Welcome to your weekly EIS Bulletin!
We appreciate how busy your inbox can become, so EIS will only send out Support & News messages every Thursday.
If there is something critical that our customers need to know immediately, we will of course send a message straightaway –
that way you will know the EIS email needs urgent action.
Below we have summarised what is new this week… if you have any queries, please get in touch!
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Support InformationView all EIS Support Information on our Support Portal Available to Contract Customers only – please contact EIS to discuss our support services |
Don’t forget the School Census Spring 2021 return is due on Thursday 21 January!
The School Census Home Page on the new ServiceNow School Portal is now updated with the latest information ready for completing your school census return on 21 January 2021. This page will be used to keep schools up-to-date on all the latest school census news.
The page can be accessed through the following link, as long as you have your login details for the new support portal. If you have not received an email with your login details, please contact the Service Desk as soon as possible on 0300 065 8888.
The following pages and articles should be viewed to assist with the School Census:
KB0012593 School Census HOME PAGE
KB0012793 Updated Guidance for Completing Census Data Items Impacted by Lockdown
KB0012360 School Census Known Issues
If you need further assistance, please log onto the ServiceNow IT Portal to use the Chat Facility, Log a Census query or SIMS Query. Alternatively, call the Service Desk on 0300 065 8888.
If you have a specific policy query regarding data and the guidance issued by the DfE, please contact the DfE direct using their query form if you are an academy, or your LA Management Information team may be able to assist if you are a maintained school. Please refer to KB0012356 Local Authority and DfE Contact Details for Census Policy Queries
SIMS User Forum Webinar – COVID19 SIMS Attendance Reporting
Cantium EIS ran a SIMS Census Forum on 13 January, focusing on SIMS Attendance under the current COVID19 circumstances.
In this Forum we covered the use of various reports which schools may find especially helpful in monitoring their attendance data, focusing on the use of the X and Y Codes. There are also some hints and tips on make entering attendance data easier.
You can view a recording of the Forum Webinar as well as access the materials provided using this link KB0012785.
COVID Related Information Regarding SIMS Attendance/Lesson Monitor
Several articles have been released to assist schools with processing attendance marks in SIMS, particularly in the light of the latest national lockdown:
- KB0012777 Using SIMS Lesson Monitor to Record Online Lesson Attendance
- KB0012770 Entering and Reporting on the X Code in SIMS Attendance
- KB0012703 Managing User Defined Groups in SIMS
If you have any questions on which codes to use in your registers, please consult your attendance service for relevant advice. This should be either your Local Authority attendance advisory team (maintained schools), the DfE (academies) or your attendance advisory service if you buy this in.
You can also refer to the DfE guidance which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-attendance
Once you have been advised on which code to use the Education Support Team will then be able to support you with entering codes in SIMS.
Removal of Temporary Attendance Codes in SIMS KB0012474
A quick reminder to Attendance Officers that the temporary attendance codes in SIMS (including 7,8,9) that were activated by patch to assist with SAGE Reporting during the summer term 2020, should NOT be used for absences in the new academic year 2020/21.
Please read article KB0012474 for further details.
Full guidance on the use of the X and I attendance codes for COVID-19 related absence is available from the DfE at:
Cantium ServiceNow School Portal
On Friday 18 December the EIS Support Portal at https://support.eisit.uk/ was switched off
All users should now access the ServiceNow IT portal for Schools.
If you are having any problems accessing the new portal with the login credentials previously provided by email, please contact the Service Desk
The following are available on the ServiceNow IT Portal for schools:
- Notices – Sims Information, Information Notices, End of Year Information
- School Census pages
- Weekly Bulletin – weekly emails will be sent to schools containing a link to the Weekly Bulletin
- Newsletters – an email will be sent to schools containing a link to Newsletters
- Announcements – will appear as a banner or a featured new article
All incidents and requests must be logged via one of the following methods:
- ServiceNow Portal
- Chat function in ServiceNow to chat live with one of our dedicated Service Desk team members
- Alternatively, call the Service Desk on 0300 065 8888
If you would like to see older versions of the Bulletin along with the Newsletter then these can be accessed by going to https://cantium.service-now.com/csm?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0012595 on the new Support Portal.
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Training & EventsView all EIS Training Courses on http://www.kentcpdonline.org.uk/ |
Upcoming Webinars
- W007 SIMS The Basics – Part 1 – Tuesday 26 January 2021 (11.00 – 12.00)
- W008 SIMS The Basics – Part 2 – Wednesday 27 January 2021 (11.00 – 12.00)
- W002 Managing Timetables – Tuesday 2 February 2021 (15.00 – 16.00)
- W038 SIMS Housekeeping – Tuesday 2 February 2021 (11.00 – 12.00)
- W015 Discover – Getting Started – Wednesday 3 February 2021 (11.00 – 12.00)
- W036 Course Manager – Part 2 – Wednesday 3 February 2021 (11.00 – 12.00)
SIMS Training
Cantium- EIS have put together a wide range of webinars for schools to access. The programme can be found at- https://support.eisit.uk/info-notice/sims-training-courses-webinars/
These webinars can be booked through Kent CPD online. Go to https://cpdschools.theeducationpeople.org/cpd/default.asp and search for the webinar number.
This programme is in response to feedback from schools that they would like remote sessions for training for a number of varied reasons. We have therefore put this comprehensive package together so that staff can access the webinars from home, school or offices as long as they are connected to the internet.
For further information and to get in touch:
