The document outlines the minimum features and relationships for the Connect Digitally program, aimed at improving online services for parents and local authorities in school admissions, free school meals, cashless catering, and online payments. It highlights the need for grouped services on local authority websites and detailed guidance on usability, data sharing, and security standards for these services. Additionally, it emphasizes collaboration with partners to further develop these standards through 2010 and 2011.

1. Connect Digitally
Minimum Features and Relationships
Version 2-1 dated 23 July 2010
Status: Final

2. Minimum Features and Relationships
Distribution:
This document has been distributed to:
• Connect Digitally Programme
• Connect Digitally Community of Practice
Other Related Documents:
• Online School Admissions (OSA) Minimum Feature List
• Enhanced Online School Admissions Process Guide
• Online School Admissions Toolkit
• Online Free School Meals Starter Pack
• Online Free School Meals Developer Toolkit.
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3. Minimum Features and Relationships
Contents
1 Background .............................................................................................. 4
2 Relationships and Grouping Services ...................................................... 5
3 Generic Minimum Features and Guidance ............................................... 7
3.1 Form Design and Usability ................................................................ 7
3.2 Data Sharing ..................................................................................... 7
3.3 Parent/Carer Contact ........................................................................ 7
3.4 Access and Security.......................................................................... 7
3.5 Links.................................................................................................. 8
3.6 Compliance and Compatibility........................................................... 8
3.7 Service Availability ............................................................................ 8
4 Enhanced Online School Admissions....................................................... 9
5 Online Free School Meals Minimum Features........................................ 10
6 Cashless Catering – Minimum Features................................................. 11
7 Online Payments – Minimum Features .................................................. 11
Appendices.................................................................................................... 12
Appendix A Additional Information ......................................................A-1
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4. Minimum Features and Relationships
1 Background
The Connect Digitally Programme is working with partners to improve
services for parents/carers using technology, whilst delivering increased
efficiency in local authorities (LAs).
The core set of services which form the basis for transforming parental access
have been identified and are defined as:
• Online School Admissions (OSA) enhancements
• Online Free School Meals (OFSM)
• Online Payments
• Cashless Catering.
Parents/carers should have access to this core set of grouped services,
accessible through a variety of channels and technologies.
This document outlines the minimum features and relationships for Connect
Digitally core services and supports the programme vision. It should be read
by LA staff involved with:
• service delivery
• transformation
• information technology
• online parental services.
The detailed minimum features for enhanced OSA and OFSM are well
developed, as OSA was led by the eAdmissions National Project and OFSM
was identified in the Varney Report in December 2006.
This is the second version of these standards which has been enhanced to
include:
• the minimum approach to grouping services and developing the
relationships between the core systems
• more detailed minimum features for cashless catering and online
payments.
The document will be further developed through discussions with partner LAs,
suppliers and the Department for Education (DfE). Updates will be published
during 2010 and 2011.
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5. Minimum Features and Relationships
2 Relationships and Grouping Services
By March 2011 the majority of LAs are expected as a minimum to have
grouped Connect Digitally Core Services in a meaningful way on their
website. This requires LAs to signpost other parental services from Connect
Digitally core services e.g. advice on OFSM and other relevant services
during the schools admissions application process.
The first steps required for LAs to establish links beyond the minimum
expectations for March 2011 are:
• sharing of parent/carer and learner data for use in public facing
systems e.g. pre-population of the OFSM form from parent/carer data
held in other systems
• establishing links between systems to share common data between
back office systems such as school admissions, free school meals and
centralised schools information.
The following diagram “Parental Services – Options for Linking Systems”
outlines how systems could be linked together with common features and
benefits.
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6. Minimum Features and Relationships
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7. Minimum Features and Relationships
3 Generic Minimum Features and Guidance
Generic minimum features which apply to each core service are itemised
below.
3.1 Form Design and Usability
• Field level validation to improve the quality and consistency of data.
• Clear concise language with help and guidance that is contextual, succinct
and provided at the point where it is needed.
• Usability testing by supplier, LA and users before release to the public
website. See http://usability.coi.gov.uk/ for best practice advice.
• Guidance to the parent/carer to ensure that the core data captured for the
online process is of a high quality.
