The PASS School Activities and Grant Management Modules are now available from WCBS. The PASS School Activities module has been developed to meet the growing need that schools have to manage extra-curricular activity and to integrate this with the school's timetable and calendar. PASS Grant Management has been designed to ease the burden of administering and monitoring fees assistance; given the increasing attention to the charitable status this is a must for schools with any significant number of means-tested awards.

Full details on each module are available by contacting sales@wcbs.co.uk.

Through our well known cricketing connections WCBS has obtained 2 tickets for the first day of the Lords Test Match - England versus India – on Thursday 19^th July 2007.  These have been placed on the ISBA Anniversary Auction web site and can be bid for by members from May 1^st up to the closing time at the Annual Conference on Thursday May 17th.

• Creates a record of each activity
• Links to the Pupil's record
• Integrates with timetables
• Special routines for Music, Trips and Sports
• School Calendar for key events
• Creates file for billing if required

 Further details are available from sales@wcbs.co.uk

The release of PASS 2.1 included the availability of the Grant Management module as an addition to the well-proven PASS Accounting and Administrative system for independent and international schools.

Grant Management is designed to make the ever more important task of administering fee awards much easier.  Everyone is aware of the increasing emphasis on charitable status across the sector.  This software aims to maintain the necessary records, calculate awards against the school's means testing parameters, transfer this information to the billing routines, and provides a clear, transparent record of the process of making awards.

Further details are available from sales@wcbs.co.uk

April is one of the busiest times of the year for accounts staff in PASS user sites.  It includes the end of the fiscal or tax year, which involves producing year-end documents and submitting electronic returns to HMRC.

To provide additional cover during this period WCBS is extending its normal hours.  Helpline cover will be provided from 8.00am to 6.00pm for UK customers.  This will ensure that the proven high quality of our support service is maintained throughout this busy period.

Ian Lucas, Director of ICT at Tonbridge School will be speaking at the event on 7th June in Heathrow.  He will explain how PASS has been implemented at his school to assist him with the day to day running.

Key PASS modules to be presented on the day include:

• Administration – "cradle to grave" pupil records, lists
• Academic Management – Assessments, Absences
• School Reports – printed reports for parents to your design
• External Exams – making the exam administration task straightforward
• School Activities – managing the increasing administrative burden of extra curricular activities, including trips, music lessons and sports events

If you would like to reserve a place (free of charge) or to find out more please complete the booking form by clicking the link below or contact Sam or Hayley on 01458 833344 or email to sales@wcbs.co.uk.  

Booking Form

Dates for the Diary

ECIS Conference, 21st - 25th November 2007

Auditorium Madrid Hotel, Madrid

Administration and Academic Seminars (see Events for more information)

Wednesday 7th November 2007 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Heathrow
Thursday 8th November 2007 Holiday Inn, Coventry

New Software Launch (see Events for more information)

Tuesday 13th November 2007 Bristol
Tuesday 20th November 2007 Northampton
Wednesday 21st November 2007 Heathrow

Bursar Briefings (More information coming soon)

Wednesday 28th November 2007 Northampton
Thursday 29th November 2007 Gatwick

For further information and bookings, please contact Tony or Tracy on 01458 833344

Today we are pleased to announce the dates of our popular Bursar Briefings.

This time we are focussing on "Optimising the use of PASS".
We will also be featuring PASS HR, and our guest speaker will be Eric Watts, HR Consultant to Schools

See our Events Page for full agenda and all the information you need to book you place for one of the following venues

• Northampton Wednesday 28th November 2007
• Gatwick Thursday 29th November 2007
• Bristol Wednesday 23rd January 2008
• Bradford Thursday 24th January 2008
• Scotland Early 2008

Other Dates for Your Diary

ECIS Conference, 21st - 25th November 2007

Auditorium Madrid Hotel, Madrid

Administration and Academic Seminar (see Events for more information)

Wednesday 7th November 2007 Crowne Plaza Hotel, Heathrow

New Software Launch (see Events for more information)

Tuesday 13th November 2007 Bristol
Tuesday 20th November 2007 Northampton
Wednesday 21st November 2007 Heathrow

For further information and bookings, please contact Tracy Jardine on 01458 833344

WCBS has responded to requests from PASS users by offering PASS.web -

combining the power of PASS with web browser technology to deliver portals.

PASS.web – anytime, anywhere access to the power of PASS

For every independent school, the need to provide information securely in real time both across and outside the organisation is becoming increasingly mission-critical.

In fact, as competition for pupils grows more intense term-by-term, the ability to access key data anywhere and at any time is a vital driver of a school's administrative, financial and educational performance.

This is where PASS.web from WCBS fits in.

In control of remote data access

Using the everyday web-browser technology of the Internet – familiar to even the most occasional user – it makes the power of the PASS MIS solution available wherever and whenever the people you authorise need it.

It's based on the best available technology, using the underlying strength of a powerful Microsoft SQL Server database with a comprehensive web-browser overlay that utilises the latest Microsoft .Net 2 software. 

More important, its exceptional configurability puts you in total control – you determine its scope.  You dictate the data that's available to particular groups of users, from school managers and governors to academic staff and even parents.  You set it up it to match the individual style and other needs of your school.

Immediate, cost-effective, sustainable

And for every user, access is fast and straightforward – empowering staff to work more effectively, and revolutionising the quality and scope of your school's communications with every stakeholder group.

PASS is already the MIS solution of choice for more than 350 independent schools, across the UK and overseas.  And now, thanks to PASS.web, its power is unrestricted by time or by geography.

It's an immediate, cost-effective and sustainable source of competitive improvement.

For ICT Directors and Managers, PASS.web delivers:

•    Total flexibility and configurability – you can give every page your school's individual look and feel
•    Complete access control – because PASS.web is made up of web parts, you can easily configure authorisation for individual
      users and groups (and we provide a full web parts library to enable the use of SharePoint to serve data)
•    Secure remote access – manage access through your school's security policy
•    Easy amendment – you can name items to fit your school's terminology
•    Active Directory integration – no need for separate logins
•    Reduced Network Manager workload – PASS.web requires only a standard web browser such as Internet Explorer

For users, PASS.web allows:

•    Anywhere, anytime data access – via any Internet-connected PC
•    Streamlined login – PASS.web recognises every user and knows their role
•    Staff-driven Inquiry and Lists –  users only see data that's directly relevant to their role
•    Web-based entry routines – rapid access and update of key information, from Assessments to Attendance and School reports
•    Up-to-date information – Timetable, School Calendar etc keep staff in touch with what's happening
•    Easy access to pupil information – all Assessment and pastoral data, including photographs, forms, years and houses
•    Drill-down into records – Contacts, Assessment, School Reports and activities (historic to current, all in one place)
•    Personal configuration – staff only see what they require, and can switch off unwanted items

Contact WCBS today for a demo of PASS.web in action.  It's the answer to radically improved performance, across the school.

Congratulations to Richard and Richard

On 3 November Richard Dyer and Richard Walling both celebrate 10 years with WCBS.

Richard Dyer was a director in the footwear trade before he joined WCBS as Finance and Office Manager. The company was less than half the size it is today. "We had one email address and a dial-up connection on one PC," commented Richard. "Today I wouldn't have the time to do my job without the Internet".

The varied nature of Richard's responsibilities and his financial acumen along with his knowledge of hardware and Microsoft products keep every day at WCBS interesting. "This coupled with the overriding ethos of the company to treat customers and staff with the utmost respect makes me look forward to another 10 years with WCBS", Richard said.

Richard Walling, our Consultancy Services Manager, came here from Woldingham School where he was the Systems Manager and Assistant to the Bursar. He had served as a member of the UPASS national committee, as Woldingham School is a WCBS customer, so Richard had a thorough working knowledge of PASS.

"I was ready for something new" said Richard, "and I'd been told that WCBS had a vacancy for an Area Manager in the south-east, where I lived, and still do today". Richard is our longest commuter, but doesn't have to be at the office every day because his working life revolves around visits to schools, ensuring all elements of PASS are implemented satisfactorily and school staff are trained appropriately. This is a much bigger role than when Richard first joined, when the company's major focus was on accounts. "Now we're committed to offering school wide Management Systems", he remarked.

One of Richard's highlights at WCBS was being invited by ISBA to address bursars at two seminars on Management Information Systems. "This illustrated to me the significance of PASS and WCBS amongst independent schools, and I am happy to be associated with such a successful company".

All the staff  at WCBS joined together to congratulate the two Richards on their long service.

PASS Management Information System Seminar in conjunction with

Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools

During the last few months WCBS has been working with Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools to assess the compatibility of the PASS MIS software and the SQA requirements.

To take this process to the next stage we have arranged a Seminar at Stewart's Melville College on Thursday 15th November to demonstrate PASS.

PASS is in use in over 350 Independent Schools throughout the UK providing their Administration, Academic and Accounting needs. WCBS already provides the Accounting requirements for a large number of Independent Schools in Scotland and we are now looking forward to offering more of our modules to suit all aspects of your Information Management.

We will be delighted to see you at Stewart's Melville College and discuss your MIS requirements with you and your colleagues.

View agenda for details of the day.

To book your place, or if you have any questions regarding the seminar or PASS in general contact Tracy, Tony or Sam on 01458 833 344.

At least one Englishman got his hands on the Rugby World Cup when Tony Child, Managing Director of WCBS happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Tony was visiting the Diocesan College (Bishop's) in Cape Town where PASS has been in use for many years when Jake White, South African coach and father of a pupil at the school arrived to show off the magnificent trophy won after beating England in the Final.

Tony's reluctance to being photographed was overcome by the irresistible opportunity to hang on to the World Cup just for a couple of minutes more. On his return to Glastonbury, Tony, a keen rugby supporter, commented that, since it's been in English hands for four years after England outclassed Australia in the final in 2003, it's only right that English fingerprints should be on it once more before the battle commences to win it back in New Zealand in 2011!

Whilst in South Africa, Tony also visited St Cyprian's School, another long-standing WCBS customer. Countries where schools have adopted PASS recently include Dubai, Romania, The Netherlands and Switzerland. More and more international schools are recognising PASS as the system of choice.

Scotland here we come!

We have been working with Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools during the last few months to assess the compatibility of the PASS MIS software and the SQA requirements.

The resulting seminar last month generated so much interest that in January we are moving to the next level to visit schools on an individual basis with a view to installing PASS.

Special thanks go to Khalid Hussain and his team for hosting the day with superb facilities at Stewart's Melville College.

For further information contact our Sales Director, Peter Heginbotham on 01458 833 344

Last week's Bursar Briefings

We hosted our popular Bursar Briefings at two venues last week - Northampton and Gatwick, and were once again pleased to see so many familiar faces. We took the opportunity to launch our HR module which was very well received, especially so as there was a preliminary talk by Eric Watts, HR consultant to Independent Schools.

Other areas covered included add-on modules for PASS Accounts, such as Grant Management and Fixed Assets, PASS as a school-wide MIS solution, and information on our new PASS.web.

Next round of Bursar Briefings is January - 23rd at the Thornbury Golf Centre, near Bristol, and 24th at the Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford.

Spaces are still available, so if you'd like to join us contact

01458 833 344

Combining PASS with web browser technology

We were delighted to see so many WCBS customers at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Heathrow where the last of this series of seminars to introduce our answer to combining the power of PASS with web browser technology was held. Peter Heginbotham, WCBS Sales Director, pointed out that most PASS users, from the "technically challenged to the experts" are comfortable in the browser environment, so the PASS.web interface is a familiar one.

Sharepoint environment

Great interest in Sharepoint was displayed when it was announced that we will be moving forward with this environment by providing a library of web parts. Elaine Carroll and Philip Wright from Aldenham School were amongst those who commented that they were "desperate" for these. James Nalty of Bradfield College exclaimed "fantastic" when it was confirmed that more Intranet functionality will possible with PASS.web.

School Activities module demonstrated

Also discussed at the seminar was the management of extra-curricular activities.

WCBS Sales Consultant Alistair Steadman demonstrated the
PASS School Activities module which assists with organising,
data collection and billing for this area of the school.

More Top Tips

WCBS Consultancy Services Manager
Richard Walling included his ever-popular
Top Tips segments,  this time for School Reports
administrators and PASS System Managers.

For your copy of either or both,
please email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

The inaugural meeting of the PASS Academic System Managers' Club was held on 13th March at Bradfield College and was attended by 55 delegates from 39 schools.

Agenda topics included a workshop on the school reports module which highlighted the enhancements to this module in the forthcoming update to PASS, Attendance routines, and introductions to the new Progress Tracking add-on to the Academic module, the School Activities module, and PASS.web.

Over an excellent buffet lunch provided by the College's Catering Department, delegates were able to discuss the morning's presentations with the WCBS staff and with each other.

WCBS would like to thank all those who attended, some of whom had travelled considerable distances, and especially to James Nalty and the staff at Bradfield College for hosting the event.

The summer term meeting will be held at Repton College on Wednesday 18th June 2008

We are delighted to announce the acquisition of

Abattia by WCBS.

Tony Child, WCBS's Managing Director, says "The acquisition builds on the success of Abattia's team since 2000 in developing the innovative and unique webALUMNUS service, and in growing a strong, robust business now established as UK market leader in hosted alumni management software."

Abattia's Managing Director, Benjamin Van Every, continues "We are excited about what this acquisition means for the future of webALUMNUS in terms of further product development, breadth of support, synergy of software, plus the general resources and expertise available to webALUMNUS under WCBS. This transaction is good news for the 130 organisations already using the service."

Abattia's shareholders and management considered several options when looking at how to build on the business's success to date and ensure the ongoing development of webALUMNUS. WCBS was soon identified as the ideal organisation to take the growth and success of webALUMNUS to the next level. WCBS has been producing high quality business software and related services for education since 1984 and is a leading provider of school management systems, having a large number of common customers with Abattia. WCBS has a strong financial base, and its proven senior management team has produced a consistently successful trading record. This acquisition strengthens the growing presence of WCBS in the school development software market.

For further information, or to discuss any aspect of this announcement, please do not hesitate to contact Benjamin Van Every or Tony Child at WCBS, by phone on 01458 833 344, or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.  Information on Abattia can be found at www.abatia.com

Tony Child, Managing Director of WCBS returned from the
ECIS Spring Conference buoyed by the enthusiasm for PASS
shown by delegates at the Sorrento venue.

Whilst soaking up the Italian atmosphere, Tony met with representatives of schools from far and wide, and was able to demonstrate our increased involvement with International schools based on the personal visits he has made to sites during the past year.

Tony is now looking forward to attending COBIS in London, and also the ECIS Autumn event in Nice.

For further information on how WCBS is involved with school management systems overseas please contact Tony by email tony.child@wcbs.co.uk or by telephone +44 (0) 1458 833 344.

Varied and informative content provided interesting day for all delegates

Peter Heginbotham, our Sales Director was very pleased to be invited  to yesterday's Independent ICT conference at Kent College, Pembury.

Kent College Director of ICT, Bill Burles, organised an extremely varied and informative day, to which over 40 people attended.

Included in the day were sessions on Internet Safety, Surf Control, Networking and an overview of ICT at Kent College.

Peter was given the opportunity to demonstrate PASS & PASS.web and discuss how Kent College utilises PASS for their school-wide MIS needs.

For more information about PASS School Management  System contact Peter on 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

We can give you at least 3 reasons to visit us at the ISBA Annual Conference

Edinburgh International Conference Centre 7th – 8th May 2008

Find out how our Management Information System can offer as many or as few modules as you need. Over 400 schools have placed their trust in WCBS to deliver a Management Information System to suit their requirements precisely, whether just the bursary only PASS Accounts system or the complete, single-database, school-wide PASS school management solution.
Discover what the new PASS HR module can do for you! The PASS HR module has been developed in response to requests from many independent schools to assist with the management of the large workforce that exists today, integrating with the PASS Payroll module or established as a separate system. HR professionals were consulted to ensure we can offer a comprehensive solution without the complications of large commercially-orientated packages.
webALUMNUS joins the WCBS family. We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Abattia, the internet software company that has been providing webALUMNUS to the Education sector since 2000 to manage alumni, campaigns, emarketing, fund raising, and much more. Visit www.abattia.com for more information.
We are exhibiting for the 22nd consecutive year and, as almost half of ISBA member schools now use software from WCBS to manage their accounts, we are looking forward to seeing many familiar faces as well as having the opportunity to introduce ourselves to those who are new to us. We are dedicated to your type of school and an emphasis on service, as much as software, is a key factor that distinguishes us.
We feel sure that a few minutes spent visiting us on Stand 86 during a break in proceedings will provide you with worthwhile information. Alternatively, email sales@wcbs.co.uk or call us on 01458 833344.

And what a busy couple of days it proved to be!

There were over 400 Bursars attending. WCBS deal with well over
40% of these schools and our staff spent nearly all of their
time catching up with well known faces.

"It's always a pleasure to have positive feedback about our software and support levels", stated WCBS Sales Director Peter Heginbotham. Also present were Managing Director Tony Child, Richard Walling, the Consultancy Services Manager, Ben Van Every (web Alumnus) and Sales Consultant Alistair Steadman. All were on hand to deal with the largest ever number of enquiries from schools new to WCBS.

Over 400 independent schools have placed their trust in WCBS to deliver a software solution to suit their requirements, whether just the bursary only PASS Accounts system, the complete, single-database, school-wide PASS school management solution or the webALUMNUS hosted system for managing
former pupils.

"We were exhibiting for the 22nd consecutive year", commented Peter. "I think that as we are so well established and dedicated to the independent school sector, potential customers find the time to talk to us. Now we'll be kept busy for the next few weeks following up on all our initial discussions".

Pictured: WCBS staff had time for a couple of laughs in front of the newly designed display stand.

Peter Heginbotham has worked for WCBS for 20 years.

I am informed that when Peter started on the 9th May 1988 he had more hair and rumour has it was two stone lighter!

He has worked in a number of roles within WCBS during that time covering support, documentation and training, and as Customer Services Manager.

He has been Sales Director for the past 10 years.

The WCBS sales process involves a consultative approach so Peter has gained a wealth of experience of implementing school-wide Management Information Systems for Independent schools.

During his time at WCBS he has worked with the majority of clients within the WCBS user-base and has made many friends and business associates during that time.

We have several staff who have been with WCBS for more than 20 years, and others for at least 10 years, providing us, and our customers with invaluable knowledge, experience and continuity.

Congratulations to Peter who says he is looking forward to the challenges of the next 20 years!!

The Seventh IDPE Annual Conference, Exhibition and AGM was held last Thursday and Friday at the Holiday Inn London-Elstree, and this year a variety of expert panellists joined delegates in workshop-style sessions covering a full range of topics relevant to Development Directors.

During the breaks in proceedings we were delighted to gain positive feedback from attendees on how the news of webALUMNUS joining the WCBS stable has been received.

WCBS sponsored an excellently organised reception before dinner, and, as nearly 50% of the independent schools represented at the Conference have a business relationship with WCBS, we enjoyed spending time with familiar faces during this relaxed and informal gathering.

With over 150 fee-paying educational establishments using WCBS products for their development function, we are proud to call ourselves the specialists in this sector, and to ensure we remain so, we constantly listen to what schools say they need – so talk to us!

Call our Sales Office on +44 (0)1458 833 344  or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

Repton School is hosting our next Academic System Managers' (ASM) Meeting on Wednesday 18th June, and one of the topics on the agenda is to offer some tried and tested answers and tips on how to manage the year end process smoothly.

Richard Walling, our Consultancy Services Manager has compiled the Top Tips from the
wealth of knowledge of the procedure he has acquired through training and feedback.

Also on the agenda is information about our new developments, in particular
Progress Tracking and the newly acquired webALUMNUS, the UK market leader
in hosted alumni  management software.

We will also be covering some of the content within the latest release of PASS 2.2, and key points for
Academic Users will be highlighted.

As always, there will be a useful Q&A session, followed by lunch in Repton School's The Undercroft.

For more information about the ASM Club, see our dedicated page in the Users Area,

or contact Tony on 01458 833 344 or sales@wcbs.co.uk

Many Scottish schools utilising PASS for their Billing/Finance needs discussed with us their Administration and Academic (including SQA) requirements. This has resulted in WCBS now being able to offer an SQA compatible solution which integrates fully with the powerful PASS software system.

Already a number of Scottish schools have confirmed PASS as their new MIS solution including the SQA module, and recent contact in Scotland will hopefully result in further commitments.

Please let us know if you are interested in attending a seminar in September and we will put you on our mailing list for further information. Alternatively, if you would like someone from WCBS to contact you to discuss your MIS needs and possibly give an on-site presentation, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01458 833344 or via sales@wcbs.co.uk

2008 has been a good year for WCBS's international team with a significant number of new customers gained and new territories opened up. So far this year sales have been made into Romania, Germany, Norway, Egypt, The Netherlands, backed up by further sales into Dubai. Visits have been made across the Middle East region and to a number of countries in Europe.

The PASS School Management System is proving to be attractive to those International Schools who want a solution that has been developed to meet the individual needs of each school, rather than a system that has been designed for the UK's maintained sector.

In addition WCBS's proven track record for delivering excellent service levels has made the decision to move to PASS an easy one.

With the acquisition of Abattia and the webALUMNUS product earlier this year WCBS now serves international schools in over 20 countries around the world. The new academic year will see even greater emphasis on establishing PASS globally as today's system of choice for international schools.

If your school is reviewing school administration then please contact us via sales@wcbs.co.uk

The well attended 2nd meeting of the Academic System Managers' Club was held at Repton School on 18th June. Delegates had travelled from a variety of schools across the country for a useful series of presentations by WCBS staff.

After a company update from Peter Heginbotham, Ian Adams from the Consultancy team led the group through the enhancements to the Academic modules in the latest release, version 2.2 of PASS, including new features in the School Reports module.

This was followed by an introduction to the new attendance recording options.

The Progress Tracking module was introduced and its purpose explained to the delegates, many of whom will be planning to implement this from September.

Richard Walling then gave a presentation on the processes involved in Managing the Academic Year End, and how to avoid the pitfalls that can be associated with this procedure. He supplied his ever popular "20 Top Tips" as a handout.

Finally, Lynne Riddell and Peter Heginbotham gave an introduction to webALUMNUS, with Lynne showing how to use the system from both a manager's and a member's viewpoints.

Repton School offered excellent hospitality with coffee and a delicious buffet lunch in delightful surroundings. Our thanks are due to their staff, and in particular to Director of Information, Paul Goodhead. This all added to the positive feedback about the effectiveness of the day, and the anticipation of the next meeting to be held in the Autumn – the date of which will be announced shortly.

In this, our 24th year, we continue to expand our user base within the UK and overseas.

More schools have selected the powerful and flexible PASS Administration & Academic software
during the last 12 months
than any other competitor.

This growth has been achieved from new and existing clients choosing PASS to provide a fully integrated (single Pupil) school-wide MIS solution, which is supported and maintained by an established, large and experienced company.

