SIMS support

The SIMS Support team has extensive expertise in all areas of SIMS, including:

• SIMS Performance Suite (includes Assessment, Performance Analysis, Reporting, Profiles)
• SIMS Curriculum Management (includes Nova, Academic Management, Examination Organiser, Course Manager, Options and Cover)
• SIMS Registration Suite (includes Attendance and Lesson Monitor)
• SIMS Behaviour Management
• SIMS Core Suite (includes Home Page, pupil/student records, SEN, Personnel, Reporting, School Census and System Manager)
• Hampshire Tracking Package (The Hampshire KS1 and KS2 Tracking Packages have been developed by Hampshire IT to meet the assessment needs of the majority of Hampshire schools. The Tracking Packages are available to all primary phase schools and are provided free of charge. These templates use SIMS Assessment to record, track and report pupil progress. Hampshire IT worked in conjunction with HIAS when producing the Tracking Packages and have incorporated assessment strategies laid down by both local and national government).

The SIMS Support team strives to deal with all SIMS issues in a friendly and efficient manner and we regularly exceed our published SLA targets. The IT Help Desk provides a single point of contact for each call.

Members of the SIMS Support team have extensive experience of working in a school environment, and therefore fully appreciate the pressures school users are under and the need for prompt and efficient responses.

When we ask for personal data from schools, say for testing or for further investigation, we follow guidance set by ISO 27001 for copying, handling, encrypting and disposing of that data.

In addition to providing support relating to SIMS issues, the team are responsible for providing schools with clear and concise notes of guidance on how to extract relevant information from SIMS for the various statutory returns and returns required by Hampshire County Council, for example the School Census.

The team also provides schools with clear and concise notes of guidance on other necessary functions that need to be completed in SIMS, for example the downloading of exam results. All notes provided are fully tested before being published and pass through a strict quality assurance process to ensure they are accurate and of high quality and to ensure that any returns or functions can be carried out confidently by schools.

The SIMS Support team promotes and encourages best use of SIMS to ensure schools get the most from their data.

We provide advice on how data in SIMS can be most effectively used in schools to move forward with their strategic direction. We regularly visit and work with individual schools to provide demonstrations of modules that they are considering using in the future and answer any questions they may have.

New for 2011... SIMS Support visits

The Hampshire IT SIMS Support team is offering a free of charge one hour annual visit to each primary, nursery and special school (including education centres) that have subscribed to the SIMS Support element of the 2011 - 14 Hampshire IT Service Level Agreement, to ensure that the service we provide continues to meet your needs.

During the Autumn 2011 term, a member of the SIMS Support team will contact your school to make arrangements to meet with the main SIMS user in your school and a teacher. A range of dates and times for the visit will be offered to ensure that the visit takes place at your convenience.

The purpose of the annual visit is to:

• Build and develop relationships.
• Provide you with a name and face as your SIMS representative within Hampshire IT.
• Review your schools use of SIMS, including the wider use of SIMS beyond the office.
• Update you with ongoing SIMS related projects and new developments.
• Provide you with timescales for SIMS related statutory returns.
• Update you on any current SIMS known issues.
• Provide an opportunity for us to listen to your views and feedback relating to the service we provide. This will inform our future service plans to ensure they continue to meet the needs of our customers.
• Discuss any SIMS related issues you may have.
• Discuss the range of SIMS related training courses, provided by Hampshire IT, that may be of interest to your school.
• Discuss any other services, provided by Hampshire IT, that may be of interest to your school.

The visits will take place during the Autumn 2011 and the Spring 2012 term. We look forward to meeting with you.Schools are not required to take any further action at this stage.

SIMS Improve

What is Improve?

Capita Improve is an online tool created to enable senior leaders to evaluate how effectively school data is used. This will help support school improvement by promoting effective MIS development.

What can Improve do?

• Support Headteachers and senior leaders to understand the range and scope of the data they hold.
• It will help identify management information priorities based on the School Development Plan and Ofsted Action Plan.
• An action plan will be created to support the strategic direction of the school.

How does Improve work?

Using an audit based review, schools are able to analyse 19 business processes, grouped into four key areas.

• Climate for Learning - Curriculum, Lesson Planning, Pupil Progress, Assessment, Teaching, Learning.
• Understanding Pupils and the School Context - Home/School Links, Core Data, Attendance, Behaviour, Special Educational Needs.
• Supporting School Strategy - School Self-review, Accountability, Leadership, Management.
• Management of Resources - Finance, Asset Management, Personnel, Timetable.

Each of these business processes will need a capability level between 1 and 6 discussed and agreed. An example of the Attendance business process is as follows:

• Level 1 - attendance is stored electronically through direct staff input.
• Level 2 - reports on individual and group attendance are printed and distributed to staff.
• Level 3 - senior leadership team interrogate attendance data electronically and set targets for individuals/ groups.
• Level 4 - comparisons are made between attendance and other elements of data within SIMS.
• Level 5 - systems are in place to automatically inform parents of both good and bad attendance, e.g., letters, emails, text messaging or learning platform includes attendance data.
• Level 6 - different strategies are analysed through data trends. The effect of changes to curriculum and school structure on attendance data are noted.

The next steps

To express an interest in Improve please raise a call with the IT Help Desk.

Schools that have bought into the SLA are invited to attend an annual SIMS Update Seminar. This provides school users with an opportunity to meet and discuss issues with members of the SIMS Support team. It also provides an opportunity for Hampshire IT to update schools with important information relating to future developments in SIMS.

The SIMS Support team are also involved in coordinating and attend the Secondary SIMS User Forums. The Forums take place once a term and are a three-way partnership between Hampshire schools, Hampshire IT and Capita.

The User Forums provide schools with an opportunity to raise and discuss issues surrounding SIMS. Schools also benefit from finding out about future developments within the SIMS software.