Alps Education and CEDAR, part of UNIT-e suite of solutions within ParentPay Group, announce strategic partnership to put clearer insight at the heart of post-16 decision making.

For too long, sixth form colleges have had to work across disconnected systems, exporting data from their MIS, manually cross-referencing it with performance benchmarks, and stitching together insights that should already be joined up. That is changing now. 

Alps Education and CEDAR, part of the UNIT-e suite of solutions within ParentPay Group, are pleased to announce a strategic partnership that brings together two platforms with deep roots in the sixth form college sector and a shared conviction that colleges deserve better than fragmented data. 

CEDAR is the student engagement and data intelligence platform trusted by more than half of UK colleges to track learner performance, identify risk early, and connect operational data to strategic outcomes. Alps provides nationally benchmarked value-added analysis used by over 1,200 institutions to evaluate progress, inform curriculum decisions and evidence of impact to governors and inspectors. 

Together, the partnership will change what’s possible for colleges working with both platforms:

• Spot underperformance earlier. With Alps’ value-added insight feeding directly into CEDAR’s engagement layer, college leaders will be able to connect academic benchmarking signals with real-time learner activity and act before results day forces the conversation.  
• Cut the admin that eats your team’s time. Data that currently requires manual export, reformatting, and re-entry between systems will flow more accurately and efficiently thereby freeing staff to do the analytical work that matters.  
• Walk into inspections and reviews with confidence. Whether preparing for Ofsted, presenting to governors, or reviewing curriculum performance, leaders will have a more coherent and evidence-led picture drawn from operational and benchmarked data in their system.  
• Get cleaner data flow. Cleaner data flows mean fewer discrepancies between what CEDAR tracks and what Alps analyses thereby reducing the risk of gaps that could undermine accountability documentation 

For colleges already using both platforms, this partnership delivers immediate practical value. For the sector at large, it represents something broader: a commitment to ensuring that the data infrastructure underpinning post-16 education is as intelligent, and as useful, as the people who depend on it. 

“This partnership is about giving colleges the intelligence to lead, not simply report. By bringing together Alps’ benchmarked value-added insight and CEDAR’s real-time engagement and operational data, we are creating a clearer, more complete picture of performance and risk, enabling post-16 leaders to intervene earlier, make better strategic decisions, and improve outcomes with greater confidence.” – Rob Clark, Commercial Director, UNIT-e & CEDAR

“This partnership reflects a shared belief that colleges shouldn’t have to work hard to make their data work together. Alps was originally developed at Greenhead College by Dr Kevin Conway CBE, and that heritage in the sixth form sector continues to shape everything we do. We’ve spent years helping colleges understand performance through robust national benchmarking, and by integrating that insight directly into CEDAR, we’re making it easier to connect what’s happening now with what it means for outcomes – supporting more timely decisions and more confident leadership across the post-16 sector.” – Toby Ahern, Commercial Director, Alps Education 

Further information on technical developments and phased implementation will be shared with colleges directly.  

About Alps Education 

From its origins at Greenhead College, grounded in the sixth form college sector, Alps has evolved into a globally recognised leader in value-added analytics. Today, Alps is a leading provider of educational technology solutions, designed to help schools and educators optimise student outcomes. Using the full national DfE dataset, Alps provides comprehensive exam and progress tracking analysis via two platforms, Connect and Summit, for over 1,200 schools, colleges, and Groups in the UK and internationally. For more information on Alps, and how we can support your school, click here. 

About CEDAR 

CEDAR is a student engagement and data intelligence platform built specifically for the post-16 sector. With more than half of UK colleges using CEDAR and one in three naming it their primary student engagement tool, it brings attendance, engagement, and performance data into a single actionable view thereby helping post-16 teams intervene earlier, evidence impact, and manage with greater confidence. CEDAR is part of the UNIT-e suite of solutions within ParentPay Group. To learn more about CEDAR, please visit our website here