While Standalone Files are useful, File Requests excel for specific collections. Join other LAs already utilising this efficient approach for time-saving benefits! Need help? Explore our help guides or schedule a demo.
With the ever-increasing volume of sensitive data being exchanged, ranging from pupil data to confidential administrative documents, the need for a robust and reliable method of transmission has never been more critical.
Broadcast Plus allows your schools to upload files securely to you, the Local Authority, via their Perspective Lite account.
This help guide will discuss Standalone Files, which are designed for individual file transactions. If you need schools to submit multiple files in one go, then you'd need to create a File Request. You can find out more about our File Requests module by clicking here.
Standalone Files
A standalone file is a file a school have sent to the LA that isn't part of a specific LA file request.
Standalone files allow only a single file to be uploaded. If schools need to upload multiple files, they will need to zip them first, or you can issue a File Request, which will allow them to upload multiple files at once.
To access standalone files, click Broadcast > Standalone Files.
Any standalone file that has been sent will be visible via this dashboard. Several filters are available here that allow you to narrow your search based on file status, tags, schools and dates.
You can also export a raw spreadsheet of all sent files by applying any necessary filters and clicking Export Excel.
The Excel export is incredibly valuable as it allows you to view all files sent to you in a specific date range, along with any comments made by the school, so you can easily see exactly where all the files are up to and any contextual information the school have provided.
Downloading Files
You can download all available files in one go by clicking Download: All Files at the bottom of the page.
To download specific files that have not already been downloaded, click the To Download lozenge and then Download All. The number in the Download button will change accordingly, depending on how many files are available for download.
If you want to download a subset of files, check the box next to the document(s) and click on the Download Selected Files option at the bottom of the page.
Please note: A download containing many files may take a few minutes to complete.
After you download the files, we recommend storing them securely on your computer or network.
Broadcast will keep a copy of the file for the next 30 days, but you will not be able to download that file again after that.
If you can't see a file you have been sent, someone else at the LA may have already downloaded it, so you'd need to check the downloaded status. Otherwise, check with the school directly; they may still need to send it.
You can view a list of older documents by selecting the Downloaded lozenge. This will show you all of the documents your LA downloaded, even those past the 30-day limit. This means you will always have a record of the documents your schools sent and when they were downloaded from Broadcast Plus.
Rejecting Files
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 which allows you to select a reason for rejecting the file and to 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.
For information on how schools send files to the Local Authority, please see this guide.