1. Case Study - Scenario 1 Austin School is one of six high schools catering for students aged between 11 and 16 years of age. Parents can select any one of these six schools for their children and so the school recruits students from across the city. The school employs four people to collect and manage the data that is stored about students. They are called the Data Team and are based in a medium-sized office. Two members of the team job share, so the office is equipped with only three desktop computers. During particularly busy times of the year, all of the team will be asked to work at the same time. When this happens, a laptop computer is provided so that all four members of the team can work in the same office at the same time. After much research, Austin School has bought a software package called The Data Rich Information Management System. This system uses a database to organise and store information about students. At the end of every school year, each primary school from across the city sends all their data for all their year 6 students to each of the high schools. Austin School then imports the data it receives into The Data Rich Information Management System, ready for the start of the new school year. However, if a student joins the school from a different part of the country, all that student’s data is entered manually. Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team Q1. What would a school information management system be used for. Q2. What factors will influence the choice of school information system. Q3. What software apart from the information management system will the office use. Q4. What hardware will be required to run the Data Rich Information Management System Q5. What laws / legislation will the office team need to consider because they are storing personal data Q6. What health and safety considerations may there be in terms of the staff working in the office. Q7. New students data needs to be entered manually. Give 3 validation checks that could be used.

2. Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team What is stored in a school’s data management system: 1.Student Details 2.Attendance Records 3.Assessment records (you see these in interim reports) 4.Exam Entries and then results 5.SEN records 6.Student flags and notes 7.Student and Staff Timetables 8.Staff records Q1. What would a school information management system be used for.

3. Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team Key Factors to consider: 1.Size of the school – The number of pupils will significantly influence the choice of system. The system must have capacity to deal with the school in terms of space and speed. 2.System used by primary schools – Due to the fact that the primary schools send data electronically, it will be very useful if the Austin system is compatible with the primary school system. Often an authority will specify what school be used across all schools. 3.Cost – Every school must balance the budget therefore the cost of the package will be important. Copyright / licensing will affect cost. Some packages will come as a site licence others may charge per pupil. Schools must no breach copyright law. 4.Ease of use – Staff training is very expensive, the more easy the system is to use then the more training required 5.Compatibility – is it compatible with the word processors, spreadsheets used across school. Can it export in open format. 6.Speed – A slow system is frustrating 7.Support – What support does the company give – installation, technical support, free updates, free training ??? Q2. What factors will influence the choice of school information system.

4. Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team Software: 1.Operating Systems – Each computer will need one of these. The job of the operating system is to make a computer easy to use for the user by a) providing a simple interface b) storing and filing documents easily c) controlling all of the devices attached. The internet browsers should not be forgotten. 2.Office software – This will include a Word processor – this will be used for letters, reports Spreadsheet – data can be exported from the DRIS to this to be analysed graphed e.g. exam results Presentation Software – for open evenings, presentations to staff Desk Top Publishing Software – for posters, programmes.... 3.Network Software – This software allows all of the computers in the office to communicate across a network. It will allow all the computers to access a central server, where all the data is stored. It will allow printers to be shared. It will allow messages to be sent. The data may be stored on different drives on the server. 4. Data Management System- This software that all of the data to run the school is stored- see previous page. 5. Utility software – This is software that does general tasks such as tidying(defragmenting disks, backing up data) 6. Security Software – The school will need a range of this including Virus checkers, firewalls, anti spyware. The may also be monitoring software that logs all network access or even monitors live the computer use Q4. What software apart from the information management system will the office use.

5. Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team Hardware: 1.Personal Computers – 3 of these one for each member of staff – features should include ergonomic keyboard, large low glare monitor, adjustable monitor height, adjustable chair, correct lighting. 2.Server – This is usually a powerful PC with large memory and very large hard disk storage. All data is stored here. The dives maybe split into eg H: S: W: R: (any letters). All data is stored here. 3.Laptop – This should be the same spec as the PC’s and ergonomically designed (health Safety) 4.Communication – This is through a network. There are two options. 1- Cabled, this is the most secure and reliable but does need more setup time – cabling and cost. 5.Output – B/W laser printer Possibly A3 too. And a colour laser printer. There may be dot matrix for exam entries etc. 6.Input – Keyboard, scanners – photocopier PDF, Q4. What hardware will be required to run the Data Rich Information Management System

6. Q5. What laws / legislation will the office team need to consider because they are storing personal data. Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team Data Protection Act (1998) The main law / legislation is this act as it deals with storing personal information. The key points to know are: The school must: store only data that is relevant to the stated purpose make sure the data is accurate and up-to-date not to hold the data longer than necessary. protect the data with the proper security. The students can: view data stored have data corrected or erased. be compensated for damage or distress caused by unlawful processing of data

7. Q6. What health and safety considerations may there be in terms of the staff working in the office Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team Equipment Due to the fact that the office staff will be working using computers for long periods of time they will need well designed equipment and surroundings. Ergonomic design of keyboards / mice – to reduce the chance of RSI Adjustable chairs / monitors – to reduce back./ neck problems Correct lighting / blinds / screen glare reducers – to reduce eye problems Policies Due to the fact that the office staff will be working using computers for long periods of time they will need well designed equipment and surroundings. Policies in place- that make the staff take regular breaks to allow them to stretch etc. – to reduce all problems mentioned above. Training on health and safety to make all staff aware of dangers

8. Q7. New students data needs to be entered manually. Give 3 validation checks that could be used. Case Study 1 – Austin Data Team Validation Validation checks are used to check that data is sensible / within limits Range Check - this checks that data is between 2 values or above or below a value. An example could be DOB between 2 values to make sure that they are of high school age Type check – This ensures that data is of the correct type. An example would be Year must be a number Format check – This makes sure that the data is the correct structure. An example would be post code. It must be LL00 0LL Presence check – Cannot be left blank Length Check – Must be the correct length – eg an exam number must be 4 figures in length