VAT rate change - action is now required - November 25th, 2008
ScoMIS has worked closely with Devon, Plymouth & Torbay Local Authority Finance Teams in order to implement the changes to the VAT rate.
Information has now been sent to Schools detailing the action which needs to be completed.
ScoMIS SIMS Terminal Server Schools will have the update applied for them but will still need to add the new VAT Codes. Guidance can be found in the Terminal Server Help area.
Devon and Plymouth Schools will have received an Email requesting them to download from the ScoMIS Website the update to the DTSAPPS software and the notes regarding adding the new Ledger Codes for the new 15% VAT Rates. http://www.devon.gov.uk/eal/scomis/upgrades/login.php
Torbay Schools will have received an Email with the necessary action points direct from Torbay Council Finance Team regarding the new Ledger Codes for the new 15% VAT Rates.
Care should be taken when processing Invoices. Be guided by the supplier’s invoice which should identify net, VAT and gross figures. Generally goods and services supplied and invoiced before the 1st December will be charged at the old rate. Those after will be charged at the new 15% rate.
Laptops for Schools 2008-09 Offer - November 6th, 2008
Following a formal competitive procurement process, Devon has agreed to purchase laptops from RM. They have an existing contract for the supply of laptops to the Authority. RM have offered the RM nBook 4400 model which offers an excellent specification, a reasonable price and three year warranty including battery. Features include Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz processor - 2GB RAM - 80GB Hard Drive - DVDRW - 15.4″ widescreen - Integrated SD/MMC/MS card reader, webcam, wireless (Tri Mode), Ethernet, Modem and audio - Carry Case.
It is important to note that due to current exchange rate fluctuations and the fact the majority of laptop components are imported from the USA, the current offer price will be reviewed at the end of November 2008 and each month which follows until February 2009 when the offer expires. The current price RM are offering for the month of November is likely to increase so it is recommended schools wishing to take advantage of this offer make sure that orders are sent to ScoMIS before November 28th 2008.
All Devon, Torbay and Plymouth schools will be emailed full details of the RM nBook 4400 laptop offer, including specification, pricing, and upgrade / downgrade options.
The order process and installation arrangements (if required) are being managed by ScoMIS. All such queries should be addressed to the ScoMIS Service Desk.
Anti-Virus Software License Update - October 21st, 2008
It is now possible to purchase additional McAfee school client licences!
The cost of new McAfee school client licence will be £7.46 (per workstation/server). Please note the licence will only provide cover until 31/03/09 after which date schools will be required to purchase a new annual licence(s). ScoMIS will be entering a new round of negotiations with the suppliers in early January 2009 and it is hoped the costs of McAfee anti-virus licences for 2009/10 will be much cheaper for schools. Details of the scheme will be made available to schools as early as possible.
CTF Files not available for the receiving school - September 19th, 2008
Many schools are finding that although they have uploaded a CTF file onto the S2S site the receiving school do not receive notification of the file being available and cannot download it from the site. The message “the file has been successfully uploaded” received when schools upload a file on the site means that the file has been been put into a holding area waiting to be uploaded to the server. Once it has been uploaded to the server both the sending school and the receiving school should receive a confirmation e-mail. If they do not get the e-mail message, it means the file has not been uploaded successfully. The failure of some files to upload is due to the server being overloaded. S2S are aware of the problem and working on a resolution. In the meantime the advice is to try uploading the files either early or late in the day and keep trying until they get the confirmation e-mail message. The delay between the school uploading the file on the S2S site and receiving the e-mail can be up to an hour.
Important Information regarding the Post-16 Learning Aims for Autumn Census 2008 - September 1st, 2008
For the first time, the Autumn School Census this year requires the reporting of Post-16 Learning Aims both for those students who completed courses in 2007/8, and for those embarking on courses for 2008/9. Unfortunately, this requirement coincides with the introduction in September 2008 of the remodelled 4 unit GCE courses. These qualifications have just appeared in the DCSF Generic QAN/Discount Code Data, where they have new QAN/Discount Codes assigned to them.
As a result it will be necessary to set up an additional parallel course for each subject delivered at AS level. Moreover, since no basedata that references the new QAN/Discount Codes will be available from Awarding Bodies until November at the earliest, it will also be necessary to use the manual procedure for making QAN/Discount Codes available to courses and then use Maintain Course to manually attach the QAN/Discount Codes to the new courses.
Please see the GCE 2008 in Post-16 Learning Aims (link below) Information regarding the procedure which must be taken after the start of the 2008/9 Academic Year but before the School Census Day (02.10.08).
SWGfL Secure Data Transfer: Planned Maintenance - August 20th, 2008
As a result of problems with the SWGfL Secure Data Transfer (SecureNet Plus) service in June, SWGfL will be undertaking essential upgrade work between 20:00 on Wednesday 27th August and 08:00 on Thursday 28th August.
Whilst the upgrade work is undertaken, the Secure Data Transfer service will be unavailable.
If you have any queries regarding this upgrade, please contact the SWGfL Helpdesk Team on 0845 307 7870.
Urgent! PC Antivirus alert - July 22nd, 2008
Tues 22nd July 14:28
You may have received an e-mail with a subject of “UPS Tracking Number”. The attachment contains a new virus and should NOT be opened. If you have a copy of this e-mail please delete it.
The large Antivirus software vendors, such as McAfee and Sophos, are currently patching their software to detect and clean this threat. We have contacted SWGfL and they are currently checking their internal systems. As the Virus has spread extremely rapidly, please be particularly vigilant when checking your emails and ensure your Antivirus software is updated regularly.
If you have any queries, or if you have opened this attachment, please contact the ScoMIS Helpdesk on 01392 385300
ScoMIS Training Centre for the Plymouth Area - July 3rd, 2008
Thursday 3/7/08 16.18
Please note that we have moved our ScoMIS training centre for the Plymouth area and as from September 2008 it will be at Learning@Ridgeway, Plympton. Details can be found on the following link http://www4.devon.gov.uk/eal/scomis/ply.php
Anti-Virus Software License Update - June 9th, 2008
Mon 9th June 11:35
The closing date for purchasing McAfee anti-virus licenses has now passed and all allocated licenses have been purchased.
Please note that if you decide to make your own arrangements to purchase anti-virus software elsewhere, all existing McAfee anti-virus software must be removed from school workstations and servers as the previous annual license purchased through ScoMIS expired on March 31st 2008.
SCHOOL CENSUS RETURN - May 16th, 2008
Friday 16th May 2008 - 09:20
COLLECT is available to return your School Census the issues relating to loading and validating the returns have been rectified.
The
ScoMIS team has backgrounds in teaching, school
administration, and information technology. We
currently provide IT training, support and advice
for schools and other users within the three Authorities
of Devon, Torbay and Plymouth.
Choose
an area of the website to view from the quick nav
menu below:
