School Operations & User Manual

1.1 Accessing the Portal, Logging In & Account Security

Every staff member accesses SchoolMate using secure institutional credentials. Your assigned role automatically routes you to your dedicated workspace upon signing in.

1. Opening the School Portal: Open your school's dedicated web address (such as your institution's custom subdomain or local campus portal link) in any modern web browser, or click Login from the top navigation bar.
2. Entering Credentials: Type your Username or Registered Official Email Address and your Password, then click Sign In.
3. Automated Role-Based Landing Workspace:
   • Administrators & Head Teachers: Land on the Executive Dashboard showing school-wide enrollment, term collections, pending approvals, and academic KPIs.
   • Bursars & Accounts Staff: Land on the Financial Reporting Hub for instant access to fee collections, cash book registers, and reconciliation summaries.
   • Teachers: Land on the Teacher Workspace displaying assigned teaching loads, class timetables, daily attendance shortcuts, and open grade sheets.
   • General Support Staff: Land on the Employee Self-Service Portal displaying monthly payslips, document uploads, and fund request tracking.
   • Security Officers: Land directly on the Gate Pass verification registry, visitor lanyard desk, and identity scanner.
   • School Nurses: Land on the Medical Bay workspace showing active sickbay beds, outpatient clinic logs, and pharmacy inventory.
4. Rate-Limiting Security Lockout: To protect school records against brute-force password guessing, typing an incorrect password 10 times within 60 seconds temporarily locks the login form. Wait for the lockout timer to expire or contact your System Administrator to verify your account status.
5. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Staff with elevated administrative or financial privileges can secure their account using time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) through mobile authenticator applications (such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator). Store your emergency 8-digit recovery codes securely offline.
6. Self-Service Password Recovery: If you forget your password, click Forgot Password? on the login form, enter your verified email address, and follow the one-time secure link sent to your inbox to establish a new password.

1.2 System Navigation, Workspace Anatomy & Keyboard Shortcuts

Once logged in, the SchoolMate workspace is organized into four consistent, intuitive interaction zones:

• 1. Sticky Topbar: Stays pinned to the top of your screen. Contains the Sidebar Toggle Button (school crest icon to collapse or expand the left menu for extra workspace), your School Name, the Curriculum Badge (e.g. PRIMARY ONLY or SECONDARY ONLY), your Profile Avatar (click to update your details or change your password), and the Logout button ().
• 2. Collapsible Left Sidebar: Groups all modules logically into collapsible sections (Dashboard, Approval Hub with a real-time pending-request counter badge, School Calendar, Admissions, Academic, Finance, Procurement, HR & Payroll, Communication, Services, and Settings). Links dynamically appear or hide depending on your assigned staff permissions.
• 3. Main Workspace Canvas: The central working area where data tables, progressive entry forms, interactive charts, and printable cards render.
• 4. Administrator Masquerade (Impersonation) Mode: Authorized System Administrators can troubleshoot issues by clicking Login As on any staff profile. While active, a high-visibility yellow security banner appears across the top of every screen with an Exit Masquerade button, and all actions remain permanently attributed to the administrator in the audit logs.

1.3 Device Compatibility, Screen Sizes & Hardware Peripherals

SchoolMate is built as a responsive web platform that runs on any modern operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, Android, iOS) without requiring local software installations.

1.4 First-Time School Setup Wizard (5-Step Guided Onboarding)

When a new school portal is first initialized (or whenever an administrator clicks Launch Setup Wizard inside Settings), a guided 5-step onboarding workflow establishes your institution's core operational baseline:

1. Step 1 (School Identity & Operating Currency): Confirm Official School Name, School Type (Pre-Primary Only, Primary Only, Primary + Nursery, or Secondary Only), Official Phone, Email, Physical Campus Location, and Primary Operating Currency (UGX, KES, or USD).
2. Step 2 (Academic Year & Term Dates): Set the Current Academic Year (e.g. 2026), select the Active Term (Term 1 to Term 3), and enter the exact Start and End dates for each term. These dates automatically populate the school calendar, fee schedules, and report card term closing dates.
3. Step 3 (Curriculum & Grading System): Choose your school's standard assessment scale:
   • Primary (PLE): Tracks Aggregates and Divisions I, II, III, IV, and U.
   • Secondary UNEB O-Level: Standard Ugandan D1 to F9 subject grading.
   • New Lower Secondary (NLSC): Competency descriptors on the 1.0 to 3.0 scale with Activities of Integration (AOI).
   • Secondary A-Level (UACE): Multi-paper combinations with A to F principal grade points and subsidiary papers.
   • Percentage Scale: Standard 0–100% letter grades (A, B, C, D, F).
4. Step 4 (Grade Levels & Streams Setup): Click Yes, create default classes to automatically generate standard class levels based on your school type (Baby to Top, P.1 to P.7, or S.1 to S.6), or choose manual setup to configure custom class names and sections.
5. Step 5 (Finish & Synchronization): Commits all baseline settings, initializes the active term session across all modules, and establishes the school configuration record.

1.5 Built-In Staff Roles, Access Permissions & Segregation of Duties

SchoolMate includes pre-configured staff roles tailored to East African school structures, each scoped with least-privilege permissions and Maker-Checker governance safeguards.

1.6 Role-Based "First 5 Minutes" Quick-Start Action Checklists

When starting work in SchoolMate, follow these immediate action checklists tailored to your operational role:

2.1 School Configuration (7-Tab Administration Hub)

The Administration Hub controls your school's global parameters across seven vertical tabs:

1. School Identity Tab: Set Official School Name, School Type (Pre-Primary Only, Primary Only, Primary + Pre, Secondary Only), Residency Mode (Mixed (Day & Boarding), Day Only, Boarding Only), School Motto, Contact Phone/Email/Address, and Social Media URLs.
2. Logo & Branding Tab: Upload your Main School Logo (displayed on headers and login screens) and your Official School Seal / Stamp (automatically embedded onto Report Cards and Official Fee Receipts). Supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP.
3. Academic Session Tab: Set the Current Academic Year and Active Term / Quarter (Term 1–4). Saving a new active session updates the active year and term across the school, archives previous years in the Session History Registry, and resets your termly SMS quota allocation.
4. Financial Accounts Tab:
   • Bank Account Registry: Click + Add Account to register school bank accounts (Bank Name, Account Name, Account Number [6–20 digits], Branch, City, Street Address, and Purpose/Fund Label). New accounts enter Pending Approval status for Maker-Checker verification. Use Set as Settlement to designate the primary payout bank account.
   • Internal Payment Notifications: Choose Notification Channel (Disabled, Email Only, SMS Only, or Both SMS & Email), enter comma-separated Bursar/Admin emails and phone numbers, and customize the alert message template using clickable placeholders ({student_name}, {student_guid}, {student_class}, {amount}, {receipt_no}, {payment_method}).
   • Approval Hub Notifications: Select staff recipients who receive email alerts when HR documents are uploaded for approval.
   • Invoice Void Grace Period: Set the number of days (default 14 Days) within which pending optional-fee invoices are automatically waived if a student unsubscribes from that optional service.
   • Academic Results Enforcement: Toggle Block Results on Arrears (Yes/No) and specify the Grace Threshold Amount (e.g., UGX 5,000) above which students and parents are blocked from viewing report cards until fees are cleared or an override is granted.
5. Grading Scales Tab: Switch between UNEB O-Level (D1–F9), New Lower Secondary (NLSC 1–3), Primary (PLE D1–F9), A-Level UACE (A–F), and Standard Percentage (A–F). Customize minimum score percentages (`Min Score %`), grade labels, and—for Primary schools—Division Boundaries (Max Aggregate) for Divisions I, II, III, IV, and U.
6. Plan & Billing Tab: View your active SchoolMate subscription tier, per-student billing cycle, SMS credit balance, and platform invoices.
7. Security Tab: Configure campus security rules including Gate Pass Curfew Hours (start and end times) and the Visitor Card Prefix (such as VIS-).

