Copyright: 1998 - 2003 (c) Byron
Citation: .


Purpose

Medium Term Plans are the term/project based documents used by a staff member to assure appropriate coverage of the subjects to be addressed.

Details may be 'downloaded' by text copy and paste techniques from these documents and  customised by the teacher in their Short Term Plans to suit the particular range of pupil abilities within the class/group; or 'as provided' national Scheme Of Work units may be printed and employed directly as a manual Short Term Planning system.

These plans may be duplicated and then customised to suit the particular needs of each class/group under the individual teacher's name, and then evaluation comments can be added by the class/group teacher. A summary of these evaluation comments, plus subject assessment results may be added to the primary MTplan by the subject co-ordinator for record purposes and to aid planning decisions for the subsequent term/year.

Plans are word processed text retained in an individual subject database format.


Basic Screen Controls

In addittion to menu options, the Detail and Browse buttons facilitate mode switching.

To move between controls and edit boxes:-

•	use the pointing device and click on the area you wish to edit

•	or use the 'Tab' key to move between edit fields and the navigator buttons (bottom of screen).

•	or use the 'Alt' key plus underlined letter

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If the text window scrolls up when full, it can be returned using up arrow key etc. The report/printout expands to include all text. Data may be changed by keystrokes or by using text functions


Medium Term Plan Menu

The following items are available:-

•	File

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•	Edit

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•	View

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•	Insert

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•	Utilities

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•	Window

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•	Help

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File menu overview

The following items are active, based on version category, from the Medium Term Plan window:-

•	New

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•	Open

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•	Save - MTPlan

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•	Import

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•	Export

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•	Printer Setup

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•	Preview

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•	Print

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•	Exit


New
Located in File menu, creates a New blank untitled document.


Open
Open is Located in File menu, toggles between Browse and Detail mode.


Save

Located in File menu and as a button on the ToolBar

Saves/Posts any MTplan edit changes to your hard disk (hardsave). If your system is susceptable to operating system 'hangup' due to memory swap activity, print driver or other non compatability issues then 'hardsave' prior to Preview and Print or similar system request.

If your system is 'stable' then the automatic 'softsave' or selecting the 'tick' Icon button which also initiates a softsave, is all that should be required.


Send

Located in File menu and can also be invoked using the mouse menu (usually right click).

If text is selected then this text is processed else all text in the current column is sent.

•	STPlan - text is entered in the appropriate subject and column of the current Short Term Plan.

•	WordBase - text is entered at the current cursor location in the selected record.

•	WordFile - text is entered at the current cursor location in the selected file or will open a new file if appropriate.

•	·	·


Import

Located in File menu.

Used to import sample data, restore from a 'backup' disk and facilitates transfer of data between computers, ie home to school or school to home.

With focus on the Medium Term Plan window, data is imported from 'floppy' drive A: to the MTPlan  database. Import data has to have been previously created using the Export option.

If no disk in the A: drive then 'Select Directory' dialogue is shown which also enables other/network drives to be selected. Double click on C:\ for 'backup' files created using the  Export option, then select OK. The 'Files' window is purely for information, file selection is automatic dependent on the 'Window' which has focus.

There are two options to chose from:-

•	Append only - Records that do not exist in the main database are added.

•	Update and append - Records that exist in the main database are updated and those which do not exist are added.

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Export

Located in File menu.

Used to create a 'backup' and facilitates transfer of data between computers, ie home to school or school to home, when used with Import. The facility provides a distributed computing system which can operate within or out of school enabling updated Medium Term Plans to be centralised on a single PC.

With focus on Medium Term Plan, data is copied from the MTPlan database to the seleted drive. A disc inserted in drive A: may be any PC formatted 'floppy' disc.

When Export is selected Browse mode is automatically selected and there are two options to chose from:-

•	Create - New MTPlan transfer files are created, deleteing any existing MTPlan transfer files, any other files are unaffected, hence if there is insufficient space an error message is generated. Selected records are then copied and a message indicates when complete.

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•	Append - Selected records are then added to existing MTPlan transfer files and a message indicates when complete.

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If the application presents a write error message or does not confirm that Plans are transferred, then if using a 'floppy' disk check to see if  the 'Windows Explore' program can read the disc. If it requires to be formatted an appropriate prompt is shown.

