1. How ESF develop Gateway?
2. What web browsers can I use?
3. Can I use mobile?
4. How will the Gateway support school administration, teaching and learning?
5. What module/features are available on Gateway?
6. I have found a bug. What do I do?
7. What is Maze?

Q: How ESF Develop Gateway

A: Our approach to this project could be termed ‘Iterative’. Gateway is now an ESF in-house developed system can be customised to adapt to changing needs. Gateway can be accessed from anywhere and can be used to provide a friendly, intuitive interface.

Q: What web browsers can I use?

A: Gateway is tested with the latest popular versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Sfari, due to the frequent browser update, users may experience some funky behaviour with the newest browser version. In that case, please use another browser and report the issue to us for improvement.

Q: Can I use mobile?

A: Most of the parent and student Gateway functions are optimised for  mobile devices. Staff Gateway is more for data administration, many staff users request to have “one screen to have everything” for easier manage data and reporting, many of the screens are designed for batch update data, showing information as many as possible in one screen, which is not the best user experience to fit in small mobile screen though the functions work for most of the cases.

Q: How does the Gateway support school ADMINISTRATION, teaching and learning?

A: Gateway is the school administration system for all ESF schools, many features support school day-to-day administration, teaching and learning either directly or indirectly. Functions such as attendance, eNotice, student and family data update, assessments, staff CPD and declarations etc. Many features are designed to save time and make teachers’ and support staff’s working lives easier. You may refer to the below Q&A for the feature list of Gateway. If you wish to explore a module that hasn’t opened to your school, please log a Jira Gateway ticket to contact the Gateway Project Team to unlock it for your school.

Q: What module/features are available on Gateway?

A: Gateway provides many functions for school information management as well as teaching and learning, it depends on individual school’s need to open modules in their Gateway. e.g. Primary schools and kindergartens won’t see the HE/FE, Student Option and Commitment etc, while secondary schools won’t see the School Bus, After School Collection, Foundation Activities etc. Also, different user types will see different modules based on their Gateway account setup. e.g. School Nurses can access the Medical Room, Teachers may access the IN, HE modules etc. If you have a problem accessing a Gateway module, please contact your School Gateway Manager (SGA/SGM) for help.

Overall Gateway Module List (you may find more details  from the user guides section):

Q: How does the Sendmail work?

A: The Sendmail function provides users a convenient send message tool with the Gateway most up-to-date contact groups, e.g. year group, roll group, tutor group, subject class, activities group etc. when sending an email, it will use your office email address as the sender address, it will also BCC to you office email address for record keeping. When recipients reply your email, it will deliver to your office email address.

Q: I have found a bug/system problem. What do I do?

A: Each school has a School Gateway Manager/Administrator (SGM/SGA), who is responsible for managing all aspects of The Gateway within the school. Any issues should be taken up with your SGM/SGA, who can provide answers, and if necessary, escalate your problem to a higher level.

Q: What is Maze?

A: Maze is the ESF backend central database repository to store student and family information. From the user functions perspective, only a few users from Secondary Schools and PIS use Maze timetabling and the Exam module.