More than 50% of HMC & GSA schools now use PASS, plus a large number of IAPS schools.

All clients (new and existing) are benefitting from the unequalled support of our Helpline team, in-house developers and large team of experienced training and implementation consultants to deliver rapid access to information necessary to run a successful school.

Please contact sales@wcbs.co.uk
if you would like to find out more about what PASS can provide for your school or speak with existing PASS clients.

Earlier this year Ernest Njuguna, Bursar from
the Peponi Schools in Kenya, visited the UK to find out more about our PASS Management Information System.

Head at one of the Schools, Robert Blake, had experience with PASS at a school in the UK.

Ernest spent a day at the Somerset office of WCBS, and then took the opportunity of our
organising for him to visit 3 of our PASS users.

Clayesmore School in Dorset, Bradfield College and The Abbey School in Berkshire, were able to demonstrate the extent to which PASS is utilised in a live environment.

Tony Child from WCBS, accompanied Ernest. He was impressed by the facilities
at all the schools and of the use being made of PASS.

Following his return to Kenya Peponi School and Peponi House Preparatory School have now signed a sales contract for PASS.

Implementation will start in August and a member of the WCBS Consultancy team will visit to carry out on-site training.

Ernest is pictured, top left with Peter Kerruish, Bursar at the Abbey School Reading
and bottom right, with James Nalty, Director of ICT at Bradfield College

Edinburgh, Wednesday 17th September 2008

This follows the success of the last event we held in November and, because of the contact we have had with a substantial number of Scottish schools since then, we have decided to repeat the exercise.

WCBS deals with over 400 Independent Schools throughout the UK providing management systems for their Administration, Academic, Alumni and Accounting needs, which, until now, has included Scottish schools only for their Accounting requirements. During the past few months we have expanded the use of PASS in Scotland to enable a number of schools to adopt our Administration and Academic modules.

The content of the day will cover three main areas:

• PASS – Information management for schools
  (school wide, fully integrated, single-Pupil MIS solution)
• PASS – The new SQA module
• Introducing webALUMNUS, the market leading Alumni management and fundraising system designed to meet the specific requirements of the education sector

We would be delighted to see you and discuss your MIS requirements with you or your colleagues. Please email us on sales@wcbs.co.uk to reserve your place.

Alternatively, if you have any questions regarding the event or the PASS software
please do not hesitate to contact Tracy Jardine on 01458 833 344

Last Wednesday (17th September) WCBS were back at Stewart's Melville College to demonstrate how our customers in Scotland can now utilise PASS.

We have always had schools in Scotland using PASS for their Billing/Finance requirements,
but now we are able to provide an SQA compatible solution which integrates fully with the complete PASS software system.

The content of the day included an introduction by Dr. Khalid Hussain of Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools.

This was followed by a presentation of the PASS school wide, fully integrated, single-Pupil MIS solution.

WCBS Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, talked about PASS Administration, and included a practical demonstration of the SQA External Exams module.

Richard Walling, our Consultancy Services Manager, explained the finer points of PASS Academic and School Reports modules.

There was a section on PASS.web detailing the power of PASS with the latest web browser technology, providing portals and remote access.

New to many of our customers is webALUMNUS, and WCBS Business Development Consultant, Gavin Hall explained how the market leading Alumni management and fundraising system is designed to meet the specific requirements of the education sector.

Once again, our hosts at Stewart's Melville College made us all most welcome and provided excellent facilities and lunch. We extend our thanks to all concerned.

To download the PASS External Exams SQA Datasheet click here

WCBS deals with over 400 Independent Schools throughout the UK providing management systems for their Administration, Academic, Alumni and Accounting needs.

For further information please contact us on 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

IAPS Conference held in Liverpool,

European Capital of Culture

The venue for this year's Independent Association of Prep Schools conference was the ACC, Liverpool, and WCBS once again exhibited.

Our staff included Sales Consultant Alistair Steadman who reported that the WCBS stand was visited by many existing customers and a healthy number of schools interested in reviewing the PASS software, including considerable interest shown in PASS.web.

The recent acquisition of webALUMNUS had not gone unnoticed among the Heads present, with the link now to WCBS being firmly established.

We extend our good wishes to Diana Watkins the new Chairman of IAPS and also thank the committee of IAPS
for helping to make this another successful Conference
for WCBS.

HMC Conference

Monday 29th September - Thursday 2nd October

Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre London

Sales Director
Peter Heginbotham
is pictured making the
most of a break in
proceedings yesterday
at the HMC Conference.

This is the first time WCBS has been able to exhibit webALUMNUS, the leading Alumni Management tool, at the HMC, where it has been so well received, along with the latest PASS modules which include HR and External Exams for the SQA.

As major sponsors, this year WCBS supplied the striking document wallets.

Tonight, Managing Director Tony Child will be attending the Gala Dinner where he will be able to catch up with the familiar faces of WCBS customers.

WCBS is pleased to announce that Simon Lewis has joined WCBS's International team as Sales Executive. He will be working closely with Tony Child to develop the international schools market for the PASS School Management System.

The success that PASS has achieved in the international school arena over recent times has encouraged WCBS to invest even more into this sector. In 2008 it has provided about one-third of the company's new business, resulting in WCBS now being supported by schools in more than 20 countries.

Simon has considerable experience in the use of MIS within the educational world for both administration and financial purposes. For the last 5 years he has been active in the provision of School Reporting systems across a range of organisations.

Simon will be visiting the UAE and attending the ECIS Conference in Nice during November. He will be part of the team at the January 2009 BSME Conference.

The PASS School Management system and webALUMNUS will be part of his portfolio and he looks forward to meeting customers new and old.

WCBS exhibiting at ECIS for 3rd year in a row

WCBS Managing Director Tony Child will be accompanied by Richard Walling, Consultancy Services Manager, and Simon Lewis, International Sales Executive at this year's ECIS Annual Conference being held at the Nice Acropolis in France next week (19th to 23rd November).

They will be on Stand 113, ready to discuss MIS requirements with delegates, and will also be present at the ISC reception and dinner of which WCBS are co-sponsors this year.

You can download a copy of the International School of Basel case study here.

According to Managing Director Tony Child, the company's continued business growth with international schools was a subject of keen interest at the event.

"We were able to show visitors to our stand a newly published case study which explains how the International School of Basel is benefiting from its implementation of PASS," he says. "It brought to life, for people who were not familiar with PASS, precisely what the system can do for a school facing some of the same challenges that they are also contending with."

WCBS was also co-sponsor of the ISC - International Schools Research Limited Annual Dinner, which was attended by many leading figures from the international schools' arena, including head-teachers from a number of major schools. "This was particularly useful for Simon Lewis, our new International Sales Executive, who had a brilliant opportunity to meet many of the key players in his market," Tony continued.

Plenty on show at November's ASM Club meetings

Both November's ASM (Academic System Managers) Club meetings were well attended by WCBS clients wishing to learn more about the School Reports, Attendance and Progress Tracking functions available through PASS.

Delegates at Uppingham School were able to learn from the PASS experience of Director of Information Christopher O'Mahony at their Rutland site.

According to Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, the events also provided many attendees with their first opportunity to find out about PASS.web – the browser-based remote-access solution that makes the power of PASS available wherever and whenever authorised staff need it.

As Peter says, "All the feedback we received was positive, and I sensed that people had genuinely found attendance to be a productive use of their time."

Dates and venues for the next ASM Club meetings will be announced shortly.  

Christopher O'Mahony chats with delegates over coffee

For us at WCBS, 2008 was an outstanding year.

As ever, we owe so much to the schools we work with, throughout the UK and increasingly overseas as we extend our client-base across mainland Europe and beyond.

 The year was not all about organic growth, however.  It also saw us expand through acquisition for the first time, with the purchase of the specialist webALUMNUS communications solution for former students – the only hosted service in the increasingly important alumni market place.

 Bedding this new product into our existing systems and processes was a challenge that our people handled with their usual excellence, and webALUMNUS is already proving to be of great interest to existing and new clients alike.

 All that remains for 2008 is to wish all our clients, partners and employees the best for a peaceful and fun Christmas, and another stimulating and successful year in 2009.

We are due to hold our next Academic System Managers' (ASM) Club meeting at The Abbey School in Reading on Tuesday 17 March.  Registration takes place at 9.45, when coffee will also be served.

While our agenda has not yet been fully signed off (we'll let you know when it has), we do know already that a major focus of the meeting will be on preparation for the next academic year, including our tips and hints on how to handle leavers and establish data structures in advance.

On a more technical front, we'll also be looking in some detail at how best to use PASS data with Learning Platforms or Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), and timetable integration.

Looking ahead, we'd very much like to hear from you the subjects that you would most like us to cover in future ASM Club meetings.  Please email sales@wcbs.co.uk with your ideas, and to book your place at this meeting.

According to Managing Director Tony Child, "Our presence is growing significantly in the Middle East, and this was the third year in a row that we've been at the conference. This time, too, we sponsored the delegate packs, which proved an extremely worthwhile investment in raising awareness of our presence there and encouraging people to come to talk to us.

"Our increasing success in the region was also underlined by the fact that we met up with six of our clients there – all of whom seem very satisfied with what they get from us, our service levels in particular."

One of these happy customers was the Maadi British International School in Cairo. Bursar Barbara Flynn said: "We decided to invest in PASS because it offered easily accessible and accurate financial reports, as well as potential applications that could be developed later. As an international school dealing in different currencies we faced a number of challenges which PASS also resolved with us."

Another was Carlo Ferrario, Headmaster of Dubai College, which has implemented PASS as a school-wide management information system. He is pictured above with WCBS International Sales Executive Simon Lewis.

According to Tony, "This was a great event for us, and we're certainly planning to be there again next year." Well before that, the next opportunity to meet with WCBS in the Middle East will be from 10 to 12 March at Gulf Educational Supplies & Solutions (GESS) 2009, Airport Expo, Dubai.

Visitors to the British Schools in the Middle East (BSME) Conference and Exhibition 2009, held in late January at the Intercontinental Aphrodite Hills Resort in Cyprus, expressed considerable levels of interest in both PASS and webALUMNUS, making it a highly successful event for WCBS.

 According to Managing Director Tony Child, "Our presence is growing significantly in the Middle East, and this was the third year in a row that we've been at the conference.  This time, too, we sponsored the delegate packs, which proved an extremely worthwhile investment in raising awareness of our presence there and encouraging people to come to talk to us.

 
"Our increasing success in the region was also underlined by the fact that we met up with six of our clients there – all of whom seem very satisfied with what they get from us, our service levels in particular."

 One of these happy customers was the Maadi British International School in Cairo.  Bursar Barbara Flynn said: "We decided to invest in PASS because it offered easily accessible and accurate financial reports, as well as potential applications that could be developed later.  As an international school dealing in different currencies we faced a number of challenges which PASS also resolved with us."

 Another was Carlo Ferrario, Headmaster of Dubai College, which has implemented PASS as a school-wide management information system.  He is pictured above with WCBS International Sales Executive Simon Lewis.

 According to Tony, "This was a great event for us, and we're certainly planning to be there again next year."  Well before that, the next opportunity to meet with WCBS in the Middle East will be from 10 to 12 March at Gulf Educational Supplies & Solutions (GESS) 2009, Airport Expo, Dubai.

Early March provides opportunities to meet up with WCBS managers at conferences in two different continents.

First, WCBS Business Development Consultant Gavin Hall is to attend the CASE Europe Schools Development Conference 2009 in Brighton from 8 to 10 March.  As he says, "This year's focus is on marketing, communications and alumni relations, making it a great venue to talk to people about both PASS and webALUMNUS."

Then, rather further afield, Dubai is home from 10 to 12 March to the Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) show.  According to WCBS's Simon Lewis, this is the biggest event in the Middle East to address the full range of interests to head teachers and ICT specialists, commercial managers and administrators.

As he says, "It's perfect for us to be there – it's not just that we're growing rapidly in the region, it also touches on all the school-wide issues that we're involved with." 

Call + 44 (0) 1458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk to organise meetings with Gavin or Simon at either event.

• CASE Europe Schools Conference, Holiday Inn, Brighton
• GESS, Airport Expo, Dubai, UAE

There are still some places available at our PASS Administration & Academic Seminar that's scheduled for 10 March at Heathrow's Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Set to kick off at 9.45am, the event is the perfect opportunity for new users – and those looking for more insight into how to get more out of PASS – to thoroughly familiarise themselves with some of the key features of the system.

For example, as well as a thorough overview of the Administration module, there will be a detailed look at the Academic Management, School Reports and External Exams functions that are already helping to streamline every aspect of academic life at hundreds of independent schools.

In addition, guest speaker Ted Fenton, who is Senior Tutor at Cokethorpe School in Witney, Oxfordshire, will describe his personal experiences of implementing PASS at the school and how he, his colleagues and pupils are all benefiting from the system.

The seminar presents a valuable opportunity for anyone seeking to get the best from PASS – to book your place, please call Tony on 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

Both PASS and the support we provide have received significant praise during a round of recent meetings held by UPASS, the official PASS users' group.

A typical comment was made by Marvin Langley, (Accounts Manager) of St Albans High School, who has kindly given us permission to share his views with others.

As he said, "Of all the accounting systems I've used in industry over the years, this is the most intuitive and robust.  Support is excellent too – the knowledge that the person who answers your call will be able to supply you with the answer 99 times out of 100 is enormously helpful."

According to WCBS MD Tony Child, "This sort of feedback is hugely encouraging for everybody at the company – it really makes all the hard work worthwhile for so many of us, who see achieving good client relationships as one of the most important aspects of the job."

The next major UPASS/WCBS event is the National seminar, which takes place at St Edwards School, Oxford on Wednesday 27^th May, and includes the UPASS AGM.

We are delighted to announce the further expansion of our international client base with the addition to our non-UK portfolio of the Antwerp International School in Belgium.

According to International Sales Executive Simon Lewis, this is set to be a major implementation.  As he says, "The school is making a significant investment in PASS, with a total of six modules covering Academic, Administration and Billing as well as School Reports, Activities and PASS Portals.
"Taking the decision to implement so many modules straightaway is fantastic testimony to the confidence they have in PASS and its ability to help them achieve new levels of effectiveness and efficiency throughout the school".

A full implementation plan has been agreed with the school to ensure that everything goes smoothly, right up to and beyond go-live date.

Among the first fully operational elements will be the Billing Ledger in September, in preparation for the school's first billing cycle in PASS during December.  Both the Academic and Administration modules are also scheduled to be live in September for the beginning of the next academic year.

Over the years, the main joy of our series of Administration and Academic Seminars has consistently been the surprise of new participants at the scope and power of PASS.

The most recent event, held on 10 March at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Heathrow, was no exception.  This very well attended session has already led to a considerable number of follow-up meetings with potential new clients, and we hope to be reporting on successful new contracts in the months to come. 

One element that caused particular interest was the newly launched set of portals for staff and parents, which combine the power of PASS and the web to enable secure 'anytime, anywhere' access to designated data within PASS.

We are very grateful to Ted Fenton, Senior Tutor at Cokethorpe School, whose talk on his personal experience of implementing PASS really brought the event to life.  Ted also fielded delegate questions superbly – if he's not careful, he may receive another invitation soon!

Details of the next seminar will be made available as soon as we have finalised arrangements.

The CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) Europe Schools conference, that took place in Brighton between 8 and 10 March, was a very successful
event for WCBS and webALUMNUS.
According to Business Development Consultant Gavin Hall, "I was very proud to find that some 10% of all the attendees were already webALUMNUS customers, and that they were very happy to let others know about the benefits of the solution.
"In particular, those hearing about it for the first time seemed especially impressed by its strong web credentials and its twin friend- and fundraising capability that delivers important cost benefits."
Speaking at the event, professional fundraising consultant John Ruxburton of Ruxburton Associates emphasised the importance of friend-raising and service standards to successful fundraising.  "This proved to be a strong endorsement for webALUMNUS, which helped generate even more interest in what we have to offer," Gavin continued.
WCBS is set to attend or host a wide array of further events in the months to come, including:

April

16 – 19 ECIS Spring Conference, Hotel Cascais Miragem, Cascais, Portugal

May

09 – 11 COBIS 2009 Annual Conference for British International Schools, London

13 – 14 ISBA Annual Conference, Riviera International Conference Centre, Torquay

20 webALUMNUS User Forum, Liverpool

27 PASS/WCBS Annual Seminar

June

04 – 05 IDPE Annual Conference, Holiday Inn London (Elstree)

For further information on any of these events, please email sales@wcbs.co.uk or phone 01458 833 344

With 22 attendees from 14 organisations, the most recent webALUMNUS User Forum was a very successful event which highlighted the fast-growing popularity of the solution among users in the face of concerns regarding the privacy and security of mass-market social networking sites.

According to Business Development Consultant Gavin Hall, "The 'open-forum' format for the event, and the breadth and depth of discussions that this stimulated made it a sure-fire hit.  We'll certainly be using this approach in the future."

The delegates were very open to sharing ideas and experiences, and responded enthusiastically to the insights they received on behind-the-scenes developments and forthcoming system releases.

Thanking WCBS for the event, Julie Pridmore of Bishop's Stortford College said: "It is good to hear about all the planned enhancements and to be shown the new ones that have been launched.  WCBS is obviously going from strength to strength, and you clearly have a very good supporting team who made us all welcome."

Arrangements are already well underway for the 2009 UPASS Annual Seminar.  This will take place on 27 May at St Edwards School in Oxford (to whom we're very grateful) and will include the UPASS AGM.

 As ever, this is a great opportunity for PASS users to share their experiences in a forum that's entirely independent of WCBS – and it's all free of charge.  This means that we receive impartial feedback, which has consistently driven the development of important enhancements and new functionality.

 In addition, we'll be on hand to introduce you to our latest products and services, as well as providing insight into recent changes to PASS – the Finance modules in particular.  We are also scheduling workshops on some of the key routines.

 We'll be sending out a confirmed agenda and invitations after the next UPASS committee meeting on 8 April.  If you wish to find out more in the meantime, please contact 01458 833 344, or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Portugal is lovely at this time of year – particularly for those visitors lucky enough to be attending the ECIS Spring Conference at the Hotel Miragem in Cascais, between 16 and 19 April.

WCBS will be there once again, on stand 44, available to talk newcomers through the functionality of PASS – from assessment recording and progress tracking to exam entries and school reports. In all, there is an extensive range of PASS modules, including those for billing and accounts, so offering the option of a truly integrated solution.

According to sales director Peter Heginbotham, "Those who are already using PASS may well wish to find out more about recent additions like the HR module and the Portals for staff and parents. 

"What's more, if you're seeking the market's best way to keep track of your former pupils, we'll happily introduce you to our webALUMNUS."

webALUMNUS is the only web-based alumnus-management tool that also includes powerful fund-raising functionality to give a fully rounded capability. And, being PASS-compatible, it integrates where appropriate with PASS Administration and PASS School Development.

Anyone wishing to set up a meeting while at the conference, or who simply wants more information, should email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

Hotfoot back from the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) Conference in Portugal, Sales Director Peter Heginbotham reports another highly successful event for WCBS and its clients.

"It was a really excellent few days, with more than 200 delegates from all over Europe representing a wide range of different types of school," he says.

"We were very pleased to meet up there with many of our existing clients, and even more people who are seriously considering the need to update their Management Information Systems in the near future.  Most exciting, every time we meet with a new school, we learn more about the vast array of different needs and interests that they have: this serves to extend our own knowledge and understanding even further, meaning that we can constantly improve our service to existing clients in the UK and overseas."

Also present at the Conference was Simon Lewis, the International Sales executive for WCBS.

He was particularly pleased to meet up with Mr Jeremy Long, Chief Executive Officer at The Prague British School (pictured on the right) who recently ordered PASS.

The remainder of 2009 offers many other opportunities to meet up with WCBS at further events through the UK and in Europe, including:

May

09 – 11                     COBIS 2009 Annual Conference for British International Schools,  London

13 – 14                     ISBA Annual Conference, Riviera International Conference Centre, Torquay

27                             UPASS/WCBS Annual Seminar

June

04 – 05                     IDPE Annual Conference, Holiday Inn London-Elstree

30                             webALUMNUS User Forum, Liverpool (to be confirmed)

October

05 – 08                      HMC Britannia Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool

14                              webALUMNUS User Forum, London

November

16 – 18                     GSA Conference, Harrogate

18 – 22                     ECIS November Conference, Congress Centrum, Hamburg, Germany

25                             webALUMNUS User Forum, Bristol

We are very proud to be one of the headline sponsors of the forthcoming ISBA (Independent Schools Bursars' Association) Conference, taking place on 13 and 14 May at Torquay's Riviera International Conference Centre.

We are particularly pleased that the opening address will be made by our Chairman, Giles Clarke, who is just slightly better known in his capacity as Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).  It's sure to be a highly entertaining and interesting talk.

WCBS will be taking a high profile at the event, where we plan to introduce as many people as possible to some new additions to the ever-expanding PASS portfolio, including the HR module that is already simplifying the key employment challenges facing those schools that have adopted it early.

We hope very much to see many of our existing clients there, as well as to have the opportunity to let new prospects know about the power of PASS.

Visit us on Stand 1 at the event, or – if you would like to make a more formal appointment – simply call or email us on 01458  833 344 or sales@wcbs.co.uk.

To make sure of your place, call 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

The next webALUMNUS User Forum is set to take place at Liverpool Hope University on Tuesday 30 June, kicking off with coffee at 9.30.

According to WCBS Managing Director Tony Child, "These are proving to be very popular meetings, and we're pleased to be in the north west for the next event in 2008's European Capital of Culture.  We look forward to seeing many of you there."

The main event starts at 10.15, with a company update and introduction to the latest and forthcoming enhancements to the system.  After a break and a session on tips for success,   the focus moves on to user experience of working with webALUMNUS, with a broad-based discussion among delegates.

According to Tony, "Following customer requests, we're continuing the individual 'clinic' sessions after lunch, to concentrate on the specific questions you would like us to answer. 

When booking your place, could you let us know if you would like to arrange a time for a one-to-one with a member of our team."

For more information, or to book your place, please call 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

This year's Independent Schools' Bursars Association (ISBA) Annual Conference was the 25^th that WCBS has attended since the company's launch in 1984.

According to Managing Director Tony Child – for whom, as his 18^th ISBA Conference, this was a personal 'coming of age' – "More than half the c400 Bursars who attended already use PASS to manage their financial needs, and it was excellent to see so many familiar faces there.

 "We also met up with large numbers of new prospects from schools who do not as yet use PASS, many of whom are currently considering how best to improve their accounting and Management Information resources.  Our new HR module is also emerging as a real focus of interest for many, as is our web-based webALUMNUS communications and fund-raising solution for former pupils."

 WCBS Chairman Giles Clarke, who is also Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), made the keynote speech at the event, which was very well received by his audience. 

The pictures show Giles with Paul Maynard (the incoming Chairman of ISBA at the top) and Nick Marten (the outgoing Chairman to the left)

Twenty-five years ago this week, a tiny software company was founded in the Somerset market town of Glastonbury – better known today as a world centre of alternative culture than a hotbed of technological innovation.

