Sims office User Top Tips and Techniques – Primary

A list of people recorded in SIMS who match the search criteria of Ackton are displayed.

The adjacent radio button indicates the type of person as they are recorded in SIMS, for example, pupil, staff, contact.

2. 
   To assist in the identification of the required person, particularly where more than one occurrence of a name exists in SIMS, hovering over a radio button supplies additional information. For example, hovering over the Contact radio button displays a list of all the pupils associated with the contact, the home address, home email address and the main telephone number.
   

Hovering over a pupil’s name gives a brief synopsis of the selected pupil’s details including, for example, their date of birth, reg group, date of admission, address.

3. 
   Having identified the required person, double-click their name to display their full record in the appropriate area in SIMS, from where the information can be edited.
   
4. 
   As no information is to be edited at this point, click the Close button to close the record just opened.
   

Step by Step – Applying a Quick Search Filter

Additional filters, starting with the # symbol, can also be applied which enables further filtering of the results to be displayed. For example, it is possible to filter the results so that only the pupils with birthdays today, tomorrow or the next day are displayed.

Typing help in the search criteria and clicking the Search button lists the filter options available, some of which are shown in the graphic displayed below.

1. 
   To display a list of all the pupils with birthdays today, tomorrow or the next day, type #B.
   

2. 
   Further filters can be added to the birthday filter to further restrict the results displayed. For example, type #B 12/10/2014 to display a list of pupils with birthdays between 12^th and 14^th October.
   

SIMS Documentation Centre

A selection of documents can be accessed by clicking the Documentation button. These include what’s new in the latest version of SIMS, handbooks, quick reference sheets, frequently asked questions, glossary of terms and troubleshooting. The Documentation Centre is displayed in the system’s internet browser with the documentation launched using Adobe Reader which should be available on all computers.

Contact Management

Chapter Introduction

Well managed contact data is the key to successfully using the power of SIMS for parental communication.

This chapter sets out to tackle some of the common issues surrounding successful contact management.

These common issues include:

• 
  parental salutation and addressee fields not updating as expected
  
• 
  house icons not appearing next to contacts living with pupils
  
• 
  sibling pupil links not appearing in SIMS.
  

To assist schools in preparing to communicate with parents a suggested process flow is included towards the end of this chapter which covers some of the main housekeeping tasks requiring consideration and covered in this chapter.

Investigating Salutation and Addressee Fields

Background to Parental Salutation and Addressee Fields

Parental salutation and addressee fields are located in the family/home area of a pupil record. These fields are used within letter and report writing functionality for correspondence with parents.

The salutation field is a greeting used in, for example, a letter or email. Salutations can be formal and informal. For example, Dear Sir or Dear Madam are more formal salutations. However, in SIMS a less formal salutation is used to correspond with parents using the title and surname of the person, for example, Dear Miss Smith/Mr Smith/Mrs Smith/Ms Smith and so on. It is not common to use the person’s title, forename/initial and surname, for example, Dear Mr John Smith or Dear Mr J Smith.

The addressee field indicates for whom the correspondence is intended and usually heads the address of the recipient. There is the option to use the initials of both parents if present, or just one initial which defaults to the father, or the mother if no details of the father have been included.


Addressee

Salutation

There are two levels of salutation and addressee:

• 
  parental salutation and parental addressee which are held within the family/home panel of the pupil record for contacts with parental responsibility living at the same address as the pupil
  
• 
  salutation and addressee which are held in an individual’s contact area and used to correspond with that particular contact.
  

It is important to appreciate this distinction especially if copies of correspondence need sending to parents who may be estranged from the family home.

Parental Salutation and Parental Addressee (Pupil Record)

Salutation and Addressee (Contact Record)

Requirements for Salutation and Addressee Fields

When generating parental salutation and parental addressee fields in the pupil record, the software behaves in differing ways depending on the situation. If it finds a contact with the relationship type of mother and a contact with the relationship type of father (parents) it will do the following:

• 
  Check to see if the parents both live at the same address. If they do then the software will generate both mother and father into the salutation and addressee. If only one parent lives at the same address then only that parent will be generated.
  
