SIMS reporting for Kings’ using Power BI

​Background: 

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Kings' School is a well-established educational institution in Winchester, dedicated to maintaining high standards of quality education. The internal Data team works diligently to track student academic and behavioural details. However, the reporting methodology was a tedious process involving manual exports from SIMS (School Information Management System) and Excel spreadsheets, which created significant challenges in data integration, accuracy, and reporting efficiency. 

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Challenge: 

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The school faced several issues in tracking and reporting achievement and behaviour. The process was time-consuming and inefficient, with reports being generated manually from various data sources. The integration of different systems was difficult, and required creation of multiple versions of reports which often led to inconsistencies. SIMS data was manually exported, which was slow. Additionally, data visible in class charts did not always flow into SIMS, creating further discrepancies. The reliance on Excel for reports also led to the risk of manipulation and errors. Separate sheets for the academic calendar added another layer of complexity. Overall, the reporting system was inefficient, error-prone, and lacked interactivity. 

 

Solution: 

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To address these challenges, MPowerUp developed a solution using Microsoft Power BI. The new reporting system connects directly to the school’s database, eliminating the need for manual exports from SIMs and significantly reducing the time required for report generation. The data is now more secure and cannot be manipulated, ensuring greater accuracy and consistency. The Power BI report is interactive, allowing users to toggle between points and incidents for a more detailed view of student performance.  

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The existing report also helps the school to look at the data historically, offering insights into trends and patterns over time. Additionally, the academic calendar is now easily managed through a simple Excel template stored in SharePoint, where users only need to input the start and end dates of each term once per year. The report includes four pages that provide a high-level overview of student achievement, behaviour, and outcomes, with separate views for SEN (Special Educational Needs) and FSM (Free School Meals) insights. The visuals allow for easy drill-through to view detailed data, offering a comprehensive yet user-friendly experience for staff.  

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Furthermore, the report is set to refresh on a daily schedule every morning, ensuring that the report values are always up to date. 

 

Result: 

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The implementation of the Power BI solution has streamlined the reporting process at Kings' School. The time spent on generating reports has been significantly reduced, with a more efficient and automated data flow. The risk of human error and data manipulation has been eliminated, providing more reliable and accurate reports. The interactivity, drill-down and drill-through capabilities of the new reports have enhanced the user experience, making it easier for staff to analyse student performance at various levels. Overall, the school has seen improved data accuracy, time savings, and a more robust system for tracking and reporting achievement and behaviour. This new system built by MPowerUp allows for more tailored insights, fostering a more data-driven approach to student support. 

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