Tips and Techniques - SIMS

Transcription

1 Tips and Techniques - SIMS In this edition of Tips and Techniques, we will cover the following topics: Recording Exceptional Circumstances Using Categories in SIMS Reporting Recording Staff Absences Microsoft Excel Tip Running Validate Memberships Recording Exceptional Circumstances (e.g Snow Day) 1. Select Focus > Lesson Monitor [or Focus > Attendance]> Exceptional Circumstances to display the Find Exceptional Circumstances browser. 2. Click the New button to open the Create an Exceptional Circumstances browser. 3. A date range of today AM to today PM is displayed by default. If a different date range is required, enter the dates in the from and to fields or select the dates by clicking the associated Calendar buttons. Specify AM or PM by selecting from the drop-down lists. 4. The date range can be a single session, e.g. from 30/01/16 AM to 30/01/16 AM or a range of sessions, e.g. 30/01/16 AM to 05/02/16 PM. 5. Whole School is displayed by default. 6. If a different Group Type is required, select as appropriate from the drop-down list. 7. If the Group Type has been changed, click the Search button to refresh the browser list. 1

2 8. Enter a Code from the drop-down and the reason for the closure in the description box, (e.g. Strike Action), and highlight the required selection. 9. Click the Apply button. You will receive a message confirming marks have been applied. A Y code (Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances) will be recorded for each of the selected pupil/students for the date range specified. Alternatively, # code (Planned whole or partial school closure) where this is appropriate. Categories in SIMS Reporting Creating a Report Category generates a folder within the Category folder of the Reports browser. Once created, you (and other users with appropriate permissions) can save to, or open files from, any Report Category folder. Accessing Categories Adding a Category 3. Click the New button to display the Category name dialog. 2

3 4. Enter a name for the new category up to a maximum of 40 alphanumeric characters (including symbols and spaces). 5. Click the OK button to return to the Report Category dialog. 6. Click the OK button to save the Category. Editing an Existing Category 3. Click the Category name, then click the Edit button. Alternatively, double-click the required Category name. 4. Edit the category name as required (maximum of 40 alpha/numeric characters, including symbols). 5. Click the OK button to return to the Report Category dialog. 6. Click the OK button to save your changes. Deleting a Category Only a link to the report is stored in the Report Category folder and it is therefore possible to delete a Report Category without deleting the reports themselves. By deleting the Report Category, you are effectively preventing users from accessing the reports within this folder. 3

4 3. Highlight the Category name and click the Delete button or press the Delete key. WARNING: The Category is deleted immediately. If a Category is deleted in error, click the Cancel button to restore. 4. If you are sure you wish to delete the Category, click the OK button to save your changes. Activating/Deactivating Report Categories Activating Report Categories ensures that they are displayed as sub-folders in the main Category folder. Newly created categories are activated by default. The check box adjacent to a Report Category name indicates whether the category is active. 1. Select the check box to activate a category and deselect the check box to deactivate the category. You are not be able to see any deactivated Report Categories from the Report Browse. You would need to access Tools to reactivate a Report Category. Linking Reports to Categories Reports can be dragged into a Category. This is only a shortcut to the original report and if deleted from the Category, does not delete the report from its original location, only the shortcut. 4

5 Recording Staff Absences Absences for Teachers and Teaching Assistants are collected as part of the School Workforce Census. We recommend that you enter absences for all staff for school purposes on a regular basis to minimise data input at census time. Absences for Teachers/Teaching Assistants with Timetables are normally managed via Cover. For the purpose of the Workforce Census, Absence refers to any activity or circumstance that takes a Teacher or Teaching Assistant away from normal duties with their usual employer (except for Training). An absence could be due to secondment, maternity leave as well as sickness or other authorised absence paid or unpaid. Working days lost are only collected for absences due to sickness. Absences for less than half a day are not collected in SWC. Each school will make decisions on what constitutes a normal day based on their absence policy. This guide only refers to how to record absences and not what to record. Enter Support Staff Absences (Non-training) 1. Select Focus > Person > Staff or click on the staff icon. Open a staff record and select Absences. 2. Click New. 3. Enter Start and End Dates. Enter Working Days Lost if this is an absence for sickness, Type/Reason and Authorised Pay Rate. You can add illness category, certificate and add a note if required. You will enter 2 absences if staff will not be paid for the first two days, one for no pay for up to the first two days and the other for the full pay absence days. 4. Click OK and then Save. Enter Absences (Training) Absences for Training are not collected in SWC but we recommend that you record training in Personnel for school purposes. Training absences can be recorded without the absence and working days lost details if appropriate. 1. Training is entered via Tools > Staff > Training and not on the absences panel. 2. Click New to open the Training Details: New Training dialogue. 5

6 3. Enter the Training Details information as required by the school. Title, Organiser and Venue are mandatory fields. 4. Click New on Panel 2 Absence 5. Enter Start date, start time if required, end date, end time if required and working days lost 6. Click OK and then Save before moving on to Panel 3 6

7 Allocate Training Event 7. Click New on Panel 3 Staff 8. Search for the member of staff and Select and click OK and click Save You can select more than one member of staff by holding down Ctrl key and mouse clicking your selections or a whole block using Shift key and mouse click first and last record 9. Click Save This will populate both the professional panel and the absence area of the Personnel record. The training absence will be highlighted blue. Secondary Schools In Secondary schools, using this route will populate the professional and absence panels and it also creates an absence in Cover for classroom staff. Microsoft Excel Tip Unlike Word and other programs, the list of actions that is logged for the Undo and Redo functionality for Excel is at application level. This means that, if a user has more than one Excel File open at a time and they are making changes in both/all of them, the changes from all files get logged in a single list, meaning that clicking the Undo button will not just undo the changes in the file currently on screen, but will potentially undo changes on other open files as well, even if those files have been saved since the changes were made. Microsoft does this for Excel only due to cross-workbook references. The only way they can maintain integrity of formula relationships in that context is to maintain a single undo history. Simply close other files that are open in Excel, saving them as necessary. This will clear their parts of the undo history, leaving only the actions for the current file in the history. Running Validate Memberships This routine is part of the Promotion procedure and a collection of checks and fixes are applied to the SIMS database when this is run. These processes ensure that all group memberships are brought into line with Academic Year boundaries. Validate Memberships will check every record when it is run. Someone in school should run Validate Memberships on a regular basis e.g. weekly or fortnightly. Please contact the ICT Service desk with any queries on , option1 and option 1 again. Alternatively, help@sd.hertsforlearning.co.uk 7