SIMS 2014 Spring Release Note

It is still possible to search for user documentation by output type (handbook, tutorial, Welcome to the SIMS 2014 Spring Release QRS, etc.) and then by functional area but now you can also search by role (e.g. Teacher, Administrator, Returns Manager, etc.). Release Notes We have added to the resources available – a range of Frequently Asked Questions Each functional area displays a set of icons, which indicate the school type(s) to which guides has been produced and can be accessed from the FAQs menu. The the content relates. Icons that indicate a link to the applicable handbook(s) and New Troubleshooting section has also been added, enabling you to investigate any issues you Feature videos are also displayed. may have when accessing the resources available.

Content applicable to English Primary and Northern Ireland Primary schools IMPORTANT NOTE: If you encounter issues when attempting to open any New Feature videos or Tutorials whereby you are asked to install the required version of Content applicable to English Secondary and Northern Ireland Secondary schools Flash Player and/or an on-screen dialog suggests that Online Help content cannot be displayed, these can be resolved by downloading the latest version of Flash Player Content applicable to Welsh Primary schools (http://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/known-issues-acrobat-xi-reader.html).

Content applicable to Welsh Secondary schools The new SIMS Documentation Centre is available as part of the SIMS 2014 Spring Release onwards. To access the SIMS Documentation Centre, click the Documentation Content applicable to Independent schools button on the SIMS Home Page. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are running SIMS on a Windows 8 or Windows Server If you have any comments or questions regarding any SIMS user documentation, please 2012 workstation, you may encounter difficulties when you first log into SIMS after a email us ([email protected]). SIMS upgrade because the What's New page is displayed automatically and cannot be Important Information Regarding SIMS Documentation closed easily. This is caused by Windows Reader being the default program used to open PDF files. Following valuable feedback from customers, the SIMS Documentation Centre has To resolve this issue, you must first ensure that Adobe Reader 9 or later is installed. been redesigned, with a focus on enhancing the user’s experience. Next, you will need to associate Adobe Reader with all PDF files. From the Taskbar, The principal benefit of the new SIMS Documentation Centre is that resources for click File Explorer, click Computer in the panel on the left-hand side of the page SIMS and Discover can all be accessed from a central repository. then from the Menu Bar, select Computer | Open Control Panel. Click Programs | Default Programs | Associate a file type or protocol with a program. In the

1 Extensions list, scroll down to and click the .pdf item then click the Change program Permissions button. Click Adobe Reader then click the Close button. A permissions spreadsheet listing all permissions relating to SIMS 7.156 can be accessed User documentation that is accessible via the SIMS Documentation Centre (by clicking from our SupportNet website (http://support.capitaes.co.uk). Enter PERMLIST in the the Documentation button on the SIMS Home Page) is hosted on the web. This Site Search field then click the Go button. approach to delivering user documentation offers you the following benefits: A reduction in the download time of a SIMS release from SOLUS We can now provide user documentation post-release, so you will always have access to the most up-to-date, accurate information. As a result, documentation provided in PDF format is no longer deployed to the \SIMS\Documentation folder on your SIMS Server (with the exception of the What's New page, the main Documentation Centre navigation page and the Getting Started guide, which must continue to be delivered to this folder).

NOTE: If you wish to access the latest user documentation for the SIMS 2014 Spring Release without logging into SIMS, the Documentation Centre is accessible using a AMPARK web link (http://simspublications.com/313453/index.html). New Features IMPORTANT NOTE: If Google Chrome is your default web browser, please ensure you disable the Chrome PDF Viewer and enable the Adobe Acrobat plug-in to ensure that PDFs display correctly. This can be achieved by entering chrome://plugins in the Enhancements for the SIMS 2014 Spring Release Address Bar then pressing Enter. The Assessment Manager and Performance Analysis Resource Kit (AMPARK) provides If you experience a problem when attempting to open a page in the Documentation a set of resources for use with SIMS Assessment. This kit has been updated for the SIMS Centre, please contact your System Administrator who can enable access to 2014 Spring Release. www.simspublications.com.

2 Assessment Additional data tags have been provided when inserting Student Details. You can now insert a pupil/student's Legal Surname and their Parental Addressee information. These New Features can be accessed via the Menu Commands section of the Add-Ins ribbon but not via the Custom Toolbars section.