• 
  If both mother and father are present then the father will be placed as the first parent and mother as the second, for example, Mr and Mrs Smith.
  

If any other relationship type combination exists then the software will do the following:

• 
  Check which contacts have parental responsibility.
  
• 
  Check to see which contacts with parental responsibility live at the same address as the pupil.
  
• 
  It will order them in priority order (if exists) and then alphabetically by surname, and then forename within that.
  
• 
  If no priority order is available then the contacts will be ordered alphabetically by surname and then forename.
  

NOTE: Via Tools | Setups | Setup Addressee Format the format of the addressee field can be altered for both parents and contacts.

When generating individual salutation and addressee in the contact record, the software is looking at the individual and is only interested in the following details:

1. 
   title
   
2. 
   surname
   
3. 
   forename (or initial).
   

Step by Step – Manually Generating Parental Salutation and Parental Addressee

1. 
   Open Charlie Hacket’s details and click the hyperlink 5: Family/Home.
   

2. 
   Click the Generate button beside the Parental Salutation and Parental Addressee fields to update the details.
   

Generate button

3. 
   Click the Save button to save any changes made.
   

NOTE: The parental salutation and parental addressee fields can be edited manually on the family/home panel and an appropriate entry can be made, according to the school’s policy on communicating with home.

Step by Step – Global Update of Parental Salutation/Addressee

1. 
   Select Routines | Pupil| Update Salutation/Addressee | Parental to display the Find Student browser.
   
2. 
   Select appropriate filters to narrow down the search for the pupils whose parental salutation and addressee fields need updating. If no search criteria is entered all pupils become available, even if the salutation and addressee fields have already been generated. If appropriate, select Blank from the Salutation and Addressee drop-down lists to display the name of the pupils whose parents do not have a parental salutation and parental addressee recorded.
   
3. 
   Select Year 4 from the Year Group drop-down list.
   

4. 
   Select a block of pupils by using the Shift or the Ctrl key to select individual pupils to be added to the Generate Parental Salutation and Parental Addressee section.
   
5. 
   Once a set of pupils have been highlighted, the Select drop-down list offers the option of using all pupils in the browse list, or, just those currently highlighted. Choose All from the Select drop-down list.
   

6. 
   The selected pupils now display in the Student area of the Generate Parental Salutation and Parental Addressee Information section.
   
7. 
   Existing salutation and addressee details are displayed in the Current Salutation and Current Addressee columns.
   
8. 
   A number of options are available which enable a choice to be made as to whether to update both the parental salutation and parental addressee fields, or, just the salutation or addressee field by selecting one or both check boxes. Select both check boxes, as shown in the graphic displayed below.
   

9. 
   Select the Overwrite any existing information for the selected students check box to overwrite existing information, including details entered manually.
   
10. 
    Click the Generate button to generate new a parental salutation and a new parental addressee.
    
11. 
    Newly generated salutation and addressee details are displayed in the Generated Salutation and Generated Addressee columns. The school may wish to investigate any anomalies or remove any pupils from the list if the generated data is not appropriate.
    
12. 
    Click the Save button to keep the new data.
    
13. 
    To remove pupils from the list of selected pupils, highlight the group to be removed and click the Remove button. For now, remove all the pupils currently listed.
    

The contact salutation and contact addressee fields can also be updated individually and globally. Activity 1 – Manually Generate Contact Salutation and Addressee and Activity 2 – Globally Update Contact Salutation and Addressee at the end of this chapter provide the option to consolidate the steps covered so far.

Troubleshooting Parental Salutation and Parental Addressee Fields

If the fields are not updating as expected work through the steps in the following flow chart:

Check parental contacts that live at the same address as the pupil (have a house icon present).

Within the contact record ensure the Parental Responsibility check box is selected.

Check the contact relationship type.

If necessary, manually generate the parental salutation again to check success.

If the relationship type is any other due to circumstances, that is to say carer or grandparent, then consider manually entering the data into the Parental Salutation field.

If manual entering of data has taken place then care should be taken when using the global routines to update parental salutation fields. Using the overwrite option within this routine overwrites any manual editing.

For parental addressee field check that contact forename or at least initial is available.

Check parental addressee format via Tools | Setups | Setup Addressee Format.

Step by Step – Dealing with a Duplicate Address Record

Duplicate or missing address records are the main cause of the small house icons not appearing next to a contacts record. The house icon signifies that the contact lives at the same address as the pupil.

Even though address records may look identical there can often be more than one instance of the address in SIMS.

1. 
   Search for and select Kirk Bains.
   
2. 
   Click the Addresses hyperlink and note that the address is Parsonage Close, Bedford, MK43 7TG.
   
3. 
   Next, click the hyperlink 5: Family/Home and note that the house icon is not being displayed for either his mother or father. The assumption could be made that neither parent lives at the same address as Kirk.
   
4. 
   Open both parents’ records in turn and observe that the post code is identical to that of Kirk and the address is almost the same. Both the house number, 1, and the district, Oakley, are missing from Kirk’s address.
   
5. 
   Return to Kirk’s address and make a note of the post code. Click the Delete button to delete Kirk’s recorded address from the Addresses panel.
   
6. 
   Enter the post code which was noted down earlier, and then click the Continue button.
   
7. 
   Click the OK button if a message about address validation is displayed.
   
8. 
   Note several instances of the address appear in the list, some with a house name and some with a house number. Highlight the address with the house number 1, and then click the Open button.
   
9. 
   Select Home from the Address type drop-down list.
   
10. 
    Click the Save button to save the record.
    
11. 
    View 5: Family/Home panel again and note the house icons now show for both parents.
    

NOTE: In the preceding example there is a distinct difference in the house number and district between the pupil and contacts. A trial and error approach may be needed to select the correct address record as they may appear identical. The appearance of the house icon on saving the change to the contact(s) signifies that the correct address has been selected.

If the house icons are not updating as expected then work through the steps in the following flow chart:

Note down the address of the pupil or contact with a house icon.

Delete the address from the contact with a missing house icon and search for the noted down address.

Check that the pupil and any contact the pupil lives with all have an address record.

If more than one seemingly identical address is listed then select the addresses sequentially until the correct address is found.

If not then add an appropriate address. Cloning of contacts is one way to avoid missing or duplicating addresses.

Periodically the Address Tidy and Merge utility should be run to remove the duplicate records left unattached in SIMS – see Appendix B.

Step by Step – Dealing with a Duplicate Contact Record

When the sibling of an existing on-roll pupil is enrolled, new contacts with the same details are sometimes incorrectly added to the SIMS database instead of the new pupil being linked to the existing contacts. This can happen if the new pupil is added manually or via a common transfer file (CTF).

Duplicate contacts are the root to SIMS being unable to establish a family link between two or more pupils. This can then cause problems if schools wish to make use of the mailing point functionality that exists in SIMS, which enables either the youngest or oldest child in a family to be selected as the mailing point to avoid duplicate letters being sent home to the same household. Duplicate contacts also cause issues with parental ballot.

Contacts can be viewed in isolation from the pupils via Focus | Person | Contacts. Scanning down this list gives an idea of where duplicate contacts may have been added; however, this could be a lengthy process. There are some reports which may assist. Family links – Siblings (pupils) is a report found via Reports | Run Report | Focus | Student. This report shows where family links have already been established in SIMS. It may help to identify any that are missing.

The enhanced duplicated parents report (Enhanced Duplicated Parents.RptDef) is not a standard report will be imported during training via Reports | Import. Once imported into SIMS the report can be found via Reports | Run Report | Focus | Contact.

This report lists all contacts with parental responsibility of on-roll pupils (this can take some time to run) and highlights where there appear to be duplicate contacts and which pupils they are attached to.

To demonstrate this effectively on the data create a duplicate record to illustrate just how easy it is to create a duplicate contact record.

1. 
   Open the record for Sophie Aaron, delete her father (Mr Aaron) as a contact, and then click Save to save the details.
   