2.2 Roles & Permissions Control Center (RBAC)

Create custom staff roles and toggle granular module-by-module permissions with built-in lockout protection for the master Administrator account.

1. Select any role from the left-hand System & Custom Roles list (note: the master Administrator role has all permissions permanently locked to prevent accidental lockouts).
2. To create a specialized role (e.g., Director of Studies, Senior Woman Teacher, Store Keeper), click + Add Custom Role, enter the Role Name, unique short identifier, and Description, and click Create Role.
3. Check or uncheck granular permissions grouped by module (Academics, Admissions, Approvals, Assets, Attendance, Communication, Finance, Gate Passes, HR, Identity, Library, Procurement, Requirements, Students, Surveys, System, Timetable, Transport, Visitors).
4. Click Save Permissions. For built-in system roles, you can revert to factory permissions anytime by clicking Restore Defaults.

2.3 Managing Staff Accounts & Parents Registry

Provision login credentials, reset passwords, manage account status, or masquerade into staff and parent accounts for troubleshooting.

• Creating & Managing Staff Accounts: Click + Add Staff, provide Full Name, Email, Designation, and System Role. If you leave Username or Password blank, SchoolMate auto-generates a unique username and a secure human-readable password and displays them in the confirmation banner. Use the row actions to Edit Details / Reset Password, Activate / Deactivate login access, or Login As (Masquerade).
• Parents & Guardians Directory: Lists all parent/guardian accounts linked to enrolled students, displaying their National ID (NIN), phone number, email, number of linked children, and quick actions to inspect linked students, reset parent portal passwords, or masquerade for support.

2.4 School Calendar, Term Dates & Automated Event Reminders

Maintain official Term 1–3 opening/closing dates (which automatically flow onto student Report Cards) and schedule school-wide events with automated reminders.

1. Initializing & Updating Term Dates: Staff with permission to manage term dates (such as Administrators or Directors of Studies) can click Initialize Terms (if terms are not yet created for the active year) or update the Start Date and End Date of Term 1, Term 2, and Term 3 in the Term Schedule panel and click Save Term Dates. Term closing and next-term opening dates automatically flow onto student Report Cards!
2. Scheduling School Events: Click + Add Event (or click any date on the interactive calendar). Enter Event Title, Description, Start/End Date & Time (or toggle All Day Event), Event Category (Academic, Exams, Sports, Holiday, Meeting), Color badge, and Target Audience (Everyone, Staff Only, Teachers Only, Parents & Students, or Specific Individuals).
3. Automated Reminders: Select one or more reminder intervals (e.g., 1 Day Before, 3 Days Before, 7 Days Before) and click Save Event.

2.5 Email Templates & System Audit Logs

Customize transactional email templates with dynamic merge variables and inspect the immutable forensic activity log across all modules.

• Customizing Email Templates: Select any automated email template from the left list (e.g., Welcome Emails, Fee Receipts, Password Resets, Document Approvals). Edit the Subject and rich-text HTML Body using the visual editor and insert dynamic variables displayed in the blue banner (e.g., {{name}}, {{school_name}}), then click Save Template.
• Inspecting Audit & Activity Logs: Every sensitive action in SchoolMate is recorded with a timestamp, user account, module, action taken, and complete activity details. Filter by Module, Action, or Staff User and click Filter to conduct forensic or compliance audits.

3.1 How Maker-Checker Governance Protects Your School

To prevent unauthorized fee waivers, unverified expenditures, or accidental billing changes, SchoolMate enforces a strict Maker-Checker (Two-Person) control model. When a staff member ("Maker") initiates a sensitive action, it enters a Pending queue and increments the red counter badge on the Approval Hub sidebar link until an authorized "Checker" reviews and approves or rejects it.

3.2 General Approvals Tab (Residency, Staff Documents & Asset Disposals)

Review and sign off on non-voucher administrative requests including Day/Boarding residency switches, HR credential/signature uploads, and fixed asset disposals.

• Student Residency Changes (Day ↔ Boarding): When staff change a student's residential status on their profile, a request lands here showing the exact financial impact. Clicking Approve updates the student's residency and automatically bills or waives boarding fee invoices for the active term.
• Staff Document Uploads & Signatures: When teachers or staff upload academic credentials, national IDs, or digital signatures (for report cards), administrators preview the file inline and click Approve or Reject (which emails the staff member).
• Fixed Asset Write-Offs & Maintenance Requests: Asset disposal or write-off requests submitted from the Fixed Asset Register require administrative sign-off here before the asset status changes to Disposed.

3.3 Financial & Procurement Approvals Tab

Execute two-tier financial sign-offs across expense vouchers, salary advances, procurement requisitions, student discounts, and requirements exemptions.

1. Expense Vouchers & Salary Advances:
   • Bursar Review Stage: The Bursar inspects pending vouchers against budget vote lines and the salary advance policy limit (configurable via the Policy Settings button, default 50% of gross monthly salary), adds review remarks, and marks the voucher Review & Forward.
   • Final Approval Stage: The Head Teacher or Administrator reviews the Bursar-verified voucher and clicks Final Approve (unlocking disbursement in Voucher Payments) or Reject.
2. Procurement Requisitions (Smart Value-Based Routing): Requisitions first undergo Internal Review. If the requisition total is below the school's configured Single-Tier Approval Threshold, the reviewer's sign-off immediately approves it for Purchase Order creation; if it exceeds the threshold, it automatically escalates to Final Executive Approval.
3. Student & Invoice Discounts (Bursaries): Both single-invoice discount overrides and persistent term-over-term student discounts (%) appear here with their justification notes for approval or rejection.
4. Student Requirements Exemptions: Requests to exempt a student from bringing termly physical requirements are approved or rejected here by authorized finance administrators.

3.4 Approval History & Audit Trail

Switch to the History tab inside the Approval Hub and use the sub-pills (Expense Vouchers, Discounts, General Requests) to inspect past approved or rejected requests, who authorized them, and the exact timestamp of resolution.

4.1 Configuring the Public Online Admissions Portal

Control when your online application portal is open, which grade levels are accepting applicants, and whether an application fee is required.

1. Copy your school's Public Admissions Link from the top banner to share on your website or social channels.
2. Under Portal Status, toggle Accepting New Applications ON and set the application window Start Date and End Date.
3. Under Available Classes, check the pill boxes for each base grade level open for intake (streams are assigned later upon approval).
4. Under Fee Settings, select the Application Fee Type:
   • Not Required — Applicants submit forms without payment.
   • Optional (Can submit without paying) or Mandatory (Must pay to complete) — Enter the Fee Amount (UGX) and Payment Period (Days) before unpaid applications expire.
5. Click Save Changes.

4.2 Reviewing Online Applications & One-Click Stream Enrollment

Inspect applicant bio-data, previous exam results, and uploaded documents, then approve and enroll approved candidates into a target stream in one click.

