Course Manager

Course overview

Designed to support schools without Post-16 provision, this half day course explores how the Course Management functionality of SIMS links the areas of Nova-T6, academic management and Examinations Organiser.

Benefits of attending

To understand how the Course Management functionality of SIMS links the areas of Nova T6, academic management, assessment and Examinations Organiser. 

What you will learn

• how and when a course is created
• how to manage the student memberships of courses
• the relationship between course manager and other areas of SIMS
• a greater understanding of the link between examination awards and courses of study.

Who is it for?

Data Managers, School administrators and examination officers with an understanding of the school's curriculum structures and procedures. This course does not cover Post-16 provision or the Post-16 Learning Aims return.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Assessment Essential Skills

Course overview

Explore the potential of SIMS Assessment on this two day course including the essential skills needed to build and implement an assessment system. Learn how the software can be used to create a customised tracking system.

Benefits of attending

Raising attainment across your school is key and SIMS Assessment is an efficient way of keeping track of all your students. 

What you will learn

• key components of SIMS Assessment including aspects, grade sets, result sets and categories
• building templates and creating marksheets
• using formulae in marksheets
• creating, using and filtering data review marksheets
• an introduction to generating pre-existing individual reports
• an introduction to the basic capabilities of analysis.

Who is it for?

Senior leaders or staff with responsibility for the assessment process who have a basic knowledge of SIMS.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Assessment at Key Stage 4 and SIMS

Course overview

This one day course will take delegates through the new KS4 resources created in SIMS based on the latest information supplied by the DfE in relation to Progress Measure 8 and the GCSE reform (numerical grading).

Benefits of attending

To gain a practical understanding of the new KS4 SIMS Assessment resources and how to use them effectively for analysis. 

What you will learn

• importing the new KS4 resources including Assessment templates, SIMS reports and Discover graphs
• how to clone the CAS KS4 Overview templates
• creating Assessment Mapping Tool definitions for internal assessment and examination results
• how to convert results linked to Assessment Mapping Tool definitions
• how to view converted assessment results on the CAS KS4 Overview definitions
• generating and understanding the KS4 Report Definitions
• generating the KS4 Discover graphs and using them to analyse academic and pastoral groups.

Who is it for?

Staff with a full understanding and experience of the setup and use of SIMS assessment, alongside a clear understanding of the assessment process within their school.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Assessment - Producing Individual Pupil Reports

Course overview

This one day course covers how to create a range of pupil reports for parents from a basic table of results through to an in-depth end of year style report including graphs and comparison data.

Benefits of attending

Producing reports directly from SIMS will both improve efficiency and accuracy of reporting to parents, for example on attainment, targets and tests. Attending this course will enable you to design and create a unique school defined report. 

What you will learn

- running a report and saving to a pupil's record
- cloning reports to other years
- how you can report to parents using the new Assessment Without Levels materials
- adding other functions such as graphs and average levels for a year group for comparative purposes
- creating reports for internal purposes
- running, printing, exporting and uploading reports to an individual record; sending reports via In Touch.

Who is it for?

Staff with responsibility for the creation, maintenance and production of pupil interim and end of year reports to parents.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Analysing Assessment Data

On this two day course you will learn how to analyse the full range of your students’ assessment data. Explore advanced features including analysis grids, tracking grids, new Key Stage 4 analysis resources and complex formulas which enable you to use SIMS Analysis as a tool to improve student attainment.

What you will learn

• creating and maintaining user defined groups
• creating and using analysis grids; group, aspect, chance and result-set
• using individual reports for analysis
• creating tracking grids
• the Assessment Mapping Tool
• an introduction to assessment within SIMS Discover
• a demonstration of the Assessment Mapping Tool, School Report and Key Stage 4 resources
• designing and constructing complex Assessment templates.

Who is it for?

Senior leaders or staff with responsibility for the assessment process; you will be an experienced user of SIMS Assessment.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Analyse Exam Results using SIMS

Course overview

This 1 day course explores the analysis and customisation of examination results in line with your school’s specific requirements.

Benefits of attending

To explore the use of SIMS Assessment and SIMS Discover to provide further analysis of exam results in addition to the pre-defined reports available in SIMS Examinations Organiser. 

What you will learn

• how SIMS Examinations Organiser, SIMS Assessment, SIMS Analysis and SIMS Discover can be used to analyse exam results
• creating tracking marksheets with traffic lights to compare exam results to targets
• using SIMS Discover to generate graphs of exams results
• using SIMS Analysis to perform group, aspect, result set and chance analyses of examination result data.

Who is it for?

Staff with responsibility for producing additional analyses of examinations results beyond what is available within SIMS Examinations Organiser.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Academic Management

Course overview

This course explores procedures for allocating students to curriculum structures, including bands and classes, and maintaining class memberships. The functionality of class list and timetable printing in SIMS, and the curriculum analysis reports, are also covered.

Duration

One Day

Benefits of attending

To learn how to allocate students within the curriculum and to produce curriculum analysis reports. 