2. 
   Click the New button to add a new contact.
   
3. 
   Type Aaron in the Surname field, select Male from the Gender drop-down list, and then click the Continue button.
   
4. 
   Although the contact required is shown in the Matched People screen, ignore this and add Mr Aaron as a new contact by clicking the New button.
   

   NOTE: This is not an appropriate way to add a contact and indeed highlights one example of how duplicate contacts can be inadvertently added to SIMS. Under normal circumstances, the contact should have been added using the copy contact functionality.

5. 
   Complete appropriate fields in the Basic Details and Relationship Details panels. In the Address panel, type CB24 6DD in the Postcode field and 1 in the House number/name field, and then click Continue.
   
6. 
   Highlight and click on Open to accept the address presented. Select Home as the address type.
   
7. 
   Click the Save button to save the details, and then click the OK button.
   

NOTE: The contact is now listed. However, no house icon will be present if the same home address as the one recorded for Sophie has not been entered for Mr Aaron. This would impact updating the parental salutation field successfully and whether the duplicate record is highlighted when running the following report to check for duplicated contacts.

8. 
   Close Sophie’s pupil record by clicking the Close button.
   

Step by Step – Checking for Duplicated Parent Records

1. 
   Select Reports | Import and import the Enhanced – Duplicated Parents report.
   
2. 
   Run the report by selecting Reports | Run Report | Focus | Contact, locate the report, and then click the Run button.
   
3. 
   Notice that there are now two contacts named Mr Aaron. One record attached to Sophie Aaron and the other attached to Chris Aaron.
   

4. 
   Search for and select Sophie Aaron via Focus | Student | Pupil Details. Click 5: Family/Home hyperlink.
   
5. 
   Select Mr Aaron and click the Open button to examine the information available.
   
6. 
   Delete the record of Mr Aaron.
   
7. 
   Click the Copy (Copy Contacts) button to the right of panel 5: Family/Home, and then search for Chris Aaron.
   
8. 
   Open the record for Chris Aaron which displays any contacts attached to him.
   
9. 
   Deselect the Mrs Aaron (Mother) check box, and then click the OK button.
   
10. 
    If necessary, update the parental and salutation details. Click Save to save Sophie’s record with the new contact attached.
    

NOTE: It might be useful to run the report again to check that the duplication of Mr Aaron no longer exists.

Step by Step – Delete Unlinked Contacts

1. 
   Select Tools | Housekeeping | Delete Unlinked Contacts to display the Find Unlinked Contacts browser.
   

   NOTE: Deleting unlinked contacts does not need to be run after tidying every contact, but can be run periodically. It removes contacts sitting within SIMS that are no longer attached to any records.

2. 
   Click the Search button to display a list of contact records, some of which may have been duplicated. As usual, filters can be used to locate specific records which it is suspected may have been entered twice or have become unattached.
   
3. 
   If there are a number of unlinked contact records, either select All or highlight the ones to be removed, and then choose Selected from the Select drop-down list.
   
4. 
   The names of those selected, are listed in the Contacts to be deleted section.
   
5. 
   Highlight the names of the contact records to be deleted, by using either the Shift or Ctrl. Any records included by mistake can be highlighted and removed by clicking the Remove button.
   
6. 
   Click the Delete button to delete the highlighted contact records and confirm that the selected records are to be deleted.
   

Process for Dealing with Duplicate Contact Records

Use the following flow chart to deal with duplicate contact records:

Open the record of each of the pupils with the duplicate contact and view and compare the contact information.

By looking at each pupil record decide which of the contacts to keep. Make a note of any contact details which are to be transferred.

Identify duplicate contacts using the contact browser or using a combination of the reports available.

If necessary delete any unlinked contacts via Tools | Housekeeping | Delete Unlinked Contacts.

If using the contact browse via Focus | Person | Contact open a contact record displaying which pupils a contact is linked to in the associated students panel.

Delete the contact of the record not to be kept from one pupil record and use the Copy Contacts button to copy the contact from the pupil with the preserved contact. Update any information if required.

