Blank Contact on Data Collection Sheet

Extra contact showing on data collection sheet but with no name just a comma and a telephone number. This may just be an extra line for the named contact in the line above.  Check under Focus>Person>Contact to see if there are multiple telephone entries. Reviewed 14/05/2018 KB17491

Deploying Updates/Patches via Solus 3 Manually

If your updates are not scheduled to run automatically then follow the below procedure to use Solus 3 to check for updates. On the machine where Solus 3 is installed, run the SOLUS3 User Interface from the icon on the desktop.         From the main Solus 3 screen, click on “Upgrades” and…

Unable to access NCA Tools website

  We have had calls from schools that have been unable to access NCA Tools website via Internet Explorer in Scomis Hosted Applications, and as a locally hosted school. They receive either of the following two errors that are shown below. Testing performed by Scomis has revealed that the website actively blocks connection requests from…

Adding a Machine to Solus 3 on an Active Directory Network

If you have got Solus 3 installed on your Windows Server based Active Directory network and wish to add a new SIMS/FMS/Discover workstation then please do the following: On the server where Solus 3 is installed (usually the SIMS server), open the Solus 3 Deployment Server UI.           Once opened, click…

HCSS Budgeting known issues

Following the introduction of HCSS Budgeting throughout Devon maintained schools it has been decided that a rolling FAQ for important information and known issues would be created. This will be updated as and when we get new information.   17/05/2016 – Staff members that have had a break of service are not showing to import via the P7…

Teacher leaving and timetable transfer

Create the new member of staff in Manager Classroom Staff if not already there – this will automatically create a Personnel Record In Timetable, Plan>Teachers Open the teacher record by double click or Edit>overwrite the details and the whole timetable will be allocated to the new teacher. Send the timetable over for the next day. The…

Report to show new students or leavers.

You may need to know any joiners and leavers over a date range. There is a report built into SIMS which can show you this. Go to Reports>Run Reports>Click the + to expand Focus and select Student, Select and run either Migration Report for Arrivals or Leavers and enter the date range you need. This…

Teacher App will not accept Date of Birth

When logging into the Teacher App for the first time it will ask you to enter your activation code and Date of Birth. If when entering this information it comes with a message to say “the given combination is invalid” you will need to check to make sure that your DOB has not been changed…

Teachers not showing under “Users tab” within the Teacher App console

Problem: When Clicking on the “Users tab” within the Sims Teacher App console, the page is blank and teachers are not showing in the panel. Resolution:    Please try logging out and logging back into the Teacher app management console (https://setup. capita-sims.co.uk).  If teachers are still not showing, please try restarting Sims Service Manager. Note : Hosted Schools…

Identifying Basedata

Basedata for a particular series consists of a set of linked files. The names of these files follow an agreed standard, with the first letter denoting what information the file contains. When basedata is first downloaded from the exam board the file will begin with a Z. Files starting with a Z are zipped files that combine all…

FMS Bank statement balances are incorrect

Problem:When viewing opening and closing balances in bank reconciliation,the balances are incorrect Solution: Please open the bank reconciliation browse and press F7 key.  FMS will then verify your bank statements and adjust the opening and closing balances to what they should be. Please contact the Scomis Service desk, if you require further assistance. Reviewed 13/04/2018 kb16988…

Creating a User Defined Group

Please see the following document for advice on how to create a user defined group: Creating a User Defined Group KB13332 – Running reports for user defined group KB23120 – Adding a user defined group to Discover KB19505 – Removing a student from a user defined group.   Reviewed: 27/7/20

How to hide Home language on student record.

Please check with your Local Authority that they are not collecting information on Home language before making this change. With the Spring 2016 release of Sims you can now hide the Home Language from within the Ethnic/Cultural section of the Student record. No data is deleted when making this change it is just simply hidden…

Teacher App crashing on an iPad

User is able to log in but the application closes after a few minutes. Please try resynching with iTunes (Settings > iTunes & App Store) then uninstall and reinstall the SIMS teacher app.

Teacher App Updates

How can schools update Sims Teacher App to the latest release. Each device will need upgrading, it cannot be done centrally. If the school has automatic updates enabled on the iPads the app will update for the user automatically.  Alternatively, users can update the app manually on their device from the App store.   Enable…

View Profiles comments for sessions in review mode

If you want to view a list of comments within Profiles for a session that is in ‘Review Mode’ then you will need to follow these instructions within SIMS: Go to Tools – Performance – Profiles – Batch Printing of Class Check Sheets Search for the Session Select the class and press the Print button Reviewed…

Individual Report – Section with no results still showing the header.

The hide rows with no results is ticked. Remove report sections that contain no results is ticked. The report shows the header for a table with no results.   Please ensure that the section open and section closed tags are inserted at the beginning and end of each table, including the first table on the report….

Duplicate staff in Sims .net

This can happen if staff have been entered in Personnel and separately into Manage Classroom Staff resulting in two staff codes. Also (rarely) if they are in the student focus and that record hasn’t been used as the employee. Usually the issue manifests itself when a teacher cannot see their classes when they logon to…

Benefits of the Scomis Hosted Application Service

Do you spend valuable time and money trying to keep your Management Information System up to date? Our Hosted Application Service removes the burden of managing SIMS onsite with school based servers, so you don’t need to worry about upgrades, patching, backups or keeping server software up to date – we take care of that…

DfE FSM Ever 6 Report “no results for this report”

  Capita have identified that in certain circumstances the FSM report doesn’t show any pupils, even though some are eligible. It seems to be due to N2/R being included in a vertical setup in the pastoral structure, but is still under investigation. In these circumstances changing the year taught in filter to a prompt at…

Introduction to SOLUS 3

  SOLUS 3 is a piece of software which is installed alongside SIMS. It comprises of an SQL database (which will need to be added in to the schools backup routine), a Windows Service and GUI console.     School settings need to be defined in the console.              …

Sending next year’s timetable early (June/July)

Some schools wish to send their next year’s timetable early, i.e. in June or July, so that the students can begin next year’s classes before the end of the academic year.  In order to do this you will need to send a copy next year’s timetable for the appropriate date range, taking care to edit…

Nova T6 : Sending a change to the Cycle mid- year

It is not recommended to send a change to the cycle mid year, but in some cases it is necessary if the times or number of periods must be changed before the start of the new year. If the cycle is changed and sent mid year then the correct date range must be entered.  It should…

School Pupil Tracker within Scomis Hosted Applications

Currently, when using School Pupil Tracker within Scomis Hosted Applications, you will only be able to use the ‘Set Up Helper’. This is the area where you can upload a CTF or a report that has been created in SIMS.You can also use any functions used to update your account within SIMS eg. update classes, attendance, upload…

Error in FPS Budget Companion – “LOCATE LINK-Dll”

Once the user has been set-up in SIMS please log-in to the FPS Budget Companion and select the P7 Link option   Select NEXT   Some schools may see a screen with an error (See Below) – click on the “Locate link dll” button, wait for the files to all populate (takes about 10 seconds)…