[sims] SIMS Attendance for recording after school care

[imiddleton25]

I have been asked to look at SIMS Attendance to record our before and after school care , has anyone done anything like this before with SIMS Attendance??

 

we have one session 8-8:30 am then 2 pm sessions 3.30-4:30 and 4:30-5:30pm

we need a way to record these sessions.

 

I suggested a spreadsheet but they management want it on SIMS Attendance.

[GREED]

Out soon is a new module called Extra Curricular which has been built with exactly this in mind. Think it is out Summer this year. Might not help you in the short term....

[rh91uk]

As far as I am aware this would need to be in the timetable in order for a period to be created in order for you to take the register.

[Sivadam]

Out soon is a new module called Extra Curricular which has been built with exactly this in mind. Think it is out Summer this year. Might not help you in the short term....

Sorry to disappoint Graham. What is coming out, in Spring Release actually, is the 'Alternative Curriculum'. This is aimed at curriculum time where students can be withdrawn from 'normal' lessons (without changing their academic curriculum assigment) and added to Alternative Groups for different activities. This will be linked to Attendance, AM7 etc.

 

'Extra Curricular' is to be provided for by Capita's new partner company - CHQ. We have recently installed this new software and will be trialling it in the near future. It would be unfair to try and comment on it at this stage though I can say that it does look very promising.

[vikpaw]

I wouldn't advise it. it will affect your stats/reports for regular attendance. not sure if it would affect the legal figures, but it's still a pain, with that session before school, and you have to timetable things.

Check Capita's advice too, but there's no reason why you can't tell them it's not possible, or not advised despite their insistence. You have to support the system in the end so making it overly complex is a no no.

I would prefer to make an attendance marksheet which is almost as flexible, the problem would be assigning to groups, unless it's just one class sized group that you can knock up as user defined. This could also be made available via the lesson monitor page as a tab.

I'd ask what the purpose of this is, and what reports they expect out of the system once the data goes in, else there's no point forcing it in without valid reasons.

[GREED]

Sorry to disappoint Graham. What is coming out, in Spring Release actually, is the 'Alternative Curriculum'. This is aimed at curriculum time where students can be withdrawn from 'normal' lessons (without changing their academic curriculum assigment) and added to Alternative Groups for different activities. This will be linked to Attendance, AM7 etc.

 

'Extra Curricular' is to be provided for by Capita's new partner company - CHQ. We have recently installed this new software and will be trialling it in the near future. It would be unfair to try and comment on it at this stage though I can say that it does look very promising.

 

Well the just of the information was there... That's what being out of the SIMS game for a year does to you, I'm not privvy to all the latest updates

[vikpaw]

Well the just of the information was there... That's what being out of the SIMS game for a year does to you, I'm not privvy to all the latest updates

But aren't you offering SIMS training and support?

[GREED]

But aren't you offering SIMS training and support?

 

Yes I am/do. And a very hard job it is when I cannot access updates to information such as the above, or the key people at Capita who I used to be in contact with. When I say not privvy to the latest updates, I mean in terms of the inside knowledge of the latest happenings...

 

Technically it is SIMS advisory, consultancy and training that I offer. My skills as a trainer and presenter.

[Sivadam]

And hence Graham will not have access to the new development work, unlike those that help Field Trial & UAT new developments. I believe Graham was actually at one of the first development meetings, nearly two years ago, when Capita hoped to deliver Alternative Curriculum, Extra Curriculum and Extended Curriculum as one package. The technicalities of trying to do this proved to be a step too far.

[GREED]

Yes, that was the very meeting, a brilliant event to put forward ideas, almost a wishlist of features to include, and to shape the future somewhat on the product. But as with everything cost and technical ability (software, not capita staff!) play a big part, obviously!

 

I'd like to clarifyy point above though, I still work with the physical software on a weekly basis with the various schools I help out with, a great facility for me because currently are all state schools bar 1, allowing me to see the latest developments. What I am unfortunatey, is not kept up to date with latest gossip and happenings at Capita HQ so apologies if my knowledge of that is ever slightly out! Unfortunately I was unable to retain my supportnet login once I left my previous school (rightly so of course).

[PhilNeal]

Sivadam could you extend a timetable by a period before and after school and use these "extra periods" to create optional classes i.e. extra curricular activities?