There were few signs then that this one-man-and-a-dog business, christened West Country Business Systems, would rise over a quarter century to become leader of the highly competitive market for Management Information and accounting solutions in independent schools.

But today's WCBS not only has more than 400 leading UK schools on its client roster, it is also becoming a global force with a fast-growing international presence in well over 20 countries worldwide.

 According to Managing Director Tony Child, who has been with the company for more than three-quarters of its lifetime, the secret of its success lies in just one factor: specialisation.  "The decision to focus all our attention on this one market, with a host of complex needs, has enabled us to immerse ourselves in providing exactly what schools need – both as a collective whole and as individual clients, each with their own set of unique requirements," he says.

 "For this reason, we've focused on two primary areas – ensuring that our solutions are always evolving to be constantly at the leading edge, and providing the best support in the business.  It's been a fantastic journey for us, and we've made many, many friends along the way."

With the ever-developing PASS system at the heart of the business, recently joined by the specialist webALUMNUS communications solution for former pupils, WCBS believes it is well positioned to continue flourishing for the next 25 years.

Provided we keep responding positively to what our clients want, I firmly believe WCBS will continue to grow and develop over the decades to come," Tony continues.

"For the moment, though, I'd just like to share our happy birthday with all our clients, colleagues and other contacts".

There is still time for anyone attending the Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE) Annual Conference at the Elstree Holiday Inn in north London this Thursday and Friday (4 and 5 June) to book a meeting with a senior WCBS contact to discuss webALUMNUS, our unique web-based fundraising and former pupil communications solution.

Managing Director Tony Child, Sales Director Peter Heginbotham and Business Development Consultant Gavin Hall will all be attending the event, where we are sponsoring the Chairman's Drinks Reception.

Simply email us on sales@wcbs.co.uk to arrange a meeting – we look forward to seeing you there.

The 2009 Annual General Meeting of UPASS, the official PASS user group, was held last week at St Edward's School, Oxford.

Organisers were very pleased with the attendance of 127 delegates from 72 schools.

According to WCBS Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, "I think it says a great deal about the rapport we have with PASS users that we are made so welcome at UPASS events.  It's a very healthy and completely open relationship, and it was fantastic to hear about so many positive experiences of PASS among our clients."

Peter was just one of the contingent of invited WCBS representatives, who also included John Cannon, Jayne Morris, Gavin Hall and Chris Parr.

A presentation from Kimbolton School entitled "Do you know your Managements from your Financials" was very well received as was Cokethorpe School's  user perspective of PASS School Reports.

Another highlight was Holmwood Termtime Credit's Andrew Simonett talk on debt chasing made easy.

Brief presentations from our own Richard Walling and Tony Child preceded an excellent lunch enjoyed by all, judging from the feedback forms. 

Comments we have received include:

"I came away with a number of useful tips and a better understanding of a number of areas"

"The food was fantastic – Thanks St Edwards"

"The format was improved with the presentations and the workshops – an interesting day"

"It is very useful to have other user's view points and ways of doing things discussed in an open forum"

"Best to date"

"I found the workshops very useful"

"Enjoyed the day – had an opportunity to network – very well organized, catering excellent. WCBS staff on hand to answer queries as required.  Workshops were to the point and informative. Send my thanks to St Edwards for their hospitality and thanks to WCBS for a successful day."

Thank you to all of you who took the time to complete the feedback form. All suggestions have been noted and will be acted upon wherever possible.

WCBS laid on sparkling wine to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary.

"The next big celebration is the 20th UPASS AGM, which is set to take place next year," Peter adds.  "We will be sure to celebrate this in a similar style!"

Thank you to all those at St Edwards and others behind the scenes who made this once again such a worthwhile event.

Liverpool Hope University is the venue for the next webALUMNUS User Forum, a meeting where anyone new to our web-based former pupils' communication and fundraising solution is certain to pick up essential tips and hints on getting even more value from their investment.

"And it's a valuable session for more experienced users too," adds Business Development Consultant Gavin Hall.  "The product continues to develop, with new functionality and refinements being released all the time.  So this is also a great opportunity to ensure that you're fully conversant with the latest enhancements to the webALUMNUS system."

The event takes place on Tuesday 30 June, with coffee being served at 9.45 before a packed morning of presentations (including an update of the latest and forthcoming features), user stories, open discussions and networking opportunities.

Then, after lunch, there is a session of one-to-one clinics.  "If you want to book one these, with the opportunity to address directly any issues or queries you may have, let us know when you reserve your place on sales@wcbs.co.uk or 01458 833344," adds Gavin.

WCBS Business Development Consultant Gavin Hall is set to have a very busy summer following a highly successful Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE) Annual Conference in early June.

"It was an outstanding event for WCBS and in particular for webALUMNUS, our unique web-based fundraising and former pupil communications solution," he says.  "We had more existing clients there than anybody, and the number of direct referrals and new enquiries we received was tremendous – just as well I'm not frightened of hard work!"

The feedback received from existing customers was very gratifying for Gavin and his colleagues, praising the quality of the support team, the ease-of-use and effectiveness of the webALUMNUS fundraising system and the overall value of the solution.  According to Gavin, "The fact that it is subscription-based and places no limit on the number of management users both serve to make it highly competitive in the market place."

With an eye to staying one step ahead, Gavin spent much time talking with respected consultants on current and future fundraising issues.  But, as he points out, the entire event wasn't just about work.

"We also had plenty of fun with clients and other friends.  We hosted two tables at the event's main dinner, as well as pre-dinner drinks, so there were good opportunities to relax along the way.

"But I suspect that's the last of my relaxation time for a while!"

Queen's College, Taunton is the venue for our next Academic Systems Managers (ASM) Club meeting on 24 June.  Highlights will include a master class on Report Bcuilder 11 and information on the updated reporting options that are available in Assessments and Progress Tracking.

According to WCBS Consultancy Services Manager Richard Walling, "We're also very grateful to Peter May of 'one-to-many' communication provider Clarion Call, who has kindly agreed to be our guest speaker.  The company helps schools contact their community quickly and easily by text, voice message and email to advise of any last-minute changes, and I expect Peter's talk to be very interesting."

After lunch, there will be the opportunity for a one-to-one clinic session where you can discuss with a WCBS expert any issues you may have with PASS.

To book your place at the meeting and on a clinic session, call 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

Says Richard, "We'd also be delighted to hear any requests you may have for subjects to be covered at future ASM Club meetings, helping us ensure we cover the subjects that users are really interested in."

This summer sees us launch yet another specialist management solution for independent schools, based as ever on the fully researched needs of many of our clients.

PASS People Manager combines the functions of our existing HR module with the market-leading PASS Payroll system, which currently manages the payment of over 45,000 staff in 300 schools. 

According to WCBS Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, "Both elements now work together as a single integrated solution that streamlines every aspect of paying and managing staff. 

"This is already proving highly desirable – schools' responsibilities are continuing to grow as employers of large and diverse staff rosters, and People Manager is enabling them easily to meet all statutory and legislative requirements from detailed employment checks to HMRC compliance.  At its heart is the assurance that all your staff data will always be as accurate and up-to-date as your payroll data."

That's far from all the solution does – click here to find out about its full range of functionality, from absence monitoring and reporting to personnel records and payroll.

 This is a fantastic tool for immediately improving the day-to-day management of any independent school," Peter continues.  "If you'd like to know more, call us on 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk to arrange a one-to-one talk about how it can help you get even more from your existing investments in PASS."

The level of attendance, quality of debate and feedback from delegates all combined to make the recent webALUMNUS User Forum at Liverpool Hope University the most successful such event yet.

According to WCBS Business Development Consultant Gavin Hall, 25 delegates attended – including representation from the Guildford-based College of Law who made a special journey just to be there.

As Gavin says, "The product's new look and feel was very well received, as was the overview of how to integrate webALUMNUS with PASS.  We were also delighted to hear from clients that webALUMNUS is the most comprehensive and best value system on the market.  This is supported by the approaches we have had from users of other respected solutions who are keen to experience the friend-raising power and fund-raising ability that our product's integrated web-based approach enables.

"The most pleasing response of all, though, came from several attendees who said that they're delighted by the way we listen and respond to their requests and suggestions in developing the product."

One of these was Kate Thomas, Development Manager at the Merchant Taylor's School in Crosby, who said: "Actively engaging with the users and taking on board what we say is definitely the best way forward."  Neil Greaves, Publicity and Promotions Officer for Blackpool College, agreed, adding: "The opportunity to speak to other colleges using the system is excellent and I have no recommendations for improvement."

Such comments led Gavin to say, "The key to the ongoing success of webALUMNUS, with over 20 new sites added this year alone, is the support and involvement of its user base.  They are the best sales people we could have."

The event was also the last user forum to be attended by WCBS Implementation and Training Consultant Lynne Adcock before the commencement of her maternity leave.  As she said, "I was extremely proud to be able to demonstrate just how our hard-working team has taken webALUMNUS forward since its acquisition by WCBS."

Pictured left:
Gavin Hall (far right) accompanied by Lynne Adcock
(front, 2nd left seated) and WCBS Consultant Neil Butcher (far left), with some of the delegates in the grounds of Liverpool Hope University

The next webALUMNUS User Forums are set for 14 October at Heathrow's Crowne Plaza Hotel and 25 November at Badminton School in Bristol.

Call 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk to book your place

It is not surprising that so many of today's sports stars are the beneficiaries of an independent education – they gained from a supportive environment, coaches with a deep interest in their development and excellent facilities.

These are some of the thoughts of Giles Clarke, Chairman of WCBS as well as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), speaking at the ISBA Conference in Torquay. As he said, "Games such as cricket really put the spotlight on an individual's character, establishing the notion that one has to play both in and for the team."

His comments appear particularly relevant as England, captained by former Radley College pupil Andrew Strauss, bid to regain the Ashes from Australia in a series that's becoming as exciting as the classic encounter of 2005.

And, as WCBS Managing Director Tony Child puts it, "Giles's comments could equally apply to running a successful business – ensuring that everyone has the skills and experience they need, as well as an understanding of the importance of good teamwork.

"In the meantime, fingers crossed for England!  It's looking good as I speak, but we all know how quickly circumstances can change."

Pictured, Giles Clarke, Chairman, WCBS

The autumn conference season is nearly upon us, and as ever WCBS will be attending many of the key events in and around the UK to ensure that existing customers and prospects have every opportunity to discuss the latest issues face-to-face.

First up is the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) Conference at the Hotel de France on Jersey from 23 to 25 September, where WCBS is to be one of the main sponsors. 

WCBS is also a sponsor at the HMC Conference at Liverpool's Britannia Adelphi Hotel on 5 – 8 October, and it will also be attending the Girls' School Association (GSA) Conference in Harrogate from 16 – 18 November.  Further details on all these events will be available nearer the time.

Sales Director Peter Heginbotham is looking forward to all of them.  "We always find these events enormously interesting and useful, giving us as they do a great opportunity to spend time with people without the normal day-to-day pressures of business," he says.  "We look forward to meeting up with as many as possible."

The venues for the WebALUMNUS User Forums this Autumn have moved southwards, to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Heathrow on 14th October, and Badminton School, Bristol on 25th November.

Anyone using our web-based former pupils' communication and fundraising solution is certain to pick up essential tips and hints on getting even more value from their investment.

The product is continually being to developed, with new functionality and refinements being released all the time, so attending one of the forums is a great opportunity to ensure that you're fully conversant with the latest .

