Set up how your school counts a whole day
Turn each student's class marks into one result for the whole school day: pick a starting point, read its sentences, change a number, try a made-up day, then turn it on in three steps.
87 sec Admin Recorded
What happens, step by step
- 1 Start on the admin Dashboard; click Settings in the sidebar, then the Attendance tab.
- 2 Under School Attendance Setup, open a school that takes attendance in every class. Its How we count a school day row says Off; click Set up.
- 3 Pick a starting point. Each card says how it would have counted your own recent days, compared with how report cards count a day now. Half the day is a good place to start; More starting points has five others and a blank page.
- 4 Click a card to see its sentences in the preview, then click Start with it. This makes a draft: nothing changes for students yet.
- 5 Read the rule from the top. The first sentence that fits a student's day is that day's result.
- 6 Click a dashed word to change it, such as 180 minutes. When the same value is used in another sentence, that sentence changes too.
- 7 In Try a day, tap classes to mark them. The answer shows what the day counts as and which sentence decided it.
- 8 Click Review and turn on. Step 1 is when it starts: the start of the school year, the start of this term, today or another date. Days before it keep counting the built-in way.
- 9 Step 2 shows the rule, how your recent days would come out differently from report cards (for example 72 Tardy → Present), and that families, report cards and alert emails keep class marks until you show whole-day results to families. Step 3 confirms it; click Turn on.
- 10 The days from the start date are worked out in the background, and you can close the window or leave the page: the rule page shows how far it has got. When it finishes, the page says On since that date. The Calculating days switch at the top turns the rule off again.
Frequently asked questions
Which starting point should I pick?
Half the day suits most full-time schools: missing half the classes or more is an absence, and missing the start is a tardy. Time missed suits schools whose classes are different lengths. Every card shows how it would have counted your own recent days, so you can compare before you start, and you can change anything afterwards.
Does turning it on change what teachers marked?
No. Teachers keep marking each class as they do now, and class marks are never changed. The day rule adds one whole-day result for each student and school day.
Do report cards and parents see whole-day results straight away?
No. Families, report cards and alert emails keep using class marks until you turn on Show whole-day results to families on the day rule page. Staff see whole-day results as soon as the rule is on.
What happens to days before the start date?
They keep counting the built-in way, the way report cards count a day today: absent only when every class was missed. Pick the start of the school year to have every day so far worked out by the rule.
Why can't I turn it on?
The bar at the bottom of the page lists what is left. If an example day now comes out differently from the answer it was given, the button says Fix N examples to publish: change the rule back, or change or remove that example day.
Can I change the rule later?
Yes. Click Make changes, edit the draft, and publish it as a new version from today or tomorrow. Earlier versions stay under Versions.
Can I turn it off?
Yes, with the Calculating days switch at the top of the page. Every screen goes back to counting days the built-in way. Calculated days are kept and come back if you turn it on again, and class marks aren't touched.
Want to try it yourself? Start free, or read the help centre.