• Meaningful and useful error messages.
• Parent/carer consent to the sharing of their data where appropriate.
3.2 Data Sharing
• Parent/carer and child data sharing across systems (subject to legal
considerations / LA data management strategy).
• Pre-population of online forms for OSA and OFSM using data from other
systems.
3.3 Parent/Carer Contact
• Contact facility available to support parents/carers.
3.4 Access and Security
• Registration process to establish secure parent/carer access to any online
form.
• Ability for parents/carers to enter, save and retrieve an application at any
time where the process allows this.
• Statement and application of standards for LA access, security and
authentication including the protection of all databases and processes.
• Data protection to prevent destruction or corruption, including frequent file
saves and amendment logs to ensure the ability of the system to re-create
itself. (This could be included as part of a wider contingency plan).
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8. Minimum Features and Relationships
3.5 Links
• Links between online services as follows:
o to parental systems operated by the LA such as OSA, online reporting,
OFSM, cashless catering and online payments
o within the LA website with other relevant services including Family
Information Direct
o to schools’ websites within the LA
o to national websites containing information pertaining to benefits,
parental services and the child’s education. e.g. Directgov.
3.6 Compliance and Compatibility
• Legal guidelines including the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
(http://www.dda-compliant.com/ ).
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (http://www.w3.org/) guidance.
• Software compatibility with industry recognised internet browsers. e.g.
Internet Explorer; Firefox; Safari; Opera.
3.7 Service Availability
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure any system downtime is kept
to an agreed minimum.
• Appropriate technology to minimise service disruption as a result of usage
peaks or disruptive forces such as hackers, malware and viruses.
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9. Minimum Features and Relationships
4 Enhanced Online School Admissions
LAs can enhance the service beyond the OSA Minimum Features List agreed
in 2004 by providing:
• support for pre-application research including improved links to:
o a downloadable admissions booklet with the option to use alphabetical
school tabs for navigation
o information about applying online - FAQs, processes, registration, Fair
Processing Notices, Data Protection
o clearly presented opening and closing dates
o an A-Z of schools’ websites within the LA with hyperlinks
o guidance from Ofsted, DfE, EduBase etc
o school uniform information and application processes
o home-school transport service
o catchment area information for each parent/carer based on their child’s
address.
• defined areas of allowable applications for example based on the child’s
date of birth, and correct LA application form based on the home address
and postcode
• a PIN/password for the parent/carer either with the registration pack or as
part of the online registration
• online validation for a range of fields as follows:
o existing siblings within the school applied for
o age groups to ensure application in correct year group
o gender to ensure match with single gender schools
o missing fields where relevant
o address of applicant
o school validation based on the DfE look up list
o home to school distance
o check for duplicate preferences
o reminder if less than maximum preferences used
o proof of residency
o indication of required fields as a result of previously entered data.
• all possible transactions to support the online form provided electronically
e.g. proof of residency, religious affiliation, birth certificates, pre-admission
application, and any other certificates or evidence
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10. Minimum Features and Relationships
• an email and SMS text messaging service for: user id / password
notification and reminders, alerts for application form closure deadline,
receipt of application, allocation day alert, offer details and appeals
• links to Choice Advisers and other advice services via email, telephone
and SMS text message.
• information useful to the parent/carer in the confirmation of the application
receipt e.g. reference number, contact information, synopsis of information
transferred, next steps, links to other information
• online guidance to parents on the current school catchment area details, if
applicable, within a defined area and previous longest home to school
distance for over subscribed schools
• online facility for the parent/carer to:
o accept offer
o register continuing interest
o lodge an appeal
• allocation (offers) details available online together with useful information
and links to other services
• schools with a view of online applications, which as a minimum should
include pupils in their school. Allowable additional information would be
defined by the LA.
• schools with a view of allocation details when available irrespective of how
they were made
• parents/carers with access to an online email facility to deal with queries
throughout the admissions and appeals process.