Both events begin with coffee being served at 9.45 then the main event starts at 10.15, with a company update and introduction to the latest and forthcoming enhancements to the system.  After a break and a session on tips for success, the focus moves on to user experience of working with webALUMNUS, with a broad-based discussion among delegates.

Then, after lunch, there will be our ever-popular one-to-one clinics.  These need to be booked in advance so please indicate at the time of arranging your attendance of the forum.

For more information, or to book your place, please call 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

Download your agenda here

It is close to a year since the full depth of the global financial and economic crisis became apparent, most vividly with the collapse of the mighty Lehman Bros investment bank.

But now, as recovery comes ever more clearly into view, WCBS can look back with satisfaction on a year when it enjoyed its best ever performance – including the addition of over 30 schools as new customers for PASS.

"This really goes to show the strength of the independent and international school sectors, where so many have continued to invest in the future of their business," comments Managing Director Tony Child.  "Indeed, a high proportion of the feedback we have received from schools over recent months has been about how they have managed to cope comparatively unscathed by the downturn, but are looking to use state-of-the-art management systems to improve their efficiency.

"I personally believe that our excellent year also demonstrates a widespread sense that schools trust PASS at the heart of their day-to-day business, in challenging times as well as when the economy is strong."

Scottish independent schools considering a review of their Management Information systems (MIS) will have the opportunity to find out more about PASS this month (week commencing 14 September).  This is when Peter Heginbotham and John Cannon from WCBS are set to travel north of the border to carry out product demonstrations for anyone who wishes to see one.

According to Peter, the company's Sales Director, "We're very pleased that many Scottish schools in recent years have chosen to utilise PASS as their preferred MIS solution, across all their administration, academic and billing/finance needs.

"Interest has been intense since we introduced our special SQA external exams module, which provides a complete, integrated solution to the Scottish exam administration process, ensuring that all entries are handled efficiently with the minimum of manual intervention."

Peter and John are very much looking forward to meeting up with more Scottish schools that feel they may benefit from implementing PASS.  As he says, "To organise a meeting, just call us on 01458 833344 or email us at sales@wcbs.co.uk – we'd be very happy to talk through your MIS needs with no obligation on your part."

Pictured: Peter Heginbotham (above left) and John Cannon

A successful 2009 has seen the WCBS customer base grow still further. The scope of the PASS system together with webALUMNUS means that we are dealing with an increasing number of staff in schools colleges. 

It is our ambition that this trend should continue, but at the same time we need to ensure the quality of communication with our customers is maintained.

To help achieve this goal we have appointed Charlotte (Charly) Henderson as Customer Account Manager. Charly comes to us having had valuable experience in this field. She will contact key staff to introduce herself and get to know all of the WCBS customers. In addition she will attend UPASS and Academic System Managers Club meetings, plus other marketing events.

We are sure you will find Charly a useful addition to the WCBS team. In the meantime, if you want to contact Charly email her at charly.henderson@wcbs.co.uk

Costing just £95 + VAT per delegate, including lunch, these cover every aspect of how to get the best from the package, including how to incorporate new features into existing reports for improved performance.

Other subjects covered include the new Design workspace and added features, extending Autosearch criteria for easier usage, using drill down more effectively and an introduction to the mysteries of Report Application Pascal code.

Four dates are currently confirmed, as follow:

• 29 September:          St Martin's School, Solihull
• 13 October:                Leweston School, near Sherborne, Dorset
• 15 October:                Holmewood House School, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
• 27 October:                Stewarts Melville College, Edinburgh

Places are strictly limited to 15 delegates per event, so please contact us as soon as you can on 01458 833 344 or sales@wcbs.co.uk to guarantee your place.

The two next Academic Systems Managers' (ASM) Club meetings are set to take place on 10 and 12 November, respectively at Holmewood House School near Tunbridge Wells and Leicester Grammar School.  

Both events are set to be very interesting for anyone keen to learn more about new and established elements of the PASS academic system.  We'll be looking in detail at the new Staff Cover module, which uses data from the school timetable to identify quickly and easily which members of staff can provide cover in the event of absence.

We'll also take a close look at the Special Needs facility which is part of PASS 2.4, and will provide a preview of the new Medical facilities which are set to be launched in PASS 2.5.  In addition, we'll provide a refresher on Progress Tracking, including how to import CEM centre results into PASS.

Each event will have a guest speaker – we're hoping to have someone from Cyclone Industries on the 10^th, and Keith Johnson of TimeTabler has kindly agreed to speak on the 12^th.

There will also be an opportunity for one-to-one clinic sessions after lunch for individual advice on any issue connected with PASS.  Please call 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk to book a place at the meeting and in a clinic.

We're also always looking for subjects to cover in future meetings, so if there is anything in which you have a particular interest, please be sure to let us know.

WCBS has just made available a special four-in-one case study sheet that explains some of the benefits that schools from Kent to Yorkshire, the Midlands to Hertfordshire, are gaining from webALUMNUS, our unique online fundraising and alumni management solution.

Comments from users include:

 "We find webALUMNUS to be a great friendraising and fundraising tool."

Karen Urquhart, Senior's Officer, Benenden School, Cranbrook, Kent

 "It is allowing us to segment our communications and so improve relationships.  For example, people who make a donation like to have it acknowledged, so we can refer to their generosity when we write to them."

Pam Bainbridge, Development Director, St Georges VA School, Harpenden
 

"Because WCBS host it for you on their remote server, it doesn't place any additional burden on our own IT provision.  That's very valuable indeed."

Andy Beales, Development Director, Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire
 

We have used it to grow "membership to 6,639, of which 2,230 have actively registered.  The database of members is growing daily, and over 30% of the total are regularly logging on, updating and contributing."

Megan Griffiths, Foundation Office Administrator, Bromsgrove School, Worcs
 

You can download the PDF here to find out more about webALUMNUS and the benefits that schools everywhere are already gaining.

While the last year has been a difficult time for organisations of virtually every kind right across the world, WCBS has witnessed first-hand how independent schools in the UK and overseas have continued to invest in their academic resources.

According to Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, "We recently reported on how the last year has been the best ever in the history of WCBS, despite the economic downturn.

"No small part of this success was due to nearly 40 schools across the world either investing for the first time in our PASS Academic Management software or significantly upgrading an existing installation.

"This is a strong sign not only of the continued good health of the independent sector, nationally and internationally, but also of schools' ongoing desire to stay ahead of their competition by continuously investing in the best solutions available to them.

"PASS is clearly one of these, and we'd be delighted to respond to any enquiries or requests for information on 01458 833344 or sales@wcbs.co.uk."

WCBS Sales Director Peter Heginbotham had a thoroughly enjoyable time at the recent Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) Conference, which was held at the Hotel de France on Jersey from 23 to 25 September, where we were one of the main sponsors.

As Peter says, "Prep schools are a very important part of our business, so it was particularly pleasing to find that over a third of the schools represented at the conference were already clients of ours.

"It was great to catch up with many of them, and just as good to meet so many new people too.  There was a busy schedule at the event, but I did manage to talk with a number of schools who wanted to find out more about the management Information system (MIS) options available to them."

Peter wasn't able to talk to everyone, though, and he's keen to make up for that now.

"If you'd like to know more about PASS, or if you simply want to talk through the kind of MIS challenges that you are facing, please don't hesitate to call me on 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk," he says.

This term's PASS case study features one of Europe's oldest educational establishments, telling the story of how they are using computer technology to stay ahead in the modern world.

This is St Albans School, founded in 948AD, whose present headmaster, Andrew Grant, is currently adding to the school's distinguished record as this year's Chairman of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC).

The publication of the case study coincides with this year's HMC Annual Conference, held at Liverpool's Britannia Adelphi Hotel on 5-8 October, which WCBS will again be attending completing an unbroken run that dates from 1991.  According to Managing Director Tony Child, "We always find the event extremely useful, especially as we meet up with old friends as well as making new ones."

The case study will be mailed with an invitation to the upcoming PASS Administration & Academic Seminar scheduled for 11 November at Heathrow's Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Set to kick off at 9.45am, the event is the perfect opportunity for new users – and those looking for insight into how to get more out of PASS – to thoroughly familiarise themselves with some of the key features of the system.

So keep an eye open for the case study, which is also available to download as a PDF from here

 Anyone wishing to attend the PASS seminar should contact 01458 833344 or sales@wcbs.co.uk

First, we will be in Manila, in the Philippines, between 31 October and 3 November, to attend the annual East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) conference.

Next we head north to Kathmandu in Nepal for the Federation of British International Schools in South East and East Asia (FOBISSEA) conference (5 – 9 November), before returning to Europe for the European Council of International Schools (ECIS Congress) in Hamburg, from 18 to 22 November.

According to International Sales Executive Simon Lewis, who will be attending all the events, "These are opportunities to meet many people from schools with fascinating Management Information and communications challenges that our PASS and webALUMNUS solutions are ideally suited for. It looks set to be an extremely busy and exciting autumn for all concerned."

Comments from users include:

 "We find webALUMNUS to be a great friendraising and fundraising tool."
Karen Urquhart, Senior's Officer, Benenden School, Cranbrook, Kent

"It is allowing us to segment our communications and so improve relationships.  For example, people who make a donation like to have it acknowledged, so we can refer to their generosity when we write to them."
Pam Bainbridge, Development Director, St Georges VA School, Harpenden

"Because WCBS host it for you on their remote server, it doesn't place any additional burden on our own IT provision.  That's very valuable indeed."
Andy Beales, Development Director, Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire

We have used it to grow "membership to 6,639, of which 2,230 have actively registered.  The database of members is growing daily, and over 30% of the total are regularly logging on, updating and contributing."
Megan Griffiths, Foundation Office Administrator, Bromsgrove School, Worcs

You can download the PDF here to find out more about webALUMNUS and the benefits that schools everywhere are already gaining.

Anyone who attended this year's HMC Annual Conference at Liverpool's Britannia Adelphi Hotel will have had the opportunity to see first-hand one of the most important new product launches of recent years from WCBS.

This was the launch of the PASS School Online Admissions System, designed to bring schools and parents alike a wide array of new simplification, cost and efficiency benefits within the new pupil registration process.

At their simplest, these include:

School benefits
•    A maximised selection opportunity by making parents' lives easier
•    Anytime/anywhere access for Registrar and other staff
•    Complete online processing of every registration
•    Online payment for bank transfer to the school
•    Integration with the school website and branding
•    Powerful reporting and search capabilities
•    Confirmation emails and prospectus request fulfilment
•    No additional hardware or burden on IT infrastructure

Parent benefits
•    Anytime registration via a user-friendly interface
•    Easy application via an online electronic form
•    Unique login and password for ease and security
•    Straightforward prospectus requests
•    Easy registration-tracking via accurate record-keeping
•    Simple online fee payment via debit or credit card

According to WCBS Managing Director Tony Child, "We think these and the system's other benefits add up to make it a genuine breakthrough product, particularly thanks to its ease of integration with your school's Management Information System (MIS) to deliver new efficiencies right across its financial and administrative operations."

Download your copy of our PASS School Online Admissions System brochure here

Everyone at WCBS would like to congratulate those of our clients who featured so strongly in the recent Daily Telegraph-Aviva School Sports Matters awards, which mark particular achievements on a school, team and individual basis across independent and state schools alike.

Our top billing goes to Darren John Mitchell of Bradford College near Reading, which uses the PASS Activities module. Darren won the Sport teacher of the Year award for his inspiring response to personal tragedy.  Confined to a wheelchair following a serious spinal cord injury in Spain in July 2008, he was back at the school within 11 months and intends to become a Paralympian in 2012.

