[sims] Parent Lite App

[Jawloms]

I'm having difficulty finding technical stuff about the SIMS Parent Lite App. How does it work? Where is data stored? How/when does it get to wherever it is stored? All I can find is "It's great" and "Here's a demo of the App".

 

Thank you

 

Stuart

[peej2k]

I'm having difficulty finding technical stuff about the SIMS Parent Lite App.

How does it work? Where is data stored?

 

It synchronises with Capita's SIMS Online Services. I don't know if thats purely Capita hosted or support companies host that too.

 

How/when does it get to wherever it is stored? All I can find is "It's great" and "Here's a demo of the App".

Syncs all of your data to the online services at 1am daily from your SIMS Database.

Sends data parents have changed back to your SIMS Database every 30 minutes.

[matt40k]

I assume within the EU? I assume there is a flag to exclude individuals?

[Jawloms]

I assume within the EU? I assume there is a flag to exclude individuals?

 

So do I, but when Capita say all of my data just being "uploaded to the cloud" it makes me nervous. I'm sure it is all above board, but I like to evidence how and where in the cloud it is when people ask me.

[Steve21]

It puts it on Azure if that helps in regards to cloud/location etc

 

Steve

[Simcfc73]

The consent thing looked good but its a bit limited. I could do with a test account to see how to set it up instead of using parent/staff members as guinea pigs.

[matt40k]

It puts it on Azure if that helps in regards to cloud/location etc

No. You know how many regions Azure has? Really need Capita to be brave and hit that reply button

[PhilNeal]

There is a full description of how this is implemented on MyAccount under “SIMS Parent: Technical Solution Overview”

[matt40k]

Any reason it isn't public?

[PhilNeal]

I can’t speak for Capita now but it’s easily available to any subscriber to MyAccount which covers 80% of schools so it’s fairly public!

[bobsmith]

It's on the EU servers. I'm trialling it now and it's working ok even though it's a complete pain in the bum to register users.

 

What I can't get my head round is the difference between the parent app and parent app lite - there's only 1 download on the app stores and only 1 management console - guess you can't have parent's choose which version they use?

[matt40k]

I can’t speak for Capita now but it’s easily available to any subscriber to MyAccount which covers 80% of schools so it’s fairly public!

You can see the irony right? You have a document describing how a parent service works, which no parent can access directly. If I was a school I'd be worried if I could share it as behind a password-ed site only schools could access and has Capita copyright\legal stuff all over it.

[Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun]

You can see the irony right? You have a document describing how a parent service works, which no parent can access directly. If I was a school I'd be worried if I could share it as behind a password-ed site only schools could access and has Capita copyright\legal stuff all over it.

 

I've Googled some of the other parent communication apps and can't find any of them with public facing documents about the technical details. They all require me to either contact them directly or log in.

[matt40k]

I'd expect Capita to set the golden standard - especially as they have a much larger base then anyone else. Also have you ever tried contact the supplier directly? Capita you hit a pay wall very quickly.

[jonnykewell1]

If you turn off 'SIMS Online Services' and then turn it back on again it forces through a synchronisation too. I find this useful when wanting to synchronise our assessment templates from SIMS without waiting until the next day or when changing parent email address etc... We use the full parent app but it will work in the same way.

 

I must say there's not much help online but there isn't a great deal you can configure anyway. It's mainly off and on switches to the various areas in the app.

[MkII]

This any good?

 

FAQs

[matt40k]

It doesn't seem to indicate you can exclude individuals, so like its all or nothing :S

[PhilNeal]

? If you don’t sign on you don’t use it?

[matt40k]

...but the data would have been sent to a third party that I haven't given my consent for.

[Jawloms]

...but the data would have been sent to a third party that I haven't given my consent for.

 

This @PhilNeal

[bobsmith]

...but the data would have been sent to a third party that I haven't given my consent for.

 

But we're using that third party for our MIS which is an essential function of running the school - which means that we don't need to request consent.

 

If you were cloud hosted you'd be in the same server farm anyway.

 

Provided Capita aren't farming the data we are entrusting them to hold for us and selling it on to yet another third party or sending direct marketing to our students or parents then there's no issue.

[MkII]

But we're using that third party for our MIS which is an essential function of running the school - which means that we don't need to request consent.

That's what I said when questioned about this.

 

The privacy notice linked from that FAQ page details what Capita are doing re compliance.

[matt40k]

But we're using that third party for our MIS which is an essential function of running the school - which means that we don't need to request consent.

 

No. SIMS .net is physically hosted on-prem in the school. Shipping the data to a third party, in potentially a different country is not the same. Currently, the only way that data enters Capita control is if a problem occurs, the school then agrees to send the data, the data is then purge once they have completed it - there is a lot of regulation and policy around this.

 

This isn't a slight tweak, it's major change. It hasn't been essential function previously to do historically. Can't just wiggle the goal posts, this is will result in a GDPR fine. This is no different to having to get parental consent to use any other third party tool (SchoolComm \ ParentPay \ GroupCall \ Teacher2Parent \ etc)

[Jawloms]

Our school office lady wants to use this app basically instead of sending out the data collection sheet. The data collection sheet is an essential thing to do, but I'd argue that it is not essential to do it using the app, therefore permission is needed.

[matt40k]

I'm with you with that - Personally, I'm happy if they stick something on the school newsletter and going hey we'd doing this, if you've got an issue, tell us (I'm sure GDPR says otherwise) my issue is I still haven't had a official statement from Capita saying this is how you opt-out individuals from the process which is seems extremely disturbing for Capita to do considering there position in the market and the fact this isn't something new either is it. Its a fundamental design flaw if it is the case. Again, just working on limit knowledge, but its a pretty big marketing failure if nothing else.

 

Until they confirm they have a way of excluding individuals, asking for consent is pointless. You can't do anything with that information!