We are delighted to announce that the following schools have joined Scomis this term with several more to join us on 1st April.  We would like to extend a very warm welcome to all staff:
 
Charlestown Academy, Cornwall
Mithian Primary School, Cornwall
Moorlands Infants School, BANES
Moorlands Junior School, BANES
Walliscote School, North Somerset

Contents

Service Update
Scomis Status
Training
User Group Information
Exam Officer News
SIMS Options
GDPR
SIMS Accreditation
Dear Grace


Visit us at the Academies Show
 
If you are planning a visit to the Academies Show on 26^th April 2017, do come and see us at Stand Number 406. It would be good to catch up with you to find out about your priorities and to bring you up to date about how Scomis can help. To find out more about the Show click here

Are you thinking of converting to an academy and/or joining a MAT?
 
Are you unsure of how this will affect your school's systems and processes? Perhaps you'd like advice and guidance on how to make the most of this opportunity to have economic, efficient and effective ICT systems in place? Whatever your challenge, Scomis can help – visit our new web pages to find out more:  Click here
 
PS Financials – Hosting service from Scomis now available for version 6
 
We are pleased to announce that Scomis hosting now supports the latest version of PS Financials (Education standard version 6).
 
This service removes the burden and associated costs of managing PS Financials on school based servers.  You don't need to purchase the latest server hardware and you can access your data securely from anywhere with an Internet connection!
 
This means that if you host with us you will enjoy all of the benefits you would expect including ease of access, security, reduced technical overheads in school as well as business continuity. 
 
What's more, as we manage and maintain our own hosting environment, we aim to be at least half the price of our competitors in relation to PS Financials' hosting.
 
For more information click on the following link finance_services.pdf or contact us.

Early Adopters required - please register your interest

We are currently looking for early adopters initially in the Devon area for our MAT infrastructure solution. By standardising the ICT across all of the schools in your MAT, this service will enable you to seamlessly join your ICT systems to deliver collaborative teaching and learning across multiple geographic locations. Resources and information can be easily shared, disseminated and accessed. Staff and students will have the confidence that they can move between sites or work remotely and have consistent and secure access using the same user name and password.
 
 
Please contact us on 01392 3853000  or scomis@devon.gov.uk to register your interest.

For the latest schedule of training courses on offer across various locations including Cornwall please refer to our timetable which can be found here.
 
Oxfordshire schools are reminded that we are able to offer training courses through our partner 123ICT at the Witney Business and Innovation Centre.  Please do contact us if there are particular courses you would like scheduled.

The summer User Group venues and dates are below. To find out more visit our website https://www.scomis.org/who-we-work-with/user-groups/
 
Portsmouth – The Marriott Hotel 09/05/2017
Oxford – The Kassam Stadium 10/05/2017
North Somerset – Clevedon Hall 11/05/2017
Cornwall – The Pavilions, Royal Cornwall Showground 16/05/2017
Devon, Torbay, Plymouth – St Cuthbert's Conference centre, Buckfastleigh 17/05/2017
 
Invitations and agendas will be sent out soon, however you can book on now by emailing Scomis at scomis@devon.gov.uk
 

Welcome to the Spring Newsletter.
The SIMS Spring Upgrade is currently due to be deployed on Friday 31st March/1st April for Hosted Schools.
Own Upgrade Schools – files will be available via SOLUS 3 on Friday 31st March. Confirmations of dates are published on the Scomis bulletin.

For the full newsletter please follow this link Examination_Officers_Newsletter_Spring_2017.pdf

The next generation of Options will be available for use in the Autumn 2017 term.  There is no extra charge to use the new module. 
 
It will allow users to create the options choices in SIMS and to publish them online.  Parents and students can see them online and choose their options which will then save back into SIMS for approval.  Different learning pathways, fixed and free choices can be accommodated.  The solution editor can then be used in SIMS to find the "best fit" for the school and pupils.  Once an Option solution is found, reports and class lists can be generated and the blocks imported into Nova T6.

We have scheduled training courses for November https://www.scomis.org/training/secondary_courses/sims-options-for-new-users/.  Please book online or phone 01392 385300 for more information.
 
We are looking for early adopters in the first part of the Autumn term to pilot the process.  If you are interested in trialling the product with us, please could you contact us at scomis@devon.gov.uk.   

Is your organisation getting ready for GDPR?
Do you know the law is changing to the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
 
The ICO's document 'Preparing for the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) – 12 Steps to take now' was published in March 2016!
 
Do you know this change is likely to be implemented in May 2018?
You will need to:

• Know where and how, personal data you hold is being processed
• Know where the data came from and who you share it with
• Have effective policies and procedures in place

Fines for breaches of the GDPR will be 4% of global annual turnover (or Euro 20 million, if that is a higher amount)
 
Do you know there are 12 steps you should be taking in your organisation NOW?
 
To avoid the risk of non-compliance in 2018 download the 12 Step check-list available on the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website and .
https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1624219/preparing-for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf
 
 
Safer Internet Day (SID) 7^th February 2017

On Safer Internet Day 1,500 young people were surveyed (8-17 year olds)
Key Findings include:
84% have shared a photo online.
70% said they have seen images and videos not suitable for their age in the last year.
 
Download the Infographic and Executive summary:
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/2017/power-of-image-report
This is an example of the advice and guidance you will regularly receive if you subscribe to our Online Safety Essentials Service.  For more information click here.

Every two years Capita assess SIMS support teams for the quality of the services they provide to schools.  At the end of the process if successful the team is then awarded recognition as a SIMS Accredited Support Team.
 
Scomis has been a SIMS Accredited Support Team since the award started in 2001.  This summer we are again going through the rigorous assessment process that includes the production of evidence of our services, a visit to our offices, a survey of our customers, observation of a SIMS Training course and school visits by Capita.
 
We need all our customers to complete the Capita survey about our SIMS services to you. This is a brief notice to watch out for the Capita Survey that will be coming your way in May 2017.  More details will be sent to you nearer the date.

Take a look at our Financial Year End FAQs Financial_Year_End_FAQs.pdf