SIMS Learning Gateway

[Bankesy]

Hello

 

I hope I'm posting this in roughly the right area.

 

I am trying to find out if it is a requirement for all schools to have a service such as SIMS Learning Gateway where parents can access the various reports on their children from home?

 

If it is a requirement (which we have been told it is) does anybody know of an alternative service?

 

Our web services manager is currently looking into getting this sort of functionality built into our Its Learning VLE so any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance

[creese]

The requirement for reporting to parents was dropped by the current government.

[LosOjos]

The requirement for reporting to parents was dropped by the current government.

 

Just a slight tweak on that - the requirement for online reporting to parents was dropped by the current government. You still have to provide regular reports but they do not have to be online.

[zag]

This was a forced New Labour "initiative" from long ago and no longer applies.

 

That doesnt stop us doing it though, we use TASC Insight and its great. Far better than SLG which is hindered by its underlying technology (SharePoint).

[Steven_Cleaver]

Also Tasc Insight happy user.

[PhilNeal]

It was NEVER a requirement to have on-line reporting however Ofsted will look at home/school links as evidence that parental engagement is occurring. Having some form of dedicated web site where parents can see homework, behaviour & achievement has got to be a plus point.

 

Another consideration is that Ofsted will use its own web site to record parental comments on your school and I suspect that this will largely attract negative observations!! A web site controlled by the school that allows parent surveys could be used to counteract anything expressed on the Ofsted site.

[localzuk]

It was NEVER a requirement to have on-line reporting

 

Not true. For a short period, schools were given a deadline to have online reporting in place. The document used the term "Must". This later became "should". And then the whole idea was changed.

 

Still got the documents at work somewhere.

[PhilNeal]

@localzuk it was an expectation promoted by Becta never put into any regulation. I'm not suggesting it was a bad idea, far from it!

[sparkeh]

@localzuk it was an expectation promoted by Becta never put into any regulation. I'm not suggesting it was a bad idea, far from it!

Well, I must agree with @localzuk and others above here. We were informed by our LA that it was going to be statutory and official documents were circulated that effect. They went into overdrive preparing a solution for schools by a deadline set by government.

 

After the change of government and a period of silence we were informed that it was altered to be an expectation that schools would do this.

 

Just before the LA went into meltdown and everyone was made redundant, we were told we didn't really need to bother with it at all.

Edited December 12, 2013 by sparkeh

[GREED]

@localzuk it was an expectation promoted by Becta never put into any regulation. I'm not suggesting it was a bad idea, far from it!

 

I'm sure you not Phil, it is in reality a good idea with the right product... of course revenue doesn't influence your stance at all does it ;-)

[dwhyte85]

I remember this being pushed VERY quickly, we had [a company] all over us and our deputy head at the time.

 

After the pre-sales and hard pitch, our head decided against it immediately and said it'd have to wait as we simply didn't have budget for it, it was a fad and we'd report manually. After she'd said no, no more contact from [a company]

 

It was pretty funny, the head destroyed the lady giving the presentation.

[PhilNeal]

@GREED if my statement was revenue driven I'd not have said it!!

[jenny_urey]

Hi all

 

It was a Government 'recommendation' and managed by BECTA at the time that all Secondary Schools have a way for parents to access attendance, tracking and SEN data remotely by 2010 and Primary Schools by 2012....that was until BECTA were ..... de-quango'd! The aim was to enable communication for those parents hard to communicate with (not sure I agreed with this....if a parent not bothered to go to a parents evening, are they really bothered to login and check online!) Schools have since realised how it helps communication within the parent, pupil, teacher triangle and the costs saving with a paper free electronic system.