Generating Individual Reports in PDF Format Enhanced Early Years Assessment Resources Focus | Assessment | Individual Report Enhanced Early Years Assessment resources are available for import, which record, track It is now possible to produce individual reports in PDF format by selecting PDF Format and monitor attainment and progress throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage from the drop-down list adjacent to the Export button on the Individual Report Details (EYFS). page. Additional Attendance Details Data Tags Available for Individual Reports Fixes Focus | Assessment | Individual Report This release includes fixes in the following areas: Additional data tags have been provided when inserting Attendance Details. You can When viewing aspect details by clicking a column heading on a marksheet, gradesets are now insert information relating to the Number of Sessions Late and the Total Session now displayed in reverse Start Date order, so the most recent gradeset version is Minutes Late. These can be accessed via the Menu Commands section of the Add-Ins displayed at the top of the list (via Focus | Assessment | Marksheet Entry). ribbon but not via the Custom Toolbars section. When working with group filters in SIMS Analysis, the To date now defaults to the last Additional Class Teacher Data Tag Available for Individual Reports working day of the current academic year (via Focus | Assessment | ). An additional Class Teacher data tag can be inserted, called Initial including Middle Initials. Additional Student Details Data Tags Available for Individual Reports

Focus | Assessment | Individual Report Attendance

3 Current QAN XML - QAN_Current_V1.2.xml

Awarding Bodies XML - QAN_AB_V1.0.xml Fixes Discount Codes XML - QAN_DiscCode_V1.1.xml This release includes fixes in the following areas: Qualification Types XML - QAN_QualType_V1.1.xml A fix has been introduced to ensure that the Attendance hyperlink in the Links panel of ENGLAND Performance Measures XML - Performance Measures ENG ONLY.xml the Pupil (or Student) Details page displays the Student Marks page, as expected (via Focus | Pupil (or Student) | Pupil (or Student) Details). WALES Performance Measures WALES ONLY.xml The output of the Today's Register Report no longer incorrectly displays squares (which NI NIEFQAN.xml. usually indicate that no lesson is scheduled for that pupil/student) when marks have The version numbers of the files may change from one year to the next. been recorded in Take Register (via Reports | Attendance | Whole Group Pupil Reports | Today's Register Report). If you inadvertently select the wrong file type for import, a warning message is displayed. This must be rectified before continuing with the Import Catalogue Files or Import Course Manager Performance Files processes. New Features

New Menu Route for Maintaining Post-16 Programmes of Study

Tools | Academic Management | Course Manager | Maintain Programmes of Study Improvements Made to QAN Import Routine An additional menu route has been provided, enabling you to record information relating Tools | Examinations | Import Qualification Data to Programmes of Study for Post-16 pupil/students. The location of the Import Qualification Data menu route has changed. It is no longer Pupil Referral Units can now use Course Manager accessible from Tools | Statutory Returns. Additionally, there is no longer a Performance Measures file for use by schools in Northern Ireland. Schools in Northern From 2014, the DfE requires Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to provide Learning Aim Ireland must now import the NIEFQAN file instead. information in the School Census Returns. PRUs can use Course Manager to assist with data entry and maintenance. The valid file names and types that are accepted for import in the Import Qualification Data route are as follows:

4 Core Aim Displayed in the Memberships and Results Panel

Tools | Academic Management | Course Manager | Maintain Course Exception Log Entry for Contacts The Core Aim is now available for viewing or editing in the Memberships and Results panel of the Course Details page. Where a new pupil/student is associated with a contact who was originally associated with a pupil/student who has left the school, an exception log entry has been added. Ability to Specify Planned Hours for Post-16 Courses Leavers in a Previous Year Filter Tools | Academic Management | Course Manager | Maintain Course An additional filter (leavers in a previous year) has been added to the CTF export routine. You can now specify the number of Planned Hours per Year that a pupil/student expects to study for a Qualification and the number of Planned Hours per Year that they Discover anticipate doing other activities such as work experience or Non-Qualification related studies, for each Post-16 course of study. An additional section has been included in the New Features Basic panel of the Course Details page.

The hours specified in the Course Details page are reflected in the new menu route called Maintain Post-16 Programmes of Study and are a requirement for the Autumn New A Level Examination Graph Definitions 2014 School Census. Several A Level Examination graph definitions have been provided: KS5 A2 Point Scores per Student KS5 A2 Point Scores per Entry KS5 A2 Grade Distribution by Subject KS5 A2 Exam Residuals by Subject CTF KS5 AS Point Scores per Student New Features KS5 AS Point Scores per Entry KS5 AS Grade Distribution by Subject