1. Filter incoming applications by Tracking No. / Name or Status (Pending, Approved, Rejected, Enrolled) and click View on an applicant row.
2. On the Application Details screen, review the applicant's bio-data, Academic Background (Previous School, NIN, LIN, Previous Index No. & Aggregates), Parent/Guardian details, and click View on any uploaded supporting documents.
3. If an application fee was required and paid offline, authorized finance staff can click Mark as Paid in the Payment Status card.
4. In the right-hand Actions card, select the target stream from the Assign to Stream dropdown and click Approve & Enroll. SchoolMate automatically creates the student record, links the parent account, and enrolls the student into the chosen stream for the active academic year.

4.3 Enrolling Students Directly: Quick Enroll Wizard vs. Full Form

SchoolMate provides two ways to enroll individual students directly:

1. 4-Step Quick Enroll Modal (Quick Enroll button):
   • Step 1 (Student): Enter First/Last/Other Names, Gender, DOB, Residential Status (Day / Boarding), Student NIN (mandatory for Primary & Secondary), Learner ID (LIN), Religion, and Nationality.
   • Step 2 (Parent): Enter the Parent/Guardian NIN * and click Check. If the parent already has another child in the school, SchoolMate auto-fills and links their existing parent profile! Otherwise, enter Guardian Name, Relationship, Phone, Email, and Emergency Contact.
   • Step 3 (Academic): Select Assign Class * and Entry Type * (Fresh Enrollment vs. Transfer Student) and keep Auto-bill mandatory fees for this class checked if you want termly invoices generated immediately. Note: Selecting a Pre-Primary class (Baby, Middle, Top) dynamically unlocks Pre-Primary Details (Authorized Pick-up Persons, Pediatrician Contact, Immunization Status, and Potty-Trained status).
   • Step 4 (Documents): Upload the Student Photo (includes an interactive Crop & Save photo cropper) and Birth Certificate, then click Enroll Student.
2. Full Enrollment Form (+ icon next to Quick Enroll): Includes all fields above plus Blood Group, Medical Notes, Previous PLE/UCE Index Numbers, and—when enrolling into S.5 or S.6—an optional A-Level Combination selector that automatically enrolls the student into the combination's 3 Principal and 2 Subsidiary subjects.

4.4 Mass Student CSV Import & Data Health Audit

Onboard entire classes from CSV templates with an automated pre-commit NIN/GUID health audit and optional opening arrears migration.

1. Step 1 (Upload): Download the appropriate CSV template (Download Minimal Template, Download Pre-Primary Template, or Download Full Template). Populate your students (including the optional previous_arrears_optional column for opening fee balances), select the Academic Year and Target Class, choose your CSV file, and click Upload & Audit Data.
2. Step 2 (Data Audit & Health Check): Review the pre-import audit table showing NEW, MATCHES (Master Registry Matches), SKIPPED (already enrolled), and BLOCKED (NIN REQ) rows. Click Proceed to Commit.
3. Confirm Import Modal: Choose whether to Auto-bill mandatory fees, select the Enrollment Type (Fresh Enrollment (New Intake) vs. System Migration (Existing Students)—which suppresses one-time new-intake admission fees while still billing regular termly fees and any opening arrears), toggle Send Welcome Emails, and click Confirm & Commit.

4.5 Managing the 360° Student Profile, Wallet & Fee Subscriptions

Manage stream transfers, A-Level combinations, elective subjects, persistent discounts, optional fee subscriptions, and the student pocket-money wallet.

• Moving Streams / Changing Class: Click the pencil icon next to the student's class badge on the left Profile Card, select the New Class / Stream, and click Move Student.
• A-Level Combinations & Elective Subjects: On the left column, click the pencil icon on the A-Level Combination card (for S.5/S.6) or Enrolled Electives card to update the student's subject enrollments. Principal subjects from an A-Level combination are automatically locked with a Principal badge.
• Persistent Student Discounts (Maker-Checker): In the Persistent Discounts card, click Request Discount, enter the Discount Percentage (%) and Reason / Justification, and click Submit Request. Once approved in the Approval Hub, the discount automatically applies to future invoices until an administrator clicks Revoke.
• Optional Fee Subscriptions: In the Fee Subscriptions card, toggle switches ON or OFF for optional fees (e.g., Transport, Boarding). Turning a subscription ON bills the current term's invoice; turning it OFF automatically waives pending invoices within the school's configured Invoice Void Grace Period.
• Student Pocket-Money Wallet: Click Manage Wallet on the profile. Authorized finance staff can click Fund Wallet (supports Cash, Bank Deposit with slip upload, or live Mobile Money STK Push) or Deduct Funds (for canteen/pocket money withdrawals, damage penalties, or refunds) and print chronological wallet statements.

4.6 Discipline Ledger, No-Show Approvals, Offboarding & Certificates

Track student merits/demerits, void current-term invoices for approved No-Show students, enforce debt/library clearance on offboarding, and print Leaving Certificates.

• Disciplinary Record: Accessed via View Full Record on the student profile. Click Log Infraction (Minor, Major, or Severe/Expulsion Risk with 0–50 Demerit Points) or Award Merit (0–20 Merit Points). Pending infractions can be marked resolved via the Resolve button.
• Flagging No-Show Students: If a billed student does not report for the term, the Class Teacher, Bursar, or Admin clicks Flag as No-Show from the Students table. This immediately freezes their current-term invoices and routes a request to No-Show Approvals. When the Bursar/Admin clicks Approve (Yes, Approve & Void Invoices), current-term unpaid invoices are voided to zero and the student is marked Inactive.
• Strict Clearance Offboarding & Re-Enrollment: Clicking Offboard on a student profile runs an automatic clearance check against Unpaid Fee Invoices and Unreturned Library Books. Offboarding is blocked until both balances are zero. Once cleared, select the Reason for Leaving (Graduated, Transferred, Dropped Out, Expelled) and click Execute Offboarding to move the student to the Alumni Network. Graduated/former students who return for a higher level (e.g., S.4 graduate returning for S.5) can be reactivated anytime via Re-Enroll on the Students page.
• Leaving Certificates & Testimonies: Navigate to Services → Certificates & Testimonies and click Issue Certificate to generate and print official Leaving Certificates with unique certificate numbers.

5.1 Managing Classes, Streams & Next-Class Promotion Pathways

Configure grade levels, classroom capacities, assigned Class Teachers, and sequential Next-Class promotion mappings.

1. Classes are organized into collapsible Grade Level Accordions (e.g., Baby, Middle, Top, P.1–P.7, S.1–S.6) showing real-time classroom capacity and occupancy bars.
2. To add a stream (e.g., S.1 East, P.4 Blue), click + New Stream, select the Grade Level, enter the Section / Label, set Classroom Capacity, assign a Class Teacher, and select the Next Class (For Promotion) so the Promotion Wizard knows where this stream transitions at year-end.
3. To edit a stream or manage its elective enrollments, click the 3-dots menu on any stream card and choose Edit Stream or Subject Enrollments.

5.2 Subject Management & Class Elective Enrollments

Map Core vs. Elective curriculum subjects per grade level and enroll students into their chosen elective subjects per stream.

1. Configuring Subjects: Click + New Subject (or Reset to Defaults on a fresh database to load standard Ugandan curriculum subjects). Enter the Subject Name, Short Code (e.g., MTC, ENG, PHY), and use the Grade Mapping Matrix to tick which grade levels offer the subject as Applicable (Elective) and which require it as Mandatory (Core).
2. Enrolling Students into Electives: Open Classes → [Stream Card 3-Dots] → Subject Enrollments. Click an elective subject in the left sidebar, check the students taking that elective (or use Select All), and click Save Enrollments. Students not enrolled in an elective will have their cells automatically hatched out (`Not Enrolled`) on the Grade Entry sheet and Broadsheet.

