SIMS exists to help people. From teachers taking register through to heads tracking cohort progress, we’re here to help expedite crucial, but often time-consuming administration. To put it another way, the more time that SIMS can free up in squeezed school days means more time that can invested in teaching.
And with a platform as varied and relied upon as ours, it is vital we make sure we understand, in incredible detail, exactly how SIMS is really used and what our users truly need. It’s not just that the best MIS and tech platforms adapt, but that they will evolve in lockstep with user demand.
We regularly speak and collaborate with our user base to ensure our platform is as accessible and inclusive as it can possibly be – to collect data to identify the points to develop. Now, though, as part of the rollout of SIMS Next Gen, which will see £40m invested in the platform over the next few years, we’ve launched an extensive listening exercise to give you the opportunity to help shape the future of the platform.
No matter how small or unique your problem, now is the time to let us know where we could tweak the platform to help you save time. After all, when we heard that teachers needed to be able to quickly check a pupil’s timetable, we introduced easy reference snapshots; and when we heard that users needed to know which parent/guardian to contact first we adjusted our programming to ensure contact numbers were listed in a clearly-marked order of priority.
To share your views, please click the link here. The survey is open to every single user of SIMS – from primary schools through to MATs and SIMS support units – and all you need to complete the research is a DfE number.