Are you using SIMS Lesson Monitor ?

We are currently using SIMS and Bromcom, but looking to the SIMS only route which will hopefully save a few headaches.

A good question from one staff member....what do we do when a fire alarm goes off ?

At the moment this is easy, we just take the bromcom handsets out with us, but with Lesson Monitor this isn't so (and I have no intention going down the PDA route and buying another module for what is essentially the same thing.

Anyway, any ideas for you users ? Do you simply take out a paper copy of your lists ?

Thanks :)

We have them printed at the start of the day after 1st registration. Any students leaving the school after that have to sign out and any late arrivals have to sign in.

Thanks Alan, this seems to be the general consensus :)

I'm very interested in this myself because I'm not convinced that there is a better answer than a paper print. With the folders option - don't you need to connected to the server which will be in the burning building? In pouring rain or bright sunlight electronic screens aren't great.

At Capita when we have a fire practice we all leave and assemble in much the same way as a school - we don't however a today's register we have a permanent list and we know who wasn't there.

I'll have to ask my school - we register every lesson, but reporting doesn't let us know who isn't there - well it's supposed to but the reports can take so long that the system hangs first.

This was one of our first requirements of Lesson Monitor, to be able to report quickly those pupils missing from lessons. We have logged calls for this but so far there is no satisfactory answer.

Seems a bit daft - but we're unable to use most data collected on the day (IIRC).

Mark, I'm wondering if you are using LM? LM has a local database to allow off-line working - the central database is not updated until a re-sync. The menu route Take Register records directly to the SIMS SQL database so info is available.

Reports should not be running slowly - if you have a case reference number I will get someone to follow this up.

We did think about using a PDA - syncronised as the alarm went off, but that assumes the servers are up and running and is also fiddly when using it in daylight. It was the general concensus that the paper trail was quicker and easier to administer.

The admin staff just pick up the lists and signing in/out book then distribute the lists to form heads outside. Works very well and is just as accurate as the electronic version.

we use a reg.bok for all form teachers then when we get back in open sims and fill in :D

Teachers use Lesson Register. Finance and Information Staff print out a report every morning after the first 10 minutes of a lesson so if there is an emergency evacuation those are used and handed out to tutors.

We did use Bromcom before, and found it the fire drill module was very useful and this feature is one which I must admit SIMS is lacking to a certain extent. Basically Phil, with your PDA/Folder, you register your fire drill group [Ususally this the tutor's, tutor group OR it can be a support tutor]. Every time Bromcom is syncd with the server when taking NORMAL class registers , the fire group register is also syncd so you have a rolling up-to-date register and fire drill register ready to use without a server which is burning in the building!!!

@ICTSupport by the way what is Reg.Bok :?:

a reg.book is a Lesson Register book what we use to take register when the drill sounds ...... :D :D :D :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by callumtuckey

a reg.book is a Lesson Register book what we use to take register when the drill sounds ...... :D :D :D :D

---

Sorry to sound stupid but is it literally a "manual" book or a piece of software?

a reg.book is a book what teachers or staff fill in when the Fire Alarm
has been sounded then when they return they fill in on sims.net.... :D



ict.support you should Explain more as some members didnt know what you was writing about..... 8O

Case ref PM'd Phil... thanks for taking an interest! :)

Yes we use LM - that's what we were instructed to do by yourselves. We were told, and i've gone through the process slowly and painfully with one of the support team who proved it couldn't be done, that it is not possible to pull up attendance reports as Kiran (above) says he does!?!

We're hugely inconvenienced by this so if you or Kiran could enlighten me I'd be very happy!! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PhilNeal

Mark, I'm wondering if you are using LM? LM has a local database to allow off-line working - the central database is not updated until a re-sync. The menu route Take Register records directly to the SIMS SQL database so info is available.

Reports should not be running slowly - if you have a case reference number I will get someone to follow this up.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mark

Case ref PM'd Phil... thanks for taking an interest! :)

Yes we use LM - that's what we were instructed to do by yourselves. We were told, and i've gone through the process slowly and painfully with one of the support team who proved it couldn't be done, that it is not possible to pull up attendance reports as Kiran (above) says he does!?!

We're hugely inconvenienced by this so if you or Kiran could enlighten me I'd be very happy!! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PhilNeal

Mark, I'm wondering if you are using LM? LM has a local database to allow off-line working - the central database is not updated until a re-sync. The menu route Take Register records directly to the SIMS SQL database so info is available.

Reports should not be running slowly - if you have a case reference number I will get someone to follow this up.

---

---

What report are you actually trying to print and from where?... we use Today's Register in the Attendance Module for the fire register every morning [although there has been a sorting problem recently - but sorted now].

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by alan-d

We have them printed at the start of the day after 1st registration. Any students leaving the school after that have to sign out and any late arrivals have to sign in.

---

This is what we do as well, but I'm looking into the possibility & feasability of having a series of WAP's near the assembly area that can be used for Form tuturs & SLT to do fire registers via Lesson Monitor via either PDAs with LM loaded onto them or a set of Tablet PC's that are used exclusevily for such checks

The big problem with my school is WAPs arent always accessibly and that Portable PCs (a la Tablets) are very easily "re-assigned" for other needs.

If the Tablet PC method works then I'll probably have them marked as being for fire evac use only and that they are kept with our fire officer or Site Managers