How to set up your integration of NFER Tests and Arbor MIS

Please note that only a school will be able to request integration of their assessment data from NFER’s analysis tool to Arbor MIS. Please ensure your data is up to date in the analysis tool before requesting integration.  

If you are a Multi Academy Trust, you will need to ask your schools to complete the integration process first before you can view NFER assessment data on your Arbor MIS MAT-level dashboard.  

Setting up your integration

  1. Before you begin, please check that the pupil assessment data is complete in the NFER Tests Analysis Tool. If UPNs (Unique Pupil Numbers) are missing the sync may not complete. If you notice the UPNs are missing, you can quickly update them using the MIS sync option in NFER’s Analysis Tool to update the pupil records with the extra information needed. Please note however you will not be able to use the MIS sync option in the NFER Tests Analysis Tool until you have completed your integration request and approved the sync in your Arbor MIS.  

  2. All schools must complete the integration request form which can be found here. Please note: You will need to opt into our terms and conditions to complete the request. The form takes less than one minute complete. 

  3. When you have successfully submitted the request, a link to the app will appear on a page on your screen. 

  4. Click on this link, which will take you through to your Arbor MIS. 

  5. The administrator of your school’s Arbor MIS will need to login and approve the synchronisation of your assessment data into your MIS. The approval will appear as a notification on your Arbor MIS dashboard when you log in.  

  6. After the approval, your pupil assessment data will be synchronised to Arbor. Please allow at least 24 hours for this to complete. If any data is missing such as UPN (unique pupil numbers) the synchronisation will not complete. You can update any missing fields by logging in to NFER’s analysis tool and using the MIS sync option to update your pupil records as outlined in Step 1. 

  7. All schools will receive an email from NFER when their request has been successful, and your assessment data has been transferred into your dashboard on Arbor’s MIS. 

  8. If you are part of a Multi Academy Trust, you can inform your MAT Head Office that your assessment data is now available in their MAT-level dashboard. NFER will also send an email to notify your MAT Head Office. 

  9. Your assessment data from the NFER analysis tool to Arbor MIS will update daily to capture any changes to your data throughout the academic year.

For instructions on how to synchronise pupil data from your establishment's MIS, click here.

For Arbor help centre guidance, click here. 

Need further help?

If you have any further questions on the NFER analysis tool and Arbor MIS integration process, please contact: products@nfer.ac.uk or you can call the product helpline on: +44(0)1753 637007. 

You can also read our FAQs for further information on the NFER analysis tool and Arbor MIS integration. 

For any technical queries relating to your Arbor MIS, see Arbor’s support options here.

Please note: When comparing the average performance of subgroups of pupils according to specific characteristics, such as ethnicity or SEND status, it is important to be aware of the number of pupils in the subgroup. Care should always be taken when interpreting statistics based on small numbers. To avoid inaccurate inferences being made about differences in performance, NFER’s advice is that average performance should only be compared for subgroups that consist of at least 10 or more pupils. In addition, the colour highlighting in these reports is based on the direct comparison of average scores and not on whether they indicate meaningful differences between groups of pupils.