General Housekeeping Routines

A number of housekeeping routines which have been classified as general routines are provided in SIMS. The following routines are available for maintenance of the data:

1. 
   Name Format – enables the way names are formatted, for example, all upper case or title case.
   
2. 
   Reset Parental Ballot Flags – enables contacts eligible to vote in parent governor elections to be set.
   
3. 
   Update Mailing Point – enables a pupil to be set as the main person for taking home written communication from the school.
   

Step by Step – Select Case for Name Formats

SIMS enables a variety of data entry methods from manual entry to electronic import from file. This can result in some data, for example surnames of pupils or contacts, being in a mixture of formats, all upper case (ABBOT) or title case (Abbot).

The housekeeping routine enables changing such data, surnames or forenames to one format (upper case) or the other (title case). The change can be made for pupils, staff, contacts and agents.

This may be a routine that is run annually as it may need updating as new pupils join the school from different sources.

The default name format is title case resulting in, for example, Peter John O’Malley-Smith.

1. 
   Select Tools | Housekeeping | General.
   

2. 
   Select the Student/Applicants and Contacts check boxes to check the format used.
   
3. 
   The name format needs to be in title case, which is the default setting. If any other setting is displayed select the Title Case radio buttons.
   

4. 
   Click the Apply button to save the selected settings.
   

Step by Step – Updating Mailing Point

The Mailing Point check box provides a means to identify a pupil in school to be used as a mailing point. This may be useful where there is more than one member of the same family in the school. Identifying one pupil as a mailing point in a family will enable a more efficient approach to contacting home when this is required.

The mailing point flag is found on the family/home panel of the pupil details and can be updated individually if needed or in the housekeeping routine.

The housekeeping routine enables the mailing point check box to be updated globally. It is possible to identify the oldest or the youngest child as the desired mailing point. This may be a routine that is run annually as it may need updating as pupils leave the school.

1. 
   Select Tools | Housekeeping | General.
   
2. 
   From the hyperlinks at the top of the Housekeeping screen select 3: Update Mailing Point.
   

3. 
   The Effective Date field defaults to today’s date but may be changed; either by entering the required date manually, or, clicking the Calendar button and choosing a date.
   
4. 
   Leave the default setting, Oldest Child, selected from the Mailing Point drop-down list. The only other option would be to select the Youngest Child.
   
5. 
   Click the Apply button.
   

Step by Step – Identify Main Telephone Number

It is important that emergency contact numbers are available and up-to-date in SIMS. Contacts can have more than one telephone number recorded with the facility to specify which their main telephone number is. Ensuring that contacts have a main telephone number identified is useful when viewing pupil contact information from the Family/Home panel, as the main telephone number is displayed without having to open the record of the contact. This number could be tried first, in case of an emergency and the contact record then opened to find additional numbers if required.

Create a report via Report | Design Report to produce an emergency contact list by selecting the main telephone number of a contact.

Instead of creating an emergency contact report it is possible to add contact data quickly by selecting Reports | Student List. However, it should be noted that these reports only display the main telephone number of the contact if it has been identified as the main number in the contact’s details.

1. 
   To identify the main telephone number of contact, search for and open Elizabeth Duffy’s Pupil Details.
   
2. 
   Select panel 5: Family/Home and note that although a home telephone number has been identified as the main number for Elizabeth’s mother, the school has been notified that Mrs Duffy’s mobile number should now be recorded as the main telephone number.
   
3. 
   Double-click to open the record of Ms H Clarkson and select panel 3: Telephones and E-mail Addresses panel. Note that only one number is present.
   
4. 
   Click the New button to add Mrs Duffy’s mobile number.
   
5. 
   Leave the Device set to Telephone and select Mobile from the Location drop-down list.
   
6. 
   Type 07333 525245 as the mobile number for Mrs Duffy.
   
7. 
   Select Yes from the Main drop-down list and click the OK button. The new mobile number is now recorded as the Main contact number.
   

NOTE: Contacts that are imported via CTF do not have their main telephone number identified by default.

8. 
   Click the Save button to save the contact data. View panel 5: Family/Home again. Note that the mobile number is now displayed as the main number.
   

NOTE: It might be useful to create a report which highlights any contacts which do not have a main telephone identified. This would be a contact based report and the filter could be main telephone number is null.