Banjo

If you are not planning on using the blank DB with the SIMS applications - just looking at tables, then you can use SQL Studio to attach them. If you plan to use the SIMS applications and login and enter the school details and term dates then you will need to use dbattach.

If you want to keep your paid for support then yes there are hurdles to jump through so probably not many schools will do this. If your unofficial write back goes wrong and the data has to go off to Capita to be fixed it isnt cheap.

Was the schools Solus pointing at the LA's deployment server? They have probably cut the site off and it will need reinstalling with new settings.

When you copy the setups across to the new server and run simsinst.exe tick all three options, Workstation, DMS, and SQL. At the end of the install process SIMs DB config utility will fire up and ask you if you want to create a new DB and its name. Call it TEST and off you go. If you already have done the complete install just run simsinst.exe - tick third option (SQL - but don't install a new instance) and then it will offer you the option via the SIMs DB config utility.

The school can send you back the policy wording as text. If you ask for 20,000 schools responses then it’s you problem to sort the data out not theirs. A simple example of what is wrong with your current approach to data collection. Let’s say the schools policy is a simple one line statement “We will endeavour to treat all parents and carers equally in all matters relating to their children’s education” Letters Home (Pupil Post) and emails are sent to both parents Provision for both parents to attend parents evening separately if requested Consent for school trips Consent for Medical Treatment Requests to change a child's surname Involvement in meetings about a child's exclusion etc. Information Sharing Parent Governor Elections Requirement for a court order to accompany any request to restrict another parent's PR Other areas A FOI request can only obtain the written down policy statement “We will endeavour to treat all parents and carers equally in all matters relating to their children’s education”. What you are asking for is for the school to interpret their own policy and try to best fit that into your pick list (above). This isn't how FOI requests work - sorry. Some schools may complete the form, but it will likely be based upon the schools own processes (how they treat parents) rather than their school policy. Other will tick every box because their policy says "treat all parents and carers equally" even if in practice they don't. There is an old saying "garbage in - garbage out" >You can ask for any proprietary format you like from the respondent - they just don't have to give it you.

A couple of thoughts. Using a pdf document is a bad idea. You need software installed on a PC that might not be there to open and edit it so they won't get filled in. I get asked to send information back in MS Excel format - but that's proprietary software so there is no requirement to meet the formatting demand. Have you stopped and thought about what you are trying to achieve with this data? Is there a better way to meet your objectives? Questions 7-13 maybe better directed at LA's. It won’t be a complete picture but it will probably be better than going to each school individually. The idea of a pick list for Qu 1 & 6 doesn't really work with FOI requests in this instance. What you are asking for is a judgement or interpretation of a ‘woolly’ school policy document. What you should be asking for is the document itself, as that and its contents are subject to the FOI and not the schools opinion as to whether the policy covers e.g. “information sharing” in your request. This is just my opinion and yours may well differ – hence why questions 1 & 6 IMO need a re think.

It sounds like a bug - the software is creating a temp copy on your DMS that needs tidying. The more times you click the button and run the reports the more unwanted files get created. I'd be tempted to kick back about this - Why doesn't their support/network team run overnight scripts to delete these unwanted files ?

But a lot of the questions are just 'lazy' where they are expecting you to do their legwork and the information is already in the public domain. I have a .txt file for 'stock' answers that I can ctrl c - ctrl v into responses. A typical 'lazy' poorly constructed question we had recently. I could have answered this in one of two ways. 1. a. From 2012 - present, how many children in your local authority were of Primary school age. (ages 5-11). I would like this information broken down by year

I agree - but FOI is about obtaining information that is not in the public domain. Asking for a schools name/DfE etc., may lead to responses such as "This information is in the public domain and published on our school website under Contact Us" FOI isn't a quiz and answer process where you can ask any question and expect the respondent to think of a response.

Can you ask a school for it's name/pin code in an FOI? You can only ask for information that is not in the public domain and has been 'stored' or derived from stored information.

You mean like this? 404 FOI requests and counting.... - - - Updated - - -

You can download the file (Key to Success) with all your PP children and see how much £ each has been allcoated. Those kids with half the usual amount are duplicates that were never resolved.

You can't and it wasn't. It has be sent out across the teams at the LA to see if anyone has anything to add, responses are then collated, and then the LA responds to the request. Some Council's have more time on their hands than others..... Bristol City Council Top Secret Contingency Plan For Handling Zombie Outbreaks in Bristol Following advice to local authorities from [redacted, on grounds of national security] Bristol City Council has adopted the following contingency plans. Alert states Be aware of the following possible alert states. • Ambient zombie level – business as usual, but be on the lookout for tell-tale signs • Enhanced activity level – confirmed zombie attacks on the populus • Major outbreak – zombie infection level in excess of 1%, multiple sightings across the city • Zombie pandemic level – concentrated outbreak, with infection levels over 30% High risk areas in Bristol Intelligence from [redacted, on grounds of national security] indicates that certain parts of the Bristol area have an enhanced zombie prevalence, including Whitchurch Park, Shirehampton, and Totterdown. False positives have been found in Stokes Croft, which are subject of under-cover investigation through use of [redacted, on grounds of national security]. Mobilisation To avoid widespread panic, codewords are in use to mobilise these contingency plans. All staff should therefore be on the look out for references on TV or Radio to [redacted, on grounds of national security], and then proceed to their pre-assigned emergency stations. These coded references will be broadcast on nation & local radio and television networks Health and Safety Implications Remember the correct zombie killing proceedure: 1 – Fully disconnect the brain-stem from the body through either blunt force or full head removal 2 – Avoid all unprotected contact. 3 – Zombies are extremely aggressive. Do not approach unless adequately armed. Procurement implications The Council has entered into a multi-agency procurement contract for appropriate equipment – where possible in line with our buy-local policy. A catalogue of standard issue equipment – cuffs, stun guns, protection suits etc. – is available on the staff intranet. Customer service implications Due to urgent operational considerations, it is acceptable to suspend some elements of normal best practice in customer service standards when dealing with a zombie outbreak. Training opportunities An annual training schedule for designated officers is in place. To avoid public panic, this is billed as a gaming festival, codename project igfest. Use your standard issue decoder ring to reveal hidden details concealed in the website at http://igfest.org/headline-game . A range of refresher videos are also available such as Top tip for personal development: Staff fully qualified in zombie handling may qualify for partial exemption and accreditation in the training for handling pirate outbreaks, and for spotting the difference between genuine hot air balloons and evil giant floaty space aliens. Speak to your departmental Learning Development Partner for more details.

Just following the letter of the law. At this point your going to spout on about the publics need to know etc etc..... However, LA's could employee more people to look after childrens/adults social care than having to respond to the drivel below. I am contacting you to request some information on your plan in the emergency case of a zombie apocalypse attack. I am very concerned with the state of the country in the emergency case of a zombie attack, we are all at risk and we are very interested in hearing what your plans are and how we can survive a zombie attack. Yours faithfully,

Trust issues, perhaps.

Yes. SIMS '8' is just the version number - SIMS Primary is the Marketing Name for SIMS8. The current version of SIMS being used in schools in SIMS 7.

You would need to dig out your contract with them and look at the small print. I would have thought that 'bigger' schools pay more than 'smaller' schools for this very reason.

Are you talking about database size or amount of data transferred in and out of your DB over a set period of time? Guessing the former?

You can host the current version of SIMS in the cloud or at school, the next version (Sims8) is just cloud based we login here to access SIMS8 https://sts.sims.co.uk/login? Your LA is referrring to SIMS8 which is still being tested with pilot schools and LA's.

I tend to screenshot my data in Excel/Word. Copy the image into Adobe Acrobat and then completely lock it down before passing onto the FOI team to send out. I do get pleasure out of this, especially when the requester has asked for the return in a spreadsheet format. We don't do online forms either.

You might want to think about turning the old SIMS server into a 'virtual machine' Then all you have to do is store the file somewhere safe and fire it up whenever needed.

I'd be careful about not keeping pupil level data. Claims are being made against schools for failing to diagnose certain SEN categories years after the student has left. Without any records to back you up, you might as well start writing the blank cheques now.

The information in emails is vastly different to whats stored in SIMS/MIS. Better to keep a short shelf life on emails.

Hmmm, when you get the quote you haven't signed a thing unless you enter a pre-contact NDA which nobody does. Also which supplier is going to turn their noses up at $$$ because their prices were discussed.

From and LA's point of view whether you use Exporter or something else isn't a secret or how much you paid for it. It's more Groupcall/supplier(s) who wouldn't want this info out in the open as other vendors could approach and tout for business. LA's have been known to compare prices for Capita One to ensure a level playing field. This demonstrates our level of corporate trust and faith in Capita as a company.