Serco

[6Foot2]

Their normal support procedure is:

 

Cal them up, they ask you your name and school name and ask for a pin number that they generate for you. thats it

 

I often forget my pin and so I usually opt to answer a security question.

[michael2k6]

Hi,

 

Things like a forgotten password would be dealt with in house as it would be reset from within the software by another user. For example, the eportal (web access to the teacher end) passwords are set in the office end of the software. So anyone with access to the software and permissions to edit the password can reset it.

 

We usually find there are just a few users in the school that would actually contact us. So yourself for technical issues, whoever does the timetabling would contact us for such issues, the exams officer, etc. More simple issues and really all issues from teaching staff would be dealt with internally. We can't help with things like password resets because we'd need to contact someone else in the school with permissions to them and remote in to fix it, would turn something that takes seconds into something that takes minutes or hours and involved 4 or 5 people rather than 2.

 

People in school will be given training as part of the implementation process and the people receiving the training (depending who recieves what) will learn how to configure these passwords.

 

 

You're right about the SLA's and the unique references. You can log calls online, or log them on the phone, and once they are logged, you can view them online, add status changes, update us with attachments, etc, all through the same site that you can download knowledgebase articles and training from.

 

It's late... if i didn't answer that very clearly, or if you have more questions, fire away.

 

Mike @ Serco

[specs]

Hi, I have been using Serco Facility CMIS since 2001, and have found it to be very flexible. I have also found a lot of its features are under utilised by schools. It does take a lot of setting up, but once done it is worth it. The timetabling module is the core of the entire system, and is quite powerful. If you are using it for the first time I would recommend the courses that Serco run, particularly the reporting and timetabling ones. I would also recommend that you run SQL for the main database, but keep an MSAccess copy on a machine which can be run as a stand-alone if there is a network failure. It is easy to run and maintain backups for this.

[john]

Agree very much about the AccessDB copy, I always have one on my Laptop for testing and dev work so if I break it or make a mess I don't have to restore the live data and if a report tweak works I can just copy the template over and tweak anything else.

[michael2k6]

It's nice to see more people discussing best working practices. Keep the suggestions coming.

[specs]

I forgot to mention one particular thing that could be quite useful. There is a lot of expertise out there where users have developed reports etc for Facility, it is a good idea to tap into that either through forums like this or on the Facility Support Site discussion forum. The thing I like about Facility is that it is relatively easy to 'reverse engineer' reports, import assessment templates, criteria and reports into the system, but make sure that you have a coherent naming system and folder system. This is particularly the case when it comes to using Facility to record what are called Student Events or produce Interim or Summative Student Reports to Parents. Facility does provide basic assessment models which tie in to ePortal, which is the teacher UI, and show progress tracking, which is free although you have to request a separate 'key' to activate it. Using these as a basis and then modifying them slightly allow you to tailor the system to suit your school. Having retired after 30 years teaching I am now working at a nearby school and am developing this for them. Again, I must emphasise the need for attending the training courses and using the discussion forums as it helps, through swapping templates, reports etc., to prevent the need to re-invent the wheel . It also makes it easier for teachers to enter the data and see what information you have - which makes them happier - although this could probably be said of all MIS systems.

[JJonas]

I forgot to mention one particular thing that could be quite useful. There is a lot of expertise out there where users have developed reports etc for Facility

 

Maybe we should start sharing reports etc. If someone wants a report put a request on here to see if one has already been developed.

[specs]

I quite agree. By the way, which way do you tie the toast to the cat?

[ninjabeaver]

Hi Guys,

 

I know this has probably been done to death before, but I was wondering if any current Serco users on here would be happy sharing their experiences? Likes, dislikes, tips, etc.

 

We are in the final stages of choosing between E1 and Serco to replace our current MIS. Serco is currently the favourite. Would be good to hear some upto date real live experiences before we make a commitment one way or the other.

 

Cheers

 

Terry.

 

 

Hi Terry, did you go to the NWM meeting recently?