5 KS5 AS Exam Residuals by Subject.

Additional Achievement Graph Definition Inclusion of ReportViewer.exe The Achievements by Half Term graph displays a separate bar for each half-term and shows the count of pupil/student achievement incidents recorded. From the SIMS 2014 Spring Release, we are including the Microsoft Report Viewer as part of the workstation upgrade process. This is used by the reporting functionality for Additional Attendance Graph Definition Examinations Organiser provided with this release. A new graph definition has been provided in the Attendance catalogue that enables you Edit Performance Indicators Functionality Available in SIMS to view the Whole School Attendance. The pivotal Performance Indicator functionality from Examinations Organiser has been Additional Behaviour Graph Definition moved into SIMS. This will enable us to maintain and improve the PI functions with A new graph definition has been provided in the Behaviour catalogue that enables you to more ease. view Student Bullying Incidents by Type. The following menu routes have been removed from Examinations Organiser and are Modified Pastoral Graph Definition now accessible only from SIMS: A revised version of the Student Totals by Key Pastoral Factors graph definition has Tools | Examinations | Edit PI Data been provided in the Pastoral catalogue. The modified graph definition enables you to Tools | Examinations | PI Reports view only the data points for which you have been granted permissions in SIMS. Tools | Examinations | PI Setup. Additional Pupil/Student Graph Definition The following menu route has been moved from under the Statutory Returns menu The Student Total by Whole School graph definition shows a count of all students in route in SIMS: the school. By incorporating this data point into a Venn diagram and filtering the population by another pastoral related data point, e.g. Pupil Premium, you can see which Tools | Examinations | Import Qualification Data. students in the school are not in receipt of this payment. The PI Cohort button that was previously available from the Edit PI dialog in Examinations Organiser Examinations Organiser has not been replicated in SIMS. This functionality can still be accessed from within Examinations Organiser via Tools | Group Manager PI Cohort. New Features

6 New Permissions to Access Exams in SIMS Once the PI data has been collated, PI or non EDI results that were entered in a previous season are displayed in the PI Calculated Values page and are included in all A new menu group called PI Setup has been provided to enable you to access the Exams calculations. PI menu routes in SIMS. Save Manual Discounting when Re-Collating Menu Routes Roles Tools | Examinations | Edit PI Data Tools | Examinations | Import Qualification Data Exams Officer Any manual Discounting can be saved so that when running the Collate routine again, the Returns Officer ticks (or unticks) are retained and included in subsequent calculations. This can be repeated multiple times. Curricular Manager Produce Performance Indicator Reports in SIMS Tools | Examinations | Edit PI Data Exams Officer Tools | Examinations | PI Reports Tools | Examinations | PI Reports Exams Officer It is now possible to produce Performance Table reports in SIMS, enabling the output and Exams Operator analysis of the Performance Indicator results.

Tools | Examinations | PI Setup Exams Officer Exams Operator Improvements to the Display of Grades in the Edit PI Area Tools | Examinations | PI Values | Edit PI Data Enter QAN in Edit PI using wrong case The order in which grade sets are displayed from the Grades drop-down list has been corrected to display in descending order of points values. Tools | Examinations | Edit PI Data Inclusion of Non EDI Results Achieved in a Previous Season Tools | Examinations | Edit PI Data

7 When entering a QAN in the Add PI Result dialog, if a letter forms an integral part of Where cover has been provided for a double period, the registers for both of these periods the QAN sequence, it is possible to enter this using the wrong case, e.g. 1004291x. now open correctly (via Focus | Lesson Monitor | Take Register). Where this occurs, clicking the Save button changes the case of the letter automatically so that it matches the case of the QAN as it was imported from the Performance Measures file. Multiple Timetables In addition, where results have previously been added against a QAN with a letter with the wrong case, this must be matched and corrected retrospectively. Fixes InTouch This release includes fixes in the following areas: If you are using Multiple Timetables functionality, the Free at period filter now works correctly when running the General Student List report (via Reports | Student List Fixes | General Student List). This release includes a fix in the following area: The Missing Registers Notification widget on the SIMS Home Page now filters on the Select Tier option selected in Tools | Academic Management | Set Current Tier, When entering the text of a message, the spell checking functionality has been enhanced. meaning you can filter missing registers in the Senior or Junior tiers, for example This enhancement results in an increase in size of the client upgrade of (via Focus | Home Page). approximately 3.5Mb. Improvements have been made to error handling when a master timetable structure is Lesson Monitor saved (via Tools | Academic Management | Define Timetable Cycle).