What you will learn

• allocating students to classes and bands
• export and import of student memberships
• student carousel rotations
• individual student curriculum
• whole curriculum assignment
• printing class lists from SIMS
• curriculum analysis routines in SIMS
• allocating students an alternative curriculum.

Who is it for?

Staff with responsibility for student class memberships and who have an understanding of the school's curriculum structures and procedures.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

School Workforce Census

This course provides delegates with an understanding of the data collected by the School Workforce Census and explores how SIMS can be configured to provide the data and how to produce the return itself and resolve data issues

At the end of this course delegates will be able to: understand the background information to the School Workforce Census; prepare SIMS to produce enable the production of School Workforce Census; review and editing the full range of staff data to support School Workforce Census produce the School Workforce Census; consider the meaning of validation errors

Duration

One Day

Examinations Organiser

Course overview

This two-day course explores all aspects of managing external examinations using SIMS Examinations Organiser.

At the end of this course delegates will be able to: Set up and configure the Examinations Organiser software; Import, structure and manage basedata; enter candidates for examinations ; record forecast grades and coursework marks; submit data to examination boards; use seating organiser; deal with clashes

Benefits of attending

Learn how to manage external examinations within SIMS. 

What you will learn

• setting up the Examinations Organiser module
• entering candidates for examinations and entering coursework marks
• submitting entries and marks to examination boards
• using seating organiser
• dealing with clashes.

This course includes the e-module 'SIMS Behaviour Management' which will be made available to you before the course commences.

Who is it for?

Exam officers and administrative staff with responsibility for external examination entry and organisation.

A working knowledge of external examination procedures is required for this course

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Cover

Following this one day course, you will understand how to implement Cover to manage all aspects of classroom staff absence and to explore the dynamic links of the module to other areas of SIMS such as SIMS Personnel and SIMS Examinations Organiser

At the end of this course delegates will be able to: Make use of global settings available to customise the module; make use of links to SIMS Personnel; manage supply cover; declaring teaching absence and arranging cover; manage room closures (for example due to examinations); print and report cover arrangements; make use of cover statistics and impact summaries;

Benefits of attending

Learn how to manage classroom staff absence using SIMS Cover. 

What you will learn

• global settings available to customise the module
• links with records in SIMS Personnel
• declare teaching staff absence and arranging cover
• manage supply staff cover
• manage room closures and re-rooming
• publish cover arrangements
• produce cover statistics and student impact summaries.

Who is it for?

Staff involved in the cover process. Knowledge of your school’s cover policy would be useful.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Attendance Reporting

Course overview

This half day course takes delegates through the reporting capabilities of SIMS Attendance to ensure the software is being used as efficiently and effectively as possible.

By the end of the course you will be understand the SIMS approach to the reporting, evaluation and use of attendance data including: reporting attendance data to help monitor attendance; functionality provided by the pre-defined SIMS Attendance reports; functionality provided by the SIMS Attendance letters; how to analyse attendance and real-time data on the SIMS Homepage

Benefits of attending

Learn how to make the best use of the reporting capabilities in SIMS Attendance. 

What you will learn

• how to produce the predefined SIMS Attendance reports
• how to produce personalised attendance letters directly from SIMS
• summarising attendance data on the SIMS Home Page
• analysing attendance data using SIMS Discover.

Who is it for?

Staff involved in the monitoring of statutory attendance. You need to have some experience of SIMS and SIMS Attendance.

Also consider: SIMS Discover Day 1: Standard Analysis

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

SIMS Personnel

The Personnel module is one of the key core modules within SIMS. It provides basic personnel data to support external returns but also provides the
basis for issuing contracts for staff and maintaining staff development records. Maintaining accurate data is essential for accurate budget planning and monitoring. This course is designed for staff with little or no knowledge of Personnel procedures.

CONTENT

• Issuing contracts and the financial implications of contracts
• Adding basic personnel data for new members of staff
• Recording teacher details of subjects and qualifications
• Recording Staff development
• Recording Staff absence
• Effectively using the listings within the module

ATTENDANCE

Full day

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

SIMS Technical Essentials

Covers the basic essentials of managing SIMS and FMS in the school, where the school hosts their own data. At the end of the day users will know the most common technical tasks and processes involved in managing SIMS, Discover and FMS.

Content

Identify and locate the SIMS and FMS components

Installing SIMS, Discover and FMS on a workstation

Managing users in System Manager

How to manage deployments using SOLUS 3

How to use DBupgrade to apply database upgrades and patches

How to use DBattach to attach and backup databases

Recognise the possibilities available through an integrated approach to the use of management information across the school the range of roles and responsibilities within the school; the management of access to data; the use of SIMS System Manager to manage users of the system

ATTENDANCE
Full day

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

SIMS with Excel

SIMS is capable of extracting a wide range of data using its reporting functionality, including student details, attendance, assessment and behaviour data. The export of data into Excel is the default option for many of the pre-defined reports in SIMS.

