Our File Requests module in Broadcast Plus has been designed to revolutionise how local authorities collect files from schools effortlessly and efficiently. By creating file requests, Local Authorities can empower their schools to supply relevant and applicable documentation within a set deadline, all held in a central, easy-to-access location.
The functionality allows you to create a File Request targeted to specific (or all) schools. This allows you to specify key file types you require as part of a collection and supply schools with more information and deadlines for submitting files back to the Local Authority. With an improved workflow that allows you to reject invalid files and request alternatives, the File Requests module makes sourcing files from schools a much more seamless process.
File Requests Dashboard
To access the File Request area, click Broadcast > File Requests
Here, you are presented with your File Requests dashboard, containing all existing requests and their status.
If you need to access specific standalone files that schools send you outside of a specific LA-generated request, click the Standalone files tab; for more information on that process, check out this help guide.
Any request that has been sent will be visible via this dashboard. Several filters are available here that allow you to narrow your search based on request status, users and dates.
You can also export a raw spreadsheet of all requests by applying any necessary filters and clicking Export Excel.
Creating a File Request
To create a new File Request, click New File Request.
Give your request a title, description, expected file type and deadline before clicking Choose Schools.
The Expected File Type allows you to define specific file types for schools to upload. Any file type(s) you define here mean that when a school tries to upload a different file type, it's immediately blocked. This reduces the number of invalid or incorrect files you receive from your schools and streamlines the file collection process.
Please note that if you are requesting multiple files from schools, you should allow the Zip file type. If you do not allow this and schools add the appropriate files to a Zip, this will not be accepted.
Broadcast seamlessly zips multiple files behind the scenes for you, so schools can upload several at once without needing to manually zip them. When they land in your File Requests area, they are zipped up and ready for a single, speedy download.
Your title and description will be seen by schools in their Perspective Lite accounts; therefore, you should choose something clear and concise.
Choose Schools
You are then taken to a page that allows you to select your audience for this request.
You can select all schools by ticking the master tick box in the top left of the selection window. Or individual schools by selecting the tick box alongside the school name.
The filters on this page allow you to narrow your results by school group or school phase. So you can quickly and easily distribute the request to a group of your choice or all schools. You can always type the school name or DfE number to locate specific results as well.
Choose Roles
If you wish to send this particular file request to a specific set of school users, you can use the Role(s) dropdown to send the request only to staff who are assigned to a certain role within your schools. For example, if this particular request was finance-related, you may wish to select a Finance Administrator role if your LA had previously set one up. You can find out more about roles by clicking here.
If you do not select a specific role, the file request will be visible to all staff with access to view the LA Documents inside Perspective.
It is not currently possible to edit roles after submitting a file request, so the roles would need to be accurate prior to publication.
Finishing Up
If you need to save the request and issue it at a later date, click Save As Draft. To delete your request, click Delete.
When you have selected your schools & roles and wish to proceed, click Issue File Request and confirm in the resulting pop-up.
The page will refresh, and your request is live! To begin with, the Status of all files will be pending as the school has yet to supply that information.
Any school user with permission to send files to the LA will be emailed to notify them of the new request.
Once a file request is live, you can edit the general details or your school audience. To edit the core request details, such as title, description and deadline, click Edit Details on the right-hand panel.
If you need to adjust the targeted schools, select Edit Schools.
This will take you back to the school selection screen you saw when you originally issued the request. From here, you can add schools to your request audience or remove schools that are no longer required.
Once you have removed or added schools, click Update File Request on the right-hand side.
It is not currently possible to edit roles once you have submitted a file request.
Tip: If a school have supplied you with a file via an alternative route, such as email or standalone files, you can easily remove them from your file request to keep it up to date and ensure it doesn't remain incomplete.
File Request Status
A File Request can be one of four statuses:
- Live: Your request is open, and you are accepting files from schools.
- Paused: Used for putting a request on hold for a period of time before unpausing it.
- Closed: You are satisfied that the request is complete and you have all the files you need.
- Invalid: There was a problem with the file request, or it needed to be invalidated.
You can toggle any of these four statuses via the lozenge in the top right corner of the request.
Collecting Files
Once your file request is live, schools can begin to send you the documents you require. As soon as a file request is made live, any school user with the can see and send LA Documents permission in the Perspective account will be emailed automatically.
A school user with the correct permissions can log in to their Perspective Lite account and submit the required file. For information on what the schools see, check out the Perspective Lite File Returns guide.
Once a school submit the file(s), their record inside the file request will update, and their new status will display as Download.
This shows that the file is available for download, which you can do by clicking the file name or the Download option. You can also use the actions option and select Download File.
Before the download begins, a pop up will appear allowing you to choose a prefix for your download. This is helpful when schools have sent generic files and you aren't easily able to categorise them after download.
You can select a file prefix of URN or DfE number, and Broadcast will add that to the file automatically, allowing you to better track the school that supplied it.
If a school uploads several separate files as part of the same request, Broadcast intelligently zips these up for you and presents them in a single download, saving you from tracking multiple submissions from schools.
Once you download a copy of that file, the status will update and display as Downloaded.
You can download all files within a file request at the bottom of the page via the Bulk Actions menu. There are three options:
- Download All Files.
- Tick X amount of boxes next to schools' names to download specific files.
- Tick X amount of boxes next to schools' names to reject specific files.
You can click the Info icon to see more information about the file request, including who at the school uploaded it and its download status.
Once all your schools have sent the required files, you can close down the request. To do this, click the actions option alongside the request on your dashboard and select Close.
Alternatively, you can go directly into the request and update the status from the right-hand panel.
Rejecting a File
If a school has sent you an incorrect file, you can reject it. To do this, click the actions button alongside it and then select Reject File.
You will be presented with a pop-up box that allows you to select a reason for rejecting the file and include any further details.
The school will see inside Perspective Lite that a file has been rejected and have immediate information to explain why, saving you from having a separate conversation with them.
Any rejected files will move from 'To Download' to 'Rejected', and you'd need to filter on the Rejected lozenge to locate them.
The school user who uploaded the file will be notified via email when you reject a file, prompting them to provide you with a replacement.