[SIMS] Been asked to setup electronic registers (finally!)

[matt40k]

The full client really is overkill

Totally agree, they should do a cut down version really.


@cbakerf28 You sound like a Capita brochure, but yes, completely right!

@The_Windy_Miller - Suffolk curr networks can't talk to admin networks. So that ideas out.

[IrritableTech]

Our problems are age of hardware, its use and that we've plans to reinstall all over the coming months but not before registration has been asked for.

If you try and implement this on hardware you think will not cope, then you may be setting yourself up for a fall. It needs to prove itself almost immediately. Can you use this as a bargaining tool to get your new hardware sooner?

If it is slower than completing a register on paper, you're going to struggle with the battle unless the whole of your SLT is fully behind the change and can see the longer term gains.

[vikpaw]

office staff are implying that teachers are not professional and are incapable of maintaining a simple database. But how many of the teachers have bank accounts, have mortgages and shop on line.

I agree with you, but with regard the above, many do it quite fearfully, and it's a daunting task buying / banking online. In primaries, many struggle with all manner of tech, and even the designated IT person, is often hesitant to make big changes for fear of it all going wrong. They are under trained, and over used, with a large onus put on them, quite often they are not allowed access to the MIS, let alone any decision around it's usage. We meet so many at BETT, that think we're a godsend for all the help we can give them.

Where you see it's rolled out in primaries, and done right, they never look back and can't see how they managed without it, but getting over that hurdle on implementing and training is difficult.

[vikpaw]

Just to put it in context, even at my school, the primary schools don't take electronic registers no matter how much i've tried to convince them.
Everyday, someone in admin spends the best part of a couple of hours, taking the paper register and updating it on SIMS, so it's all together for analysis. Not that we even analyse it! A while back, thankfully i made some steps forward in that they started marking in pen, with the same codes we use in SIMS so the transfer when it comes will be easier.

This year we have new management, so i'll try my luck again, maybe with just one class moving on to a year group.

[cbakerf28]

Dear Klop

Make sure you have enough time to train people, choose a year group to do dry runs before going live. Attendance by SLG is none starter for all the schools I have worked in. Be ready with laminated guides (how to.... to stick on all the walls next to the computers. Laptops bring their own problems with family use at home and no up to date antivirus. Be sure you have someone in school who knows about academic management, T6 and alternative curriculum.

[cbakerf28]

[QUOTE=matt40k;781646]Totally agree, they should do a cut down version really.


@cbakerf28 You sound like a Capita brochure, but yes, completely right!

Now I am hurt!!!!

[pete]

By keeping staff at arms length from the data, office staff are implying that teachers are not professional and are incapable of maintaining a simple database.

Part of the problem is a lack of training, confusion and a resulting unwillingness to do more than the basics. If the teacher isn't sufficiently trained, they often don't care about the accuracy of their entries. That leads to the "the last time they did $foo we spent a week clearing up their mess finger-pointing" from admin staff. SLT needs to drive that training and make sure it's useful and appropriate.

But how many of the teachers have bank accounts, have mortgages and shop on line.

How many of them use decent passwords for online shopping? How many try to re-use work passwords for their online shopping (or vice versa)? How many of them have fell for the latest Microsoft telephone scam? How many of them live on credit cards? How many have taken out mortgages they can't afford?

About the same amount as any other random human.

Just because they can do something, doesn't mean they will do it properly.

[zag]

Yep electronic registration is a huge jump in using ICT in schools. We've done it for a few years now.

- Forget about SLG, its just overkill for taking registers and far too slow and un user friendly to be useful
- Sims client is the way forward but its a pain to keep up-to-date and slow to load sometimes
- We use Groupcall Emerge now for mobile devices, teachers can register on their mobile phones via a web app. Its been incredibly popular since we introduced it.
- Make sure you have a good wireless managed network if your going to let teachers do it on their laptops. We installed an aruba system a few years back and not had a wireless complaint since.
- Remember to train staff to lock their computers when away from them
- You will get staff who fail to take their Sims registers, these will be the same ones who failed to take their paper registers so its a SMT issue to deal with

[NorthernSands]

I generally disagree with most people here. I've set up SIMS in the classroom in several primary schools (with separate curric / admin networks), and it's been fine with the normal SIMS client. Yes, some curric / admin network setups won't allow it, in which case either change the networks or find another solution. The key, I think, is training and support.

I've always found it odd that people see Primary School teachers different to Secondary School ones. The school I'm at operates from Reception to Y13 and at the beginning of 2010-11 we split the school into Lower (Rec - Y4), Middle (Y5 - Y8) and Upper (the rest). The Middle school were intent to have all assessment data recorded directly into AM7. This was essentially managed by the MS but the Y7 - Y8 were fine (being doing it for a little while already) but it was new to the Y5 - Y6. It didn't go well at all, with many Y5 and Y6 teachers complaining about the "Secondary way" of working etc. and they were quite negative.

This year, the Lower school decided to also enter their assessment data in directly. This time it was managed by me and the LS. The difference couldn't be more profound; the teachers loved it and found it really useful etc.

I also timetabled the entire school this year. Primary is a doddle. :-)

[cbakerf28]

Northern Sands

I think that we all, in essence, agree with you about training and support.
Marvellous that you have managed the all through aspect, it is the way that some academies are going. Tough to do when they are all starting afresh at once.
All teachers will benefit from seeing other sectors of provision, they just have to take a deep breath and . . .jump in!