Notes  I've made these tools for administrative purposes and I've found all of them to be quite useful and all of them could do with some work and development.   When it comes to developing applications I consider myself to be an enthusiastic amateur :)   All files have been scanned with an up to date anti virus software.   These *.exe files can be opened as normal zip files using WinZip.
     
Reports Database This database is meant to speed up the report writing process while still allowing for individual comments.   It creates a database table that can then be merged into an MS Word document. 

The database works by: 

  • Typing in a set of marks and corresponding  comments that go with those marks.  
  • You would then type in the student names or import them from a spreadsheet, or database file and for each student you would give them their grade and an individual comment.  
  • You would then create your sorted reports and merge the sorted reports table into a MS Word document.   

* Because of the way that the tables are related to  each other you need to make sure that there are marks in all of the marks and comments fields and that these have a uniform set of values.  The table below demonstrates this point though you would of course use your own marking scheme.

Attainment Effort Combined
Boys A through to E 1 through to 5 A1 through to E5
Girls A through to E 1 through to 5 A1 through to E5

The combined grade is only used to generate an alternative set of comments for very popular marks and it is triggered by the alternative comments checkbox.    
   

 
Budget Spreadsheet This spreadsheet calculates the total cost of an order and deducts the order from your budget, you can then print off this order form and store a record of the order in the archive table.

I've found it invaluable for chasing up orders that have not arrived and re-ordering items from the same supplier.  In order to develop this project I want to remove the blank rows from the printed order form and the archive.

  
     
Accounts and Directories I've found this tool to be very useful for peer to peer networks and standalone machines.  Type, Import or paste in your student names into the correct column, type in the form or group name and it will create for you a directory for the form and a subdirectory for each student on a floppy disk in the A: drive.    If you go to extra options you can choose your own path.   I have also added a worksheet that creates user names and passwords.
     
Detentions Database

Introduction

This has been designed to take the hard work out of lunchtime detentions.   It records these detentions, prints off a list of students with detentions for form tutors and it will store an archive of past detentions.   It has been set up specifically for Dedworth Middle School so I have included the Visual Basic project files so that it can be adapted for any environment though the full installation program is also available.  It is currently designed for use on a single computer in a staff room though it will work as a network application if you install from a workstation to a mapped network drive.

It works in the following way:

A run time database that installs like a normal program.  This is the user interface that staff use to record detentions.   This application reads from and writes to the Detentions database file.

An Access file called Manager (2000 or 97 depending on the version that this available)  that is used to administer the staff database.

Brief Instructions

When using the Manager database carefully delete all of the linked tables and then go to File/Get External Data/Link Tables and link all of the tables in the Detentions database.

Put the student records in the pupilsIn table and the staff records in the staffIn table and run the PupilsInQu and the StaffInQu queries.  The runtime staff database is now ready for staff use.

The administrator will use the Access switchboard to administer this database and there is also a form that can be used to add and delete student records.

Development

Tutor groups need to be entered via a data linked combo box so that this database can be used in any school environment.

The whole database needs to be converted to RDO so that this database can be used over a network.

All of the functions that are carried out using Access need to be included into a single database application with a password facility for the administrator.

 

Detentions Database project files.