Student records split across an SIS, an LMS, and spreadsheets with no single view of attendance, grades, and communications for any one student?
Report cards generated by copying data from five different places into a Word template every term?
Student Information System Development
Custom student information system for schools, universities, and education providers -- enrolment, attendance, grades, timetabling, and parent communication in one system, not spread across an SIS, an LMS, and five spreadsheets with no shared student record.
Built for institutions where report cards are generated by copying data from multiple sources into a Word template and where there is no single view of a student's attendance, grades, and communications.
Student enrolment with document collection, profile creation, and full history from first application
Attendance tracking with teacher mark-book, mobile register, and automated parent notification for absences
Parent portal for attendance, grades, teacher messaging, fee payment, and event calendar
RaftLabs builds custom student information systems covering student enrolment and profiles, teacher attendance mark-books with parent notification, grade and assessment recording with report card generation, timetabling and room allocation, a parent and guardian portal for attendance and grade access, and statutory compliance reporting for attendance and safeguarding. Most SIS projects deliver in 12-16 weeks at a fixed cost.
100+Products shipped
·24+Industries served
·FixedCost delivery
·12-14Week delivery cycles
A student record split across three systems is not a student record -- it is a coordination problem
The pattern is consistent across schools and higher education institutions. The SIS holds the enrolment record and demographic data. The LMS holds course progress and assignment submissions. Attendance is taken in a spreadsheet or a paper mark-book and entered somewhere else by an administrator. Grades come from the subject teacher's gradebook. Parent communications happen by email or a separate app. Pastoral notes live in a case management tool.
When a teacher, administrator, or parent wants a complete picture of how a student is doing, they piece it together from multiple sources. When a report card is due, someone manually copies attendance data, grade averages, and teacher comments from each source into the report template. When a safeguarding concern arises, the pastoral team has to search multiple systems to build a history of the student's situation.
A custom SIS puts all of that in one place. The student record holds enrolment history, attendance, grades, communications, pastoral notes, and compliance data. Every staff member who needs information about a student finds it in the same system. Report generation becomes a scheduled process, not a two-day data collection exercise at the end of each term.
What we build
Student enrolment and profiles
Application intake with online form submission, document upload for ID, medical information, and previous school records. Enrolment confirmation workflow with staff review and approval. Student record creation on enrolment with full profile -- personal details, guardian contacts, medical notes, dietary requirements, and SEN status. Sibling linking for families with multiple students. Historical record retention from first application through every academic year. Student number generation and integration with any external ID systems in use. The student record that starts on day one and follows the student through their entire time at the institution.
Attendance tracking
Teacher mark-book interface for period-by-period or session-by-session register. Mobile app register for teachers taking attendance on a phone or tablet in the classroom. Attendance codes configured to your institution's requirements -- present, absent with reason, absent without reason, late, medical absence. Automated parent notification sent by SMS or email when a student is marked absent without prior notification. Persistent absence flagging when a student's attendance falls below a configurable threshold, with escalation to pastoral staff. Attendance summary per student showing percentage by period, by subject, and by term. The attendance layer that replaces the paper register and the end-of-day phone calls.
Grades and assessment recording
Teacher grade entry interface for assignments, tests, and assessments linked to the relevant course and student. Weighted grade calculation applying the assessment weighting defined for each course -- coursework vs. exam, formative vs. summative. Grade boundaries configured per subject and qualification level. Progress reports generated at any point in the term showing current grade standing by subject. End-of-term report card generation from recorded grades, attendance data, and teacher comments -- automated production rather than manual copy-paste. Grade history per student across all academic years for longitudinal progress analysis. The grade record that supports reporting without requiring staff to re-enter data they have already entered.
Timetabling and scheduling
Class schedule management with periods, days, and academic year calendar defined by administrators. Room allocation against each class period with capacity checking and conflict detection. Teacher assignment to class periods with timetable clash detection. Cover lesson management when a teacher is absent -- supply teacher assignment, class notification. Student group and set management for ability grouping and option subject selection. Timetable publication to student, parent, and teacher portals. Room booking for one-off events and extracurricular activities. The scheduling layer that removes the manual timetable coordination problem for administrators.
Parent and guardian portal
Parent and guardian login linked to their student's record, with access limited to their own child's data. Attendance view showing the current term's attendance record and any absence notifications sent. Grade access showing current term grades by subject and any recent assessment results. Teacher messaging for direct communication with subject teachers and pastoral staff, with message history retained against the student record. Fee payment for school fees, trip payments, and other charges -- payment history and outstanding balance visible to parents. Event calendar showing school events, exam dates, and parent evenings with RSVP functionality. The parent-facing surface that reduces phone calls and email to the school office.
Compliance and reporting
Statutory attendance returns in the format required by your jurisdiction's education authority -- period-by-period attendance data aggregated to the required level and exported in the required format. Safeguarding records linked to student profiles with access restricted to authorised pastoral and management staff. Exam registration data export in the format required by exam boards for entry submission. SEN record management with support plan documentation and review scheduling. GDPR-compliant data retention policies applied automatically at student departure -- data archived or deleted on schedule. Audit trail for all record changes meeting regulatory requirements for data governance. The compliance layer that produces what the regulator requires without a separate data collection exercise.
Frequently asked questions
A student information system is the central administrative platform for a school or education institution. It manages the student record from application and enrolment through every academic year to departure. Core functions include enrolment and profile management, attendance tracking, grade and assessment recording, timetabling, parent and guardian communication, and statutory compliance reporting. An SIS is different from a learning management system -- an LMS manages course content delivery and learning activities, while an SIS manages the administrative record of the student and their academic progress. Custom SIS development makes sense when off-the-shelf platforms do not match your curriculum structure, compliance requirements, or the way your institution manages its relationship with students and parents.
SIS-to-LMS integration typically flows in both directions. The SIS pushes student enrolment data to the LMS -- when a student is enrolled in a course in the SIS, their LMS account is created or updated automatically. The LMS sends grade and completion data back to the SIS so teacher grade entry in the LMS is reflected in the SIS gradebook. Attendance data from the SIS can be surfaced in the LMS so teachers see student attendance context when reviewing submissions. The integration uses the LMS's API -- most major platforms including Moodle, Canvas, and Google Classroom provide APIs for this. Integration depth depends on what the LMS exposes and what your institution needs to avoid double data entry.
Yes. Multi-campus support is a configuration option in the system. Each campus has its own timetable, room list, class schedule, and staff roster. Student records are linked to a home campus but can be transferred between campuses with full history retained. Reporting can be viewed at campus level or consolidated across all campuses. Staff with access to multiple campuses see a campus selector in the interface. Central administration staff see all campuses in a single view. Parent portal access follows the student's campus assignment. Multi-campus configuration is standard for school groups, sixth form colleges with multiple sites, and university campuses with shared administrative management.
A core SIS -- enrolment, attendance, grade recording, basic timetabling, and parent portal -- typically delivers in 12-14 weeks. A full SIS with multi-campus support, statutory compliance exports, safeguarding records, exam registration, fee payment, and LMS integration typically runs 16-20 weeks. Timeline depends on the number of compliance report formats required, LMS integration complexity, and whether a mobile app for teachers is needed alongside the web platform. We scope every project before confirming the timeline and give you a fixed cost before development starts.
Tell us your institution type, student volume, current system setup, and what compliance reporting you need to produce. We will scope the right platform and give you a fixed cost.
