SchoolBase (app) Documentation Doc Version: 1 (initial release) App Version: 1 (initial release)
Contents Introduction... 2 Licencing and Setup... 2 Please Note... 2 App Manager... 3 Main Modules... 4 Reorder...4 Enabling and Disabling...4 Rename...4 Two-Step Authentication... 5 Notice Board Composer... 6 Notice Board Manager... 7 App Setup Steps... 8 Two-Step Authentication... 9 Forgotten PIN... 9 Main Menu... 10 SchoolBase... 10 Change PIN... 10 Log Out... 10 Dashboard... 10 Notice Board... 11 Notification Shade... 11 Notice Board Composer... 12 AM/PM Registration... 13 Important Notes... 13 Register Data Generation...13 Saving Changes...13 Calendar... 14 Cover Requests... 15 Lesson Plans... 16 Pupil Finder... 17 Timetable... 18 1
Introduction SchoolBase is available on ios and Android and is intended as an enhancement to the current experience, rather than a replacement. It is available to Staff, Pupils, and Parents and can be configured via SchoolBase Online, using the App Manager. Please note that all in-app screenshots were created using a Google Pixel handset, running an internal build of SchoolBase, logged in to a staff account. Licencing and Setup The app is available to all full-service schools, and your school will need to provide Furlong with a few details before the app is available to your users. To enable the app, Furlong requires the following: Data Domain (the domain used when logging into SchoolBase Online) The logo you would like users to see (typically your school s logo) in PNG format Your SchoolBase URL (for those schools who host locally) typically something like https://schoolbase.myschool.org/ Schools will need to provide users with the school s ID code (sometimes called a School Number or similar). Please contact Furlong if you do not know it. Please Note At launch, SchoolBase is offered in English (UK) only. Language support will be included in an upcoming release. 2
App Manager Schools can choose which modules to make available to Staff, Pupils, and Parents using the App Manager. This can be enabled in Forms & Reports, like any other menu item. The App Manager offers a simple interface consisting of a grid listing the main components, and two separate sections for Two-Step Authentication and Notice Board Composer. 3
Main Modules These can be thought of as functionally similar to Menu Items in SchoolBase. They can be renamed, reordered, and enabled/disabled. The grid containing the Main Module controls is shown below: Reorder Clicking either of the Display Order buttons will move the module one step in the chosen direction. In the app, this affects both the dashboard, and the slide-in menu. Enabling and Disabling Modules can be enabled or disabled for each user type. Some modules are not available to certain user types, so these options are disabled. Rename To rename a module, click its name. This will open the following dialogue: 4
From this dialogue, you can update the Display Name of the module, as well as toggle its availability to Staff, Pupils, and Parents. The default state is shown on the right of the dialogue. If the Display Name field is left blank, the default Display Name will be used in the app. Two-Step Authentication Schools can choose to require a 4-digit PIN to unlock the app. If enabled, the PIN will be asked for every time the app is opened. See App Setup Steps for more information. 5
Notice Board Composer For some time, staff have been able to send messages to pupils and their parents via the SchoolBase Notice Board. The app extends this functionality further, allowing parents to send messages to their pupils tutor, subject teacher, head of house, etc. Pupils can also send messages to these staff members. It is possible to enable/disable this functionality for various user types. See Notice Board for more information. Clicking the Manage button ( ) will open the Notice Board Manager. 6
Notice Board Manager In order for pupils / parents to be able to contact the school, schools must set up nominated recipients for each academic year group. By default, none are set. Each member of staff can be a nominated recipient for any number of academic years, and once setup, a given year s recipients can be cloned to all other years. If an academic year does not have any nominated recipients, pupils (and their parents) belonging to it will not be able to contact the school via the Notice Board these years are shown in red. 7
App Setup Steps When opening the app for the first time, you will be prompted for your school s ID code. Enter your school s code, and click the Search button. After a brief pause, the app will style itself using your school s colours and logo. You will be asked for your Username and Password. You can also change the Database Domain, if needed. The app will then contact your SchoolBase instance and request an authorisation token. This token is authenticated against your user account, meaning you do not have to enter a password each time you close and reopen the app. 8
Two-Step Authentication If your school has enabled Two-Step Authentication for your user type, you will be required to create a new PIN. Your PIN is encrypted and stored locally (on the device). Your device s keyboard is not used to enter it (so there is no risk of you being prompted by autocorrect particularly on third-party keyboards) and it is never sent anywhere (not to SchoolBase, not to your school, not to Furlong). Type a new 4-digit PIN and tap Enter. Confirm your new PIN, and you will be taken to the Dashboard you will need to remember your PIN for subsequent logins. Forgotten PIN If you forget your PIN, tap the Options button ( ) and select Forgot my PIN. You will be asked to confirm that you want to log out of SchoolBase. You will then be required to setup a new PIN, following the steps above. 9
Main Menu The Main Menu can be accessed by tapping the menu icon ( ). Each module to which you have access is listed, in the order set by your school, along with a few extras, detailed below. SchoolBase The SchoolBase link will launch your default browser and navigate to SchoolBase Online. You will be automatically signed in. Change PIN If your school has enabled Two-Step Authentication, the option to change your PIN is available. Log Out Logging out of SchoolBase will delete your authentication token and return you to the Login screen. You will need to log in with your username and password before you can continue using the app. If Two-Step Authentication was enabled, you will need to set it up again. Dashboard The Dashboard is similar to the Quick Launch gadget in SchoolBase Online. Each module to which you have access is listed on it. To go to a module, tap its card. You can return to the Dashboard at any time, by touching your school s logo in the Main Menu. 10
Notice Board The Notice Board can be accessed via the Main Menu, the Dashboard, or the notification icon ( ). A count of how many unread notices you have is shown in both the Main Menu, and on the Dashboard. From the Unread tab, notices can be marked as read doing so means they are no longer included in the counts on the Main Menu and Dashboard. The Read tab shows notices you have marked as read. You can mark a notice as unread again if you wish. It will then be included in the counts on the Main Menu and Dashboard. The Options menu includes the ability to mark all notices as read/unread. Notices can be coloured, as in SchoolBase Online. On the Notice Board view (shown right), this colour is represented by the stripe below the date and sender. On the Notification Shade (below), it is represented by the dot shown before the date. Notification Shade Throughout the app, where an Options menu is not required, the notification icon (mentioned above) is shown. If it is filled, you have unread notices. If it is hollow, you do not. Tapping the icon will show the Notification Shade. The Notification Shade shows only your unread notices. Tapping a notice will display it, along with an option to mark it as read. 11
Notice Board Composer The Notice Board Composer allows you to send a notice to another user/group of users. Clicking the Change button below the list of Recipients will show a dialogue allowing you to choose recipients. The available options vary depending on who you are, and what you are entitled to see. At time of writing: Staff can send to Pupils / Tag Groups, and other staff. Pupils can send to school s nominated contacts (described previously) Parents can send to pupils associated with their account, and the school s nominated contacts (described previously) It should be noted that notices are neither threaded nor contextual, so should be used for sending short, simple messages rather than as a conversation engine. The Due Date determines when the notice should begin showing on the recipient s Notice Board. Notices are no longer shown after their Expiry Date. A colour can also be set. 12
AM/PM Registration This module allows staff to mark pupils AM/PM attendance, a week at a time. To change a pupil s mark, tap the placeholder/existing mark. You will be presented with a list of available marks. Tap one to insert it. The Options menu includes a Quick Fill feature, allowing you to mark all (or all unmarked) pupils at once. Important Notes Register Data Generation On first opening, this module can take a few seconds to load this is because (just as in SchoolBase Online) if this is you first visit to AM/PM Registration for a given week, the data it relies on will not exist, so it creates it. This process typically takes between 3 and 7 seconds. Saving Changes Unlike in SchoolBase Online, the changes you make are not saved in real time. This is to save on potential roaming costs (it is far more efficient to send a single data package, than many smaller ones). It is important therefore to remember to manually tap the Save option when you are done marking the register (a Cancel option also exists, to roll the register back to the state it was in when you first opened it). To help reduce the likelihood of lost data, the module tracks changes and will not allow you to navigate away if the register is dirty (i.e. you have made changes that you have not yet saved). The Save and Cancel options appear at the bottom of the Register list, and in the Options menu. The Quick Fill feature Select Mark dialogue The Save and Cancel options 13
Calendar The Calendar module shows all the events from your calendar, for a chosen date range. The stripe in each card represents the event s colour (if it has one). To lower mobile data usage, the default behaviour is to load today s events. There is a toggle switch to quickly flip between today and this week. Alternatively, you can set your own date range by updating the from and to fields, and then clicking the Search button. Those events occurring today appear in a yellow card, and if the event starts or ends today, this is indicated with a badge ( ). More details about an event can be seen by tapping the More button. 14
Cover Requests The Cover Requests module allows staff to report an absence, and to manage previously-submitted absence reports. The Current tab shows those Cover Requests which start or end in the future, while the Previous tab shows requests/absences which have already ended. To submit a new Cover Request, switch to the New tab (+). Select the days the absence will cover, choosing the relevant start and end periods, and select a reason. Some reasons require further information: fill in the Notes field if required. Click Save. Any affected Lessons (i.e. those on your timetable that you will miss) will be shown, one lesson per card. Fill in any relevant notes, and click Save Changes. 15
Lesson Plans The Lesson Plans module allows staff to set lesson plans, and homework assignments, and to quickly see which pupils have made submissions. Lesson Plan (notes), Homework Instructions, a deadline, and whether or not the assignment requires pupils to submit work online can all be set. You can filter by group and/or date. Uploading / Downloading of files and handling of edata will be made available in a later release. Lesson Plan Editor Submission Viewer 16
Pupil Finder The Pupil Finder module provides a quick and efficient way of accessing pupils basic information, and contact information. Enter a search term (and/or choose a tag) and tap the Search button. Tap a pupil to bring up their information. By default, the pupil s Contacts are expanded. The Primary contact is highlighted in blue, and their details are shown. Tapping another contact will switch to that contact, while tapping on a phone number will dial that number (on supported devices). Basic information, and Siblings can also be expanded. Additional information, including Emergency and Medical alerts will be made available in a later release. 17
Timetable The Timetable module shows your (or your children s) timetable. The Options button allows free periods to be shown/hidden. You can move forward/backward in time, one day at a time, by tapping the arrow buttons, or you can choose a date from the date picker. 18