Students use ICT applications in many lessons, and often for homework. Core school systems are managed internally, and several external systems are also used. Scroll down for information about each system, managing passwords and where to get help.
CORE SCHOOL SYSTEMS:
YOUR SCHOOL NETWORK ACCOUNT
All students have a school Microsoft account. They use this to log in to computers on the school network with their username and password. Students' usernames follow a standard format. For example, Joe Bloggs who started Year 7 in September 2021 would have a username of 21bloggs.j.
Network passwords are usually set in the first ICT lesson in Year 7. Students can reset them at anytime from a school PC by pressing the Ctrl-Alt-Del keys all at the same time and following the instructions that appear. If you are at home, then you will need to email the school office to request a password reset.
MICROSOFT OFFICE 365
MS Office 365 is a suite of applications which includes MS Teams, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook and many more.
All students can log into MS Office 365 using an email address in the format: Username@standrewtheapostle.org.uk For example, Joe Bloggs who started Year 7 in September 2021 would use 21bloggs.j@standrewtheapostle.org.uk to log into their MS 365 account.
The password is the same as the school network password. If you are having trouble logging in, check the sign-in options to make sure they are set appropriately to log you into an organisation/school account rather than defaulting to a personal account. Students should speak to a member of staff if they can no longer access their account.
MICROSOFT OFFICE 365 AT HOME
Students can also log into their MS 365 account on their own devices at home. As well as using the applications via a web browser, their accounts entitle them to install desktop versions of the MS 365 applications (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc) for school use.
To download the software they should log into their MS 365 account online and click "Install Office" which should be in the top right hand corner of the landing page. Then follow the instructions to download and install the software.
MICROSOFT TEAMS
Once students have logged into MS 365 (as above) they will be able to access MS Teams. Teachers often use this to communicate with students. They will tell your child if they have set up a Team for their class.
Student communications via MS Teams are monitored and moderated. Conversations should not be considered private and any inappropriate usage should be reported to school staff.
Microsoft Teams may sometimes be used for remote learning, including live streaming of lessons.
STUDENT EMAIL
Once students have logged into MS 365 (as above) they will also be able to access their school email account in MS Outlook. However, students use this infrequently because the preferred way for teachers and students to communicate is via MS Teams.
Again, student communications via MS Outlook are monitored and moderated. Conversations should not be considered private and any inappropriate usage should be reported to school staff. Emails from external addresses are blocked unless they have been added to the allowed list.
Students should not use their school email address for anything that they may need access to, or a record of, after they leave the school, for example their university applications.
BROMCOM STUDENT PORTAL AND MYCHILDATSCHOOL (MCAS) PARENT PORTAL
Bromcom is a Management Information System, used to manage many aspects of school administration. Our School ID for BromCom is 12448.
Students use the Bromcom Student Portal to see what homework has been set and check their timetable. Students will be able to click the single-sign-on button at the bottom of the login screen as shown in the screenshot below. Students can then use their STA email and password to access Bromcom Student Portal.
Parents use Bromcom's parent portal, which is called MyChildAtSchool (MCAS). It includes
information about students' attendance and behaviour, homework, reports, as well as most of the messages
sent to parents by the school (though some messages may be sent directly to parents' email accounts
instead). To log into MCAS for the first time, parents need to use the email address that they have
registered with the school as their username, and follow the instructions in the school's invitation
email. They will then choose their own password. Subsequent logins will only need their email address and the
chosen password. For more information, see the MCAS
Parent Guide. Note that homework attachments can only be opened on the Student portal, not the Parent
portal, and homework can only be submitted via the Student portal too.
MCAS app / Bromcom Student app: As well as the web versions of these portals there are handy apps that you can install on your phone or tablet - available from the usual app stores. Parents can log into the MCAS app for the first time using the same credentials they use for the web version of MCAS. Students will need to log in to their Bromcom Student app for the first time using these Magic Link instructions. In both cases, you may be prompted to set up a PIN or biometrics to use for future logins. If your app stops working at any point, try re-installing it.
