Education software group IRIS acquires ed-tech compliance and HR firm

Specialist payroll and education software firm IRIS Software Group (IRIS) has acquired education compliance and HR management provider Every. The takeover forms part of IRIS’ efforts to expand its education software capabilities, with many education providers requiring seamless, integrated technology solutions.

It follows the group’s recent takeovers of payroll service providers Dataplan and PayPlus, both of which have a strong focus on the education sector. The acquisition of Every improves IRIS’ compliance and HR capacity. HR is widely seen as being more complex in the education sector, due to factors such as salary structures, pay scales and pension filings.

Every was founded in 2010 and has grown to become a leading provider for UK schools and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs). Its modules provide end-to-end systems to help ensure compliance and reduce risk, while its integrated HR solution was launched earlier this year as a result of strong demand among educators.

IRIS is currently used by over 12,000 UK schools and MATs and around four million parents and guardians communicate with their children’s schools via IRIS apps. The group’s payroll solutions, meanwhile, are used by one in five UK employees.

The acquisition comes at a busy time for M&A in the rapidly-growing global ed-tech sector, driven in part by the huge rise in demand for remote learning solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing HR and compliance challenges that education providers face.

IRIS Education Managing Director Simon Freeman said: “We are delighted to welcome Every to the IRIS family. This is another step towards creating the most comprehensive end-to-end software offering for schools and trusts – one that takes the pain out of important day to day activities, and ensures they can focus on what matters most, teaching.”

“We’re very excited about continuing to support Every’s growth and market-leading people and products to benefit both existing and new customers.”

Every Founder Ian Bond added: “It’s now more important than ever to make sure education professionals have the tools to make their jobs more manageable, empower them with better decision making, and identify more efficient ways of working.”

“Joining the IRIS family allows us to build on what we’ve achieved to date and add greater value to our customers. We are excited about the future with IRIS and reinforcing our commitment to service excellence for our customers.”


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