Snow? How to log a School Closure in your MIS

With snow starting to fall, and whilst it’s lovely to look at from the comfort of your home, it can cause havoc for schools, and it might be necessary to close your school.

Whilst we can’t help with the impact of the weather, we can at least help you reflect this in your MIS system.

Creating an 'Exceptional Circumstance' in SIMS

• Select Focus > Attendance (or Lesson Monitor) > Exceptional Circumstances
• Click the 'New' button to display the Create an Exceptional Circumstance page
• Enter the dates e.g., from 12/12/2022 AM to 12/12/2022 PM
• By default, the Group Type is displayed as Whole School. If a different group is required, select this from the drop-down list and then click on 'Search' to refresh the display.
• Select the required Attendance code from the drop-down list i.e., Y
• Enter the reason in the Description field e.g., School is closed due to snow
• Highlight the pupils/students e.g., Whole School
• Click the 'Apply' button; you will see a message confirming that the marks have been applied.

To add a 'Whole School Closure' in Arbor

• Go to Students > Attendance > Bulk Edit Marks Standard
• Use the filters to select the appropriate students, ensure start, and end dates are correct
• Click on the Bulk Action button and select Bulk Set Absent
• In the slide over select the appropriate attendance mark i.e., Y
• Once you are happy with your selection click on Bulk Set Marks
• You will receive a notification in the top right of your MIS when the change has been completed
• Please be aware that it can take some time for marks to load if you have updated many students' marks at once

Please contact us on 0345 222 1551 | Opt 3 or email the MIS Service Desk for any further assistance.