 

There was a big dingdong over SERCO support access to the schools server as they would not tow the County rules for network access (wanting to use LOGMEIN etc.). The other point that was that Seb Gasse is pushing for a unfied and norfolk covered single MIS. That being I can see that we are ALL forced to move onto the Norfolk specified MIS.

 

Just some info to look at for the future.

 

Cheers,

Simon.

[tmcd35]

Yep I was there. A very interesting metting. We were pretty much set on Serco at that point.

 

In the space of that week SIMS dropped their price to compete and we had that Serco meeting.

 

Needless to say that SIMS is probably now the front runner. However it's still early days and we are canvasing local E1, SIMS and Serco schools so we can go see them live over the next week or two.

[ninjabeaver]

Yep I was there. A very interesting metting. We were pretty much set on Serco at that point.

 

In the space of that week SIMS dropped their price to compete and we had that Serco meeting.

 

Needless to say that SIMS is probably now the front runner. However it's still early days and we are canvasing local E1, SIMS and Serco schools so we can go see them live over the next week or two.

 

I've had dealings with BromCom and now SIMS. Theyall seem to have good points and bad. SIMS seems to be good at intergrating with everything, E1 seems to be good as you don't have to look after it as it's webbased at where ever, Plexer uses that. Steve @ Terrington High has SERCO. SIMS is here.

[specs]

I am not sure what the majority of schools are using in your area, I know that I like working with Facility and prefer it, but in many respects that is not important. It is much more useful if schools in an area use the same system as it allows a great deal more flexibility. It provides a local pool of expertise and ease of information exchange which I believe will outweigh most other considerations.

[GREED]

I would be interested to know what facilities are offered for SERCO in terms of online information presentation to the outside world, ie parents. SIMS has SLG (SIMS Leraning Gateway) which interacts directly with the data stored in the MIS and presents that in a secure way to parents and staff alike, along with offering a great MS Sharepoint platform to add content to.

[Sivadam]

And if you check out the SLG Roadmap on SupportNet then you will see that there are exciting things on the horizon!

I, for one, have no regrets that we bought into SLG. Having attended the SIMS Partnership Schools Conference earlier this week I am extremely excited by how it is developing.

It won't be long before the parents are really interacting with it rather than it just being a way of accessing pupil data, which is the requirement for next year!

 

There are schools around the country that really should be visited to see the full potential of SLG. We are obviously users of SLG. Staff can mark Registers, Complete Assessments and Write Reports online. Parents can access Pupil Data, including Attendance (both Sessions and Class), Behaviour & Achievement and Assessment. But what we are doing pales into insignificance when compared to some other schools, of whom I am very envious!

[specs]

In Facility I know that you can make ePortal, the web based interface of Facility, available to parents so that they can see all the information available on their child. I haven't actually implemented it myself, so cannot advise you on how easy it is. What I can say is that we have had no problems with staff access to ePortal from home and that it is relatively easy to set up that side of it. I believe it is secure and that it is relatively straightforward, but would recommend that you see if there is anyone out there who has implemented it for further information.

[GREED]

It was a great conference to be fair, especially as it was all free!!!

[APC]

ePortal from serco certainly provides the access level currently required for access from home by parents, students and staff. This is fairly easy to set-up and doesnt require the large financial outlay required for SLG.

 

E1 and other hosted solutions obviously provide similar functunality.

 

Obviously all MIS providers are contining to improve their products and all seem to be moving towards hosted solutions (BSF??) - except for Capita SIMS??.

 

From reading this any many other threads I do wonder if Sivadam works for capita tho!!

Edited November 13, 2009 by APC

[Sivadam]

From reading this any many other threads I do wonder if Sivadam works for capita tho!!

 

You can check my school as I have now included it in my profile. You may also like to visit SupportNet and see what I have to contribute there!

 

I am nobodies puppet either! If I think that something is wrong with SIMS or that certain enhancements are needed then I say my piece - often quite forcibly. The difference is that I tell Capita Staff directly and don't make spurious and inaccurate comments in a public forum!

 

I started to post on these Forums to try and enlighten some people who were obviously making invalid observations about an excellent MIS. Some of the statements showed a complete misunderstanding of SIMS by the contributors. I thought it was time to challenge these statements.