Personnel Fixes New Features This release includes a fix in the following area:

8 SWC Post and Pay Scale posts of Advanced Skills Teacher and Excellent Teacher A new Salary Update screen is available, enabling users to update the salary of one or within the service term have been made inactive and the post of Leading more staff members in a service term from a single screen, as opposed to entering Practitioner has been added. This enables the accurate creation of Leading every individual contract separately to make a salary change. Practitioner service terms in SIMS. It is now possible to define pay awards by salary range with minimum and maximum values within new service terms. It is also possible to convert existing scale based Profiles service terms to be salary range based. Converting existing scale based service New Features terms to be salary range based will convert the linked scale points within individual contracts to a salary value using a specially designed conversion routine, which enables users to map existing scales to their new salary ranges. New Links Panel Available from Various Areas in Profiles For contracts using salary range service terms, you will have the ability to define individual salary values within the staff contract. Focus | Profiles | Data Entry | List Entry Labels within the Salary Information report, Contract Analysis report, Contract Focus | Profiles | Data Entry | Grid Entry Information report and Terminating Contract report have been modified so that they Focus | Profiles | Review Profiles now refer to Scale/Range and Point/Salary, where appropriate. A Links panel is now visible on the right-hand side of these pages. This enables you to The SIMS reporting dictionary has been updated with all new fields that enable the access a pupil/student's Assessment records, their Attendance records, any Behaviour recording of salary ranges. It is also possible to report on the contact notepad from Management records they may have, their Examinations information and any Linked within the SIMS reporting dictionary. Documents. The ability to view this information from these pages provides you with a The service term export functionality has been enhanced so that LSUs can now create and comprehensive picture of their current academic situation whilst you are creating their update service terms with salary range definitions and export them to their schools. Student Profile. The Add/Edit a Review page of the Staff Performance area has been enhanced so that Additional Data Fields Available for Inclusion in Profiles Annual Salary and Actual Salary are pulled through for contracts that use salary Focus | Profiles | Session Manager ranges. Users can choose not to display salaries through the new Show Salary Values on Review Screen check box within the Staff Performance Setup page.

9 Two additional Attendance Details data tags have been provided called Number of An Edit button is now accessible in the Review Profile Details page. This enables you to Sessions Late and Total Session Minutes Late. Two new Student Details data tags have locate and amend quickly any unapproved text remaining in the profiles before they are been provided called Legal Surname and Parental Addressee. All of these can be generated and printed. accessed via the Menu Commands section of the Add-Ins ribbon but not via the Saving of Comments when Switching Between List Entry and Register in Custom Toolbars section. Take Register You can also include a Class Teacher data tag called Initial including Middle Initials when defining personal fields in a Profiles Template. Focus | Attendance (or Lesson Monitor) | Take Register Ability to Find and Replace Words in a Pupil/Student Profile To facilitate the recording of comments, when moving between the Take Register and My List Entry tabs in Take Register, the comment from List Entry is saved, as is your Focus | Profiles | Data Entry | List Entry or Grid Entry or Review Profile location. An additional feature has been provided that enables you to Find and Replace text in Generating Pupil/Student Profiles in PDF Format individual pupil/student profiles on a grid-by-grid basis. Focus | Profiles | Pupil (or Student) Profiles It is now possible to produce pupil/student profiles in PDF format by selecting PDF Ability to view a Pupil/Student's Name Adjacent to their Photograph Format from the drop-down list adjacent to the Export button on the Pupil (or Student) Focus | Profiles | Data Entry | List Entry Profile Details page. Focus | Profiles | Data Entry | Grid Entry Focus | Profiles | Review Profiles The pupil/student's name is now displayed beneath their photograph in the List Entry, Grid Entry Details and Review Profiles pages. Pupil Premium Ability to Change a Comment when Reviewing a Profile New Features Focus | Profiles | Review Profiles

10 Addition of the Adopted from Care Premium Pupil Referral Units Tools | Pupil Premium | Maintain For the first time, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) are required to complete the School Census Summer Return. The annual Pupil Referral Unit Census is no longer required Adopted from Care Premium has been added to the choice of Premium Type in Tools from PRUs. | Pupil Premium | Maintain. We have not been able to add support for the import of the 2014/15 DfE CSV files for this release because the structure and content was not For more information, please refer to the Producing the School Census Summer 2014 finalised by the DfE in time. Please note that this change applies only to schools in Return (English Pupil Referral Units) handbook. England. Changes to the Hours for Early Years Panel School Census Summer 2014 Return Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census New Features SEN is no longer part of the criteria for pupil/student selection therefore, the SEN column has been removed from the Hours for Early Years panel.