5.3 Upper Secondary (UACE A-Level): Combinations, Multi-Paper Rules & Allocations

For Secondary schools offering S.5 and S.6, SchoolMate includes a dedicated UACE multi-paper grading and allocation engine:

1. UACE Combinations: Click Populate Defaults to auto-create standard combinations (PCM/ICT, PCB/SM, BCM/ICT, HEG/ICT, HED/SM, MEG/ICT) or click + New Combination to define a custom code with up to 3 Principal Subjects and 2 Subsidiary Subjects (e.g., General Paper + Sub-ICT / Sub-Maths).
2. Subject Calculation & Papers: Click Configure Subject, choose an A-Level subject, and select its Calculation Mode: Straight Average (e.g. (P1+P2)/2) or Custom Weighting (e.g. 40% P1, 60% P2). Next, click Papers on that subject's row to add Paper 1, Paper 2, Paper 3, etc., along with their Max Score and Weight %.
3. Teacher Paper Allocations: Because different teachers often teach different papers of the same A-Level subject (e.g., Teacher A teaches Physics Paper 1 while Teacher B teaches Physics Paper 2), select the S.5/S.6 stream at the top and click Assign Teacher on each paper row. On the Grade Entry matrix, each teacher will only be able to edit the specific paper columns allocated to them!

5.4 Teacher Directory, CSV Import & Class/Subject Load

Onboard teaching staff individually or via CSV and assign their class, subject, and A-Level paper teaching loads.

• Mass Teacher Importer: Click Import Teachers, download the CSV template, and run the 3-step audit wizard (automatically checks for missing NINs, duplicate emails, or Staff ID conflicts, generates TCHxxx IDs, and queues welcome login emails).
• Assigning Classes & Subjects: Open any teacher's profile and locate the Teaching Load & Class Assignments card. Click + Add Assignment, select the Class and Subject (plus specific A-Level papers if assigning an S.5/S.6 subject), and click Save Assignment.

5.5 Time Slots & Conflict-Free Class/Teacher Timetables

Define daily lesson periods and schedule weekly class/teacher timetables with real-time double-booking prevention.

1. Step 1 — Configure Time Slots: Click Manage Time Slots. Click Load Defaults to populate standard Ugandan Primary or Secondary lesson periods and break/lunch intervals, or click + Add Time Slot (overlap validation prevents conflicting time ranges).
2. Step 2 — Schedule Lessons: Select a Class from the filter dropdown. Hover over any cell in the Monday–Sunday grid and click the pencil icon to open the Assign Period modal. Select the Subject, Teacher, and Room / Venue, then click Save Assignment.
3. Real-Time Double-Booking Prevention: If the chosen Teacher or Room is already scheduled in another class during that exact day and period, SchoolMate blocks the assignment with a conflict alert.
4. Teacher View: Click Teacher View to inspect or print any individual teacher's weekly teaching schedule.

5.6 Intelligent Promotion & Roll-Over Wizard: Access, Scope & Auto-Provisioning

The Intelligent Promotion Wizard is a class-by-class year-end transition engine that evaluates student performance, prevents invalid grade jumps or stream collisions, balances target classroom capacities, rolls over elective subjects, and migrates unpaid fee balances into the new academic year.

• Role-Based Access & Class Scoping:
  • Administrators, Head Teachers & Directors of Studies: Have full access to promote or graduate all classes and streams across the school.
  • Assigned Class Teachers: Can access the Promotion Wizard, but the Source Class to Promote dropdown only shows the stream(s) where they are assigned as the Class Teacher for the active academic year. Teachers without an assigned class will see an access notice.
  • Financial Roll-Over Protection Guard: Only finance administrators (such as an Administrator or Bursar) can uncheck the Roll-over outstanding fee balances toggle. When a Class Teacher runs the wizard, fee rollover is permanently locked ON so unpaid school fees can never be accidentally waived during promotion.
• Automatic Next Academic Year & Term Provisioning: You do not need to switch the school's global active session before running promotions. As soon as you open the Promotion Wizard, SchoolMate checks if the next sequential Academic Year exists; if not, it automatically creates the upcoming Academic Year along with its default Term 1, Term 2, and Term 3 schedules so students can be enrolled into the upcoming year immediately while current Term 3 operations finish cleanly.

5.7 The 5 Built-In Promotion Safety Gates & Sequential Grade Ladder

Before any class can advance to student review, SchoolMate enforces five automated governance and data-integrity checks:

1. Gate 1 — Final Term Requirement: Promotions can only be executed when the school's active session is in the Final Term of the Academic Year (e.g., Term 3). During Terms 1 and 2, the wizard displays a yellow Promotions Locked banner and disables form inputs to prevent premature mid-year rollovers.
2. Gate 2 — Exam Locking & Readiness Verification (with UNEB Candidate Exception):
   • No Unlocked Exams Allowed: Every internal exam created for the source class in the final term must have its status set to Locked on the Grade Entry screen. If any exam is still open, the wizard blocks with: "Cannot proceed: All internal exams for this class must be fully graded and locked first."
   • Non-Candidate Classes: Must have at least one locked end-of-term exam recorded in the final term, otherwise promotion is blocked.
   • UNEB Candidate Classes Exception (P.7, S.4, S.6): Because terminal candidate classes sit national external examinations (PLE, UCE, UACE) in Term 3 rather than internal end-of-term school exams, SchoolMate allows candidate classes to proceed even when zero internal Term 3 exams exist—provided no internal exams are left unlocked.
3. Gate 3 — Double-Promotion Prevention: SchoolMate automatically checks whether students from the source stream already have enrollments in the target academic year or have already been graduated to alumni. Promoted streams are disabled in the dropdown with a [✓ Already Promoted] badge and blocked both client-side and server-side so a class can never be promoted twice in the same cycle.
4. Gate 4 — Stream Collision & Reservation Protection: If a destination stream (such as S.2 East) is already set as the next class for S.1 East in Class Setup—or has already received promoted students from another stream this cycle—it is marked (Reserved for S.1 East) and disabled for all other source classes. This prevents two streams from accidentally merging into a single classroom unless the Stream Balancer is enabled.
5. Gate 5 — Strict Sequential Grade Ladder (Anti-Skip & Anti-Demotion Engine): SchoolMate normalizes grade names and enforces a strict progression ladder. You cannot promote a class to itself, demote to a lower grade, skip a grade level (e.g., P.2 → P.4), or graduate a non-terminal class:

5.8 Step 1 (Setup): Configuring Class, Destination & Rules

Configure your source class, destination stream/graduation pathway, target academic year/term, pass mark threshold, and capacity/rollover rules.

