Staff Handover 

Giving new staff access to your system

If you know the name and address of the new staff member, set them up as a user in your A+ system and send them their welcome email so they can log in. See how to add staff here.  

If you are the new staff member and you haven't yet been granted access, ask a member of staff with A+ access to add you to the system, or give us a call on 0203 667 0764. 

 

Let new staff know where you're up to in the cycle

• Which processes have been completed already?
• What do they need to prioritise as the next step in the cycle? 

As a reminder, these are the key features which would typically be used, and the most common times of year: 

September - setting up, publishing and running events (most typically Open Evenings)

• Events Overview 
• How to create an event

October - Open Events taking place, Supplementary Information Forms live (Faith Schools), preparing your Year 12 form for launch

• Preparing your SIF
• Preparing your Year 12 form

November - Application cycle opening or in progress (Year 12)

• Year 12 account creation process
• Setting your open and close dates

December - Applications being processed (Year 12), GCSE Option Forms preparation underway

• Key functions on Student Profiles
• Preparing your GCSE Options form

January - Application deadlines (Year 12), Admission Form preparation underway (Year 7 and Primary), Option forms launched (GCSE)

• Following up with incomplete applications
• Preparing your Year 7 form

February - Guidance Meetings setup & delivery, and making offers (Year 12), testing ahead of launch (Year 7)

• Creating meetings 
• Preparing offers

March - Timetabling (Year 12 and GCSE), Admission Forms launched to offer holders (Year 7)

• Year 12 Options setup
• Sending welcome emails to parents 

April - Taster Day and Enrolment preparations begin (Year 12), Data Collection underway (Year 7), Admission Forms launched to offer holders (Primary)

• Taster Day preparation
• Preparing your Primary School form

May - Enrolment setup continues (Year 12), set up and deploy Post-Enrolment features - Transition Tool, Sorting Hat, CTF Wizard (Year 7 and Primary)

• Configuring your Enrolment Navigator
• Post-Enrolment Features preparation

June - Test enrolment procedures with staff using Enrolment Clone systems (Year 12), Begin Data Transfer process to MIS (Year 7 and Primary), use Events area to set up Transition Events (Year 7 and Primary)

• Common uses of your Enrolment Test System
• Transferring data to and from your MIS

July - Deliver Taster Days and communicate with applicants regarding Results Day procedures (Year 12), set up Open Events ready for September (Year 7 and Primary)

• Complete your Enrolment Checklist
• How to create an event

August - Ensure all data is transferred to MIS (Year 7 and Primary), run Enrolment for applicants confirming their places and transfer their data and enrolled classes to your MIS (Year 12)

• Classes Management, Reporting and Exporting
• Transfer class allocations to your MIS

 

Make sure new staff have access to all the tools needed

If your MIS is SIMS, they will need access to the A+ SIMS App to enable them to transfer data into and out of SIMS. The SIMS App is in addition to your A+ system, and connects your A+ system to SIMS. 

Other MIS (Bromcom, Arbor and iSAMS) are cloud-based and do not require a separate app. Integration is controlled directly within A+. 

Access the integration guides for your MIS here.

 

What help is available and how to access it

If your schools is still in its first cycle with us, you will have access to unlimited 1:1 training with your dedicated Customer Success Manager. (Staff leavers: please email your CSM to let them know you're leaving, and introduce the new team member if you're able to). 

All schools can register to attend free weekly Group Training on topics relevant to the time of year. See the schedule and booking links here. 

You have a Live Chat function on your system, which you can ask questions to and it will source the answers or connect you to a member of our Support Team as needed. 

Your Help Hub is where you can book 1:1 training meetings (if eligible) or register to attend weekly Group Training sessions on topics relevant to the time of year. 

You can also access the Knowledge Base from the Help Hub - this is a vast resource containing hundreds of articles and recordings to help you navigate all areas of your system. 

Access the Applicaa Journey to remind yourself of key features to implement throughout the cycle, to maximise your usage of the system - it's your digital to-do list!

Join the Applicaa Community to engage with other Applicaa users, share ideas and submit ideas for new features (and upvote other people's suggestions!)

Our Support Line is open Monday to Friday, 8am - 4.30pm: 0203 667 0764. 

 

Good to know

Each cycle, Applicaa will generate new application/admission forms for you - these are a clone of your previous cycle's forms and mean you don't have to set things up from scratch each year! You'll manage one intake per form. 

You can access your Forms Area to see your forms and archive old ones. This is also where you can obtain the link to your application, for intakes like Year 12 where you'll need to publicly advertise the link for students to apply. 

The main screen you see upon logging in is called your Dashboard and it gives you a real-time overview of what is happening in that particular form. 

The Settings cogs in the bottom left corner are like your "Start" menu - you'll be able to navigate to most areas under those cogs, and you also have quick access links to key areas in the blue panel on the left side of your screen. 

The system is configured with a range of email templates and some of these are automated, meaning they are triggered by an action - for example, if an applicant submits their completed form then they receive an email acknowledging receipt. 

Anything with blue writing in your system is a hyperlink - a student's name will take you to view their profile, and clicking on the name of an application group or application status will take you to a list of the applicants, for example. 

On a student's profile, you can edit data on their behalf if needed. Any fields with a dashed line can be clicked on and edited directly, or you also have the ability to impersonate an applicant and access the form from their perspective. 

All data is exportable to CSV, and any files the applicants upload in support of their application can be exported to a zipped folder. You'll find the Data > Export function here. 

The application form can be accessed under Settings > Application Form and you can preview and edit the fields within the form as needed.