Go4Schools - Anyone used it recently?

[pete]

We have a demo scheduled sometime in the next few weeks and I've STFF and found a few threads asking about it, but not a lot of good/bad/medicore opinions (from a technical/data manager and end-user perspective).

 

I know some of you have it, ('cos there's a smoothwall https inspection thread that mentions it), so general impressions in terms of design decisions, fitness for purpose and "oh dear fsm why did you do it that way?"

 

Specific questions:

 

• I see someone mentioned they're a rebrand of Stars4Schools - that doesn't ring any bells with me - were they terrible?
  
• Does it have usage metrics? i.e "x percentage of group y used it this month?". We'd like to be able to assess ROI.
  
• How's the MIS import/export? What doesn't work? (We use SIMS). edit: I see it doesn't write back to the MIS, so if you discontinue the service, you've lost the data. Are the downloads they make available suitable for MIS import?
  
• Have they done anything dumb while you've been using them?
  
• What's their site availability like? Do they renew SSL certs in a timely manner?
  
• Does their technical support understand their products?
  

[laserblazer]

@pete did you get anywhere with this. It looks like we will be using it but there a lot of installation pre-requisites.

[pete]

We had a demo. I'm still waiting on requested implementation docs (haven't bought it, want to see them before we even consider buying because we've been bitten before).

 

General impression was that while there were some good things (reporting, some analysis, parental side of things, development seems responsive), there were some not-so-great things (cluttered marksheets with onus upon head of dept to maintain) and some annoying things (lack of usage metrics, not writing data back to SIMS*, permissions from SIMS not being transposed over, still having to actively save reports/marksheets rather than autosave like an online word processor would).

 

*they make everything available in CSV format, but attempting to massage said data so it could be fed back into SIMS wouldn't be simple. Attendance data writing back to SIMS is a new (or pending?, can't remember) feature but it only writes back AM/PM, not per-lesson and it's the per-lesson attendance that's useful for us - AM/PM doesn't tell us who skived PE, for example.

 

My general impression was "better than I thought it'd be, better in some areas (browser compatibility) than SLG, some concerns from a sysadmin POV, not convinced overall".

 

Cost-wise with the attendance module (pre-negotiation) it's about the same as the yearly renewal for Hosted SLG.

 

Can go to PM if you want more info.

Edited November 26, 2013 by pete

[laserblazer]

Our new HT rates it highly and has signed up.

[SteveT]

We've been using it for about 12 months. Not too hard to set up and their tech support is good. they will remote in and install for you which saves a lot of time. Teachers seem to like it once they get to grips with it. Does require some work from HODs to set up mark books and someone with overall oversight to ensure staff enter data in good time.

[Seb1780]

Apologies for resurrecting this, but I've just returned from leave.

 

We've had Go for nearly two years, it was already in place when I started 14 months ago. The application we use now has developed significantly from the tools we had when I started.

 

At our school we have decided that the data team (myself & an assistant) will manage the system. We generate all the reports, manage the markbooks and monitor usage. This does take a significant amount of our time but allows for a consistent approach. There is a great deal of flexibility in the way markbooks are set up and this allows us to cater to the differing needs of the departments.

 

Once up and running we have useful data available in real time; extracts and ad-hoc reports are straightforward and the amount of on-screen information is comprehensive.

 

On the down side, developments of the system are not always explained (or even announced) and a lot of self education is often needed. Educating the end-users can be stressful!

 

The support does seem to have deteriorated in the past six months or so, it now often takes two or three explanations of a problem before you get past the "automated response" type reply.

@pete to answer your specific queries:-

 

It is a rebrand of Stars4Schools - I believe this was an issue with copyright rather than anything else

 

It has some usage metrics, for example you can see which parents have accessed their child's report and when. This data is downloadable for further analysis in Excel. There is no means of monitoring staff access.

 

The MIS import from SIMS works well, although it is a once per night event and, thus, subject to delays. The feed rules provide a means of manipulating the data from SIMS as it comes across - we use it to build extra-curricular classes etc. It can take some time to get your head around the feed rules and the subject locking system, but we have used it effectively in the past to manage rotations etc. Getting data back into SIMS can be done by exporting from Go into CSV format and using Routines / DataIn / Assessment / Import from Spreadsheet; although we don't do this as we have chosen to use Go as our primary tool for assessment, monitoring and reporting.

 

Your comment on discontinuing the service now has our SLT thinking!!