1. Phase 1 — Select Source Class & Live Pathway Status: Choose a class from Source Class to Promote *. The Promotion Pathway Status panel on the right immediately evaluates the class's setup:
   • Destination Class Auto-Detected (Blue Banner): Appears when the class already has a valid sequential Next Class mapped in Academic → Classes. Phase 2 and Phase 3 unlock automatically with the destination pre-selected.
   • Alumni Graduation Pathway Selected (Green Banner): Appears for candidate classes (P.7, S.4, S.6), automatically pre-selecting 🎓 Graduate (Mark as Alumni).
   • Action Required: No Destination Class Configured (Yellow Banner & Modal): Appears if a non-candidate class has no Next Class mapped in Class Setup. Phase 3 remains locked until you manually select a valid sequential stream from the Destination Class * dropdown in Phase 2.
2. Phase 2 — Destination Class & Target Academic Session: Confirm or override the Destination Class * (only valid next-grade streams that are not reserved by another class are shown). Once selected, confirm the Target Academic Year * (auto-defaults to the next year) and Target Term (for Enrolment & Balance B/F) * (auto-defaults to Term 1 of the next year).
3. Phase 3 — Promotion Criteria & Automation Rules:
   • Minimum Pass Mark for this Class (%) *: Default 50% (supports decimals such as 45.5%). Computed against each student's cumulative average across all graded exams in the current academic year.
   • Enable Stream Balancer (Auto-Distribution): When toggled ON, SchoolMate ignores strict 1-to-1 stream mapping, automatically ensures all sibling streams of the target grade level exist in the new academic year, and distributes promoted students round-robin into whichever stream currently has the highest remaining classroom capacity (capacity - current_count).
   • Carry over elective subject allocations: Enabled by default. Automatically copies each continuing or repeating student's enrolled elective subjects (student_subjects) into the new academic year.
   • Roll-over outstanding fee balances: Enabled by default (and locked ON for teachers as well as for all graduating classes). Automatically migrates any unpaid fee balance into a "Balance Brought Forward" invoice in the target term.
4. Verify Exams & Proceed: Click Verify Exams & Proceed to Student Review. A confirmation modal (Confirm & Verify Class Setup) displays your Source Class, Target Destination, Target Period, and Pass Mark Threshold. Click Verify & Proceed to run the exam lock check and capture a point-in-time snapshot of all active students in the class.

5.9 Step 2 (Review Class): Reviewing Students & Adjusting Decisions

Inspect each student's cumulative yearly average, UNEB candidate status, and unpaid fee balance, and override individual or batch promotion fates before execution.

1. Review the Live Summary Counters: At the top of the review card, four KPI pills display Total Students, Suggested Promote (or Graduating Alumni for terminal classes), Suggested Repeat (or Repeating Finals), and total Unpaid Fee Balances across the class.
2. Inspect Individual Student Metrics:
   • Year Avg Column: Displays a green percentage badge if the student's cumulative yearly average meets or exceeds the pass mark, or a red badge if below. For graduating candidate classes (P.7, S.4, S.6) where internal average is 0%, displays a grey UNEB Candidate badge.
   • Unpaid Debt Column: Highlights any outstanding unpaid fee balance (amount_due - amount_paid - discount) across pending, partial, or overdue invoices.
3. Override Individual or Batch Promotion Fates:
   • For Standard Classes: Each student's Promotion Fate dropdown defaults to Promote (green) or Repeat (amber) based on the pass mark, but you can manually override any student to Promote, Repeat, or Graduate. Use the top batch buttons (Set All Promote, Set All Repeat, Reset Defaults) for bulk adjustments.
   • For Graduating Candidate Classes: All students automatically default to Graduate (Alumni). If specific candidates missed their UNEB examinations or are repeating finals, change their dropdown to Repeat Class (or use Set All Graduate / Set All Repeat).
4. Click Save & Proceed to Confirmation to advance to Step 3.

5.10 Step 3 (Execute): Completing Promotion & Moving Balances Forward

On the final Confirm Class Transition screen, review the student counts To Promote, To Repeat, and To Graduate, then click Execute Class Transitions Now. SchoolMate securely carries out the transition in five automated steps:

• 1. Promoted Students: Enrolled into their new stream in the upcoming academic year and term, carrying over elective subjects if enabled.
• 2. Repeating Students: Re-enrolled in the repeating class for the new academic year with their subject selections intact.
• 3. Graduating Students: Marked as alumni in the Alumni Network, safely preserving their complete academic and payment history.
• 4. Moving Unpaid Balances Forward:
  • For any student with an outstanding fee balance, SchoolMate creates a single Balance Brought Forward invoice in Term 1 of the new year.
  • Previous unpaid invoices are marked as rolled over, consolidating old arrears cleanly without double-counting or duplicating debt.
• 5. Activity Log Entry: Records the promotion event in the Audit & Activity Logs with student counts and class details.

6.1 Marking Daily Attendance & Live QR Scanner

1. Manual Class Roll-Call: Select Class, Date, and Session (Morning or Afternoon). Click All Present to pre-fill the sheet, then mark specific students as absent, late, or excused and enter optional remarks. Click Save Attendance. Parents of newly absent students automatically receive an absence notification!
2. Live Camera QR Attendance Scanner: Click QR Scanner from the top toolbar. Select the Attendance Session (Morning Arrival / Afternoon Departure) and click Start Camera. As students hold their SchoolMate ID card QR code to the webcam or smartphone camera, an audio beep sounds and their attendance is logged in real time in the Today's Scans table.
3. Termly Attendance Reports: Click Attendance Report to view or export PDF summaries of Present, Absent, Late, and Attendance Rate (%) per student across the term.

6.2 Configuring Assessment Types & Creating Exams

1. Manage Assessment Types (Admin): Click Manage Types on the Grade Entry toolbar. Define assessment categories such as Beginning of Term (BOT), Mid-Term (MOT), End of Term (EOT), or Activity of Integration (AOI), set their percentage Weight (%) toward cumulative term totals, and specify whether the type is Competency Based (for NLSC Lower Secondary 3.0 scale).
2. Create Exam: On the Grade Entry screen, click + Create Exam. Enter the Exam Name, select the Assessment Category, Class, Term, and Max Score (e.g., 100 for standard exams or 3 for NLSC competency descriptors), then click Create Exam.

6.3 Entering Marks: Keyboard Matrix, Competency Mode, A-Level Papers & CSV Import

• Spreadsheet Keyboard Navigation: Select the Class, Term, and Exam / Assessment. Use your keyboard arrow keys or Enter to move rapidly across subject cells while the student's live row average updates automatically. Click Save All Grades at the bottom of the sheet.
• NLSC Competency Percentage Converter: On Competency-Based exams (where Max Score is 3), teachers can click Enter Percentages in the toolbar to type familiar 0–100% marks; SchoolMate automatically converts and saves them on the 0.0–3.0 competency scale!
• A-Level Per-Paper Columns: For S.5 and S.6 classes, multi-paper subjects automatically expand into individual paper columns (P1, P2, P3). Teachers can only edit the papers allocated to them, and the system computes the final subject grade using Uganda's UACE paper combination rules.
• Offline CSV Export & Import: Click Bulk Actions → Export Template (CSV) to download a pre-formatted mark sheet for your class and assigned subjects. Fill marks offline in Excel, then click Bulk Actions → Import Grades (CSV) to run an automated health check before committing marks.
• Locking Exams: Once mark entry is complete, administrators click Lock Exam to prevent unauthorized edits after report cards are printed.

6.4 Report Comment Bank, Batch Remarks & Class Rank Calculation

1. Curating the Report Comment Bank: Manage pre-approved Class Teacher Remarks (max 75 chars for print safety) and Head Teacher Remarks (max 60 chars) mapped to score bands (`Min %` – `Max %`) and periods (`Mid-Term`, `End of Term`, or `Universal`). Click Test Auto-Suggest to open the live simulator and preview which remark is chosen for any score.
2. Batch Remarks Generator: Select a Class and Term on the Student Progress screen and click Batch Remarks. Choose whether to generate Class Teacher and/or Head Teacher remarks, select Only fill empty remarks or Overwrite all remarks, and click Generate for Entire Class to populate personalized, score-matched comments for every student in seconds!
3. Auto-Calculate Class Ranks: Click Auto-Calculate Ranks on the class toolbar to compute each student's Position in Class (with automatic tie handling) and Out of total.
4. Individual Conduct, Co-Curriculars & Health: Select a specific student to rate 1–5 Conduct Traits (Discipline, Punctuality, Neatness, Class Participation, Leadership), record Sports/Clubs, enter Height/Weight, or pick custom remarks via Browse Bank, then click Save Progress.

