retained under their original names (most notably SIMS MIS).

Name

Education Software Solutions

Legal name

ParentPay Group

Website

https://educationsoftwaresolutions.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ParentPay Group is a UK education technology company providing an integrated cloud-based software suite — anchored by the SIMS MIS — covering payments, parental engagement, finance, catering, library management, and data security for over 20,000 schools and 9 million daily users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Billing, Tuition, Fees & Payments (including Cafeteria/Meal Accounts) (EDAFAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compliance, State Reporting & Education Data Exchange (Ed-Fi/SIF) (EDAFAEAO), Student Billing, Invoicing & Account Statements (EDALAJAC)

Keywords

• School management software
• Education management systems
• Student information systems
• School payments platform
• Parental engagement software

Headquarters

HQ city

Caddington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Subscriptions - School Management: Annual or multi-year subscription fees for access to the suite of education management products including SIMS MIS, payments, engagement, finance, and other modules. Schools and MATs pay recurring fees based on size and module selection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Education Software Solutions, trading as ParentPay Group, sells a cloud-based suite of education management software to UK schools, Multi-Academy Trusts, local authorities, and post-16 institutions. The suite centers on the SIMS Management Information System (MIS) and includes modules for parental and student engagement, school payments, finance, catering management, library management, reading engagement, data security and compliance (GDPRiS), school facilities hire, and timetabling.

Product overview

ParentPay Group offers a cloud-based suite of education technology products serving over 20,000 schools and 9 million users. The platform operates on a unified ecosystem architecture with SIMS MIS as the core management information system, complemented by specialised modules for parental engagement (engagement platforms), payments, finance management (FMS), catering, library management (Reading Cloud and Library Management Cloud), data security (GDPRiS), and school facilities hire (SchoolHire). Additional offerings include solutions for post-16 education (UNIT-e and CEDAR), timetabling, and training & consultancy services. The suite is designed for primary schools, secondary schools, MATs, local authorities, independent schools, international schools, caterers, libraries, and post-16 education institutions across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SIMS MIS: Management Information System for schools and MATs
• ParentPay
• Schoolcomms
• Reading Cloud
• GDPRiS
• UNIT-e
• Cypad
• BlueRunner
• SchoolHire

Products and services

• SIMS MIS for Schools Cloud-native management information system for schools that supports staff workflows, provides actionable insights, keeps parents updated, and tracks student progress.
• SIMS MIS for MATs Management information system designed for Multi-Academy Trusts, providing unified administration and reporting across multiple schools.
• UNIT-e (MIS for Post-16 Education) End-to-end learner management system for colleges and further education providers, managing the full learner journey from enrolment to graduation.
• Parental & Student Engagement All-in-one solution for parent and student communication covering parents' evenings, meal management, attendance, and conduct management.
• CEDAR (Engagement for Post-16 Education) Student engagement platform for further education settings providing real-time insights into attendance, progress, and pastoral needs.
• ParentPay Payments Market-leading payments solutions for schools covering meal payments, trip payments, and wraparound care payments with PCI-certified processing.
• FMS (Finance) Purpose-built financial management solution for education that reduces administrative workload, manages staffing costs, and maximises funding.
• Catering Management Digital solution for pre-orders, allergy management, reporting, kitchen visibility, and food waste reduction in school catering operations.
• Reading Cloud (Reading Engagement for Schools) Interactive reading platform that tracks reading progress, provides personalised recommendations, manages library operations, and boosts engagement for young readers.
• Library Management Cloud (LMC) Modern online library software for academies, trusts, and public libraries that streamlines cataloguing and automates library processes.
• GDPRiS (Data Security & Compliance) Data security and compliance platform with A-rated encryption, industry-leading access controls, GDPR compliance, and PCI certification for payment management.
• SchoolHire School facilities hire solution used by over 1,350 schools to manage lettings, bookings, and online payments for facilities.
• Timetabling Solution for creating and managing school timetables, sold as part of the ParentPay Group product suite.
• Training & Consultancy Expert-led onboarding, technical setup, training, and ongoing consultancy services for educational settings adopting the ParentPay Group suite.
• Support Services Ongoing technical and adoption support service contracted by educational settings to ensure long-term success with the ParentPay Group suite.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ schools trust the platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RM plc: UK-headquartered education technology group historically serving schools with hardware, software, and services. Directly comparable as a long-standing UK EdTech incumbent with overlapping MIS, assessment, and school management offerings.
• PowerSchool: Large North American K-12 education technology platform offering SIS, learning, and engagement solutions globally. Comparable as a broad incumbent in school management software, though it operates primarily outside the UK market.

Direct peers

• Arbor Education: UK-based MIS provider for primary, secondary, and MAT schools with a cloud-native MIS plus communication and finance modules. Directly comparable to ParentPay's SIMS MIS and engagement suite and is a credible greenfield competitor in the UK MIS market.
• Bromcom: UK cloud-based MIS for schools and MATs covering student records, attendance, assessments, and parental engagement. Direct competitor to ParentPay's SIMS MIS, particularly in MAT and secondary school segments.
• ScholarPack: UK school MIS focused on primary schools with integrated parental engagement and reporting. Comparable to ParentPay's primary-school MIS and engagement offerings and competes for the same UK primary segment.
• MySchool24: UK provider of cashless catering, online payments, and management information systems for schools. Closely comparable to ParentPay's payments, catering, and MIS modules, especially in meal/payment management.
• Groupcall: UK education technology company providing parental communication, messaging, and data integration tools for schools and MATs. Overlaps with ParentPay's Schoolcomms and parental engagement product line.

Emerging players

• Wonde: UK education data platform that synchronizes school MIS data with third-party EdTech apps. Adjacent to ParentPay's SIMS ecosystem and increasingly relevant as the data-integration layer schools rely on.
• Eduspot: UK provider of online payment, communication, and trip-management tools for schools and MATs. Direct overlap with ParentPay's ParentPay and Schoolcomms offerings at the smaller-school tier.

Others

• Sodexo Education (School Catering & Payments): Major facilities and education services provider operating school catering, payments, and related services in the UK. Comparable as an ecosystem participant in school payments and catering, which intersects with ParentPay's catering and payment modules.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@parentpaygroupltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parentpaygroup

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Education Software Solutions