Next up is Oakham School in Rutland, which won the overall Independent School of the Year award in recognition of its culture of developing active, healthy lifestyles for its pupils.

Dauntsey's School, near Devizes in Wiltshire, which is another Activities client, was commended in the same category.

According to WCBS managing director Tony Child, "As a company that shares its Chairman with the England and Wales Cricket Board, we're especially pleased to see how these schools and individuals are excelling in the sporting arena.

There are still some places available at our PASS Administration & Academic Seminar on 11 November at Heathrow's Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Registration and refreshments are available from 9.45am, followed by an introduction by Sales Director Peter Heginbotham.

As well as a thorough overview of the Academic Management module, there will be a detailed look at  Administration's Pupil Database including Admissions and the brand new PASS School Online Admissions System.

In addition, guest speaker Chris Humphreys, who is Network Manager at St Albans High School, Herts will describe his personal experiences of implementing and using the PASS school-wide MIS solution.

To download details of the agenda click here

The seminar presents a valuable opportunity for anyone seeking to get the best from PASS,  whether a new user or  those looking for insight into using PASS more effectively, enabling everyone attending to familiarise themselves with the key features of the system.

To book your place, please call 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

In the meantime to download our latest Case Study of St Albans as a PDF click here

Following the release during the summer of the latest version of PASS (2.4.1.0), demand for our autumn series of special Report Builder workshops has been intense.

According to WCBS Consultancy Services Manager Richard Walling, "The new version of PASS includes a major Report Builder update, with a wide range of new functions and benefits that we covered at the workshops.

"At them, we demonstrated how to use features including selecting from a drop-down list at run time, reviewing and enhancing existing reports, the completely new Design workspace and much more."

Demand was such that three workshops during September and October (at St Martin's School Solihull, Leweston School in Dorset and Holmewood House School in Tunbridge Wells) sold out immediately – as did an additional date at Holmewood House.

Spaces are still available at Stewarts Melville College in Edinburgh on 27 October.  This will be restricted to 15 delegates (a maximum of two per school) The cost is £95 + VAT per person.

According to Richard, "We've had a great response from people attending the workshops to date, particularly on their practical, hands-on nature, and several people have said that they now feel prepared to tackle more ambitious reports than ever before.

"From WCBS, we extend our thanks to the schools that who have hosted the events – their facilities have been excellent, as has their welcome to us and our guests."

Richard expects that demand for future workshops will cause others to be organised in the months to come.  As he says, "Watch this space!"

Anybody interested in attending the Edinburgh event should call 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

The wisdom of holding a number of our webALUMNUS User Forums in the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Heathrow Airport was highlighted on October 14 when two delegates came all the way from the British School of Brussels in Belgium. 

According to WCBS Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, who attended with colleagues Colin Johnson (Research and Development Director), John Cannon (Sales Executive) and Charly Henderson (Customer Account Manager), "It probably took them less time to get there than it did the rest of us!"

 The effort was highly worthwhile, as comments from delegates following the event showed.  One commented on how helpful the clinic session was, while another said "It was very encouraging to hear first hand about your developments and priorities".

These touched on just two elements of a busy timetable for the day, which also included hints and tips for success, an open user discussion and a networking session where people could share their experience of using webALUMNUS, the only specialist alumnus communications tool that's web-based, hosted, and integrated with a powerful fundraising toolkit.
 

The next webALUMNUS User Forum takes place at Badminton School, Bristol on 25^th November. 

For more information, or to book your place, please call 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

According to International Sales Executive Simon Lewis, this is set to be a major implementation. As he says, "The school is making a significant investment in PASS, with a total of six modules covering Academic, Administration and Billing as well as School Reports, Activities and PASS Portals.

"Taking the decision to implement so many modules straightaway is fantastic testimony to the confidence they have in PASS and its ability to help them achieve new levels of effectiveness and efficiency throughout the school".

A full implementation plan has been agreed with the school to ensure that everything goes smoothly, right up to and beyond go-live date.
Among the first fully operational elements will be the Billing Ledger in September, in preparation for the school's first billing cycle in PASS during December. Both the Academic and Administration modules are also scheduled to be live in September for the beginning of the next academic year.

Founded in 1967, ESF now runs 20 schools in Hong Kong – five secondary, nine primary, two 'all through', three kindergartens and one for children with special educational needs. The figures are extraordinary, with some 850 teachers serving over 16,000 students representing some 50 nationalities.

According to Rob Bennett, Chief Financial Officer for ESF, "We are looking for the PASS system to bring ESF's billing process into the 21^st Century. With so many students, we need a solution that interfaces easily and provides both communications and connectivity."

WCBS and ESF signed the contract last month, and full implementation will take place from early 2010.

According to WCBS Managing Director Tony Child, "This is an extremely significant account win for us. At a single stroke, it establishes us as a major player in Asia in the provision of Management Information Systems to international schools. We are absolutely delighted, and look forward very much to the start of the implementation process."

WCBS will be at EARCOS Administrators' Conference in Manila, 31 October - 4 November and FOBISSEA Heads' Annual Conference in Kathmandu, 4 - 11 November.

Anybody wishing to find out more about WCBS's services for international schools should call + 44 (0) 1458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

There are still free places at the final Academic System Managers' (ASM) Club meeting of 2009, set to take place at Edinburgh's Mary Erskine School on 1 December.

According to WCBS Consultancy services Manager Richard Walling, "These meetings are a great opportunity for those people who look after the academic management aspects of PASS to learn more about the modules that really matter to them.  This chiefly means the Academic and School Reports modules, and we've designed an agenda that looks in detail at a number of established and new facilities."

Subjects covered will include a fresh look at Progress Tracking, an overview of the new Staff Cover module and a special focus on the recent and forthcoming Special Needs and Medical Records facilities.  As Richard says, "There will also be the chance to ask questions on any feature of the PASS Academic and School Reports modules, and to book a place on one of the special clinic sessions to take place after lunch."

There are still a few places left at the earlier ASM Club meetings at Holmewood House School (10 November) and Leicester Grammar School (12 November).

To find out more or to book a place, contact WCBS on 01458 833 344 or sales@wcbs.co.uk.

November began for Simon Lewis and Tony Child of WCBS with a visit to the Philippines' capital Manila, for the EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools) Annual Conference 2009, where the theme was one of 'Inspiring Students to Change the World'.

According to Tony, "This was an amazing conference, representing the interests of all 113 EARCOS member schools and the 100 + associate members, of which we are one.  We met some very interesting people, and hope that it will prove to have been an important event for expanding further our growing presence in Asia."

The WCBS pair then headed northwards to Kathmandu in Nepal, where they are attending the FOBISSEA (Federation of British International in South East Asia and South Asia) Heads' / Senior Managers' Annual Conference, which runs from 5 to 9 November.  Then it's back to Europe for the ECIS (European Council of International Schools) November Conference at Hamburg's Congress Centrum from 18 to 22 November, where they are to be joined at stand 9 by colleague Richard Walling.

Not everyone from WCBS is travelling overseas during the month.  Peter Heginbotham and John Cannon are due to man stand 33 at the GSA (Girls' Schools Association) Conference in Harrogate from 16 to 18 November, where they will be focusing on the new School Online Admissions System, launched by WCBS during the summer to bring schools and parents alike the advantages of streamlined registration.

Then Peter will be joined by Alistair Steadman at AMDIS (Association for Marketing and Development in Independent Schools) in Hinckley, Leicestershire (23 – 24 November), where they will primarily be discussing webALUMNUS and the PASS School Development module. 

Comments Peter, "It's very important that we reach the right people with the right message at the right conferences, and I'm confident that the investment in time we are making this November, both in the UK and right across the world, will prove valuable both for us and any new customers we meet along the way."

Well over 100 delegates from more than 60 schools have attended or are to attend a series of Academic Systems Managers’ (ASM) Club meeting in November and into early December.

According to WCBS Sales Director, “This is a fantastic turn-out, that really shows how seriously our customers take the need to get the very most from their investments in the PASS suite of Management Information and communication tools. 

“The meetings give them a great opportunity to learn more about the system in general and the chance to focus on the areas that are most useful and interesting to them.”

The first November meeting hosted 47 delegates from 24 schools at Holmewood House School in Kent.  Michelle Dewey of Brambletye School in East Grinstead enjoyed it greatly, saying: “We found the presentations very useful, and have plenty to consider for our future use of PASS.” 

Special clinic sessions based on delegates’ requests covered subjects from Assessments and Progress tracking to School Activities and Report Builder. In addition, the special guest presentation on biometric registrations by Mark McMorran of Cyclone Industries was particularly well received.

Even more people attended the following event at Leicester Grammar School, with 53 delegates from 31 schools.  The next scheduled ASM Club meeting is to take place on 1 December at the Mary Erskine School in Edinburgh.  According to Peter, “There are still plenty of places available, so call us on 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk to make sure of yours.”

WCBS is currently drawing up a schedule of ASM Club meetings for 2010, which will be posted on this site as soon as possible.

The Administration and Academic Seminar we held on 11 November at the Heathrow Crowne Plaza Hotel was clearly something of a hit with those who attended.

According to WCBS sales director Peter Heginbotham, who hosted the day, “The aim of sessions like this one is to give people a strong overview of the functionality that a number of PASS modules provide, including Pupil Database, Online Admissions, Timetables, School Reports, PASS Portals and more.

“This time, though, it also appears to have acted as a very effective business development session, because a number of new sites and existing customers looking to expand their use of PASS have booked appointments with us as a result.  They must have liked what they saw.”

Peter is particularly grateful to Chris Humphreys, Network Manager at St Albans School, who made a special guest presentation on his personal experience of implementing a school-wide Management Information solution. 

As Peter says, “This went down very well, because people can really relate to the challenges that Chris and the school as a whole faced.  Thank you Chris, it was an excellent presentation.”

Dates for future seminars are currently being set, and we will advise you on this site as soon as they are confirmed.

A highly successful international conference season has come to an end for WCBS with the return to the UK of the company’s global sales force.

The most prominent of these is Simon Lewis, International Sales Executive, who is delighted by the numbers of new prospects and existing customers he has met at EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools) in Manila, at FOBISSEA (Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia and South Asia) in Kathmandu and at ECIS (the European Council of International Schools) in Hamburg.

As he says, “The venues were varied, but I have to say that the surroundings in Kathmandu will stay with me for the rest of my life – it’s a phenomenally impressive place.”

Interest in PASS was high right across all three conferences, but it was webALUMNUS that dominated the events for Simon and WCBS MD, Tony Child.  As Tony says, “Many forward-looking international schools are very keen to start building fully rounded relationships with their alumni now, and our web-based product is a uniquely flexible offering that also delivers a low cost of entry.”

At the Asian conferences, the recent selection of PASS by ESF (the English Schools Foundation) in Hong Kong to provide its next-generation billing system across 21 schools with a combined total of some 16,000 students proved to be a powerful source of credibility.  “People were impressed,” says Tony.

Back in Europe, the company sponsored the ISC Research dinner at ECIS for the fourth consecutive year, in what Tony calls: “a very enjoyable evening spent with many of the leading figures from the international schools. Just as important, though, we received some glowing feedback from our European customers, including the Antwerp and Dresden International Schools. 

“All in all, it was the most productive conference season we’ve ever had.”

WCBS has announced the dates and venues for its next round of special Report Builder workshops, designed to help schools gain the greatest possible efficiency in preparing pupil reports.

These are:
•    26 January 2010    Kimbolton School, Huntingdon         

•    28 January 2010    The Grange, Northwich                          

•    3 February 2010     Northwood College, North West London

•    4 February 2010     St Marys, Calne, Wiltshire                                     

More information and booking form is available here

If you prefer, you can reserve a place at one of these events, by phoning 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk.