 

Have they done anything dumb while you've been using them? Not intentionally; there have been days (one or two) where logging into Go has resulted in a message about loss of service / functionality as a result of something they have done, but most of their enhancements have been just that.

 

Site availability is very good, our broadband connection is the weakest link in our connection. I've not seen a problem with the SSL certs.

 

Does their technical support understand their products? - Yes, but they don't always understand your problem using their product.

 

Regards

 

Steve

[tombry]

sorry to resurrect this a second time - but we're looking at moving to this, mainly for the reporting/assessment parts, but are contemplating moving quite a bit of our teacher's work to it to limit their need to launch SIMS.

 

I do have a couple questions though - and @Seb1780, you seem like someone who might have some straight answers for me.

 

If you're using G4S as your full-time assessment tool, did you drop AM7 from SIMS? If so, how do you handle Exams?

 

I know it handles behaviour, but I didn't see a detention management system - if you use G4S for behaviour, did you drop the BM part of SIMS? if so, how are you handling your detentions?

 

thanks.

[Seb1780]

Wow, I had to re-read what I'd written and thought this was something from a few weeks ago, turns out it's from 2013 - at least I'm consistent

 

If you're using G4S as your full-time assessment tool, did you drop AM7 from SIMS? If so, how do you handle Exams?

 

Can you have SIMS without AM? I don't know and I've never thought about it.

 

We still have Assessment Manager and have recently started putting data from Go4Schools back into SIMS to provide data to another system (MINTclass). Of course, this process in manual so it is only done after each report cycle.

 

I know it handles behaviour, but I didn't see a detention management system - if you use G4S for behaviour, did you drop the BM part of SIMS? if so, how are you handling your detentions?

 

We will not yet move to Go4Schools for Behaviour Management because there is nothing for managing Report cards and Detentions; we don't want a split system so we will hold off until these things are in place. The intention is to ditch SIMS BM when we move (and we will move Attendance at the same time so Lesson Monitor will go too).

 

I had a long chat with Jonathan, the MD behind Go4Schools, at BETT; they have development plans in place but they are a bit hit and miss as to the usefulness for us (schools in general I mean) and sometimes appear to be what the developers think will be fun (e.g. the recent "postcard" development).

[tombry]

Thanks for the answers - I talked to my Capita rep today, and apparently I can drop the AM7 suite, and just get the Exams suite, which would solve my concern there.

 

The detentions will be a hangup, as we quite like our detention system, but my eventual goal would be to have teaching staff not log in to SIMS daily, and instead us G4S - I'll just have to see if there is something I can do to ease that issue.

 

My fear would be staff would use G4S, and never use the BM part of SIMS, which would ruin our rewards/sanctions work.

[McGriffin]

Hi,

 

We have had Go4Schools for 12 months now and run it in conjunction with SIMS. We've striped SIMS back to bare minimum functionality and operate the following systems using GO: Markbooks, Data Analysis, Behaviour and Attendance. As you quite rightly point out Seb1780 the Behaviour side of GO needs some development to catch up with SIMS but we've been happy with the functionality of all the other modules.

 

Detentions is something GO have been developing since we brought the system off them and I have to admit there has been very little change to the Behaviour Module. I hope this is something they look at over the next couple of months.

 

If you want to catch about our experience, just let me know.

[gillmeegan]

We are looking at moving to Go4Schools. Can I ask if you do away with Sims Assessment where do you record KS2 results and how do you include these in CTFs for leavers? Also does it impact on the exams process given that results are stored in assessment aspects?

[tombry]

We still kept AM7, as our eventual plan will be to use SIMS again - as I didn't go down that path with Capita in the end, I imagine the exams module would hold the actual results, and that's how you'd pass it through to CTF files.

[bobsmith]

We are looking at moving to Go4Schools. Can I ask if you do away with Sims Assessment where do you record KS2 results and how do you include these in CTFs for leavers? Also does it impact on the exams process given that results are stored in assessment aspects?

 

Are you primary or secondary?

 

Are you recording the KS2 results taken at your school, or importing them from key to success in the first place?

 

As far as I know these results in both cases would be stored in AM7, NOT exams organiser.

[gillmeegan]

We are secondary - so currently I use the KS2 wizard to import templates etc then download results from either Key to Success or NCA tools I think it is now. If I did not have AM7 I would not be able to see these in such a useable format or presumably pass them on to other schools via CTF if students move on. That is the main issue and I was wondering if anyone had addressed it. I think the exams side of things would take care of itself.