EXTERNAL SYSTEMS:
SPARX READER
Sparx Reader is used to support students’ independent reading and to track their progress as readers. English teachers set a weekly homework for all Key Stage 3 students on Sparx.
If students are already logged into their school Microsoft 365 account (as described above), the easiest way to log into Sparx Reader is simply to click the "Microsoft 365" button, ringed in red in the screenshot below.
CAROUSEL
Carousel is used from Years 7 to 13 to set retrieval homework across subject areas including Science and Humanities. To complete their Carousel homework, students will follow the link that their teacher has shared via homework on Bromcom. They login using their full name, complete revision using flashcards and take a quiz which is then checked by their teachers. The questions set will act as revision from previous topics and consolidation of content from current topics. Please click here for carousel guide.
DR FROST MATHS
All students have Dr Frost Maths accounts to help support their study of Maths. Often teachers will set homework using this platform.
If students are already logged into their school Microsoft 365 account (as described above), the easiest way to log into Dr Frost is simply to click the "Microsoft 365" button, ringed in red in the screenshot below.
Alternatively, Students can log in using their school email address and a password. The first time they log in they will use a default password given to them by their maths teacher. They will then be prompted to set up their own password, which they will need to remember.
Beware: If you mistype the email address, an error message will appear saying the account does not exist. Please do not attempt to create a new account. Try logging in again, making sure your school email address and the password are entered correctly. Make sure you are not using capital letters, because the credentials are case sensitive. If you still cannot log in, please contact your maths teacher for further help.
UNIFROG
Unifrog is a careers guidance app, which gives tailored support to students choosing their next steps after school. All students will be invited to set up an account, usually in Year 7, unless they join the school later. The student's welcome email will go to the student's school email account and they will need to click on the link, then follow the instructions to set their own unique password.
At the same time, parents will receive a letter providing information about Unifrog. It will contain a code that will allow parents to set up their own Unifrog account, so they can explore it from the perspective of a student.
PARENT SYSTEMS:
PARENTPAY
We use ParentPay for collecting payments from parents, including for school meals and trips. In order to set up an account for the first time parents will need to refer to the activation email sent to them by the school. If you have lost this, please contact the school office.
STUDYBUGS
We encourage parents to use StudyBugs to report a student's absence from school, as it is more efficient than emailing or telephoning. You can set up and manage your own account for this, and there is a handy app available for your phone too (just search for Study Bugs in your usual app store).
SCHOOLCLOUD (PARENTS EVENINGS)
Parents use SchoolCloud to book and attend virtual Parents' Events. There will be information about how to do this in the parents' evening invitation but, in the meantime, you can follow this link to a short video explaining how it works. In secondary school it is usual for children to attend the meetings with their parent, though this is optional. If another parent/guardian would like to join the meeting from another location, you can send them an invitation from within the system.
MANAGING PASSWORDS:
You are likely to have many passwords for various applications, some of which are unique to you, and others unique to the school. Unless you have a very good memory, you will need a secure way to manage your passwords. Please do not write them down. You may want to use a password manager. If you have a personal Google account you may already use Google Password Manager, but remember that this isn't secure if others can gain access to your account (for example if you leave your account logged in on a shared computer). If you store your password list in an electronic document, for example in MS Word or Excel, you should make sure the document itself is password protected or located in a secure folder. You may find these Microsoft account security tips useful.
Please choose secure passwords, never share them with each other, and do not re-use school network passwords when creating passwords for other systems. A good resource for choosing a password is Dinopass (select the strong password option).
WHERE TO GET HELP:
Our IT network support staff can help to resolve issues with core school systems. Your child can seek their help within school or else they can be contacted by email via the school office, putting "FAO IT Support" in the email subject line. It will help them to understand the problem if you describe exactly what steps you took before the issue occurred, and attach a screenshot of any error messages. For password re-sets, students will need to speak to their IT teacher or visit the IT support office in person.
For problems with external systems, please contact a relevant teacher, e.g. your child's math teacher will be able to help for DrFrostMaths, or their form teacher for Unifrog.