After making the above selection six further options are available:-

To file on A: drive

•	Current plan only - the plan shown or record indentified in the Browse grid

•	All your plans - all plans .

•	All plans - selected .

•	Until Class change - all records for .

•	Until Subject/Teacher change - all plans belonging to the Teacher logged on, plus Attendance

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To file on C: drive (network transfer file)

•	All your plans - all plans .

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Please Note:- when using multiple select options Plans exported depends on record Order.


Printer Setup

Located in File menu.

Enables your Printer Setup details and appropriate Properties to be modified prior to creating printer output.


Preview and Print

Located in File menu.

The following sections are available in the Preview (and Print) sub menus of the Medium Term Plan window:-

•	Current Plan - using the current record, Plan output is created.

•	·

•	Until change of: - is provided to facilitate multiple record selection for report output. Records are selected, in the display highlighted data Order,  from the 'current' record until the data in the specified field changes. The available fields are:-

•	·

•	Accademic year

•	Key stage

•	Term

•	Class

•	Subject

•	·

Selection is best made/viewed from the Browse screen. Prior to generating the report the number of records selected are advised and the operation may be cancelled and re-selected if not what you intended.

•	All Plans - enables all plans to be viewed on screen in the report format.

•	·

Blank Safety, Resources, Estimated Time fields are omitted from the report. Plans selected for output are created and shown in the Preview Window. Output may then be printed or saved.


Plan create output and Print

Located in File menu.

The mode of operation is similar to the File menu option Preview, however output generated is sent directly to your system default printer without showing the Preview Window.


Exit
Exit is located in File menu. Closes all windows and Exits the application School Plan Management.


Edit menu overview

The following sections are available in the Edit menu of the Medium Term Plan window:-

•	Record Navigation

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•	Delete MTPlan

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•	Text functions

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•	Spell Check

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•	Find

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•	Replace

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•	FindNext

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Record Navigation

Located in the Edit + Record menu.

To facilitate changing the current record using keystrokes and thus enabling detail text to be viewed. The record shown is dependent on the Order selected for the data.

•	First record - first record of the selected data order.

•	Prior record - the record before the current record.

•	Next record - the record after the current record.

•	Last record  - the last record of the selected data order.

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These functions are also available by the Navigator buttons


Delete MTPlan

Located in the Edit + Record menu.

Deletes your current Medium Term Plan, ie if the 'Teacher' field is identical to the logon Teacher Name. This restriction does not apply to the system administrator.


Text Options

Text can be selected by the usual  Windows methods ie click and move mouse or hold down shift key whilst pressing down, right arrow,  end key etc. Once selected block text functions are operational.

These commands can also be accessed in the Edit menu. This method is used to transfer text between text controls.


Spell Check

Located in the Edit Menu and has the following options:-

•	All Text - also available from the ToolBar,  based on the spelling options selected, starting at the first word in the document all words are checked against words found in the Main and Custom dictionaries. If a word is not found then the Spell Check dialogue is shown.

•	From caret - can also be invoked using the key F4, performs the spell checking function as in All text(above) but starts from the current caret position.

•	Word at caret - can also be invoked using the Check Word option of the mouse menu (usually right click). Spell checks the word at the current caret position. Pop-up menu advises, word - found in dictionary or lists suggestions; click on the chosen word to replace check word in your document.

•	Finish word - can also be invoked using the Finish Word option of the mouse menu (usually right click). Finds words in the selected dictionary that begin with the letters of the word / character group at the current caret position. The pop-up menu appears on the left with the word list, which is limited by Spell Option setting, showing dictionary words. Click on the chosen word to enter completed word in your document.

•	·


Find

Located in the Edit Menu.

Find enables text within the current control to be found, can also be invoked using the keystroke Ctrl+F. In the Find what box, enter the text you want to search for in the current edit control.

Note:-

•	To cancel press ESC

•	Double click on a word - selects that word, if text is selected then that text is automatically entered in the Find what box.

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Replace

Located in the Edit Menu.

Enables text within the current control to be found and replaced by another string, can also be invoked using the keystroke Ctrl+R.

To Replace text, in the Find what box enter the text you want to search for, in the Replace with box enter the replacement text, then select Find Next, Replace, or All. To cancel press ESC.


