school census summer 2008 for secondary schools jim haywood – version 1.1

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary

Schools

Jim Haywood – Version 1.1

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary

SchoolsHeadlines

2Click to go back to top

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary Schools - Headlines

Date Changes

Census day: 15/05/2008

Attendance date range: 01/01/2008 - 23/03/2008

Exclusions date range: 01/09/2007 – 31/12/2007

Learning Aims date range: 04/10/2007 – 15/05/2008

3

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary Schools - Headlines

Post-16 Learning Aims

Course Manager and Census Tools have been provided in SIMS .net to allow Learning Aims information to be maintained at a pupil course level.

This information will be collected in the School Census Summer from Secondary Schools, CTCs and Academies, but only from establishments with Post-16 provision.

Learning Aims have already been collected in the School Census Autumn 2007, but this will be the first time they are collected in the School Census Summer Return.

4

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary Schools - Headlines

Autumn Post 16 Errors

We have also provided functionality within the School Census application for indicating any learning aims information submitted in error in the Autumn Return.

The functionality is only available if the Autumn Return file has been kept to read back into SIMS .net.

We believe that schools should have no reason to make use of this functionality in the vast majority of cases.

5

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary Schools - Headlines

In Care

Not required for the Summer Return

Mode of Travel

Not required for the Summer Term

Service Children indicator is new for Census 2008

Not required for the Summer Term

SEN

Only SEN Provision is required for the Summer Return

6

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary Schools - Headlines

Validation Report

Produced from DCSF XML based files

The DCSF has updated this file to take account of issues found for the Spring Return

Summary Report

Produced from DCSF XML based files

Takes account of the reduced data items compared to the Spring Return

7

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary Schools - Headlines

Detail Reports

Produced from CCS XML based files

Same set of reports as for the Spring Return

Basic Details Exclusions Attendance SEN (fewer columns than for the Spring Return) Learning Aims

Improved User Interface

More informative dates in top panel

Validate button become Create & Validate button to fully describe what takes place

8

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary

SchoolsDemonstration

9Click to go back to top

School Census Summer 2008 for Secondary

SchoolsPreparing the Learning Aims Information

Please note that the information in the following slides is also available as a tick sheet

10Click to go back to top

Preparing the Learning Aims information

A. Taking account of any new classes

Step 1: Ensure that any new post 16 classes defined in Nova have the same subject and level as existing classes delivering the same course.

Step 2: Use Curriculum Matching in Nova to link these new classes to existing Courses

11

Preparing the Learning Aims information

B. Maintaining Course Membership information

Step 1: Make sure that the membership of classes reflects reality in terms of who is a member of the class and when their membership begins and ends (or is expected to end)

Step 2: Run Update Course Membership to ensure that course memberships reflects class memberships.

Step 3: Use Maintain Courses to update courses and or course memberships that have been protected from the timetable and class membership.

12

Preparing the Learning Aims information

B. Maintaining Course Membership information (continued)

Step 4: Take account of Re-sits by using Maintain Courses to add students and give them End Dates in line with the date of the examination – don’t forget to protect from Update Course Membership.

Step 5: Enter the completion status for any course membership that has finished prematurely – actual and planned end dates should have been calculated automatically be Update Course Membership

13

Preparing the Learning Aims information

C. Viewing Students’ Course

Student Courses Focus | Student | Courses

Student Details Focus | Student | Student Details (Courses Link)

14

Preparing the Learning Aims information

D. Take account of any records sent in error for the Autumn Return

Step 1: Make sure that the XML Return file for the Autumn Return 2007 is in the folder you have set for the Summer Return 2008

Step 2: Use the functionality with School Census Summer 2008 to mark records as “Submitted in Error” in School Census Autumn 2007 as necessary

15

Preparing the Learning Aims information

E. School Census Summer Return Learning Aims Reports

Summary Report

This report has been provided by the DCSF via an XSL file

This report summarises the content of the XML Return file

Detail Reports

This report has been provided by CCS

The report shows the Learning Aims information returned for each pupil

16

School Census Summer 2008

Demonstration

17Click to go back to top

18

Click to open the latest School Census

application

19

Click to select a folder to hold the Census

Return and Report files.

20

It is very important to select a folder that is available to

all users who will be involved with the Return,

… but that folder must be secure as it will hold

children’s details.

21

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the sensitive nature of some of the data stored in SIMS .net, careful consideration should be given when specifying the

location of any folder into which you save sensitive data, e.g. census returns, imported and exported CTFs, etc. You should be mindful of your school's responsibilities with respect to information security. Consider which users have access to the chosen folder, especially if the folder is shared on a

Server. The DCSF recommends ISO27001 as the standard for information security, a copy of which can be found at

http://www.itgovernance.co.uk/bs7799.aspx. If you are in any doubt, you should consult with your IT Security Officer before proceeding.

22

If you are sure you have selected a suitable folder

you click Yes

23

Click to add a New School Census

Summer Return.

24

This is a dry run so you change the description

to indicate this

25

It a good idea to save the file with this

revised description.

26

The Age at Date cannot be changed and is used for several important tasks, including which student’s

information to include and for DCSF validation and reports.

27

The Census Date can be edited for dry runs, but it is important that it is set to the official date for producing the

authorised return.

28

The date span for the collection of attendance

information is shown, but cannot be edited

The date span for the collection of attendance

information is shown, but cannot be edited

29

The date span for the collection of exclusion

information is shown, but cannot be edited

30

Click if any of the school

details need to be edited

31

Don’t forget to save any changes you make.

32

Calculate details will look at the Attendance information and decide if it

is suitable for use at the create stage. If it isn’t suitable the attendance panel will allow basic attendance information to be

entered manually.

33

There is a lot of Attendance information to

investigate so only proceed if you have

sufficient time.

34

A blank Pupil Attendance panel is a good thing as it indicates that attendance

information has been found and conforms to DCSF guidance/regulations.

35

The functionality in the Mark Autumn Post-16

Errors panel will be irrelevant in the vast

majority of cases. It should only be used in the unusual case where a

Learning Aims record was include for a pupil even though they have not

followed that Learning Aim at any point.

36

If you have an error of the said type to report than click

Open to select the Authorised Return that was

sent to the DCSF.

37

If you sent more than one Return to the DCSF then select the last Return that

was sent.

38

Click to make use of the selected Return file.

39

Click to tick each record you want to indicate as an error,

but remember that this is completely unnecessary if the Learning Aim still exists for the

pupil in Course Manager.

40

Click to create the XML Return file and to run DCSF

validation across the file.

41

This is a very early dry run so lots of problems have

been found

42

The validation report can be printed or you can use the

screen functionality

43

If you use the screen functionality you can drag

the divider upwards to show more of the problems.

44

This solution is preceded with a # character so we can

double click to jump to the relevant section of SIMS .net

45

If you solve this problem by entering the UPN you shouldn’t forget to save so Census can

make use of this information when Create and Validate is next run.

46

The DCSF Summary Report can be run as soon as Create &

Validate has taken place. There is no need to correct all problems before running this report as the report may help in identifying the

problem.

47

This is a Secondary School so there are fifteen sections

in the report (A to O).

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

Detail Reports indicate the content of the XML Return

file. Click for a choice of Detail Reports.

58

Click to produce a Pupil Basic Details

Report.

59

60

Click to produce a Pupil Exclusions

Report.

61

There haven’t been any exclusions.

62

Click to produce a Pupil Attendance

Report.

63

64

Click to produce a Pupil Learning Aims

Report.

65

66

You might find it helpful to copy this

report to a spreadsheet

67

A spreadsheet may interpret a numerical code as a number and strip the leading zeros.

However, some spreadsheets will allow the display to be

adjusted.

68

Select the column with the display problem.

69

Click to format the cells.

70

Select custom

71

Enter four zeros

72

Click OK

73

The codes are now shown with their zero

padding.

74

It doesn’t take long to create a display for analysing learning

aims.

75

To maintain security you can save this spreadsheet in the

same folder as the Return file.

76

Click to produce a Pupil SEN Report.

77

78

Click to authorise the return ready for

sending to the DCSF.

79

This is a dry run so you should click No.

80

Click to see a list of all the returns.

81

The Copy functionality has been provided, but it will only be helpful if you have entered attendance

information manually.

End of Demonstration

Thank you for your time

82