[sims] Sending school reports electronically?

[Pink_Panda]

I'm after some advice please. I've been asked if our school reports can be sent out to parents electronically, we are using Schoolcomms here.

 

What are the legal requirements on how to get reports to parents? How do you sent out your reports?

 

We also have an e-portal that parents can log onto to check on their child's attendance etc, and I know that other school's in the area make school reports available via the e-portal and sent out a text to parents advising that reports available. I think I would prefer this option.

 

Any advice greatly received, thank you.

[theeggmaster]

We use Insight by Tasc Software as our Parent Portal, and our reports are uploaded to the child's information through SIMS Linked Documents. They aren't sent out via email or any other communication, similar to what you mention about an e-portal. I think that way is safer as you can monitor and track logons, and you know the data isn't going to the wrong email address (or even wrong postal address).

[IWDave]

We use Insight by Tasc Software too ;-)

[jmak]

I think you're right; notification that they're available via a portal is much more secure.

 

I receive my kids' reports that way - the school they use sends them through go4schools. It seems to work well, but I've only got experience as a parent rather than administrator/teacher.

[vikpaw]

Schoolcomms does send out reports. Check with them about how they implement it.

 

I would imagine if you already communicate with them and they have access to student data, adding additional data is no less secure.

[Schoolcomms]

Schoolcomms can deliver both SIMS Assessment Manager Individual Reports, (provided that the reports have been uploaded to the document management server) and SIMS Profile reports as email attachments. If you would like me to arrange an on line demo please let me know.

 

We’re also just about to release new functionality to display selected SIMS reports within the School Gateway On Line Reporting portal (app and web). This will be out after half-term.

 

You can also display attendance and behaviour via School Gateway parent portal too.

[GrumbleDook]

This is a catch 22 situation.

 

There is often a lot of personal data in school reports and so we should be taking special care when they are produced and issued ... especially electronically ... where a typo on an email address can cause so many problems.

 

However, data protection is about electronic and hard copy ... and schools have sent reports home with children for years!!!

 

One of those areas that because nothing has gone wrong (well, nothing has been a major disaster in the public eye) then for some doing a risk assessment, they could incorrectly mark it as very low (typically this would be medium to low on a 5 point matrix, depending on what sort of information is in the report and how you categorise your risks)

 

Of course ... this is on the presumption that anyone does a risk analysis in the first place.

 

Companies that produce systems that issue such reports can give examples of what can be safely placed into reports that are sent out unencrypted or not access via a portal, or at least I hope they would.