SIMS Teacher App

[truebluesteve]

Hi All

 

I have tasked with looking into replacing Emerge with the SIMS Teacher App. Apparently there are some issues with it (which is news to me and not very useful as we only renewed our license 3 months ago). I've looked at a couple of existing threads on here and I have a couple of questions -

 

1. Is it actually any good - i.e. does it do what it says it does well, and if so is it better or worse than Emerge

2. Is the Windows version a 'proper' App?

3. Does it support cover staff?

4. What does the O365 integration actually do?

5. Rough cost for an Academy School with £2000 pupils

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Steve

[NPA]

Hi Steve,

 

We moved from Emerge to SIMS Teacher over the summer due to Emerge not being able to cope with no actual PM registration sessions and copying the mark based on the last afternoon lesson of the day.

1. Do you have a PM registration period? Teacher App is not as refined at the moment as Emerge. However on the plus points the attendance data is updated in realtime, so we don't have issues with emerge overwrite or emerge slowing down SIMS every 15 mins.

The downsides there are a few,

If there is any issue with your staff data in SIMS, it will not work on a per staff member basis until you have corrected each one. So all good in the end

Currently it does not work for lessons which share teachers including support teachers.

Does not show any comments added at the moment.

The missing registers home screen does not work with the App, not sure if it works if you have inTouch, we dont.

Cannot search by class or see a students attendance in previous lessons.

You cannot quickly check if you have done all you registers that day if you have closed the App down, as it shows ticks for what registers you have completed in that session before you lock the ipad.

 

2.Don't know using iPad 2s and newer.

3.Yes assuming you have it setup in SIMS correctly.

4. Don't know have not used it yet, we use Google Apps for Education.

5. The cost is per pupil unless you have over a certain number then it is fixed price. If you buy Learner Gateway, then it is included for free. To use it for lessons you need to make sure you also have a Lesson Monitor license also.

 

Hope that helps.

[truebluesteve]

That's really useful - thank you.

 

Regarding PM registration - we don't have separate period; its done during the first lesson of the afternoon (period 4 for us). Is this likely to be an issue?

[NPA]

Hi,

 

It copes with not having a PM reg, you just have to set it up in SIMS then it is fine inside Lesson Monitor Setup, I think. We use Period 5 as period 4 can be before lunch for some year groups.

Edited October 21, 2015 by NPA

[PhilNeal]

Steve some answers from us:

Thanks Steve – we are happy to try and help with your queries:

 

1. Is it actually any good - i.e. does it do what it says it does well, and if so is it better or worse than Emerge

We will let colleagues in schools who use the app provide feedback. We get lots of feedback about the Teacher, both positive and ideas for future development.

 

2. Is the Windows version a 'proper' App?

Yes – we have worked extensively with Microsoft to design a fully native Windows app – utilising Windows gestures, usability and interface standards.

The app works on Windows 8.1, RT and Windows 10 devices as well as PCs and laptops running these OS versions.

 

3. Does it support cover staff?

Yes - where staff in school have cover assigned from SIMS this will show automatically in the Teacher app timetable for the assigned teacher. The app also allows a teacher to access other teacher’s timetables and take emergency cover. These features are fully available cross the iOS, Windows and Android platforms

 

4. What does the O365 integration actually do?

The O365 integration with the Teacher app associates the schools O365 Active Directory with the Teacher app system via the Azure Active Directory Synchronization Services. This integration allows school staff who are provisioned and active within the school’s Office 365 AD, to login to the Teacher app using their existing Office 365 username and password. If 2-factor/secondary ADFS authentication is used – this is supported by the Teacher app also.

 

5. Rough cost for an Academy School with 2000 pupils

If your school has SIMS Learning Gateway hosted by Capita there is no additional charge

If your school has SIMS Learning Gateway hosted by yourself or external provider the subscription price is £1,250 per year (pro-rata)

If your school does not have SIMS Learning Gateway the subscription price is £2,500 per year (pro-rata)

 

There is no limit on the amount of school staff or number or mix of devices accessing the Teacher app service at your school.

[jmak]

It's not that I don't have anything positive to say, but the pros I know about have already been mentioned....

 

One of the key requirements for us was integration with SIMS dinner money - and having asked local schools, it's not available through the app, so teachers would be able to take the register on the app, but then need to log in to SIMS on their PC to record who is having lunch. Possibly less of an issue for secondary.

[PhilNeal]

@NPA thanks for posting. Some observations on your points:

• TAs etc are now able to use the Teacher App. It was a complex implementation as the App respects permissions in SIMS rather than give complete access
  
• It is possible to search for other teacher's classes so if for example you come across a class without a teacher, you can find the class and register it etc.
  

 

It should show on missing register report - I'll get that checked.

Edited October 22, 2015 by PhilNeal

[GREED]

Just to balance the conversation (advertising of TeacherApp), thought I would clarify some of the points raised about what Emerge apparently 'does not do'

 

"Real time attendance": No, it is not connected to and reading the database 'live', is caches the database so that you can use Emerge anywhere not just when within the school Wifi or other internet connection. This is deliberate to add functionality to the app. Complaints that this is slow, or requires synchronisation, have been raised and we have taken steps this summer to massively improve the sync of data as well as the writeback to the MIS (not just SIMS). Attendance in particular (all staff writing registers at the same time!).

 

"Slowing down SIMS every 15 minutes": As above I will assume, but if this is happening and you believe directly related to your use of Emerge, please give the support desk a ring.

 

"Emerge overwrite": Can you explain more about this?

 

"Dinner Money": Emerge writes the dinner register and if you school uses/wants to use this (Primary Schools most commonly) then the interface alters slightly, so as a teacher takes the register it is performing the two register is one action. This has been in a large number of schools since release in April and is proving invaluable as well as saving a lot of money now schools are accurately able to record meal choices every day, and taken no more time than taking a normal register.

[ctbjs]

Can someone enlighten me as to the cost of the Teacher App please and is it on a FTE teacher and student population?

@PhilNeal - I see you have added the cost - what is the ProRata is it set from a specific date, could you advise.

Edited December 18, 2015 by ctbjs

[PhilNeal]

@ctbjs - there is an annual per pupil cost £2.50 with a minimum of £200 and max of £2,500.

[Ecclesbury]

Apologies if this is an inappropriate place to post this but might be a good place for the first bit of feedback I've had or, better still, it might prompt a correction or advice on how to get round it.

 

Seemingly if a teacher has a double lesson they have to enter both registers individually using the App whereas SIMS.net would have auto completed the second lesson. I am pretty sure that we have the doubles in question set up correctly in Nova, but I this is second hand feedback so I might have been misinformed.

 

A minor issue in the grand scheme of things but one which does bug the staff in question.

[PhilNeal]

@Ecclesbury Double periods should only require one registration but we did have some schools that experienced this issue on iOS. The release on Wednesday resolves the problem.

 

Also sorry @ctbjs I got the per pupil price wrong - it's £2.00/pupil not £2.50.

[Ecclesbury]

Excellent stuff, thanks Phil. The MOS in question was using iOS so I will tell him the good news!