A new column (Age at 31/03/2014) has been added to the Hours for Early Years panel School Census Summer 2014 Return Dates to enable data to be recorded for pupil/students who are aged two at 31/03/2014. Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census Documentary Evidence of Adopted from Care Census Date: 15/05/2014 Tools | Statutory Return Tools | Update Adopted from Care Age at date: 31/08/2013 An additional column (Evidence Obtained), which contains check boxes, has been added to the Adopted from care table to enable you to indicate whether document(s) All-Through Schools have been obtained that provides evidence that the pupil/student has been adopted from The School Census Summer 2014 Return provides the facility for All-through schools to care. run and submit a return that accurately reflects their School Phase (All Through) and the NOTE: This information is not displayed in the Adopted from Care panel via required data for their pupil/students (aged under 7 through to those aged over 14). Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census because it is not collected in the Previously, All-Through schools ran the School Census as a Secondary school. School Census Summer 2014 Return. For more information, please refer to the Producing the School Census Summer 2014 Return (English All-Through schools) handbook.

11 Additional Document Type for Adopted from Care Pupil/Student Conduct Focus | Pupil (or Student) | Pupil (or Student) Details A number of enhancements have been provided regarding pupil/student conduct. Depending on your permissions, it is now possible to select a new note/document Type Improvements have been made to the filters in the behaviour area so that they match (Adopted from Care) when attaching note/documents to the Documentation those in SIMS. Management Server (DMS) as proof that evidence has been obtained that a pupil/student Where a pupil/student has been assigned a role in a behaviour incident, new fields (Role was adopted from care. An associated Status of Private or Confidential (but not Public) and Recorded By) have been added. These fields can be displayed or hidden, as required. can be selected. Behaviour and achievement types available from the register are restricted to those Attendance Code F Detected on Create and Validate flagged as Include in Register in SIMS (via Tools | Setups | Behaviour Management | Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census Behaviour Type and Tools | Setups | Behaviour Management | Achievement Type). On create and validate, the checking of attendance absence codes has been extended to It is now possible to hide behaviour or achievement on the consolidated graph on the include code F, which should not have been used for the Academic Year 2013/2014 Student dashboard. Spring Term. If any invalid attendance marks are found, a message is displayed, which Marksheets provides details of the invalid code and states that the Create and Validate process cannot continue until the attendance data is edited. A number of enhancements have been provided regarding marksheets. SIMS Learning Gateway Formula fields on a marksheet are now calculated automatically when the marksheet is saved. For complete information on the new version of SIMS Learning Gateway and ADPS, including upgrade instructions, please refer to the release notes that will be made Pupil Premium, First Language and Age in Years/Months can now be displayed on available from our SupportNet website (http://support.capitaes.co.uk) on product marksheets as additional information fields. release. Student Dashboard New Features It is now possible to hide year group comparison in the Student Attendance Graph. SLG on an iPad Mini

A number of cosmetic changes for users who run SLG on an iPad Mini have been introduced, which provide an improvement to the user experience.

12 Staff Performance The Staff Analysis by Overall Grade reports on the number of observations or reviews under each performance grade. New Features Reports | Personnel | Staff Performance | Staff Analysis by Professional Standards

The Staff Analysis by Professional Standards reports on progress against the professional standards defined in the school. Updates to Accommodate Pay Awards now being by Scale or Salary Range Tools | Staff | Staff Performance | Setup Focus | Person | Staff - Adding a Review Changes have been made to the Add/Edit a Review page so when a salary range based contract is selected, the Annual and Actual Salary are displayed rather than Current Point on Scale.

Whether this information is visible is controlled by a new Show Salary Values on Appendix - National Insurance Tables 2014/2015 Review Screen check box on the Staff Performance Setup page. Figures that should be entered into SIMS Personnel for employees with contracted in or New Pre-Defined Reports contracted out salary-related pension schemes and where the school will benefit from Reports | Personnel | Staff Performance | SP Audit Log | Appraisal Data National Insurance rebates.. You are strongly advised to liaise with your Local Authority/Payroll Agency to determine how the National Insurance rebates will be The Appraisal Data audit log spans the staff performance elements of the personnel treated because the table has assumed that the maximum rebate will be recovered. record, including the ability to report on changes made over a date range, by specific staff and within a particular functional area. Reports | Personnel | Staff Performance | SP Audit Log | Line Management Structure The Line Management Structure audit log covers the line management structure in the staff performance area. It includes the ability to report on changes made over a date range, by role. Reports | Personnel | Staff Performance | Staff Analysis by Overall Grade