October 2026 News & Updates

As more schools move towards phone-free school days, we're seeing a very practical question come up: if pupils can't have their phones with them, how do they know where they're supposed to be?

For many pupils, their phone had quietly become the place they checked their timetable, fixtures, clubs and other commitments. Take the phone away and suddenly that information isn't quite so easy to access.

That's something we've been thinking about at SOCS. We've now made it much easier to put that information back in their hands, without putting the phone back in their pockets.

A new Print button is now available in the new Parent and Pupil Portal, allowing pupils and parents to print their timetable details to have with them during the school day.

It's a small change, but a useful one. Print it out, pop it in a planner or keep it in a blazer pocket — no battery, signal or screen required.

And if you're interested in the wider move towards phone-free schools, we've taken a look at what happens to a pupil's week when the phone goes away, and how schools can help them stay organised without it. 

Read our latest insight article here: Phone-Free Schools: Where Does a Pupil's Week Go When the Phone Goes Away?

The new SOCS Parent and Pupil Portals are already live for the majority of our schools and their families are loving them. If yours hasn't made the switch yet, January 2027 is your moment and we'll handle the transition seamlessly.

Now's a great time to give your parents and pupils a heads up that something exciting is on its way. Push notifications, beautiful new design, improved calendar views. It's a genuine upgrade worth celebrating.

And if you're wondering whether staff are getting something equally exciting, watch this space.

A few weeks ago, we shared an important message about the move to new iSAMS Batch API credentials. With the deadline getting closer, here's a quick reminder of what you need to do.

Your school can now add your new iSAMS Batch API credentials in SOCS Administrator.

Please note: only users with access to Pupil Sync will be able to complete this step.

How to add your details

1. Log in to SOCS Administrator.

2. Click iSAMS Batch API OAuth Client Credentials.

3. Enter your iSAMS Batch API Client ID and Client Secret.

4. Click Save.

One important thing: please replicate your current settings, filters and batch API methods in the new credentials to avoid any loss of data.

What happens next?

Once you've saved your details, we'll check them and switch your sync over to the new authentication.

Please don't switch off your current sync until we've confirmed that the switch is complete.

We've got a busy month of live school sport coming up on schoolssports.tv, kicking things off with our next Vitality Schools Lacrosse League fixture.

Then it's on to three Daily Mail Trophy fixtures, all being streamed live throughout November.

Check out the fixtures below — and tune in to schoolssports.tv to watch them live!

What a brilliant day we had at our recent Scottish User Group in Edinburgh!

A huge thank you to everyone at Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools for hosting us in such a beautiful setting. There's something quite special about demoing new SOCS features under a stained-glass window!

And thank you to all the schools who joined us. We packed a lot into the day, with top tips and best practice across SOCS, a look at the new Parent and Pupil area, MIS registration write-back, SOCS Room Booking and Facilities, Payments, and a run-through of the new Trips system.

We always love getting the chance to meet our schools in person, share ideas and hear what's happening on the ground and we've got lots more exciting events coming up.

Want to join us? Check out our events page to see what's coming up and find an event near you.

Last year marked a huge milestone for us as we celebrated our first year of streaming at Rosslyn Park on schoolssports.tv - bringing the action to audiences across the world.

Now the draw is out, the excitement is building and we’re counting down to another unforgettable year! 

Check out the draw here!

Latest Updates | SOCS