We are excited to share several new feature enhancements designed to streamline school-to-home processes and significantly enhance the SchoolsBuddy user experience for our schools. These updates will increase efficiency, communication, data accuracy, and lots more! Let’s take a closer look.
Administrative Updates
We’ve streamlined several administrative features to ensure smoother operations. The Pre-select students and Multi Add to Groups tools can now correctly filter by gender, making group management more efficient. Additionally, we’ve refined the Preference and FCFS Containers, allowing admins to remove student selections and allocations at the same time.
Meanwhile, improvements to the Reception User Search Bar mean faster, more accurate results, and manually booked students now show up correctly in Groups. Furthermore, we’ve optimised the display of contact information for multi-school users to ensure vital information is formatted properly for easier readability.
Communication Updates
Our communication tools received several key improvements to enhance messaging efficiency. We’ve optimised the Send Communications tool to ensure that attachments now accompany emails on all screens (by updating individual Groups communications screens so that attachments can be sent from these as well as the main Messages Centre), and enhanced the functionality to allow sending multiple messages with the same attachment seamlessly.
To avoid redundancy, duplicated absentee emails have been eliminated. Several message details, including group/year/person information, timestamps, and error messages have been clarified and improved.
We also improved the message icon alignment for a more consistent appearance and made it easier to unarchive messages from your ‘Sent’ folder. Lastly, the redundant ‘+’ button for users without relatives has been removed.
Diary Updates
Updates to the Diary system this month were focused on synchronisation across platforms. We reviewed diary filtering and visibility of fee-only events. Additionally, the language used for transport event student statuses has been aligned across web and app interfaces.
We also improved the iCal and Google integrations to ensure your calendar events now accurately reflect the correct timezone settings.
Fee Updates
Our recent fee management updates target key areas to ensure more timely financial tracking. We refined the Transfer Out and Balance Outstanding columns to ensure that balance updates are being processed smoothly and efficiently.
We also reviewed and addressed niche scenarios where duplicate charges had been possible, enhancing our error prevention measures. These fixes help to maintain precise and reliable fee tracking, giving schools and parents peace of mind.
Signup Updates
Signups are now more reliable with several critical enhancements in place. We recently updated our timezone management software having thoroughly reviewed the functionality in relation to signups. This included improving the parent experience in unique scenarios, such as when a latecomer is halfway through making a booking – when a signup closes – and doesn’t quite make it. We’ve enhanced the formatting during preference resubmissions and ensured that Instant Book accurately displays the Signup Closed Modal.
Restrictions on booking multiple events over several days are now seamlessly enforced, and the Join Request function is optimised to handle multiple changes when a student can’t decide if they’re in or out. Additionally, the user experience around transport configuration recognition and minimum weekly selections for families with multiple children has been improved.
Other Updates
Finally, various other improvements have been implemented to enhance overall system functionality. The GG4L Import now effectively reactivates previously deleted parents, ensuring data consistency. We’ve enhanced the integration with SSO providers to support longer names seamlessly. Transport Live Route Data refreshes are now more targeted, and invoice reminders properly copy parents into corporate bills. Lastly, recipient names are now visible in overdue reminder emails, making communication clearer and more personalised.
Coming Soon
Get ready to elevate your school’s sports experience with our new Sports Portal, launching very soon!
Designed for both staff and parents/students, the portal will offer a comprehensive view of all upcoming and past fixtures and results at a glance. Staff will enjoy full visibility of fixtures, with the ability to set favourite teams and access results as soon as they’re released. During matches, results, stats, and match reports will be seamlessly recorded in one place, updating in real-time. Plus, streamline match day preparations with downloadable team sheets!
To learn more about any of our updates and enhancements, whether you are a SchoolsBuddy user or not, book a free demo with a member of our team.
Does your school use SchoolsBuddy?
Demo
Learn more about new SchoolsBuddy features and additional modules.
Free 1 hour online session
For leadership and management staff across activities, sports, finance, and IT directors
1-1 or group session
What to expect:
- Hosted by your dedicated Account Manager for your school’s activities, sports, administrative, IT and finance teams
- Find out about:
- Our recent SchoolsBuddy updates
- New modules
- Getting the most out of existing features
- Learn how SchoolsBuddy can streamline your activities, bookings, parent-teacher conferences, billing and transport via a centralised platform
- Create a bespoke package of individual modules or use all SchoolsBuddy’s features as your complete school portal
Training
Receive in-depth training on SchoolsBuddy features.
Free 45 minute session about your chosen topic
Configure your session to respond to your ECA, PTC, transport, sport, booking and billing needs. Sessions needs to be booked by an SchoolsBuddy Admin
1-1 or group session
What to expect:
- Hosted by a Customer Success team member with intimate knowledge of your school’s account
- A personal, in-depth online training on SchoolsBuddy features. The session is tailored to your exact needs so you will be able to specify the topics and features you want training in
- Benefit from refined School-to-Home processes and best-practices
- Suitable for all skill levels, whether your school just started with SchoolsBuddy or is a seasoned user
Other Training Options
Onsite Training
Paid onsite training for schools that wish to compress training time or prefer onsite support – available during working hours, Monday through Friday.
Curious about our team, our user satisfaction, and all available training options?
Demo
Your school doesn’t use SchoolsBuddy but you're curious to learn more.
What to expect:
- A personal, guided walkthrough of SchoolsBuddy for your school’s activities, sports, administrative, IT and finance teams as well as senior leadership
- Learn how SchoolsBuddy can streamline your activities, bookings, parent-teacher conferences, billing and transport via a centralised platform
- Create a bespoke package of individual modules or use all SchoolsBuddy’s features as your complete school portal