FindNext

Located in the Edit Menu.

Find Next enables the next occurrence of specified text, within the current control, to be found and can also be invoked using the keystroke F3

Note:-

•	To cancel press ESC

•	Double click on a word - selects that word, if text is selected then that text is automatically entered in the Find what box.

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View menu - Overview

The following sections are available from the Medium Term Plan window:-

•	Order

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•	Tool Bar

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•	Navigator

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•	Synchronise

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•	Scroll Bars

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•	Align Document

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•	View Panels

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Order

The following options are available which organise database records, they can be changed by selection from the View + Order menu or by a left click with pointing device on the appropriate Label.

The highlighted Label indicates the current Order of the database.

•	No. order - Accademic Year + Term + Key Stage + Yr/Class + Subject + Subject Number; is the primary order for the database.

•	Class order - Class/Group order then primary order.

•	Teacher - Teacher name order then primary order.

•	Subject - Plan date order then primary order.

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Tool Bar

Visible unless the item in the View menu is shown without a tick. The Toolbar includes the following buttons:-

•	New

•	Open

•	Save

•	Spell

•	Preview

•	Print

•	Cut, Copy and Paste

•	Find

•	Replace

•	Next

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Remaining buttons are not applicable to Medium Term Plan function and are shown dissabled.


Synchronise Document

Located in the View menu and is set when shown with a tick.

•	If Synchronise is set then when edit mode is selected all four edit boxes are automatically aligned/synchronised to the edit box which has focus, also when the record/document is posted/saved.

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•	If Synchronise is not set then rather than aligning the other columns the cursor is located at the top of the current page, select tab and then home key to focus on the line of text at the top of the page if printed output exceeds one page in length.

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The keys Shift+F7 toggle the Synchronise setting.


Scroll Bars

Located in the View menu and is set when shown with a tick.

Resizes the window and activates scroll control for Plan data text boxes. Enables the use of a 'scrolling wheel' which has been introduced by some pointing device manufacturers. Also provides standard onscreen scroll functionality.

Using the keys Shift+F8 changes the setting.


Align Document
Align document is located in the View menu and from the mouse menu (right click) all four edit boxes are aligned/synchronised to the current edit box thus facilitating alignment of points in printed output.


View Panels

The following panels can be selected from the View menu.

•	Browse data

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•	Detail

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Insert

Located in Edit menu.

To facilitate the duplication of  records for ongoing planning requirements, there are two options available:-

•	Blank detail - the following fields are changed automatically; AccYr states "Copy", Teacher states your  Logon name, Edit date contains today's date, all detail text areas are blank. Remaining fields are copied.

•	Copy current record - the following fields are changed automatically; AccYr states "Copy", Teacher states your  Logon name, Edit date contains today's date. Remaining fields are copied.

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Please note to avoid the key violation message the information contained in the following must be unique:- AccYr+Term+KS+Yr/Class+Subject+No. Tip: subsequent to the copy operation manually edit these fields as appropriate, changing the 'Copy' text last.


Utilities menu - Overview

The following options are available:-

•	Absence

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•	Benchmark

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•	Graph - Activates the plotting facility which enables output to be generated automatically when activated from within a WordBase or WordFile data table or when pupil attainment/benchmark reports are generated.

•	_____________________________

•	School Data - Enables data in the Contact, Admission, Holiday, Time Table, Meals, Reports. Reports includes page length settings and Logo inclusion for Plan output.

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•	Staff Data  - Similar to the Pupil database but for Staff. Enables retention of applicable employment and associated information thus reducing a schools reliance, as appropriate, on other information programs.

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•	Pupil data - Enables Pupil related data to be retained covering pupil personal details & Unique Pupil Numbers, attainment/attendance analysis (inc lunch payment), retention for examples of each pupil's text/graphical work, emergency, medical, general details, and has data edit and security arrangements with an auditable trail.

•	_____________________________

•	Passwords

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•	Rebuild Data

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•	Spell Options

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•	Configure Tools

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•	Subject Options

•	_____________________________

•	A - additional Tool - from stage 8

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•	B - additional Tool - from stage 8

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•	Control Sound

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•	Record Sound

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•	Media Play/Edit

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•	Image Editor

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Note:-

If any of the above returns a message "Unable to initiate program" then refer to Configure Tools.


