view the cloud parent portal as a parent

Admins already have access to all the data that is stored on the Parent portal, which eliminates the argument for data safeguarding etc. If the issue is that other members of staff could potentially access impersonation, surely setting the default access to admin-only would solve this problem. A very useful tool that minimised admin and allowed us to maintain high parent satisfaction in terms of portal troubleshooting has been taken away. Perhaps the best thing about it was that we would not have to submit a ticket / contact support, which would create extra layers and extend the time an issue is resolved.

It's good if only the administrator role has this. May be in a read-only mode, which allows the content to be visible. For example, the electronic form is not visible to the parent. We can check on our side to determine if it's not an ISAMS issue, but rather a user's cache on the device or a Statement of Account showing incorrect data, etc.

I understand your need to protect sensitive data, but as an administrator I have access to everything on iSAMS. I should therefore be able to impersonate parents: none of the data I would access doing this would be something I cannot access otherwise. Why not leave it for administrators or staff manually selected by the school? Taking the feature away completely feels like a step backward, even with the new tool.

the reason for the request is not really so it's easier for you to solve a problem but rather for us to filter out the problems in the chair rather than the computer. There are other ways to skin the cat but you do need to help schools to be able to assist their families before raising with you as we have to be way more responsive and 90% of queries we deal with are not actually technical problems.

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Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for all your comments and interest in this feature—it’s clearly something that is important, and we really appreciate the feedback.

This topic has sparked a lot of discussion, both within our schools and here at iSAMS. After careful consideration, we’ve decided not to reintroduce the impersonation tool in the new portals, as was available in the old version. Instead, we’re taking a different approach—and I’m keen to explain why and what we’re building instead.

Why we’re changing direction

The data held in iSAMS is highly sensitive, and we take its protection very seriously. Our modules are designed with permissions to ensure users only see what they’re authorised to. Impersonation bypasses these safeguards in a way that’s impossible to track — and we believe the risk is simply too high.

While some platforms still offer impersonation, most are moving away from it for the same reasons. It’s a practice that’s increasingly seen as incompatible with modern data protection standards.

What about the use cases?

We’ve looked closely at how impersonation is used. In most cases, if the system is working as intended—reports and invoices publish correctly to the portals—there shouldn’t be a need to check manually.

When something does go wrong (e.g. a parent says they’re missing an invoice), impersonation might help confirm the issue with a screenshot. But that doesn’t actually help us resolve the problem—it just proves it exists.

What we’re building instead

Over the next weeks, we’re developing a new tool—initially for our support team, and soon available via the Portals Manager. This tool will allow you to see what’s available to a user without impersonating them.

It will also provide deeper insights, such as API call logs, which help us diagnose issues more effectively than a screenshot ever could.

We’re also investing in upskilling our support team to make the most of these tools and better assist you with any portal-related issues.

A safer, smarter way forward

We know this feature has been popular, and we understand the concerns. But we’re confident that this new approach will help you and your parents resolve issues more safely and more effectively.

We’re also reviewing feedback around publishing, so we can make it clearer when reports and other items have been successfully published.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to contact us. And as always, keep sharing your ideas via the portal—we’re listening.

Best regards,

Nic

This is an essential feature without which we have no idea what parents are experiencing when they flag issues with the portal. I have just had to do a password reset to be able to log into a parent account to investigate an issue they have flagged. Now I need to send them a password reset link so they can change again their password. Not being able to view the portal as a parent is step backwards on the new portal.

Thank you for your feedback.

The ability to impersonate users hasn’t been included in the new portal, as it no longer aligns with secure development best practices. Accessing the system as another user can unintentionally expose sensitive information, particularly in areas like the Medical Centre, where data is restricted to parents or authorised staff such as the school nurse.

We do understand the need for admins to assess user journeys, and we’re currently reviewing safer alternatives to support this. While these are still in the assessment phase, we hope to begin development later this year. Our aim is to offer a solution that gives schools the visibility they need, while maintaining the high standards of data security that are expected.

Hi,

You can do this by linking the pupil to your user account and then login to the cloud portal. You should see what that parent sees.

Jo