By Steve Howse, Creator and Director, SMID 

We are thrilled to be partnering with ASCL in a collaboration focused on supporting school and trust leaders making confident, better informed decisions through improved use of data.

At SMID, our work has always centred on one simple idea: data should make life easier and richer for schools. Leaders are often having to grapple with multiple systems, large volumes of information and increasing demands on their time. Too often, the data they have to work with is difficult to interpret, time consuming to analyse and challenging to act upon.

Our aim is to change that. SMID seamlessly brings together key areas such as attendance, behaviour and attainment into one clear, accessible platform, helping leaders to identify patterns, monitor trends and respond with confidence. By simplifying how data is presented and used, we support schools and trusts to focus on what matters most - improving outcomes for pupils.

Flexibility and interoperability
What makes SMID particularly powerful is its flexibility and interoperability. Take areas such as attendance, behaviour and attainment; often analysed separately, yet in reality they are closely linked. Bringing them together gives leaders a more complete understanding of what is happening within their school or trust, enabling earlier intervention and more targeted support.

Our partnership with ASCL represents an exciting opportunity to strengthen that work. By working more closely with the education community, we can continue to refine and develop tools that reflect the real priorities and pressures faced by school and trust leaders, while also sharing effective practice across the sector.

Free extended trial offer
A key part of this collaboration is widening access to SMID. As part of our partnership, we are pleased to offer ASCL members a free extended trial of the platform. This gives schools and trusts the time and space to explore SMID tools properly, using their own data and understanding how it fits within their existing processes.
We recognise that adopting a new system is not a quick decision. Leaders need to be confident that any platform they invest in will genuinely save time, add clarity and support better decision-making. That confidence often comes from seeing the platform in action over time, rather than through a short demonstration. By offering an extended trial, we aim to remove that pressure and allow organisations to explore the platform in a meaningful way.

Alongside the platform itself, a great working relationship is a central part of what we offer. Our experienced support team works closely with schools and trusts from initial setup through to ongoing use, ensuring they are able to get the most from SMID. We understand that every organisation is different, so our approach is always responsive and tailored.

Bespoke training
We also provide unlimited bespoke training designed around the needs of each school or trust. This might involve working with senior leaders on strategic use of data, supporting pastoral teams in identifying key trends or helping administrative staff streamline processes. The focus is always on practical application, ensuring that training translates directly into day-to-day use.

This ensures that the platform is not only implemented successfully but embedded in a way that delivers long-term value. It also helps to reduce workload. By streamlining processes, removing manual data handling and presenting insights clearly, SMID enables staff to spend less time preparing data and more time acting on it.
During the extended trial, schools and trusts are able to work with their real data, build familiarity with the tools and explore how insights can be embedded into everyday practice. Whether it is identifying pupils at risk of persistent absence, analysing behaviour trends or reviewing attainment patterns, the focus is on practical, actionable use.

SMID supports a wide range of use cases. For some schools, it provides a clearer overview of attendance trends and early warning signs. For others, it offers deeper insight into behaviour patterns or attainment across subjects and groups. In many cases, it brings these strands together to build a more complete picture of each pupil and cohort.

Reducing workload, improving outcomes
At the heart of this is simplicity. Leaders do not need more data, they need better visibility of the data they already have. Our focus is on making insights easy to access, easy to understand and easy to act upon, enabling confident decision-making.

Looking ahead, we are excited about what this partnership will enable. Working alongside ASCL allows us to stay closely connected to the sector, continue learning from its leaders and ensure that what we build remains relevant and impactful.

We are incredibly proud to be partnering with ASCL and look forward to a strong and lasting collaboration. Together, we aim to support schools and trusts in using data more effectively, reducing workload and improving outcomes for pupils.

Find out more
If you are interested in exploring SMID through the extended trial available as part of this partnership, we would be delighted to hear from you.