According to Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, there was a particular hotbed of activity in Scotland, where George Heriot’s School and Merchiston Castle School (both in Edinburgh), Glasgow’s Hutchesons’ Grammar School and the High School of Dundee all becoming customers for the first time.

“Such success north of the border is great news, and follows some intensive marketing activity there during the first part of the year,” says Peter. 

But not all new PASS users were from Scotland, with Crosfields School of Reading and Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham also choosing to use PASS for the first time.

Other new PASS sites from earlier in 2009 include St Paul’s Girls' School, London, Dollar Academy, Clackmannanshire and The Queens School of Chester.

Also, new overseas customers from the same period include the British Council School in Madrid, the British School of Alexandria and the Kuwait English School.

“In Scotland, England and elsewhere, schools moved to PASS from a range of existing systems and for a wide variety of reasons,” Peter continues.

“If you are thinking of making a change, call us on 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk to set a time to discuss your school’s management information needs.”

The dates and venues are:

•    2 March – The Marriott Hotel, Northampton
•    4 March – The Abbey School, Reading
•    9 March – The Edinburgh Academy

According to WCBS Consultancy Services Manager Richard Walling, “The ASM Club has been a fabulously successful initiative – providing a best practice forum, enabling us to present new developments, giving the opportunity for low-cost training and much more.  I very much hope we get a good turn-out for this latest round.

”Subjects to be covered in the English meetings include Assessments and Pastoral Record Keeping, while the Edinburgh meeting has a special focus on the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

To book your place, call us on 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

According to Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, “During the last year, some 30 schools came to PASS for the first time, and many others extended their use of the system from pure Accounting to more areas of the school.

“Although, there are still schools wishing to find out more about PASS and all its modules.  It is precisely this knowledge that we’re seeking to share at the seminar, covering Academic areas including Timetables, School Reports, Analysis & Progress Tracking, External Exams, Staff Cover, Activities and Attendance, and also PASS Staff & Parent Portals (web).

“By doing so, we hope to give those attending some real insight into just how easily PASS users achieve a raft of benefits that lead to real, measurable efficiency and quality gains.”

More information will be mailed out shortly, but in the meantime, anybody interested in attending the seminar should contact WCBS for further details and to book a place – just call 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

And according to Tony Child, for one team member it will be something of a home-coming.  “As a former BSME administrator, Jo is looking forward to meeting up again with old friends and making new contacts.

“But when you come to our stand to catch up with her, she’ll also be keen to let you know about some of the latest developments in our PASS School Management system, which is already being used by BSME member schools in Kuwait, Dubai and Egypt.  Then there’s webALUMNUS, the simple and powerful way to manage your alumni relations, all online – she’ll have plenty to say!”

The BSME event is just the first of several international conferences coming up over the next few months. More information will be available on each of them shortly, but for the moment upcoming dates include:

11 – 14 March,  the Association of China and Mongolia International Schools, Hong Kong

12 – 13 March, the Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS) 2010, the International School of Lausanne

08 – 11 April,  ECS Spring Conference, Malta

15 – 17 May,  Annual Conference for British International Schools (COBIS), London
                          (WCBS will be a headline sponsor).

According to Tony, “As we are now working with over 40 schools across more than 20 countries, events like these represent a great opportunity to meet people and hear first-hand what they’re looking for from their investments in management information technology.

Anyone wishing to arrange a meeting in Bahrain should contact WCBS on + 44 (0) 1458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

We have created two new courses for existing users of the PASS Billing Ledger and Payroll Plus modules that give you new insights into some of the more advanced areas not covered by the introductory courses that every new user undergoes.

These are both to be held at Dunottar School in Reigate, Surrey, and each will cost £95 + VAT per delegate (including lunch and refreshment).  Some of the details include:

Billing Ledger: 30 March

·    Multiple bill payers and multiple bills
·    Interim Billing
·    Importing extras
·    Year-end procedures
·    Email facilities, including bills, statement and payment schedules
·    Credit Control letters and other mailings

Payroll Plus: 31 March

·    Cumulative and Reducing Paycodes
·    Employees with multiple jobs
·    Paycode Allocation and Input
·    Intermittent employees
·    TPA and HMRC Returns
·    Using contracts

The events follow the great success of our recent Report Builder workshops – our experience of these suggests that you’d be well advised to book early.  Call WCBS on 01458 833 344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk – places are limited to two delegates per school.

A highly successful international conference season has come to an end for WCBS with the return to the UK of the company’s global sales force.

The most prominent of these is Simon Lewis, International Sales Executive, who is delighted by the numbers of new prospects and existing customers he has met at EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools) in Manila, at FOBISSEA (Federation of British International Schools in South East Asia and South Asia) in Kathmandu and at ECIS (the European Council of International Schools) in Hamburg.

As he says, “The venues were varied, but I have to say that the surroundings in Kathmandu will stay with me for the rest of my life – it’s a phenomenally impressive place.”

Interest in PASS was high right across all three conferences, but it was webALUMNUS that dominated the events for Simon and WCBS MD, Tony Child. As Tony says, “Many forward-looking international schools are very keen to start building fully rounded relationships with their alumni now, and our web-based product is a uniquely flexible offering that also delivers a low cost of entry.”

At the Asian conferences, the recent selection of PASS by ESF (the English Schools Foundation) in Hong Kong to provide its next-generation billing system across 21 schools with a combined total of some 16,000 students proved to be a powerful source of credibility. “People were impressed,” says Tony.

Back in Europe, the company sponsored the ISC Research dinner at ECIS for the fourth consecutive year, in what Tony calls: “a very enjoyable evening spent with many of the leading figures from the international schools. Just as important, though, we received some glowing feedback from our European customers, including the Antwerp and Dresden International Schools.

“All in all, it was the most productive conference season we’ve ever had.”

The conference theme of ‘excellence’ is one that extends throughout the WCBS working environment whether enhancing existing products, or developing innovative aids to address the changing needs of independent schools.

According to WCBS Sales Director Peter Heginbotham, “This is always a fascinating conference, because it is attended by people striving for the top spot in independent schools throughout the UK and increasingly across the world too.

“It’s a great audience for us, because we have academic and administration solutions as part of our PASS suite of Management Information tools that are constantly proven to underpin excellent performance within schools and enable senior staff to meet their targets.”

WCBS was represented by Sales Executive John Cannon, who made the most of his time by catching up with familiar faces from schools he's visited, and also those who may well be future users. Particular acknowledgement goes to a Deputy Head who made special mention of  how well the school reports module had been implemented, and, after 38 years of hand writing reports, how easy they now found the whole process.

WCBS attend all appropriate conferences held for Independent schools, as well as hosting seminars and workshops.

Future events include

1st - 3rd March
SHMIS (Society of Heads for Independent Schools) Conference
Wokefield Park Hotel, nr Reading

12th - 13th May
ISBA Annual Conference
Harrogate International Centre
(WCBS are Headline sponsors)

10th - 11th June
IDPE Annual Conference
The Oxford Belfry Hotel, Oxfordshire
(WCBS are KEY SPONSOR- Chairman’s Drinks Reception)

27th - 28th September
IAPS Annual Conference
QEII Conference Centre, London

27th - 30th September
HMC Annual Conference
(WCBS are sponsors)

The recent British Schools in the Middle East (BSME) Conference in Bahrain gave WCBS management a great opportunity to meet with customers from across the region as well as getting to know a number of new prospects.

According to Managing Director Tony Child, “The presence of former BSME administrator Jo Frain as part of our team made sure that we met up with many old friends.”

Among these was Terry Garbutt (pictured), Principal of Egypt’s British School of Alexandria which has recently signed a contract to take the PASS system.

Another great meeting, baby!

Prince PY (pictured right with WCBS MD Tony Child), who is part of the IT team at Deira International School in Dubai will certainly never forget the PASS User Group meeting he attended, which was kindly hosted by Horizon School. 

Halfway through, he received a call from India to let him know that his wife had just given birth to a son.

As Tony says, “It was quite a moment – we all slapped him on the back, and there were some suggestions that the baby’s name should include PASS!”

Critically, these benefits are not restricted to the Bursary alone, but enable improved financial performance and analysis across the school.

Sarah de Rossi, HR Manager at St Albans School in Hertfordshire, has articulated some of the gains her school is making from a clearer view of many of these issues.

As she says, “I wanted to be able to run management reports using data from a single source on a single system. By doing so, I felt I could benefit the school’s bottom line, not just in pure efficiency savings but also through gaining a better understanding of general and individual trends.”

She offers examples of where she and her team have made substantial savings. “By being able to analyse and respond positively to absentee issues, we can reduce the amount we spend on supply teachers,” she says. “Similarly, in recruitment we can record and identify who has applied for which positions and where they saw the post advertised. In this way, we can refine our advertising strategy to reduce our media spend.”

For our PASS schools who do not currently use PASS Payroll we have now added a new solution for independent schools, called PASS People Manager. This combines the strength and functionality of our existing Payroll and HR systems. Supported by the assurance that all your staff data will always be as accurate and up-to-date as your Payroll information, People Manager securely integrates every key requirement – from recruitment, contracts, personnel records, employment checks and absence reporting to HMRC and legislative compliance.

In addition to PASS People Manager, schools that do not currently use PASS Payroll could consider PASS HR in isolation for their personnel needs.

Our PASS People Manager leaflet describes how the functionality of PASS HR combines with the power of PASS Payroll.

If you will be reviewing your HR or Payroll needs in the future and would like more information on either PASS Payroll, HR (Personnel) or the combined People Manager solution, call us on 01458 833344 or email sales@wcbs.co.uk

First, there were 2 meetings of the Academic System Managers’ Club – on 2 March at the Marriott Hotel, Northampton, then on 4 March at Abbey School, Reading. Both were attended well, as always, and now that the ASM Club has been going for 2 years, an informative and useful agenda is received by an attentive and lively gathering.

Sam Bateman, Sales & Marketing Office Manager was at Tuesday’s meeting, and took the opportunity of escaping the office to meet up with people she normally only talks to over the phone.

Charly Henderson, our Customer Services Manager is quickly getting to know the faces of our regular attendees, and made sure everybody had the chance to chat with her about relevant issues. She was very pleased to talk to Patrick Farmer who had travelled from Dubai especially last week to visit other schools using PASS so that the trip coincided with the ASM Club meeting. He also indicated that he will be back in June to attend the summer meeting.

A number of attendees have mentioned in the Feedback Form that they make the most of this as an opportunity to network with others in similar roles.

Feedback so far has generated these other comments:-
“The format of this latest meeting worked well and allowed for a lot more discussion and sharing of ideas.”

“All useful. I prefer short plenaries rather then simultaneous ‘workshops’ – there is always something to learn, even in modules that I am not yet using.”

“Better with smaller audience and more discussion time in agenda.  Event was very useful as always.”

“Always very informative on current and future releases.”

“The extended feedback sessions were really useful, although I didn’t bring anything up it was helpful to hear other people’s comments.”

So far, no negative responses – honestly!

Dates confirmed for Summer Meetings

24 June at Leweston School, Dorset
30 June at The Grange School, Cheshire

Last Wednesday we held a free Administration & Academic Seminar at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Heathrow, always a popular venue as it is such an accessible location. Sales Director Peter Heginbotham chaired the event, with Richard Walling and Sam Bateman helping with the smooth-running of the day.

“We were so pleased to welcome people from schools who are not presently using our administration and academic products”, commented Peter. “And I’m happy to say that the information passed on has generated enough interest for further contact”.