TASC Software | PARS Connect Features

Features available to you in PARS Connect

PARS Connect is loaded with features – we have outlined some of the key features below.

Communication

Letter, *text, phone call logging, emails can all be sent via PARS Connect linking directly with various features for ease of use.

First day absence, Detentions, Extra Classes, Behaviour and general messages to defined users and groups can be sent by staff based on permissions. All correspondence is linked to a pupil’s record which can be used to track communications and also used as evidence.

Internal messaging allows for ’round robins’ to ‘all teachers of a pupil’. Messages to pupils appear in the registers – messages to staff appear on the homepage

Automatic messages can be sent via PARS Connect also including: missing registers, overdue grade entry, behaviour alerts/referrals

*TASC Software’s text provider is Textanywhere who work within all Business Sectors from small businesses to multi-million pound corporates. TASC Software do not provide texts however all texts can be managed via PARS – incoming and outgoing. Providing this facility through Textanywhere means no issues with high capacity of texts blocking servers during ‘snow days’ for multiple schools. Textanywhere offers 15% discount for schools.

Personal Information

All personal data can be viewed in a dashboard with a Pupil Information button. Information includes Attendance %, Behaviour, Assessment Grades, DOB, SEN, Medical, FSM, PP, Photo, address, telephone number and much more in both data chart and graphical views.

Seating Plans

Creating your seating plans in PARS Connect. Select desks, seats and add pupils from a register either manually or automatically. Select seating plan based on behaviour or even set the options so certain pupils do not sit next to each other. Seating plans also provide information including SEN, behaviour, attendance, assessment target levels. What you see on a seating plan, you decide!

Detentions

Detention timeslots can be configured with restrictions, hierarchy and parent inform links.

Your policy in School may only allow teachers to enter pupils on a lunchtime detention and after School detentions to be referred and Scheduled only by admin or SLT, Subject detentions can be set for specific days only; you can configure based on your needs.

When scheduling a detention, PARS Connect will automatically add these pupils to a detention register. Any pupils on a detention later today, tomorrow or weekend can be viewed from the register as a reminder.

If a pupil does not attend a detention without reason yet is shown on the detention register as present today simply click a button to re-schedule. You may decide to now give the pupil 2x detentions next week after School.

Automated detention rules are also available saving time. Example, any pupils late 3x this week = lunchtime ‘lates’ detention on a Friday. Any pupils with 5x negative logs this week = SLT detention Monday evening. Rather than spend hours trying to look through the data… let the data do the work for you.

Fire Module

PARS Connect Fire Module shows all daily attendance, signed in pupils via swipe or biometric plus staff if you wish. It will also include any extra classes, detentions in the school day or after school.

How do you know which pupils are on school site after the last period? What is your Fire Safety procedure after this time?

There is no need to print registers every morning, save your paper and ink … they are also out of ‘time’ once printed and not reliable. Have blank registers ready with pupil photo (no attendance marks) and install PARS Fire to a laptop. Use your blank registers and refer back to PARS Fire laptop if a pupil is absent from the Fire assembly line. PARS Fire updates every 30 seconds and caches the data to the Fire laptop so even if your server room is damaged, you will still have your data.

Assessment

PARS Connect offers various ways of entering grades, tracking and reporting.

If you currently use Assessment Manager in SIMS, you can link these to PARS Connect. PARS also has its own grade facility if you don’t use SIMS ASMs. Your results can be any style of grade or comments. As well as entering the standard subject grades, you can also use grading for extra curriculum classes, tutor mentoring and pre-defined groups; for example – you may have a GCSE Group on a Monday evening and want to track progress, could be logging measurements of pupils attending a long-jump club.

Comment based grades include option levels of comment banks, mail merge fields ( example; his/her forename he/she) for ease of batch entering subject descriptors, word limitations and a spell check.

Daily gradebooks are also available for teachers to use as and when they want. Move away from excel spreadsheets, keep the data in PARS to share. Daily homework grades, unit test results, general progress comments can all be logged here.

There are many pre-defined reports available however you can custom build your own. We have quick key indicator analysis enabling you to see pupils progress identifying low achievers; what % of SEN and FSM pupils are below target in English, How many pupils in Year 11 have 5 Grades Cs or above? You choose your filters

Every school has their own design of report for parents and we offer a free program service creating a bespoke report including calculations, colours, traffic light designs, icons, target setting. Simplify reports making them clear to understand and make them meaningful for the non English speaking parent….reduce your paper printing costs and save time sending the reports to parents via INSIGHT

Attendance

Attendance includes Statutory, Lesson, Extra class and Detention registers. TASC Software also partner with various swipe and biometric companies allowing sixth form students in particular to sign in-out of School as well as register to class or in a room such as Study area.

