Sims office User Top Tips and Techniques – Primary

9. 
   Adjust the dates if required. Benny’s name already appears in the About panel. Other pupils can be selected and added to this panel. This may be required if the communication refers to several members of the same family. If another pupil is added the communication will appear on that pupil’s log too. Frankie is Benny’s twin brother. Click the New button to add Frankie to the panel.
   
10. 
    Selecting Summary Notes enables you to add the details of the phone call. Type the following:
    

Mrs Evans phoned to inform the school that her mother died suddenly two days ago. She is concerned about the effect on Benny and Frankie who were very close to their Grandmother as she lived with them. Mrs Evans will contact the school again as soon as details of the funeral are known.

11. 
    The Follow Up panel can be used to indicate that a follow up is required. This may be because the school has agreed to contact the parent again. When the Required check box is selected, a date five days in the future is automatically set, but this can be adjusted.
    
12. 
    Click the Save button, and then click the Close button.
    
13. 
    Imagine now that it is several days later and the follow up call with Mrs Evans needs recording. Open Benny’s Pupil Detail screen, click the Communication Log link and find the original log and open it.
    
14. 
    In panel 3: Follow Up, click the Create button to display the Communication Log screen. The details in the basic details panel are set as the original log. The Summary Note panel is ready for the details of the new communication. Type the following:
    

Mrs Evans’ mother’s funeral will be next Thursday. Benny and Frankie will be away from school for this day and possibly the next day too. They will return on Monday. School reported that both children had been subdued but are being well supported by friends and staff.

15. 
    Click the Save button.
    
16. 
    The Conversation Thread panel now shows the current log in bold and the previous one above it.
    

17. 
    By selecting the relevant conversation, and then clicking the Go To button, the earlier conversation log can now be displayed. If there were several conversations as part of this issue the thread could build up in in this panel.
    
18. 
    Relevant documents, for example, any letters received, can be scanned and attached to the log if required.
    
19. 
    Click the Save button, and then click the Close button.
    
20. 
    All communication logs recorded in school can be browsed via Focus | Communication.
    

Tidying Agents and Agencies

Chapter Introduction

External agents and agencies can be created in SIMS and pupils linked to them. The most commonly used agents and agencies are medical centres and doctors. However, the SEN module also makes use of agents and agencies such as educational psychologists and speech therapists and the organisations where they are employed.

Over time the database of agents and agencies will grow and sometimes this can lead to duplicate information being added.

To ensure a tidy database duplicated agencies and agents can be merged to ensure that all pupils are linked to the same agent.

Step by Step – Merging Agents

All agents are linked to agencies in SIMS and it is good practice to ensure that duplicate records are not created.

1. 
   First of all explore the agents in SIMS to check that no agent details have been duplicated. Select Focus | Person | Agents, and then click the Search button.
   
2. 
   All the agents are listed and, if required, the list can be printed. From the list it can be seen that there are two instances of Dr Bell which indicates that further investigation is required.
   
3. 
   Open each instance of Dr Bell and Dr Dawn Bell to interrogate the information held. After doing this it is seen that the telephone number is the same for each agent and they are all linked to East Town Community Clinic.
   
4. 
   It could be assumed that these records are all one and the same and should be merged. In reality the school could also contact the doctor’s surgery to double check before merging the data. Keep the record of Dr Dawn Bell as this contains slightly more information.
   
5. 
   Select Tools | Housekeeping | Merge Agents.
   
6. 
   The screen is split into two sections. The left-hand side for the agent to be kept and the right-hand side for the agent to be merged. Click the Find Agent button in the Main Agent section and select Dr Dawn Bell.
   

Find agent button

7. 
   Use the Find Agent button in the Agent to be merged section and select the Dr Bell record.
   

8. 
   The screen displays any linked pupils at the bottom.
   
9. 
   Click the Merge button at the top of the screen.
   

Merge button

10. 
    A message is displayed to confirm whether or not to proceed. Click the OK button.
    
11. 
    The status bar at the bottom of the screen displays a confirmation message.
    

12. 
    Select Focus | Person | Agents, and then click the Search button. Notice that one of the Dr Bell records has been deleted.
    

NOTE: The merging of agencies works in exactly the same way as merging agents.