Excel is a powerful programme capable of assisting in analysis and display of data. Formulas process data in an accurate and repeatable way and pivot tables provide an interactive method of interrogating data.

Incorporating the Excel analysis directly within the SIMS report means that both the extraction of the data from SIMS and the analysis of the data in Excel can be achieved, automatically, in one step.

Content

• Automating data analysis in SIMS reports using Excel
• Excel formulas
• Analysing data using Excel
• Designing more complex SIMS reports
• Excel pivot tables

Attendance

Full day

Behaviour & Achievement

Improving behaviour in schools is one of the government’s key aims as behaviour has a direct impact on a pupil’s attainment. Schools put enormous effort and resources themselves into promoting positive behaviour and recognising achievement.

SIMS has functionality that enables a school to record behaviour and achievement events of individuals or groups of pupils in order to manage detentions, record exclusions and report on all of these aspects.  Information can be viewed instantly and easily by members of staff using SIMS.

Content

• Setting up and configuration
• Using routines for individual or groups of pupils
• Adding behaviour incidents and achievements
• from class attendance register
• Setting up and administering
• detentions including letters to parents
• Creation of report cards
• Adding behaviour review meetings
• and follow up to behaviour incidents
• Adding further interventions if required
• Reporting

Attendance

Full day

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Dinner Money

Course overview

A thorough introduction to recording dinner information within SIMS.

The course is an introduction for new users to use SIMS to record Dinner Money information. It will address the activation and setting up, populating Dinner Money with appropriate data, creating Opening Balances, registers, payments and banking, maintaining Dinner Money, reports, Letters and Statements.

The course is designed for finance and office staff who are responsible for administering school dinner money and who have an understanding of how SIMS is used to maintain and update pupil information.

Benefits of attending

To learn how to record dinners in SIMS including Universal Infant Free School Meals. Record payments against a pupil and reconcile these against meals taken. 

What you will learn

• installation and set up of SIMS Dinner Money
• populating SIMS Dinner Money with appropriate data
• creating opening balances registers
• payments and banking
• maintaining dinner money
• reports, letters and statements.

Who is it for?

Finance and office staff who are responsible for administering school dinners and dinner money and who have an understanding of how SIMS is used to maintain and update pupil information.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

SIMS End of Year (Primary)

Learn how to configure SIMS for the new school year, including setting up the new pastoral structure and dealing with admissions. Before the new school year commences, the pastoral process must be completed in SIMS.

Dealing with the new school year can be a complex process. Gain an overview of the requirements of the new school year, including dealing with admissions and leavers.

Content

• Creating a new academic year and setting up the school diary
• Managing pre-admission groups and processing new intake pupil applicants
• How to use CTF to import new pupil data
• Preparing the pastoral structure for the academic year including year and registration group memberships
• Processing leavers
• Producing class lists

Attendance

Half day Followed by coffee, informal chat / questions with the trainer and networking with colleagues

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

Extended Reporting

Course overview

This one day course provides a follow up to the Standard Reporting course. It is designed for users of SIMS responsible for responding to requests for detailed information. You should have either attended the Standard Reporting course or be familiar with the techniques covered on that course.

Benefits of attending

To further develop reporting techniques covered in the Standard Reporting course. 

What you will learn

• the production of more complicated lists and mail merged documents
• modifying templates to adjust the appearance of reports including incorporating headed paper
• developing the use of RTF output exploring cross-modular links in the data
• using different focuses as the starting point for reports
• extending the use of the Analysis tool.

Who is it for?

Users of SIMS responsible for responding to requests for information. You should have either attended the Standard Reporting course or be familiar with the techniques covered on the course.

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

SIMS Top Tips & Techniques

Discover useful ways of managing school data, best practice housekeeping and understand core functionality in SIMS.

The course is aimed at admin staff in schools who are already working in SIMS.net. It is not suitable for new users – a separate course is offered entitled SIMS Office User.

Content

• Contact management
• Customising correspondence
• User-defined groups
• User-defined fields
• Alerts, notifications and communication
• Merging agents and agencies
• Quick reports
• Changes to data – bulk update
• managing the school diary; adding a bulletin to the homepage; managing extended pupil data; managing agents and agencies; managing exclusions; managing user defined groups; managing user defined fields; managing lookups; making use of bulk routines and housekeeping routines; extended use of CTF’s

Attendance

Full day

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here

SIMS Office User (Primary)

The purpose of this course is to familiarise delegates with what pupil information is contained in SIMS.net and how to find it. In addition delegates will practice common pupil data editing routines encountered on a day to day basis in schools. It is aimed at delegates who are new to SIMS.net and possibly new to working in school software and who will need to find, add and edit pupil data.

Content

• Viewing pupil information
• Editing pupil data
• Adding new pupils
• Managing leavers and re-admitting pupils
• Additional maintenance tasks
• Using standard reports and lists

Attendance

Full day

Course dates to be allocated according to demand. If you are interested in this course, please complete the form here