[vikpaw]

Sivadam could you extend a timetable by a period before and after school and use these "extra periods" to create optional classes i.e. extra curricular activities?

 

That would be the way to do it Phil, it just feels wrong. You could still keep the correct periods as statutory registration etc so it wouldn't affect attendance stats, but the overall lesson monitor reports would then become a mix of regular school day and extra curricular attendance, which i think would be painful, but it would be possible to just run reports for particular periods.

[Sivadam]

Sivadam could you extend a timetable by a period before and after school and use these "extra periods" to create optional classes i.e. extra curricular activities?

Yes you can do that Phil but it then gives an problem when analysing curriculum time, contact ratios etc. They same is true when planning Teacher Allocations in NT6. You would have to add on the extras for those staff working outside the normal Curriculum Time. You would also have to 'invent' subjects and courses so that you could set up 'classes' in order to produce Registers etc. for these sessions. Wouldn't these then be picked up by the School Census?

So, it is perfectly feasible, but has a large knock on effect to those having to administer the system. It would also lead to some staff misunderstanding the reasons for staff having seemingly 'unequal' staffing allocations.

I am expecting the CHQ Extra Curriculum software to deal with this scenario in a most satisfactory manner without having to 'tinker' with the school day and school curriculum - which is effectivey what you have to do using your suggestion.

Edited January 9, 2011 by Sivadam

[PhilNeal]

OK a dumb suggestion on my part then! Thanks.

[Sivadam]

Not strictly dumb Phil.

More like impractical in our particular circumstances.

Others may well be able work around the hurdles that I have mentioned and I'd be pleased to hear from them if they have.

[vikpaw]

Couldn't SIMS be altered so that you can just flag a lesson as either a regular daytime lesson and thus counted in CENSUS or as an extra curricular thing. I guess in much the same way as you mark registration as non-teaching.

 

I haven't had to worry about CENSUS for so long i don't know the ins and outs, what effect does it have when registration is timetabled as a period as many people do? Could a similar process be used for all these 'extra' lessons or can there be only one reg type period. I'm sure there's a solution somewhere that can sort it out, but as sivadam said it's an added burden on the admin / timetabler. Which is why i would ask the question what purpose does storing this data serve, and what reports will be required. As maybe a simple spreadsheet / marksheet could be the most efficient way forward.

[Banjo]

You could use the BM module to record this information. You will only ever record presents and so you wont be able to work out % but you would get number of events attended per student.

[vikpaw]

You could use the BM module to record this information. You will only ever record presents and so you wont be able to work out % but you would get number of events attended per student.

 

Can't think what BM is. Do you mean dinner money? can you have multiple dinners set up in a day?

[Sivadam]

You could use the BM module to record this information. You will only ever record presents and so you wont be able to work out % but you would get number of events attended per student.

BM? Behaviour Management?

Not sure how you would do that! Not for every single AM and PM Session surely! I would not want it in that area anyway!

[vikpaw]

BM? Behaviour Management?

Not sure how you would do that! Not for every single AM and PM Session surely! I would not want it in that area anyway!

 

ah yeah, bm. Agreed, that would only confuse the behaviour logging, unless you give it a zero point value and then count incidence in a time window, which could work, but is messy.

[GREED]

It would be nice to hear how urgent this is needed as a solution, all suggestions above are good work arounds but, to quote vik: messy, and involve using a part of the system used for/designed for something else.

[Banjo]

ah yeah, bm. Agreed, that would only confuse the behaviour logging, unless you give it a zero point value and then count incidence in a time window, which could work, but is messy.

 

Why not just use the Extra-curricular Activity type?

 

It would be very difficult to do in Lesson Mon if this is a ad hoc group of pupils that turn up every day, you would need 1 group with all students in it, and that would be along list to scroll up and down.

[Sivadam]

Hopefully, the CHQ Software will not only provide access to special Registers for Extra Curricular groups but will also, in the long term, have links to other areas of SIMS such as AM7 etc. etc.

[limawhiskey]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

 

Did this ever materialise as a SIMS component or did anyone find a good alternative?

 

We're looking for a way to take extra curricular attendance and then do some number-crunching with the data on a termly basis.