In the Release 86 cycle, we've introduced several enhancements. We've prioritised releasing these items as soon as possible, allowing you, your school, and your users to take advantage of these new features sooner.
We'll make the following release on Wednesday 23 October 2024.
New data refresh feature
We are excited to introduce a new feature that allows schools to refresh specific data packages independently, reducing reliance on support and enhancing operational efficiency.
Why you'll love this new feature
Empowerment: Schools can refresh specific data packages on their own, reducing the need to create support tickets and wait for support to action the syncs.
Efficiency: Ensures schools have up-to-date information readily available, improving operational efficiency.
User-friendly: Features intuitive package names and visibility of the last run date.
Flexibility: Tailors data refresh options to each school's specific needs, enhancing flexibility and security.
How it works
Using the new data sync tool located under the General Admin Tool section, school admins can now manually request urgent task package updates outside scheduled times without contacting support.
Limitations
Monthly limit: A maximum of 10 requests per month.
Active requests: Only one request can be active at a time.
Available data packages
Based on our analysis of the most frequently requested updates, we have implemented the following packages:
Package | Description |
Attendance | Includes attendance codes and tasks. |
Timetable | Student & staff timetables, including lessons and student-has-lessons tasks. |
Report | MIS reports & Pupil Docs (Pass), including reports, report entries, report entry grades, pupil document groups, and pupil documents. |
Exams | Student exam timetable, results, and arrangements, including exam timetable subjects, exam result cycles, student exam arrangements, and exam result modules. |
Behaviour | Covers rewards, sanctions, and detentions, including detentions, rewards, and related student tasks. |
šNote: These packages are designed to update data pertinent to the task, not the dependencies of the task. For example, an attendance package update will not trigger student task updates. If dependencies are needed, please contact support for assistance. Only tasks relevant to each portal and its MIS will be displayed.
Additional information
For each task package, the admin will be able to see the last attempt date and whether the last sync completed successfully. There is also an audit log of all successful sync requests in the current month, so an admin can track where the monthly limit has been used.
Future enhancements
We may add more packages over time and increase the monthly limits. For urgent situations not covered by these packages, please continue to contact our support team, who will be happy to help.
Live updates
The following updates are live and were released earlier in the R86 release cycle.
Updates to MSP's Data Syncing Process.
MIS Migrations.
Exam Days Proactive Performance Readiness.
Custom Forms: Non-sequential form completion process.
Instagram Integration.
Updates to MSP's data-syncing process
We're delighted to share some significant improvements in how MSP syncs data from various third-party sources. Our team has been diligently monitoring and enhancing the queuing and execution of sync tasks.
These efforts have resulted in a remarkable 90ā99% improvement in task completion before 8AM, meaning you can expect even more reliable and efficient performance from MSP, ensuring your operations run smoothly and without interruption.
MIS Migrations
Over the summer, some of our schools completed a move to a new MIS. To ensure MSP continued to function smoothly, we successfully carried out migrations for these schools.
šNote: If you are planning to move MIS and need us to migrate MSP to integrate with your new MIS, please contact your CMS or our support team as soon as possible. This will help ensure a smooth process for you and your portal's users.
Exam Days Proactive Performance Readiness
We worked to ensure a smooth experience for all guardians and students accessing the portal during critical exam result days. Every year, we see a significant increase in usage on these days, with everyone eager to check their results. Proactive steps were taken to maintain performance and reliability throughout.
Custom Forms: Non-sequential form completion process
We've listened to your feedback about our recent changes to custom forms. Many of you expressed the need for more flexibility in how users complete forms within a pack ā specifically, the ability to view and complete forms in a non-sequential order, which is particularly useful for larger form packs such as welcome packs.
We have reintroduced a feature that allows users to view and complete forms within a pack in a non-sequential order.
View progress button
A View Progress button has been added to the custom form page where there is more than one form in a form pack.
When loading a form from the form pack page, the progress area will be shown by default but hidden when navigating to forms via the form page.
Click the View Progress button to display a dropdown section showing the progress of the forms in the pack. This section uses the same styles as the form pack table.
To hide the progress selection, click Hide Progress. The button will be renamed to Hide Progress when clicked.
Click View on a form to navigate to that form, save the current form, and show a loading icon. The Progress area will be hidden when displaying the selected form.
Extra validation on submit
A popup will be shown when there are uncompleted required fields.
Forms Completed column
A Forms Completed column has been added to the form pack page. A form will be marked as completed when all of its required questions are answered.
Instagram Integration
Instagram posts and reels can now be displayed within the Instagram Widget on the User Dashboard/Homepage.
To set up the Instagram integration:
Log in as an admin user and navigate to the Admin Control Panel.
Click on General, then select Instagram.
Click Add New Instagram Configuration.
Enter the name of the Instagram instance.
Save changes before authorising your Instagram configuration.
Authorise access to Instagram by logging into your Instagram account and accepting the permissions.
Tick Enabled.
Use the Dashboard admin tool to add the Instagram Widget to the User Dashboard page.When adding an Instagram widget, set a title and select the Instagram account.
šNote: Please ensure the integration has been set up and authorised before adding the widget.
Other news: Guardian mobile app
We are excited to announce that in this release we are laying the groundwork for the Guardian mobile app. This initiative is driven by listening to our customers and users, and our commitment to enhancing user experience and providing seamless access to our services.
Why are we making an app?
Our goal is to create a mobile app that offers convenience, reliability, and a smooth user experience. In this release, we are focusing on three key areas:
App Framework.
Login Process.
Single Sign-On (SSO) to the Portal.
App framework
The app framework is focused on building the foundation for our upcoming app. By creating a robust and scalable framework, we aim to provide a solid base for feature development and future enhancements.
Login process
Our new app aims to provide a seamless login experience for users. Unlike our main website portals, this app will cater to parents with students at different schools. It will also allow users to register and log in from multiple devices.
SSO from app to portal
The integration of Single Sign-On (SSO) for the Guardian mobile app allows users to seamlessly transition between the app and the web portal. This functionality ensures a smoother user experience and supports the extraction and display of links from the portal within the app.
More details on app functionality
We will be sharing more details on the exciting functionalities of the app as we progress. Stay tuned for updates on how the app will enhance your experience with features designed to meet your needs.
Research participation
We are also conducting research to ensure the app meets your needs and expectations. If you would like to be involved and provide valuable feedback, please reach out to us. Your input will be instrumental in shaping the future of the Guardian mobile app.
Release timeframe
We are targeting a release timeframe of summer 2025 for the Guardian mobile app. We appreciate your patience and support as we work towards delivering a high-quality app that meets your expectations.
How this version will be made available
This update will be applied automatically to all schools on Wednesday 23 October 2024 at approximately 12 midday GMT.