Window menu - Overview

The following sections are available in the 'Window menu' of the Medium Term Plan window:-

•	Thesaurus / Dictionary

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•	Preview - Activates the Preview window to Load, View and Print existing reports.

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•	Graphics - Activates the Projection Manager window and automatically locates any relevant entries.

•	_____________________________

•	MDI View arrangement

•	_____________________________

•	Long Term Plan - Activates the plan screen.

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•	Short Term Plan - Activates the plan screen.

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•	WordBase - Activates the window for rich text edit and save to database options.

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•	WordFile - Activates the window for rich text edit and save to seperate file options.

•	_____________________________

•	Window Size Control

•	In addition to the usual control buttons menu options cover:-

•	Resize - returns window to normal size.

•	Minimize - current window.

•	Maximize - current window.

•	Close - minimises the window and closes the Short Term Plan database so the Next button omits the Plan window from the sequence.

•	_____________________________


Help menu

The following sections are available in the 'Help menu':-

•	Overview

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•	Basic Controls

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•	Search for Help on . . .

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•	Tip of the Day

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•	Tutorials

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•	Versions

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•	Web - ByronSoftware

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•	About

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•	Beep

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Button Summary

Located in Medium Term Plan window.

In addition to 'Windows' standard controls the following Button, Data Order and Database Navigator controls are available:-

•	Browse

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•	Detail

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•	Next

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•	Data Order

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•	Navigator

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Next
Next button is located on Plan window and on the ToolBar. It facilitates switching between active windows.


Navigator

Database Navigator buttons are located at the bottom of the Plan window, if the View menu selector is ticked, and are provided to facilitate one touch use with the pointing device.

From the left the buttons provide access to the First, Prior, Next and Last records respectively. The navigational options in the Edit menu perform the same function.

The button on the right with the 'tick' icon performs the Post edit/'Soft Save' function, if the 'tick' is dimmed no data change has occurred since the last post/save. The Soft Save function commits data but dependent on your Windows energy conservation setting may not write to your hard disk. Important if you use a Laptop in battery mode.

The Save function in the File menu performs a 'Hard Save' ie database on hard disk is updated.

Changing the current record automatically performs the Post edit/Save function.


Tutorials

The following guidance is offered to reference and expand on that included in the Basic Controls and Menu section of MTPlan program Help and to show, by example, how to use some of the novel features included within the program:-

•	Import 1 - Short Term Plan examples.(see removal)

•	Import 2 - Medium Term Plans - Schemes of Work and Numeracy Strategy examples.

•	Import 3 - Long Term Plans - Frameworks (Literacy and Numeracy) plus National Curriculum.

•	________________________________

•	Finish Word and Spell Check

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•	Insert STPlan - First weekly/session plan.

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•	Copy STPlan - Detail for next week

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•	Copy All your STPlans - Subject Teacher

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•	Edit STPlan Detail 1

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•	Create STPlan 1 - using the Lite version

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•	Create STPlan 2 - using Long & Medium Term Plans

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•	Edit STPlan Detail 2

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•	LT and MTPlans - Subject Coordinator

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•	Plan Detail - Apearance

•	________________________________

•	STPlan Output - options using Preview and Print

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•	Class Teacher

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•	Class Plan

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•	Subject Plan

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•	Subject Teacher

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•	Teacher Plan

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•	Timetable

•	________________________________

The following require the Standard Plus or Full version and are accessed from the Short Term Plan window:-

•	Entering a pupil group

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•	Pupil Registration

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•	Attainment

•	________________________________

The following requires the Thesaurus/Dictionary database files to be installed:- (Download and use the free 'TheDictData' install program if required. The application 'TheDict4ME' also installs the required database files.)

•	Thesaurus 1 - Dictionary and Word Type search.

•	Thesaurus 2 - Sub string and From result search.

•	Thesaurus 3 - Unknown word (crossword puzzle) search.

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Application Overview

School Plan Management (Plan4ME) facilitates the creation, modification, retrieval and presentation of word processed and graphical school planning documentation in a compressed database format, which follows the principal concepts and requirements for BS EN ISO9000 Quality system compliance.