5 Online Free School Meals Minimum Features
LAs can meet the minimum features for an Online Free School Meals service
by providing:
• an online transactional form for OFSM
• integration via a web service with the Department for Education Free
School Meals Eligibility Checking Service (ECS)
• guidance to the parent/carer regarding the OFSM application process,
eligibility criteria and on specific areas of the process
• electronic confirmation of the application to the parent/carer
• online guidance to the parent/carer on the process through to the provision
of the school meal for the child
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11. Minimum Features and Relationships
• confirmation to the school of the eligibility of the child to receive a free
school meal.
6 Cashless Catering – Minimum Features
The minimum features for a Cashless Catering service can be met by
providing:
• a dinner money account for each child with meal register and meal
patterns
• links to online payment systems where parents/carers pay online for
school catering using credit and debit cards
• the facility to make regular payments i.e. Direct Debit
• acceptance of cheques, cash and Bank Automated Credit (BACs)
• reporting functionality for the school so that catering can be managed
electronically
• reporting to LAs
• reporting for parents/carers to check balances and have access to menus
and other catering related information
• free school meals indicator
• links to school Information Management Systems.
Other features may include biometric and smart card solutions.
7 Online Payments – Minimum Features
The minimum features for an Online Payments service can be met by
providing:
• payment arrangements for school-related items, such as school dinners,
trips, music lessons, clubs, and uniforms
• parents/carers with the ability to make payments to schools or LAs online
using credit, debit cards or other electronic means
• payment of money into a central LA or school account
• administration of FSM payments
• optional reminders for payments which are due
• integration with cashless catering systems and Information Management
Systems including dinner money and FSM administration
• reporting functionality for parents/carers and schools
• identification and management of non-payments
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12. Minimum Features and Relationships
• record of non-electronic payments in the system.
Appendices
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13. Minimum Features and Relationships
Appendix A Additional Information
Other Parental Engagement Programmes
The Connect Digitally programme is working closely with associated areas of
work being undertaken within the DfE and Becta. This includes alignment
with parental engagement programmes such as Online Reporting and Home
Access.
Interoperability
To improve the way data in education is collected and shared, Becta are
recommending an approach to the adoption and use of the Systems
Interoperability Framework (SIF).
http://industry.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=37481
Becta have taken SIF as one of the central strands in their multiple
approaches to rationalising technology in the education sector.
http://www.sifassociation.org/uk/index.asp
SIF is a mature international standard used widely to link together data
systems. A UK proof of concept, in which Becta is involved, is looking at how
the standard could work in practice in the UK education sector. Connect
Digitally has engaged with LAs such as Warwickshire County Council who are
involved with developing SIF pilots in the schools and LA arena.
http://industry.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=28188
Broader children’s services standards will be adopted as they develop. This
will include the work of the Information Standards Board (ISB)
Identity Management
The UK Access Management Federation provides UK schools, further and
higher education and research sectors with a framework for accessing online
learning material by using identity management software, such as Shibboleth.
This gives institutions a route to single sign-on to resources through the
implementation of federated, devolved authentication.
http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=lv&rid=11277%5D
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14. Minimum Features and Relationships
OpenID is an open, free, standards-based specification for managing
identities on the internet. OpenID performs functions similar to Shibboleth,
although it does not provide a full single sign-on service.
http://emergingtechnologies.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=etn&rid=14510
The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) commissioned a study to
describe current practice and envision future processes in identity
management for lifelong learning in UK higher and further education. This
mapped the differences between the ‘ideal’ world and what happens currently,
to provide a better understanding of what can be done and where priorities
may lie for future work.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/documents/idmfinalreport.aspx
Security
Becta has published a series of good practice guides to help schools protect
sensitive and personal data that is held on learners, staff and other
individuals.
http://schools.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=lv&catcode=ss_lv_saf_se_03&r
id=14734
Dependencies and Guidance
The detailed specific requirements for each system will be different in each LA
and will be dependent on a number of factors. These include processes,
procedures and policies; local systems; existing online forms; infrastructure;
overall strategy and standards.
The development of the minimum features for each service has referred to:
• experience and lessons learned through the implementation of online
systems and processes by Hertfordshire County Council and other LAs
• compliance with Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts
• documentation from the DfE Free School Meals Eligibility Checking
Service (ECS)
• School Food Trust guidance on Cashless Catering.
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