Edited November 13, 2009 by Sivadam

[SilverFox]

got all teachers in to SIMS; got students & parents engaged via SLG; ; got teachers working from home (should they wish to); seen other schools, "poor users of SIMS" get much better at using it and seen their school improve; seen poor users of SIMS (& poor school performance) jump ship and are still poor performing schools, despite the clear focus on using an IMS better.

To be fair I've seen a couple of good schools make the same move, and they're still good schools. Meanwhile, I've seen what used to be good schools decline, prompting a return to SIMS after a very expensive strategic move CMIS.

So, what do you want, how do you achieve it, how will you be able to tell &, finally, is it good value for money?

[jameswwright]

 

The other point that was that Seb Gasse is pushing for a unfied and norfolk covered single MIS. That being I can see that we are ALL forced to move onto the Norfolk specified MIS.

 

I think the thing that I took away from that meeting and Seb’s comments is that consideration is being given to the possibility of 1 or 2 *supported* platforms and that is key. No one will force a secondary school away from an MIS they are happy with but interoperability with other systems (e.g. learning platform) may be restricted to the supported platforms.

 

We have found that the integration between SIMS and Fronter is especially solid and our recent implementation of the SIMS Learning Gateway has strengthened our online offering.

 

I gave a talk at to year 8 parents at an information evening last week, and the feedback about SLG in particular was good with clear support in regards to how the school is using data to assist student progress, and how the parents can be easily kept informed.

[Serco_Rob]

Hi,

 

My name is Rob and I am the UK Business Development Manager for Serco Learning and have been with the company for 8 years.

 

I am aware that this isn't the arena to be giving my view on SIMS or indeed selling our product, but if anyone wants a direct answer to a direct question just let me know. It does seem that there are certain people who talk about our MIS in these forums based on hearsay and gossip. So I would be happy to clear things up in a Phil Neal stylee should you require it.

 

In response to the last couple of points, yes we do provide parental access and it is free as part of our standard license cost so no nasty surprises come next years real time reporting requirement. We have provided parental access to schools for seven years now and also offer consultancy services from educational professionals on how to roll this out.

 

Let me know if anyone needs any answers.

 

Regards,

 

Rob

[wickit]

If I said on here what I thought of Serco, it would get me banned for sure.....

 

And what I have to say is FACT not hearsay

 

just look up Amesbury School Rob !

[Serco_Rob]

Sorry that you feel that way wickit. Of course I dont know each school personally but Im happy to talk to you about it, if thats what you want. I work with lots of our customer schools directly out of the thousands we work with who are very happy with us. However I appreciate if you feel that way there must be a reason.

 

I'm simply on here to answer peoples questions where I can and to aid the debate. Maybe we can talk sometime about your views. I visit two to three schools every day that use all our rivals systems but I am not on here to discuss them - I have a lot of respect for them, and different schools have different views on the merits of each system. However we continue to have lots of schools move to us based on discussions with other schools using our software - that is where the majority of our business comes from.

 

Regards,

 

Rob

[john]

If I said on here what I thought of Serco, it would get me banned for sure.....

 

And what I have to say is FACT not hearsay

 

just look up Amesbury School Rob !

Do take Rob up on his offer wickit and drop him a PM.

 

I have been talking to various Serco staff since before the summer holidays and encouraged them to get in touch with the admins about coming on here to give our Serco members a voice to talk to like we have Phil Neal from Capita, so I am glad to see Rob on here.

 

To put you in the picture, I am a Serco user, and I don't hide that and I also don't protect them - you will see I had a rant back in the summer about them and Rob probably knows of that rant! Since that rant and Sercos admission that they should have been a bit more pro-active on my issues I had at that time, they worked with us through the summer and we have a much more stable system here, and they understood my concerns over exam results in August and had arrangements in place with us to ensure the arrival and analysis of our data with easy.

 

Do talk to Rob, I am more than sure he will be willing to talk to you about your issues and dare I say perhaps go and arrange an on-site visit to discuss them with you and look at them.