Perspective upgraded with new features

Perspective has been updated on the 28th February 2011 to include a new main navigation bar and some enhanced design work which we hope will increase both performance and ease of use, whilst retaining the same great layout so users don’t get lost. The following information will give you an overview of what else is new in Perspective, and what else is coming soon.

New Navigation Bar

We have changed the navigation bar to make it easier to get to all of the modules in Perspective. Self Evaluation covers whole establishment or departmental/team plans, broken down into Recording Data, Gathering Evidence and Making Judgments. These sections assist in preparation for inspection, internal review and monitoring. They can also help direct targets and actions in order to improve, and these plans can be accessed from the Planning module. There is quick access now to Reports (containing the SEF, Development Plans, Departmental Reviews, Grade Reports etc), Documents (giving you access to your document pool, the place to store all evidence related to inspection or self review, or publish this to other colleagues), and Surveys (giving you the ability to issue Surveys to stakeholders and allow the system to do all the work in generating the results). Admin gives you access to some of the elements of Perspective you will need to set up, such as users, the language you want to use, and your own username and password.

Performance Management is coming soon for schools, and clicking on that link will give you all the information you need about what’s coming in June 2011.

New Release Schedule

We have moved to structured release schedule, so you will always know when new features and modules will be added to Perspective. These releases will be during February Half Term, Whit Half Term, the Summer Holidays and finally the October Half Term. We have plans for what will be in each of these releases, but we also want to hear from Perspective users about what features they would like to see. The next release is due on the 6th June 2011 during the Whit Half Term, and will include Performance Management. For more information on this release please click on the Performance Mgmt link on the navigation bar at the top of any Perspective screen.

Activating and Deactivating Modules

Perspective now has the ability for you to define which modules your establishment would like to use. Users of Perspective have access to all of the modules in the system, but you may only want to start using them in a structured fashion. For example, some establishments start using the planning module as that is their priority, therefore they don’t want to confuse staff with all of the other features such as team reviews or surveys at the start of the implementation process. If this is the case we can hide these modules, and you can turn them on later when you are ready to start working on them. Activating or deactivating a module is easy and just needs a call to our support team to do. Nothing will be lost either, so if you deactivate Self Evaluation, the data you already have there will still be available when you turn it back on!

Improved Development/Improvement Plans

Perspective now allows you to choose four different formats of development/improvement plan. We have added a Column with Actions view which gives you an overview of targets/goals you have set, as well as the actions which relate to them and where they are up to. This complements the other views (Column, Table and Custom Table) so you can make sure you get the plan you want from Perspective in the format you are used to using.

Monitoring Targets and Actions Quickly

We have added the ability for users to ‘drill-down’ into targets and actions from the View Targets and Actions screen in the Planning module. This was done in response to the need for leaders to be able to have a quick way of assessing where a target is up to and whether actions are being completed, without having to spend lots of time doing it. This monitoring information is now available quickly by simply clicking on a target and seeing it expand to show all of the actions involved.

New Enhanced Administration Module for Local Authorities

Contact us to find out how Perspective can assist Local Authorities with supporting and monitoring clusters of schools or children’s centres.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact the support team on 0845 129 7196 or email perspectivesupport@angelsolutions.co.uk

Thank You
The Perspective Team