Category:Configuration
This category contains a list of the configuration pages found in this wiki.
Contents
- 1 General
- 1.1 Beginner's guide
- 1.2 User permissions
- 1.3 Global system settings
- 1.4 Group management
- 1.5 Notes for the beginning of the academic year
- 1.6 Configuring Heads of Subject
- 1.7 Creating on report cards
- 1.8 Default slip (used to generate OUTPUT.xml)
- 1.9 Importing report and certificate designs
- 1.10 Homework categories
- 1.11 Importing IEP designs
- 2 Technical
- 3 Attendance
- 4 Communications
- 5 Behaviour
- 6 Detentions, Removals and Extra Classes
- 7 Grading
General
Beginner's guide
User permissions
Global system settings
Group management
Notes for the beginning of the academic year
Configuring Heads of Subject
Creating on report cards
Default slip (used to generate OUTPUT.xml)
Importing report and certificate designs
Homework categories
Importing IEP designs
Technical
Installing PARS Connect
If you have recently purchased PARS, the first thing to do is intall it. Follow our Installing PARS Connect guide for this.
Allowing PARS to access the internet
You will need to configure the proxy server in order for PARS to communicate with other websites. This is important for your licencing and for sending emails or SMS messages through PARS.
Installing Keep Alive
You will need to have the Keep Alive service running for Automation to function. See the installing Keep Alive for instructions about this.
Testing Automation
Once the above has been done you can test automation is working by following the instructions on this page.
Configuring the jobs performed by Automation
To view and manage the jobs that the automation module will perform, go to the job list.
Attendance
Managing custom attendance codes
The Maintain codes feature can used in PARS to create custom attendance codes. This can also be done via SIMS and any custom codes from SIMS will be pulled into PARS.
Taking AM or PM marks from lessons
Mapped periods are used when you want your attendance data from a lesson to write back to a session (for example, period 5 being copied to the PM session). You will need to configure this in SIMS.
Signing in & out, and biometric systems
The instructions on the pupil scan page should be used if you are using a biometric system for attendance.
Global system settings for registers
Registration preferences apply specifically and only to registers, unlike permissions and preferences which apply to all areas of PARS.
Preparing for a fire
The Fire module may need some configuration before use. The fire module keeps a copy of current attendance data in the case of a fire.
Communications
Importing pupils' email addresses
The bulk import emails tool allows you to import email addresses for pupils into your SIMS database, if you have a .csv file with the pupils' email addresses and an identifying number for the pupils, such as the ADNO or UPN.
Configuration for sending SMS messages
If you wish to send SMS messages via PARS then you will need to create an account with Text Anywhere (the SMS provider that we work with) and then enter your account details into PARS. You can access Text Anywhere's website and enter your details into PARS both via the configure SMS page.
Texts from Text Anywhere cost approximately 3 pence each.
You may also need to configure your proxy server in order to send emails and SMS messages via PARS Connect.
Pre-defined messages
Generic messages can be stored to a message bank so that staff do not have to recreate them every time they want to send a message.
Behaviour
Global system settings for behaviour
A number of global settings for behaviour can be found in the behaviour preferences page, including SIMS writeback, which copies behaviour incidents from PARS to SIMS. Go to this page for a list of the available options.
Automatic behaviour alerts
Behaviour alerts are used to inform staff of behaviour issues within the school, where the staff are not expected to take further action within PARS. This might be to alert the form tutor is a pupil in their form group has received 5 or more positive incidents this week. Go to the configure alerts page if you wish to set these up.
General configuration for behaviour
If you are configuring behaviour in PARS for the first time, then you will need to create Grounds and Outcomes. These are the equivalent of Types and Outcomes in SIMS.
- When adding a behaviour incident, a ground is what the pupil has done, and the outcome is what the staff member is going to do about it.
The configure behaviour page covers the basic setup that you will need to do in order for staff to begin adding behaviour incidents.
Reporting - behaviour, attendance, detentions and more
Automatic behaviour points
Rule based behaviours will issue automatic behaviour incidents when pupils hit certain criteria e.g. 100% attendance in a half term, or 0 negative incidents in a week. This is a fantastic way of fairly and consistently rewarding pupils who do the right thing.
When looking at a "behaviour league table" (to see which pupils have the most positive behaviour points) many schools find that the best behaved pupils sit at the top of the table, closely followed by the worst behaved pupils. Many more pupils who rarely do anything wrong and quietly get on with their work (sometimes known as "unseen pupils" or "greys") sit at the bottom of the table as they are not frequently rewarded. Rule based behaviours are a great and effective way to deal with this.
Detentions, Removals and Extra Classes
Creating types of detentions or removals
Before you can use the Detention or Removal systems in PARS, you will need to create some slots e.g. "SLT" detention or "Isolation". This is done using the configure time types page in PARS.
Custom attendance codes for detentions and removals
When pupils are placed into detention or removal, PARS will create a register for them. PARS comes with four attendance marks that can be used in detention or removal registers, but you can create extras if required. To do this, go to the configure statuses page.
Automatic detentions
Rule based detentions can be used to automatically place pupils in detention for hitting certain criteria e.g. 3x late in a week. Follow the link for instructions on creating rule based detentions.
Grading
Managing the comment bank
You can configure a comment bank so that staff can select from pre-defined comments when entering grades. Comments can include mail merge fields for a personal touch.
Configure grade schemes (grade sets)
You may need to configure grade schemes before configuring other areas of the grading system. This is not necessary if you are linking SIMS Assessment Manager aspects to PARS.
A grade scheme is the equivalent of a Grade Set in SIMS - it is a list of grades that can be used by staff i.e. A*, A, B, C, etc.
Configure grade elements (aspects)
Grade elements are the equivalent of Aspects in SIMS Assessment manager. Go to the configure grading elements page for instructions and more information.
Custom grading reports
You can create custom grading reports which allow you to choose exactly what data you want to see. You can also include personal details, such as SEN, EAL or Pupil premium.
Creating templates for grading analysis
If you wish to do a grade analysis through PARS Connect, then you will need to configure key indicators once your elements have been create (see above).
Pages in category ‘Configuration’
The following 49 pages are in this category, out of 49 total.
C
- Changes to detentions
- Configuration
- Configure alerts
- Configure behaviour
- Configure categories
- Configure comment bank
- Configure events
- Configure grade schemes
- Configure grading elements
- Configure grounds
- Configure locations
- Configure outcomes
- Configure proxy server
- Configure SMS
- Configure statuses
- Configure time types
- Custom behaviour reports
- Custom grading reports