Data can be viewed using reports or graphical analysis. Many prebuilt reports are available and custom reports can be created by users. All reports can be automated, meaning they are automatically emailed to staff as and when required. Attendance reports can also be automated saving time for example: all pupils with attendance <85% are reported to HOY every Monday at 10am. Alerts will notify staff of key information, such as 'watched' pupils being absent from class. Attendance Officers can easily update and filter attendance data with only a few clicks of a button to send absence texts or emails to parents. Teachers can quickly view pupils daily and historic attendance from a register including codes and percentages including lesson attendance history for their individual classes. Senior roles can analyse and track attendance quickly identifying issues for individuals or defined groups. Extra class and Detention registers are simple to configure and registers are created automatically once a pupil added to a timeslot by a member of staff with correct permissions. Pupils with extra classes or detentions later today are highlighted on all teachers registers so pupils don't forget to go! [/av_icon_box] [av_icon_box icon='ue85b' font='entypo-fontello' position='left' title='Timetable & Diary' link='' linktarget='' linkelement='' av_uid='av-1a774x'] PARS Connect presents your weekly timetable as soon as you login. Sessions and Lessons, Extra Curriculum Classes, Detentions and Notices are clearly visible. You also have the function to add your own diary entries for example, bus duty, dinner duty, meetings with the option to schedule also for the future. [/av_icon_box] [av_icon_box icon='ue84f' font='entypo-fontello' position='left' title='Homework' link='' linktarget='' linkelement='' av_uid='av-12q89l'] Enter your homework and projects via your register. Add attachments, URL, images and content. Option to email to parents and pupils if required. Homework also links to behaviour so if you wish, add positive behaviour to those who submitted homework on time or a negative log to those who forgot. Homework links directly into INSIGHT for parents or pupils to view if you have this software package also.

Behaviour

Behaviour is a huge, versatile yet simple to use module within PARS Connect. Behaviour covers positive, negative, neutral and rewards cashing-in facility. On-Report and Detentions logging.

Add behaviour from a register or the main menu with pre-configured GROUNDS and OUTCOMES of your choice. Behaviour throughout the day can be seen in all registers and tracked very easily through reports or alerts.

Various referrals can be automated working in line with your school policy. Example: Any pupils with 2x negative behaviour logs = alert to HOY. Pupil with 10 positives this week = alert to form tutor. A hierarchy referral system can be easily created to avoid the ‘pass the buck’ issues some schools have referring minor behaviour to SLT.

Behaviour Rules can also be automated. Example: All pupils with 100% attendance last week and no lates = 10 attendance points on a Monday morning thus awarding the ‘unseen’ pupils.

As the behaviour provides both positive and negative logs, your data becomes more meaningful when looking at rewards for pupils. PARS Connect allows you to look at NET behaviour points as well as just reward points which is extremely important when rewarding pupils correctly. PARS cash-in facility allows for pupils to cash-in their rewards.

For those Schools who collate pupil rewards points for houses, there is a 1 click button to cumulative totals saving time creating and adding up in spreadsheets!

On Report

A Pupil On-Report can be logged and monitored in a variety of ways. If a pupil is On-Report, a notice will appear when opening a register. You choose whether to use this as a reminder for the teacher to then complete a paper report, a teacher can enter grades or comments for the report and you can define specific targets for individual pupils if you so wish. You may decide to have minor On-Report issues on paper and major behaviour electronic; the beauty of Electronic On-Report cards is the ability to track pupils behaviour over a period of time; plus a pupil can’t lose their card!

Devices

Login to PARS Connect using any web-based technology including Mobile phones, iPads, iPhones, Tablets, Kindle Fire, Desktop and Laptop…..

On entering your password you have the option to use ‘classic view’ or ‘mobile view’.

TASC do not create a PARS Connect Mobile App for many reasons. Security issues caching/downloading pupil data onto an easily to lose mobile device. Need for extra storage on a mobile device to install Apps. Individual responsibility on user to update the software. We could not guarantee the software is compatible on ALL mobile phones with various software versions within all manufacturer’s markets. Mobile view via Connect is the most efficient, cost-effective and easy to manage option for schools.

Tech Talk

You host PARS Connect. Install directly on your IIS7 (or above) server (including virtualised) that can ‘talk’ to your SIMS onsite.

Version updates are available most Fridays which include any updates and new features. Version updates are a simple download from our helpdesk login.

Telephone support is available daily 08:30 till 17:00 hours including both technical and customer support. TASC provides an online helpdesk ticket system for queries and requests via our website and also has online wiki guides to assist if required.

Our training team is available for either remote or onsite sessions available when you require. Onsite training is available at a low cost.

Let us show you how PARS Connect can work for your school…?

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