What is this system for ?

It is for delivering and managing the Essential Skills Wales framework and contains powerful features for tracking achievement and providing feedback to pupils.

Will this sytem teach pupils the skills?

No – that is up to teachers, what it will do is give you a clear picture of where your pupils are in terms of completing the Essential Skills Framework.

How much does this cost ?

We think our pricing is very competitive (bare in mind this is also a course management system & take a look around on the web), especially if you consider how much it would cost a teacher to create these resources (at average £15 per hour) or the cost of a class set of text books. You can view our pricing structure here.

What is the max no of student accounts ?

There is no limit

Is there a charge for students?

No – it is a flat rate for system access and includes student access

Can resources be uploaded onto the schools intranet ?

Well – the system runs fully online so we don’t really see a need although if you wanted to download and edit pupil evidence sheets (word docs) and publish them on your intranet then we would see no problem with this. This system does not run on a CD but is online – you could put a link to it from your intranet.

Is it safe and secure ?

Pupil safety is our top priority. No web application is ever 100% secure but we have taken steps to minimise the risk :

• All pupil activity takes place on 128 bit SSL encryption
• The site is scanned for web vulnerabilities on a weekly basis
• All our staff are CRB checked (enhanced)
• We are registered with the Data Protection Commissioner
• Sensitive data in the database is encrypted
• Daily, off-site backups of pupil data are carried out

I feel uncomfortable with allowing pupils enter their email addresses.

If you are worried about pupils entering their email addresses then they can use dummy addresses but some features such as password reminder and email reminders will not function.

I don’t want pupils seeing my email address if I use the email function in the system

Don’t worry – the email is sent from the system as a noreply and your email address is not shown.

Can I use the mark sheets the system produces for the moderators visit ?

Awarding Bodies require you to use their official mark grids – we recommend you transfer grades to these for the sample your moderator wishes to see (about an hours work).

I don’t have the time to manage user accounts.

User account management is minimal – pupils create their own accounts, the only time you would have to manage these is if pupils move groups.

How reliable is this system ?

We aim for 99.9% uptime – you will be informed of scheduled mantainance tasks which will be performed outside school hours.