JoinUp: A new centralised platform which connects what matters - People, systems & services

For too long, schools have been forced to make a difficult choice when it comes to their systems and services, which has a genuine impact on their ability to improve.

On one side are all-in-one MIS platforms. For over 30 years, they have promised simplicity but often deliver limited insight. Leaders pay increasingly more for broad, bloated functionality, while still lacking the depth they need to understand what’s really happening in their school or trust.

We see this time and time again, for example, in pupil progress trackers. Schools will invest heavily in a top-tier MIS package, only to find that the progress-tracking capabilities leave them wanting, prompting them to buy a more sophisticated tool like Sonar Tracker or Insights.

On the other side is the patchwork approach. Specialist tools offer depth and expertise, but at the cost of fragmentation. Systems don’t talk to each other, data becomes harder to trust, and staff time is lost to duplication and manual work. Leaders are left stitching together insight from multiple places, with no single source of truth, leaving valuable pupil and staff interventions off the table.

Either way, schools compromise on clarity, time, or cost. They’re left managing fragmentation across their core systems or wasting vast amounts of critical budget on system duplication.

We don’t believe that’s helping schools to improve.

Introducing JoinUp

JoinUp is Juniper Education’s response to this long-standing problem.

It’s a new joined-up approach to school improvement, built around the core principle that schools should be able to pick and choose the right functionality for them, which best suits their uniqueness, without having to compromise.

JoinUp is a free, centralised platform that provides the critical systems a school needs to operate. They are;

• A portal which uses bank-grade digital security, making complex user management easy and secure.
• A communications hub, which keeps all outbound messaging in a single, easy-to-use system.
• A cutting-edge parent app, inspired by some of the most popular social media platforms.
• And a statutory MIS that delivers the critical core functionality schools need without the overcomplication of other systems on the market. More on this later in the article.

Rather than forcing schools into a rigid all-in-one solution or leaving them to manage disconnected tools, JoinUp gives leaders a clear, shared view of their school or trust without adding complexity or unnecessary cost.

At the heart of JoinUp is a simple belief: better decisions happen when the right data is shared with the right people at the right time.

How JoinUp works

Through one central hub, JoinUp connects:

• Statutory and performance data
• Specialist education software
• Trusted services and partners
• The leaders and staff who need insight to act

Data is captured once, flows securely between systems, and is visible where it’s needed most. This supports SEFs, informs SIPs and helps schools remain inspection-ready without increasing admin.

What makes JoinUp different

JoinUp isn’t just another platform. It’s a different way of thinking about school improvement.

This joined-up approach enables:

Performance-based evidence

Clearly evidence the quality of teaching, pupil behaviour and attitudes using data leaders can trust, not manual workarounds or disconnected reports.

Earlier, purposeful action

Turn insight into action sooner, enabling earlier interventions that support pupil progress and staff development.

Shared visibility and transparency

Give SLT and trust leaders a single, clear view of what’s working, what isn’t, and where to focus next.

Reduced cost and waste

Cut spending on unused features and duplicated systems, with a free statutory MIS and less shelfware.

A scalable, adaptable model

Choose a modular alternative to rigid, shallow all-in-one systems and adapt it as your school or trust evolves.

The free MIS at the heart of JoinUp

A key part of JoinUp is our free statutory MIS, available to eligible customers.

We already support thousands of schools with products that capture statutory data. Schools shouldn’t have to pay thousands of pounds a year to enter the same data twice.

By making our MIS free as part of the JoinUp platform, we remove a major cost barrier, simplify the data landscape, and free up funding for what really matters: improving outcomes for children and young people.

It’s a bold step, and one we believe is long overdue.

Who JoinUp is for

JoinUp is designed for schools and MATs that want:

• Clearer insight without added admin
• Flexibility without fragmentation
• A sustainable approach to continuous improvement

Whether you’re a single school looking to reduce complexity or a trust seeking consistency and visibility across multiple settings, JoinUp scales with you.

Why we’re doing this

We believe sustainable school improvement starts with what matters most: children and young people.

By joining up people, systems and services, JoinUp helps leaders and staff spend less time managing data and more time focusing on teaching, learning and wellbeing. Positive change in schools often starts small, but it spreads quickly when insight is shared, and systems work together.

As Sarah Barton, CEO of Juniper Education, explains:

“We believe schools shouldn’t have to pay thousands to enter the same data twice. By providing a free MIS at the heart of JoinUp, we’re freeing up funding and giving schools the clarity they need to focus on continuous improvement and better outcomes for every child.”

A joined-up future for school improvement

JoinUp removes the trade-off between depth, cost and complexity.

It’s not about choosing one system or juggling many. It’s about joining up what already matters and making it work better together.

If you’d like to explore whether your school or trust is eligible for JoinUp and our free MIS, you can find out more here.