DATA

Schools and academies are urged to be more aware of the forthcoming changes to data protection at all levels of the organisation. To help schools, colleges and other education institutions navigate their way through the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and get plans off the ground, Arena Group has set up a free, practical webinar.

With the drive for 21st Century skills, we're often discussing the importance of real-life learning in education. This could come in the form of practical hands-on activities, or even just using news stories and contextual examples to enrich the topic. But what if we could take this one step further and actually get students involved in real scientific research?

With new data protection regulations coming into force in May 2018, all organisations, including schools, will need to rethink how they manage personal data in order to comply fully. GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation, is designed to bring data protection up-to-date and provide greater protection to the individual. This will place more onerous requirements on schools to manage data well and more rigorously than current regulations permit. Penalties have also increased, making this a critical issue that cannot be swept under the carpet.

SISRA Ltd invite you to join them at the BETT Show (25th–28th January) on Stand D410 to find out more about SISRA Analytics, their data analysis service and SISRA Observe, their teaching and learning service.

Data solutions experts SISRA Ltd are running nationwide events designed to provide data managers, exams officers and other support staff with the opportunity to get together on a termly basis to discuss important changes, to network and to seek advice. DataMeets are free regional sessions hosted in SISRA Schools across England. Those looking to attend are not required to be SISRA customers.

Big Data promises so much more than merely enabling companies to sell us more ‘stuff’. Whilst there’s still a great deal of hype around utilising Big Data for personalised product placement, the opportunities of using data to help improve our lives are potentially boundless. The term Big Data is synonymous with Predictive Analytics, Data-driven Decision Making and even Artificial Intelligence, but it simply means “more data than you can process on a single machine.”

Imagine the advantages of being able to map a gifted student’s journey through your school and identifying key lessons which can be passed on to other individuals. Consider also what impact nipping minor sixth form attendance issues in the bud might have on students’ progress. Well, here at Rainey Endowed, we have discovered that making better use of technology can help us to deliver results in many different ways.

We are a successful secondary school based in Magherafelt, County Londonderry and have been graded ‘very good’ by the Education and Training Inspectorate. Yet up until six years ago, the method we were using to record academic, extra curricula and pastoral information for all 720 of our students was far from adequate.

Mention the dreaded ‘D’ word in the staff room and many teachers will suddenly remember, ‘oh yes, there’s a pile of marking I must do… right now!’. It clears the room almost as quickly as the afternoon bell on the last day of summer term.

A slight exaggeration maybe, but data should be embraced as it can enhance the performance of both students and school in simple and positive ways – and there are many...

Attendance data is compulsory; it is collected and recorded twice a day, and for the majority of schools this is done electronically on their MIS. Using standard prepared reports from your MIS you can export attendance percentages which, with just a little help, can be transformed into clear, colourful, easily understood graphs. Generate a Year group, Tutor group or House group and so on.

In our first article on Google Analytics we looked at the basics of analytics; how do users find your web site, what pages are your users looking at and how do they interact with that content.

The next natural step is to look at the data in a little more detail and use some of the slightly more advanced features to influence the structure of your site and its content and ultimately the users of your site.

We’re going to use the example of a large independent Sixth Form and see how certain changes are influencing the habits of users. The principles apply to any school or college, whatever the size.

Following extensive research and development and a hugely successful year for current users, the school website design specialist that has received rave reviews from headteachers across the country has recently expanded its horizons with a unique online college application system.

Schudio offers an excellent option for colleges and academies looking to effectively manage their applications and provide prospective students with a reliable, flexible application form they can quickly complete.

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