Is your school making effective use of SIMS?
SIMS is extremely feature rich but lots of our customers tell is that they only use a small proportion of those features.  This new service from Scomis enables us to investigate your SIMS database either onsite or remotely and to provide you with recommendations about how the various modules with SIMS could be used more efficiently and effectively. We also highlight any additional training or consultancy that may be required to achieve this.
 
For more information please contact us.

LAST FEW PLACES REMAINING!
 
Following the success of last year's conference, I am pleased to announce we will be offering the Examination Officers Conference on 16^th November 2016 once again at Buckfast Abbey, TQ11 0EG.  I appreciate this is a distance for some of you to travel but this is a unique opportunity to have your say en masse and provide a networking opportunity for you and your fellow examination officers.  
 
Speakers will include OCR, WJEC, Capita and Pearson.  This will be a platform for you to catch up on updates, raise any questions or make suggestions to the speakers on how the role of the examination officer can be more effective and efficient.  Stands will also be available for you to visit.
 
I am still waiting confirmation from one or two speakers but envisage the conference will be a full day again starting at approximately 9.30 am and concluding for 3.00 pm.
 
The cost of attending the conference will be as follows:
 
£35 per person for SLA Schools
£45 per person for Non SLA Schools
 
Refreshments will be provided on arrival, mid-morning and a two course lunch included.
 
Confirmation of agenda and timings will be available nearer the time. 
 
If you would like to attend can I please ask you to email the Scomis Service Desk on scomis@devon.gov.uk and put the subject as Examination Officers Conference?  Alternatively, you can call the Scomis Service Desk on 01392 385300 stating the subject as Examination Officers Conference.  We will then send booking confirmations out as soon as we can.

Scomis User Groups - Book now and don't miss out

These are important events to attend in order to network with other customers and to keep up to date with developments at Scomis, ICT and SIMS.  Please note that if you are based in a local authority outside one of these areas, you are more than welcome to join the User Group closest to you.  For more information please click on the relevant venue for more information and the invitation.
 
29^th November 2016 Portsmouth User Group, The Marriott Hotel, Portsmouth
 
30^th November 2016 Oxfordshire User Group, The Four Pillars Hotel, Witney. 
 
1^st December 2016 North Somerset User Group, Clevedon Hall, North Somerset. 
 
7^th December 2016 Cornwall User Group, The Pavilion, Wadebridge, Cornwall. 
 
8^th December 2016 Combined User Group (Devon, Plymouth & Torbay), Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh, Devon.

This special 'free' seminar from Scomis will be relevant to anyone in your school with responsibility for Safeguarding which now includes Online Safety. 
 
Led by one of our knowledgeable experts, the seminar will provide an excellent training opportunity for your Designated Safeguarding Lead, Safeguarding Officer as well as ICT Support staff.
 
If you answer 'no' to any of the following questions, we would highly recommend attendance at the event:

Are you aware of your responsibilities for keeping children safe online? 

• Does your Designated Safeguarding Lead understand online safety? 
• Does your school's internet provider have appropriate levels of filtering and monitoring?
• Are you able to provide the evidence and proof that Ofsted will be looking for?

The seminar will run on the afternoon of the User Groups (see above and follow the links for more details) in Oxfordshire, North Somerset, Cornwall and Devon.
 
If you would like to attend please contact us.

We are delighted to invite you to a Strategic Seminar for schools. This 'free' event for Cornwall schools is being run by Scomis on the 1st November 2016 at Wadebridge Pavilions, Wadebridge.
 
If you answer yes to any of the following questions we highly recommend attendance at this event:

• Is your school contemplating conversion to Academy status?
• Has your school recently converted to Academy status?
• Is your school contemplating joining a Multi-Academy Trust and wondering which one you should join?
• Are you wondering how conversion will impact on your stakeholders?
• Would you like to 'pick the brains' of those who have already started this journey?

More information can be viewed here.

Scomis will also be attending the following events during the Autumn term – please do come and see us there:

20^th October                  NAPE National Conference, Oxfordshire
20^th/21^st October           Cornwall Association of Primary Heads, at Eden
21^st October                  CAST Administration Conference
8^th and 9^th November    NASBM Annual Conference, Birmingham.
9^th November                RM Autumn Seminar, Exeter
10^th November              BABM Annual Conference, Cadbury House, North Somerset
24^th November              South West Academies Summit, Bristol

Dear Matt,

Yes what a good idea.  We have developed our "SchoolChooser" to make it much more friendier for users who need to access a number of schools data in a Multi Academy Trust for example.

You can read all about the changes in this FAQ. https://faq.scomis.org/kb17771/

Hope that helps,
 
Grace.