EFIRMIN Posted June 16 Posted June 16 Some of our Staff are unable to open Student Timetables from the Links side panel on a Student Profile SIMS instead loads the SIMS Next Gen Login page, a system we have not moved to yet. I have found a work around by loading timetables via reports drop-down but this is long winded compared to going from the profile. I know SIMS are trying to move to the cloud, but is there a way to change the default back to the local SIMS program for loading these documents until we are ready? Our school hosts our SIMS data locally with an on-site Server Build 23 Version 7.228 Windows 11 Education 24H2
Boredguy Posted June 16 Posted June 16 We are using SIMS Next Gen, but clicking the Timetable link on the student record in SIMS.Net brings up the normal view we've always had. Only way it takes us to the Next Gen page is if we select an option from the SIMS Next Gen dropdown menu at the top, or clicking the "View in Next Gen" button.
willtech Posted June 16 Posted June 16 (edited) You can turn off the link redirection in the admin centre Bear in mind this, you have not got long until timetables hit stage 3: Stage 2 (Starting June 2026) Redirects are switched on centrally. Schools can temporarily opt out if needed. Your school will have a user setup as an administrator, they can make the changes if you would like to temporarily opt out, please note the changes will take 24 hours to register with Sims and Next Gen. Stage 3 (From July–October 2026 onward) Redirects become permanent and cannot be disabled. Key module rollout dates: Timetables: Stage 2 from 8 June → Stage 3 from 6 July Attendance: Stage 2 from 22 June → Stage 3 from 28 September Conduct & groups: Stage 2 from 13 July → Stage 3 from 26 October Edited June 16 by willtech 1
Boredguy Posted June 16 Posted June 16 That might explain it then. Thanks for the heads up @willtech. I've now set our attendance to not force over until the end of term as staff have already had the fun of moving from Class Charts back to SIMS for registers so easier to have all the new features take effect as of Sept. 2
EFIRMIN Posted June 16 Author Posted June 16 Thank you @willtech and @Boredguy for the time schedule. Spoken with my boss and now aware of forced redirects. We're going to have to spend the next few months re-training staff again 😅. It's Classcharts all over again 😭. 1
Gongalong Posted June 17 Posted June 17 I've asked Parent Pay support but can't get an answer to what happens if we defer them "forever" i.e. put a date in for a few years time.
rpenhale Posted June 18 Posted June 18 We found next gen doesnt show pre admissions timetables, have we missed something as Parentpay didnt seem to be able to answer this? Not great for transition planning if this is the case?
duesouth Posted June 19 Posted June 19 I had to make an immediate change to a timetable for a pupil this morning. I'm not sure who long it takes to get from SIMS7 to SNG, but longer than 15 minutes. I got around it via the Reports menu -> timetables - but that change has to be quicker. I've given it a go - now turned it off - but want to turn it off permanently. SIMS7 for everything for me. SNG not finished and what is there isn't fit for purpose.
willtech Posted June 19 Posted June 19 (edited) 14 minutes ago, duesouth said: I had to make an immediate change to a timetable for a pupil this morning. I'm not sure who long it takes to get from SIMS7 to SNG, but longer than 15 minutes. I got around it via the Reports menu -> timetables - but that change has to be quicker. I've given it a go - now turned it off - but want to turn it off permanently. SIMS7 for everything for me. SNG not finished and what is there isn't fit for purpose. Permanent, you cannot, ESS have said this, unless it has changed in the last week. Completely agree SNG is a mess I can see a number of schools wanting to move. Stage 3 (From July–October 2026 onward) Redirects become permanent and cannot be disabled. Edited June 19 by willtech 1
Boredguy Posted June 19 Posted June 19 The timetable redirect is still within Stage 2 so you can put it off for the rest of term at least 2
Wirral_Wonderer Posted June 19 Posted June 19 The support team we use are saying that PP are talking about delaying the move to Stage 3, at least there may be some good news out of this. Gives us more chance to migrate to a different system! 2
gumbygaz Posted June 19 Posted June 19 I've just set our schools redirects to No? I've assumed this has disabled the feature with no switch over date..... Unless I'm mistaken? I don't mind them putting in links to NextGen but forcing the staff over seems a bit of a nightmare to be honest. I'll have Staff wanting to view a timetable in Sims7 navigate to the student be 1 click from seeing the timetable to it actually launching NextGen, signing into that, then having to research for the student again. Need to get off this system! 1
Spookyville Posted June 22 Posted June 22 Ours redirected last week, caused chaos. We set it back but the status is still sat on "Reversing". Anyone know how long this takes? Common sense would dictate the next working day but than again it is ESS/PPG
gaz350b Posted June 22 Posted June 22 43 minutes ago, Spookyville said: Ours redirected last week, caused chaos. We set it back but the status is still sat on "Reversing". Anyone know how long this takes? Common sense would dictate the next working day but than again it is ESS/PPG We changed ours friday and it reverted over the weekend, not sure why yours hasn't. Did you change the date? if so I think it will revert on that date.
