File Returns is a secure link between your school and the Local Authority or Organisation. You can browse for documents and send them securely, knowing that they are going directly to the LA or Organisation and can’t be viewed by anyone who is not authorised.
Please note that your school may not have the file returns option as not all Local Authorities or Organisations are subscribed to this module.
Any user with the Documents > Action permission can send and view previously sent files. This permission is granted by the Head Teacher. For more information, see our Permissions guide.
To access the File Returns area, click the LA option on your main toolbar and select File Returns.
Responding to an LA File Request
Your Local Authority can issue file requests targeting specific schools as part of a single file collection. If your LA has created a file request with your school included in its audience, it will look something like this.
The request issue date and deadline will be displayed here, along with the current status of the collection.
If you have multiple available requests, use the filters at the top of this section to refine your search.
Hopefully, the request name should include enough information to outline the file the Local Authority requires; however, for more information, click the Info icon to see a description (providing the LA entered one).
Submitting Files
When you are ready to return a file as part of that request, click Upload & Send.
Search for your file via File Explorer or drag and drop it into the upload section. Then, you can add any additional details or contextual information by typing them in the Comment box.
Please note that if your Local Authority has specified an expected file type, when you browse for files, only files of that type will be available for selection.
If the request has an Expected File Type, you must ensure you're sending the correct file type displayed; otherwise, the file will not be uploaded, and you'll see a similar error to the one below.
You can add multiple individual files to a request and send them in one go. If you prefer to zip them yourself first, please ensure the Expected File Type for the request allows zip files.
Once you are happy, click Confirm & Send File.
Once sent, the status of your file will be marked as Submitted.
When your LA are satisfied that the request is complete, they may mark it as Closed. It will then be removed from your dashboard by default unless you specifically filter for closed requests.
Please note that your Local Authority can also remove your school from a request. If they initially include you in the audience, you may receive an email; however, if they then remove you, the request won't be visible inside Perspective.
Sending a Standalone File
There may be a scenario where you need to send your LA a file that isn't part of a request. In this instance
Click the File Returns option in the LA Services/Services menu and select the Standalone Files tab before clicking Send Standalone File.
Browse for your file or use the drag-and-drop functionality to add it to the upload area before adding a comment and clicking Confirm & Send File when done.
Your Local Authority will then be able to download that file from their LA system.
Once they have downloaded that file, the Received On and Received By fields in your dashboard will update accordingly.
If you believe you have uploaded the wrong document or you wish to make changes to it, click the Recall option.
Please note that once the file has been downloaded by the LA or Organisation, you will be unable to recall it.
Files that you have sent to the LA will remain in the system for 30 days after sending. You can download these by clicking on the file name. After 30 days, the information will still show in the Files Previously Sent table, but the file will be unavailable for download.
Rejected Files
Your Local Authority can choose to reject a file you send them if it's not exactly what they require. When this happens, the user that sent the file within your Perspective account will be emailed, and the file status will change to Rejected.
You can address the issue and resubmit the file by clicking Replace File. The rejection reason will be displayed when replacing the file or hovering over the Info icon, so you have information about why the LA rejected it, without having to start a separate conversation!