The Scoliom blog

Advice for school leaders, and platform news

What we learn in the schools we work with, and what we ship — dated and verifiable.

Ten subjects on every school leader's desk

Before you meet suppliers, see also our guide to choosing school management software: the questions to ask each one.

What families really expect from a parent portal

A family portal can sit unused or become a daily habit. Four concrete expectations make all the difference.

Running a school on Excel: the signs it is time to change

The workbook that runs pupils and payments ends up costing dearly. The concrete signs it is time to move on, without disruption.

Chasing outstanding balances without damaging the relationship with families

Chasing a family behind on payment without damaging years of trust: a method, from the instalment plan to the meeting.

Changing management software without breaking the school year

The fear of switching mid-year is legitimate. A step-by-step method makes it possible without interrupting the service.

The morning register: from chore to useful signal

Done differently, the register becomes the first safety signal of the day and an early indicator of disengagement.

WhatsApp, email, paper notices: putting communication back in order

One channel per type of message, an identified sender, a record of who received what: three rules so the essentials get through.

School groups: running several schools without multiplying the tools

Two schools, two files, two payments desks: what a school group must unify, and what it can leave to each site.

Your school's data belongs to you

Pupil records, marks, payments: this is the school's own property. The questions to put to a vendor before signing.

Report cards: from marks entry to parents' phones

The report-card chain often breaks in the middle: marks here, report cards retyped there. How to rebuild it without re-keying a thing.

School certificates: the end of documents taken on trust

A signed certificate can be copied in minutes. With a verification QR code, the document carries its own proof.