6.5 Generating Report Cards, Master Broadsheets & UNEB Results

• Single & Batch Report Cards: Select Class, leave Student blank to generate the entire class batch (or pick one student), choose Sort Class By (Alphabetical or Admission No.), Term, and Report Type (Specific Assessments or Cumulative Term), then click Generate Report Card(s). SchoolMate automatically renders the official Pre-Primary, Primary (PLE Aggregates & Divisions), Lower Secondary (NLSC), or A-Level (UACE Points) template complete with your School Seal and digital teacher signatures. Use the floating controls to Print Report(s) or Download PDF.
• Unlocking Withheld Report Cards (Fee Arrears Override): If a student's report card is locked for parents due to unpaid fees, authorized staff (such as Administrators or Bursars) see a banner at the top of the student's report card preview and can click Unlock for Parents to grant a temporary clearance override.
• Master Academic Broadsheet: Accessible via Grades → Class Broadsheet. Displays a color-coded A4 Landscape master matrix of all students and subject scores, plus Aggregates/Divisions (Primary), Total Points (A-Level), or Average/Position (Secondary). Click Print Master List or Download PDF.
• UNEB Results Tracker: Record official national examination results (`PLE`, `UCE`, `UACE`) individually via + Add Single Result or in bulk via Bulk CSV Upload so permanent national exam records remain attached to student and alumni profiles.

7.1 Setting Up the Requirements Catalog & Targeting Rules

1. Tab 1 — Requirements Catalog: Click + Add Item to define items students must bring at the start of term (e.g., Ream of Rotatrim Paper, Toilet Paper (Pack of 10), Broom, Slasher). Link each requirement to a corresponding Master Inventory Item (so physical items flow into the school store), select the Acceptance Mode (Physical or Cash, Physical Only, or Cash Only), and enter the unit Cash Equivalent (UGX).
2. Tab 2 — Targeting Rules: Click + Add Rule to specify which students must bring each item: select the Requirement, required Quantity, Target Classes (All Classes or specific classes), Target Gender (All, Male, Female), and Residential Status (All, Day, Boarding).

7.2 Checking In Students at the Termly Reporting Desk

1. Search for the reporting student by Name or Admission Number in the left search panel.
2. In the Termly Requirements Checklist table, enter the physical quantity brought today in the Bring Now column for each item.
3. If the student has a shortfall on any item, select how to handle the deficit in the Shortfall Action dropdown:
   • Defer / Bring Later — Keeps the remaining item quantity as a pending physical deficit on the student's requirements ledger.
   • Bill to Account (UGX ...) — Automatically converts the missing quantity into a financial invoice (`REQ-XXXXXX`) on the student's Bursar fee account.
   • Pay via Mobile Money (UGX ...) — Initiates a live Mobile Money STK Push Modal to the parent's phone right at the reporting desk and prints an instant receipt once confirmed!
4. Click Confirm Check-in. Once all items are fulfilled (or if the student has an approved exemption), click Print Clearance Pass to issue the signed gate/dormitory admission slip.

7.3 Physical Store Handoff Batches & Requirements Audits

• Bundling & Handing Off Physical Goods: At the end of a shift, the Reporting Desk officer clicks Create Handoff Batch (`Yes, Bundle & Send to Store`) to bundle all collected physical items into a batch (`BAT-XXXXXX`). The Store Keeper then opens Store Handoffs, verifies the physical count per item, and confirms receipt—which automatically increments the school's central inventory stock!
• Requirements Audit & Student Ledger: View school-wide collection KPIs, switch between the Item Breakdown tab and the Defaulters List tab (showing every student with missing items and their estimated UGX debt value), or look up an individual student's multi-term compliance ledger.

8.1 Configuring Fee Categories & Termly Fee Structures

1. Fee Categories: Define fee heads (e.g., Tuition Fees, Boarding Fee, Medical Fee, Development Fund, School ID Card, Transport Fee), link each category to its designated School Bank Account, and specify whether it is Mandatory or an Optional Subscription.
2. Fee Structures: Click + Add Fee Structure (or Load Default Fees). Specify the Fee Category, Class (or All Classes), Term, Amount (UGX), Residency Filter (All Students, Boarders Only, or Day Scholars Only), and Student Entry Type (All Students vs. New Intake Only).

8.2 Generating Termly Invoices, Custom Arrears & Bulk Reversals

• Batch Invoice Generation: Select the target Class and Term to preview all applicable fee structures, then generate invoices in bulk. SchoolMate automatically prevents duplicate billing for students who already have an active invoice for the same fee structure and applies any active Persistent Student Discounts.
• Invoice Registry & Custom Arrears: Search and filter all invoices by status (paid, partial, pending, overdue, void). Click + Create Custom Invoice (Arrears) to bill an individual student for a specific item or brought-forward balance.
• Single-Invoice Discounts & Credit Notes: Open any invoice to print it, click Request Invoice Discount Override (routes to the Approval Hub), or issue a formal Credit Note adjustment.
• Bulk Reverse Invoices: If a fee structure was billed to a class in error, administrators can filter matching unpaid invoices and execute a safe bulk reversal.

8.3 Recording Fee Payments & Live Mobile Money STK Push

1. Search and select the Student. The right-hand panel immediately loads the student's current balance and unpaid invoices.
2. Select the target Invoice (or pay across total outstanding balance), enter the Amount Paid, and select the Payment Method:
   • Mobile Money (MTN MoMo / Airtel Money STK Push): Enter the payer's phone number and click Send Payment Prompt. A live polling modal tracks the PIN confirmation on the parent's phone and automatically posts the receipt and ledger entry upon success.
   • Bank Deposit / Agent Banking: Select the destination School Bank Account, enter the Bank Slip / Reference No., and optionally upload an image of the deposit slip.
   • Cash / Student Wallet: Record direct cash payments (where permitted by school policy) or settle invoices directly from the student's pre-funded Pocket-Money Wallet.
3. Printing Receipts & Wallet Reversals: Open Payment History to preview and print official thermal or A4 receipts (complete with QR verification and School Seal). If a payment was posted to the wrong invoice, authorized staff can click Reverse to Wallet to move the funds into the student's wallet for accurate re-allocation.

8.4 Automated Bank & Mobile Money Statement Reconciliation

1. Click Import Bank Statement and upload your bank or telecom CSV statement.
2. In the Statement Matching Auditor, SchoolMate categorizes rows into three buckets:
   • Auto-Matched: Exact reference and amount matches against recorded system receipts.
   • Needs Review: Fuzzy matches (e.g., matching amount and date or partial student name) that you can inspect in the Side-by-Side Transaction Audit modal.
   • Unmatched: Statement lines not yet recorded in SchoolMate, which can be mapped manually via Manual Ledger Lookup & Mapping.
3. Confirm the matches to mark transactions as Cleared in the Transactions Clearance Registry and reconcile your Book Balance against your Cleared Bank Balance.