Data compression is used to enable a significant amount of information to be retained and accessed quickly, including the updated complete schemes of work with graphics for all subjects and the full National Curriculum. The record sorting, export and import facilities enable document groups to be selected and transferred between PC's to facilitate home working.

STplans exported to floppy disk on your school system may be Imported, modified and printed using the FREE version on another/home based PC.

There is no program restriction as to the number of documents retained nor the number of user names.

Revised software and Plan data (including updated schemes of work) may be downloaded FREE from web site. Using Preview, previously saved school Plans/graphics/reports may be loaded, viewed and printed by all versions including the FREE version.

Pupil records, including attainment and attendance, are integrated within the extended version of the program with report and benchmark data being created and compared automatically to national tables.

Conceptual design is by Teachers for the Teacher and aims at being user friendly, however, a teacher's duties are not simple and so during normal program operation context sensitive help is available by pressing the function key F1. The Search for Help on . . . option in the Help menu enables keywords and individual words to be found within the support documentation.

School Plan Management features are available via three programs, Plan4MElite, Plan4ME and Plan4MEfull. There are a number of version categories which provide progressive functionality when using these programs.

WordFile, the word processor with nine different stages/faces to simplify pupil instuction, along with the  Thesaurus/Dictionary are integrated within all three programs, with WordBase being included from the Plan4ME.

Plan data is divided into Long,  Medium and Short Term Plan screens with 'send' facilities for data transfer, plus auto duplication facilities to ease the Plan/Evaluate/Re-Plan process and therefore obviate the need to rewrite or type copy from government/published data.

Scheme Graphics are auto accessed from plan documents when using the Presentation Manager.

For security and data integrity reasons registered access to the program is via a Password panel. Edit/delete facilities are only available if the Plan Teacher field and user name are identical, unless program accessed using the system administrator's 'Teacher Name'.  Names and passwords are created initially during Registration but thereafter passwords can be changed by the individual and new 'Teacher Names' can be issued by the system administrator. There is no limit set in the program as to the number of Teachers who can use the system.

When the Logon procedure is completed, initially the Short Term Plan  window is visible and access to the other windows, for example,  Medium Term Plan, Long Term Plan, WordBase, and  WordFile is via window menu selection or by use of the Next button. Subsequent use returns to the window in view when the program was last closed.

For details on Plan4ME and its uses, click the underlined text or the Index or Contents button of this 'Help' window and browse or search for the subject you are interested in.

For assistance see Getting Started, Basic Controls,  and Tutorials. If entering your own reference documents then an understanding of  Primary Keys and how to avoid key violation may help.


Search for Help on . . .

Shows the Help dialogue panel which contains tabs for:-

•	Contents - double click on a  'Book' to view topics to be displayed.

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•	Index - type in the first few letters or scroll through the alphabetic listing of keywords.

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•	Find - enables specific words or phrases to be found.

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Versions

All inclusive introductory prices.

The following are the version categories:-

•	[2]-Lite

•	[4]-Standard, [5]-Standard Plus

•	[6] Full

•	[9 to F] Site-Network/Intranet

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Complement your system with -  Pupil Report Management

Refer to Revisions, Delivery, Support and

view Upgrade/Order details or refer to:-

________________________________________

Byron Software and Quality Assurance Services

________________________________________

for latest: www.ByronSoftware.co.uk

email: Support4ME@ByronSoftware.co.uk

or use Phone / Voicemail : 0870 740 2635

        ( overseas 44 870 740 2635)

Contact:-  Neil Thompson  B.Tech. C.Eng. M.I.MechE. FIQA.

Engineering Council Registration No. 324531.

Quality Systems Assessors Certificate No. MFQ1308.

________________________________________


ToolSpell
The ToolBar Spell button initiates the Subject Text Spell facility. Based on the spelling options selected, starting at the first word in Objectives, ALL column/words are checked against words found in the Main and Custom dictionaries. If a word is not found then the Spell Check dialogue is shown.


caret
A caret is a graphic mark to indicate where something is to be inserted into a document.


beep
If Beep is checked then when the About panel or the Save prompt shows - a sound is made to attract the users attention.


About

The About panel is selected via the Help Menu, it shows details of:-

•	Program and Version category

•	Copyright and Byron Software contact numbers

•	Licensed School Name and Serial Number

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