What's New in Nexus?
This release focuses on changes to the School List page, including adding school type, phase and Headteacher field changes. We have introduced the automatic archival of Nexus users and updated Nexus for CIN Census 2024.
School List Page Updates
We are pleased to share that we have made some changes to the filters, defaults and navigation on the Schools > School List page.
First, we have replaced the single 'School Type' filter with two new filters - 'School Type' and 'Phase Type'. Previously, the 'School Type' filter included both school types and phases. We have separated these into the two new filters and made the filters single-select, making it easier for Nexus users to select the types and phases of schools they want to see in the school list. In the screenshots below, you can see the default selections users will see when opening the School List page:
We wanted to improve navigation on the School List page for users searching through a long list of schools. We have improved the navigation tool at the bottom of the page to include a page list so that you can jump to the page number you need (to save you from scrolling through using the blocks of ten-page numbers!):
School Page Headteacher Updates
To help keep school information in Nexus up-to-date and useful for users, we have started to link up data fields with Get Information About Schools (GIAS). First, we have added a new GIAS field to the Schools > School List > School page and moved the school email address to the right-hand side:
We have added the 'Headteacher/Principal (GIAS)' field that GIAS will automatically populate. If the information is not showing correctly, the school must log into GIAS and update their school information.
For schools that use Perspective Lite (or full version Perspective), the previous 'Head' field would show the user at the school who held the Perspective Lite Administration account. We have created two new fields to show the account details - 'Lead Perspective Account' and 'Lead Perspective Email'. These new fields will only show if the school is set up to use Perspective Lite.
Automatic Archival of Nexus Users
Automatic Account Archival
We regularly review Nexus for any improvements that can be made to improve system security. Until now, it has been the local authorities' responsibility to maintain and keep their Nexus user accounts up to date. To help LAs with this, we have introduced a new automatic archival process for all Nexus users with automated alerts to keep key people informed.
Nexus users will be automatically archived if the account is inactive (i.e. no log-ins) for 18 months. The user will be warned by automatically generated emails at 15, 16 and 17 months since their last log-in that their account is at risk of being archived. If the account is still inactive, it will be archived at 18 months and the user will be notified - all warning and notification emails will include information on who to contact within the LA if they are having trouble logging in. The contact(s) given will be users with the permission 'Can Add, Delete and Manage Users' enabled; we refer to users with this permission enabled as the LA Admin account(s). Please note that archived Nexus users do not receive regular email communications, even if they opted in on the My Account > Communications page.
If an account due to be archived is an LA admin account, this will be alerted to any other admin users within the same LA by email. If there are no other admin accounts within the LA, NCER and Nexus Support will be notified so that they can liaise with the LA and ensure they maintain access to Nexus within the LA.
If an archived user wants to re-activate their account, they can request this through their LA Admin(s). Please note that all archived Nexus accounts are locked until an LA Admin user restores the account from the Archived Users page accessed from the Users page.
Automatic Account Deletion
Once an account has been archived for 18 months, it will be permanently deleted. This will enable usernames to be re-used within Nexus where previously they were kept in the archived account, and this caused problems for some Nexus Admins trying to create new accounts with the same names.
Changes to Nexus
To support the new automatic archival and deletion processes, we will make some updates to the Users' pages. All users will now see a new 'Engagement' filter that replaces the previous 'Last Login (Months)' filter. The 'Engagement' filter will allow users to identify inactive accounts by the set periods of time quickly.
Nexus users with admin access (with the permission 'Can Add, Delete and Manage Users' enabled) will see new alerts of any accounts due for automatic archival or deletion. There will also be new icons to the left of the user's first name to highlight these accounts.
The Archived Users page will show an alert for any accounts due for automatic deletion, and icons will highlight these accounts on the left-hand side. There are also new columns showing the archival date, archived by, and the date the account is scheduled for deletion.
Next Steps
We will not automatically archive all inactive accounts immediately after the release. An email notification will be sent to all users who have an account that has been inactive for 18 months or more to notify them that their account is at risk of being archived if they do not log in within 3 weeks. The email notification will also include the LA Admin account(s) details if they have problems logging in. LA admins are encouraged to check their current LA list of users to ensure that any required accounts are made active to avoid their archival and to ensure that Nexus is used by everyone who would benefit from it within the local authority.
CIN Census 2024 Update
We continue to ensure that Nexus is up to date with the latest changes from DfE. There is only one change to the CIN Census for the 2024 data collection: the change from 'domestic violence' to 'domestic abuse'. Three categories will be changed within Nexus:
1. Child subject of domestic violence - changed to child subject of domestic abuse.
2. Household member subject of domestic violence - changed to household member subject of domestic abuse.
3. Parent/carer subject of domestic violence - changed to parent/carer subject of domestic abuse.
Changes have been applied across Nexus, Keypas Tree View, Nova reports, and the CIN Cohort page.
Technical Debt
We have made some technical updates in the background to ensure that Nexus continues to deliver an excellent service to the Membership and so that we can take advantage of newer tech in future developments.
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