8.5 Setting Up Expense Categories (Votes & Sub-Votes)

Before you can plan a budget, list the areas your school spends money on (for example Food & Rations, Electricity & Water, Laboratory Supplies). Each area is called a Vote, and you can break a vote into smaller Sub-Votes. Budget Management works in five stages:

1. Open Expense Categories: Go to Finance → Expenditure Management → Expense Categories. You can also reach it from the Edit Categories button while entering budget amounts—it opens in a new tab so you don't lose the figures you've already typed.
2. Add a Category: Click + Add Category and fill in:
   • Category Name *: A clear name such as Food & Rations. Each name can only be used once.
   • Parent Vote: Leave it on Main Vote (No Parent) to create a main spending area, or pick an existing main vote to make this a sub-vote. Sub-votes appear indented (↳) under their main vote.
   • Description: Optional note explaining what kind of spending belongs here.
   Then click Save Category.
3. Locked Categories: Some categories, such as Staff Salary Advance, show a System Locked badge. SchoolMate uses these automatically (for example to recover salary advances through payroll), so they can't be renamed or deleted. All other categories can be edited with the pencil icon () or removed with the trash icon ().

8.6 Creating the Annual Budget & Understanding Budget Status

Create one budget for each academic year, then move it from Draft (planning) to Active (in use) and finally Closed (year finished).

1. Create a Budget: Click New Budget, choose the Academic Year *, type a Budget Name * (for example 2026 Master Budget) and click Create Budget. The budget starts as a Draft and opens straight onto the screen where you enter amounts.
2. Change the Status: Use the buttons at the top right of the budget screen to move it through the stages below.

8.7 Entering Budget Amounts & Tracking Spending

Set how much the school plans to spend on each vote for the year, then watch how much has been spent so far.

1. Read the Summary Cards: Three cards at the top show:
   • Total Allocated: The total of all the amounts you have budgeted.
   • Total Utilized: How much has actually been spent this academic year. The card turns red if spending goes over the total budget.
   • Budget Status: Whether the budget is Draft, Active or Closed.
2. Enter Amounts: In the Vote Allocations table, type the yearly amount (UGX) for each vote and sub-vote. Numbers are formatted with commas automatically.
3. Save Time with Quick Tools:
   • Copy Previous Budget fills in all the amounts from last year's budget so you only need to adjust them.
   • Clear to Zero empties every box so you can start again.
4. Save: Click Save Allocations. Nothing is saved until you click this button.
5. Read the Spending Bars: Each vote shows how much has been spent with a coloured bar:
   • Grey: No amount has been set for this vote.
   • Green: Less than 75% spent—on track.
   • Amber: 75%–89% spent—getting close to the limit.
   • Red: 90% or more spent, or over budget—needs attention.

8.8 How the Budget Controls Spending

Once a budget is Active, SchoolMate checks spending against it in two ways:

• 1. Purchase Requests (Procurement) — Blocked if over budget:
  • When staff create a purchase requisition, they can only choose expense categories that have an amount in the active budget.
  • SchoolMate adds up what has already been spent, what is waiting on other open requests, and the new request. If the total is more than the amount budgeted for that vote, the request cannot be submitted and a Budget Exceeded message shows how much is still available.
• 2. Payment Vouchers — Warning only:
  • Some payments are urgent (for example emergency transport or repairs), so vouchers are not blocked.
  • Instead, when a vote has used up its budget, a red warning—"This category has exceeded its annual budget limit"—appears when the voucher is being approved in the Approval Hub and again when the Bursar is about to pay it. The approver decides whether to go ahead.

8.9 Requesting Funds, Approval & Paying Vouchers

Every school expense starts as a fund request, is checked and approved by two different people, and is then paid by the Bursar. Each request gets its own payment voucher number.

1. Submit a Fund Request: Click New Fund Request, choose the Expense Category *, enter the Amount Requested (UGX) * and a Description & Justification *. You can attach a quotation or proforma invoice (picture, PDF or Word file up to 5MB). Click Submit Request.
2. Salary Advance Requests: If you choose Staff Salary Advance, SchoolMate checks that:
   • You are on the payroll with a salary set up.
   • This month's salary has not already been paid.
   • Your advances this month don't go over the school's limit (50% of monthly salary unless the school sets a different limit under the gear icon → Policy Settings).
   If any check fails, the request is stopped with an explanation.
3. Approval (two different people): The request goes to the Approval Hub. First the Bursar reviews it, then the Head Teacher or Administrator approves it. Nobody can review or approve their own request, and the approver must be a different person from the reviewer.
4. Paying an Approved Voucher:
   • Open Finance → Expenditure Management → Vouchers & Payouts and click Pay Now on the approved voucher.
   • The category is fixed to what was approved, and you cannot pay more than the approved amount.
   • Payment date: You can't choose a future date or a date more than 5 days ago. If you pick an earlier date within those 5 days, you must type a Reason for Backdating *.
   • When you save, SchoolMate records the expense in the Cash Book, marks the voucher as Paid and notifies the person who asked for the money. For salary advances, the amount is automatically set to be deducted from the staff member's next salary.

8.10 Digital Settlements (Payouts) & Financial Reporting Hub

Manage digital fee collection settlements to your school bank account and generate executive financial statements.

• Payouts & Settlements: Protected by secondary password verification. Displays your real-time digital collection wallet balance (Net Payable), lets you configure Auto-Settlement Settings, or initiate a manual Withdrawal Request to your approved Settlement Bank Account (with local Maker-Checker sign-off).
• Financial Reporting Hub: Provides executive KPI cards (Collections Today, Term Collected, Pending Current Term, Lifetime Revenue, Total Expenses, Net Income, and Collection Rate %) and one-click access to:
  • Aged Debtor Audit: Segments student fee defaulters by class and aging buckets, with one-click SMS/Email fee reminder actions.
  • Collection Reports: Detailed breakdown of revenue collected by payment method, fee category, and date range.
  • Student Fee Statements: Full chronological debit/credit ledger for any student, with print and direct email-to-parent buttons.
  • Comparative Profit & Loss: Multi-period income vs. expenditure statement.

9.1 Vendor Registry, Item Categories & Master Item Catalog

1. Vendor Management: Click + Add New Vendor to register suppliers with their TIN, contact person, phone, email, bank details, and compliance status (Active, Suspended, or Blacklisted). Suspended or blacklisted vendors are automatically blocked from new Purchase Orders.
2. Item Categories: Organize store items into logical groups (e.g., Stationery, Dry Rations, Cleaning Supplies, IT & Electronics—which can be linked to Fixed Assets).
3. Master Item Catalog: Click + Add New Item to define SKU/Item Code, Unit of Measure (Kg, Litres, Reams, Pieces), Standard Unit Price, and Reorder Level so low-stock items are highlighted automatically.

9.2 Requisitions, Purchase Orders (LPOs), Goods Receipt (GRN) & Returns

1. Create Requisition: Department staff click + Create Requisition, add catalog line items and required quantities, attach justification notes, and submit. The requisition routes through the Approval Hub based on your thresholds configured in Procurement Settings.
2. Generate Purchase Order: Convert an approved requisition (or create a direct LPO) by selecting an active Vendor, verifying agreed unit prices, tax/VAT, and delivery terms, and clicking Create Purchase Order. Click to view, print, or download the official LPO for the supplier.
3. Receive Goods — GRN: When the supplier delivers goods to the school store, open the Purchase Order and click Receive Goods (GRN). Record the actual Quantity Delivered, Accepted Quantity, Rejected/Damaged Quantity, and Delivery Note Number. Confirming the GRN automatically updates stock levels in the Master Item Catalog (and provisions Fixed Asset records for capital equipment).
4. Purchase Returns / Debit Notes: If defective or excess items are returned to a vendor after delivery, click Log Purchase Return to issue a formal Debit Note and adjust inventory and vendor payables.
5. Spend Analysis & Settings: Analyze procurement spend by vendor, category, and month, and configure financial approval thresholds, multi-currency rules, and default VAT percentages.