David44 Posted June 22 Posted June 22 24 minutes ago, gaz350b said: We changed ours friday and it reverted over the weekend, not sure why yours hasn't. Did you change the date? if so I think it will revert on that date. What date did you put in? The field is called 'Effective date' so I assumed that was the date that it would start redirecting again so I put some date in the future. Now I think maybe it should have been tomorrows date (since it doesn't seem to accept todays date). Like @Spookyville, student and staff time tables are still redirecting for some users in SIMS 7 for us this morning and the setting say 'Reversing'.
gaz350b Posted June 22 Posted June 22 I think its the date the change you have just made take effect. not the date you want it to start redirecting.
liamrobinson Posted June 22 Posted June 22 (edited) SNG is going to be the death of SIMS as we know it. I'm already thinking of asking SLT to push for a move to Arbor. We have a template for our timetables to fit inside a little lanyard pocket so the students have them alongside their dinner cards. Just come to print them off and they are back to being A4 size with no way of changing them, you can edit the details but not the sizing, i'm probably going to have to use Command Reporter now and create a custom system 💩 Edit: Just seen there's an "export to excel" so it should be easy enough but still a faff when it was already set up. Edited June 22 by liamrobinson
David44 Posted June 22 Posted June 22 3 hours ago, liamrobinson said: SNG is going to be the death of SIMS as we know it. I think there are probably enough schools where SLT are prepared to put up whatever nonsense Parent Pay throw at them while throwing money back. If they didn't abandon SIMS 7 when they introduced 3 year contracts, broken eligibility checks, adverts for third party systems, survey requests that keep coming back once dismissed, a completely new system that isn't SIMS but is still called SIMS etc. what will it take? The product relies on lethargy and there is a lot of it about. It may not be the next thing but I predict that one day Parent Pay will decide it's not worth continuing to develop SIMS Next Gen for a diminishing userbase and at best stop where they are, schools will be left with a halfway house of SIMS 7 and SIMS Next Gen or at worst, they will give 2 weeks notice to stop using SIMS and find and migrate to an alternative MIS.
liamrobinson Posted June 22 Posted June 22 @David44 most schools have put up with it because SIMS is all they know and it’s worth it to not have to switch to a system that’s alien to them. SNG is awful in its current form, if they push on, those schools will decide to leave
enbiggen Posted June 23 Posted June 23 Timetables switched over today: Look up pupil in SIMS, click on "Timetable" -> opens SIMS next gen at "Welcome to Pupil Timetables" -> No details on specific student, nothing comes up in search for student. Go to Pupils->Pupil Profile in SIMS Next Gen -> can find pupil by name (aside: Not by any other feature, like year, or registration group). Go to Parent Pay Group to raise a case -> VERY SLOW generally -> blank page when it finally opens after clicking create a case. JOYS!
Homer Posted June 23 Posted June 23 The other schools in my trust are getting stuffed around by this, I am so glad we moved across to Bromcom at the start of June. Can anybody advise on the steps to disable the redirections? I can't find the place for the other schools!
David44 Posted June 23 Posted June 23 23 minutes ago, Homer said: Can anybody advise on the steps to disable the redirections? I can't find the place for the other schools! The setting is here... https://www.home.sims.co.uk/home/sims7redirections I am not sure it works properly though. I have raised a ticket with our SSU as the two timetable options are stuck on 'Reversing' for us. 15 hours ago, liamrobinson said: SNG is awful in its current form, if they push on, those schools will decide to leave I am not sure all schools will. I can see Parent Pay giving up on SIMS/SIMS Next Gen themselves before some schools do.
liamrobinson Posted June 23 Posted June 23 27 minutes ago, Homer said: The other schools in my trust are getting stuffed around by this, I am so glad we moved across to Bromcom at the start of June. Can anybody advise on the steps to disable the redirections? I can't find the place for the other schools! it’s in Admin panel, down the bottom under “SIMS7 Redirects” even if you turn it off they will force you too it over summer anyway. Might as well do it now and work out the issues now before September
ITGuyNW Posted June 23 Posted June 23 1 hour ago, enbiggen said: Timetables switched over today: Look up pupil in SIMS, click on "Timetable" -> opens SIMS next gen at "Welcome to Pupil Timetables" -> No details on specific student, nothing comes up in search for student. Go to Pupils->Pupil Profile in SIMS Next Gen -> can find pupil by name (aside: Not by any other feature, like year, or registration group). Go to Parent Pay Group to raise a case -> VERY SLOW generally -> blank page when it finally opens after clicking create a case. JOYS! I reversed the migration. Currently got School Synergy and SIMS pointing fingers at each other as to why timetables don't work when they migrate.
UnsureQueen Posted June 28 Posted June 28 Hi all I’m hoping one of you can answer as use sims. We use sims at my school we haven’t had the next gen update yet. We only use it to record attendance and write comments. On the comments portion if I go back and add to a comment does it show an edit anywhere? I’ve looked online and can’t get an answer. I want to know if an audit can be pulled and it shows the full history of comments such as what was written then date and time of the edit. Thanks for any help in advance
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now