10.1 Unified Staff Directory & Advanced Staff Enrollment Wizard

1. The Unified Staff Management directory consolidates both Teaching and Non-Teaching staff into a single HR roster.
2. Click + Advanced Staff Enrollment to launch the multi-step onboarding modal capturing Personal Bio-Data, National ID (NIN), TIN, NSSF Number, Employment Type (Permanent, Contract, Part-Time), Department, Designation, Salary Scale / Base Gross Salary, Bank Account Details, Emergency Contact, and Portal Role.
3. Click any employee's name to open their full HR Profile Record to inspect uploaded credentials, salary structure, and historical payments.

10.2 Salary Scales, Recurring Adjustments & Statutory Rules (PAYE, NSSF, LST)

• Salary Scales: Define standardized pay grades (e.g., U4 Graduate Teacher, Senior Administrator, Support Staff Grade B) with a fixed Base Salary so updating a scale automatically updates linked employees.
• Individual Recurring Adjustments & Global Rules: Configure standing monthly allowances (e.g., Housing Allowance, Responsibility Allowance, Transport Allowance) or recurring deductions for individual staff or across entire staff categories.
• Statutory Deductions Engine (Uganda URA PAYE, NSSF & LST): Open the Statutory Deductions (NSSF & PAYE) modal on the HR dashboard to enable/disable automatic calculation of:
  • NSSF: Standard 5% Employee Deduction and 10% Employer Contribution.
  • URA PAYE (Pay As You Earn): Progressive monthly income tax bands automatically applied to gross taxable pay.
  • LST (Local Service Tax): Annual Local Service Tax deducted in statutory monthly installments.

10.3 Running Monthly Payroll, Remittance Schedules & Payslips

1. Select the target Month and Year at the top of the Monthly Payroll screen.
2. Review each employee's computed Gross, Bonus/Allowances (+), Deductions (-) (including NSSF, PAYE, LST, and any approved salary advances), and Net Pay.
3. To add a one-off monthly bonus or deduction before locking payroll, click the + button in the employee's Action column (`Adjust Salary`).
4. Once verified, click Process & Lock Payroll. Locking the payroll generates official payslips for every staff member and posts the salary expenditure to the school's financial ledger.
5. Printing Statutory & Bank Schedules: Once processed, use the top toolbar buttons to print or export:
   • NSSF Schedule (5% employee + 10% employer schedule with NSSF numbers).
   • Bank Schedule (formatted bank transfer instruction sheet with staff account numbers and net pay).
   • Bulk Payslips and Payroll Summary Reports.

10.4 Staff Self-Service Portal (My Documents, Signatures, Payslips & Fund Requests)

Every logged-in teacher and staff member has access to the Self Service menu in the sidebar:

• My Documents & Digital Report Card Signature: Upload academic certificates, National ID copies, or draw/upload your Official Digital Signature. Once approved in the Approval Hub, Class Teacher and Head Teacher signatures automatically print on student Report Cards!
• My Payslips: View and print itemized monthly payslips for any processed payroll period.
• Fund Requests & Salary Advances: Click + New Fund Request to request an operational expense advance or personal salary advance, track its live Maker-Checker approval status, and view past requests.

11.1 Bulk SMS Broadcasts, Dynamic Templates & Delivery History

1. SMS Templates: Create reusable message templates with dynamic merge tags (such as parent name, student name, or fee balance) so staff can compose broadcasts without typing from scratch.
2. Sending a Bulk SMS Broadcast:
   • Check your live SMS Credit Balance at the top of the page.
   • Select your Target Audience (e.g., All Parents, Specific Classes, Fee Defaulters above a specific balance, All Teachers, or All Staff).
   • Click Preview Recipients to inspect the exact phone list and exclude any individual recipients if needed.
   • Select a template or type your message (live character and SMS-segment counters are displayed below the box) and click Send Broadcast.
3. Communication History: Track Total Messages, Sent, Failed, and SMS Credits Used, and click any row to inspect the full message payload and delivery status.

11.2 School Announcements & Staff Noticeboard

Click + Create Announcement to publish notices targeted to Everyone, Staff & Teachers, Parents, or Students. Staff and teachers can read all internal circulars anytime via the dedicated Staff Noticeboard link in the sidebar.

11.3 Surveys, Staff Performance Appraisals & CSAT/NPS Analytics

1. Creating a Survey or Appraisal: Click + Create New Survey, set the Title, Target Audience (Public, Parents, Students, or Staff), Anonymity setting, and Opening/Closing dates. In the Questionnaire Builder, organize your form into Sections and add 1–5 Likert Scale statements, Multiple-Choice questions, Net Promoter Score (0–10) prompts, or Open-Ended text questions.
2. Distributing Surveys & Printable Forms: Click Distribute Survey to copy the shareable response link or click Print Template to generate a paper questionnaire for offline distribution.
3. Analytics & Appraisal Reports: View real-time Total Responses, Overall Average Rating (/ 5.0), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT %), Net Promoter Score (NPS), Statement-by-Statement 1–5 distribution bars, and Qualitative Feedback accordions, or export raw responses via Export Data.

12.1 Identity Management Center, ID Design Studio & QR Verification

• ID Design Studio: Customize your school's PVC ID card layout, brand colors, header/footer text, validity period, and back-of-card return instructions with a live interactive preview.
• Pending Orders Queue & Batch Printing: Track Total Students, IDs Issued, Pending Collection, and Expiring Soon. Generate single or whole-class CR80 print packs (Generate & Print). Note: SchoolMate verifies whether the student's ID Card Fee invoice is paid before printing (or warns the administrator if unpaid).
• ID Collection Desk & Global Directory: Record physical handover when printed cards are issued to students or parents, or revoke lost/damaged cards to trigger a replacement order.
• Security Identity Verification Scanner: Security guards scan any student or staff QR code to immediately verify their photo, active enrollment/employment status, class/designation, and residential status.

12.2 Library Management, Barcode Print Station & Fines Ledger

1. Cataloging Books & Mass CSV Import: Add books individually via + Add New Book or upload thousands of titles via Mass Book Import. Use the Barcode Print Station to print adhesive spine/cover barcode labels for every copy.
2. Issuing & Returning Books: Click Issue Book, scan or search the borrower (Student or Staff) and the book copy barcode, and confirm the due date. When returned, click Return Book or Mark Book as Lost / Damaged.
3. Overdue Fines & Clearance Protection: Configure daily overdue fine rates in Library Settings. Unpaid library fines or unreturned books automatically block student offboarding until cleared!

12.3 Fixed Assets Register, Check-Out Handovers & Physical Audits

• Asset Register & QR/Engraving Labels: View all capital assets (automatically created from Procurement GRNs or added via + Add Legacy Asset) with straight-line depreciation tracking. Print adhesive QR/Barcode tags or Engraving String Lists via Print Labels.
• Asset Check-Out & Signed Handover Agreements: Assign laptops, lab equipment, or furniture to staff members or rooms (Check-out Asset), print the official Asset Handover & Responsibility Agreement, and upload the signed scan back into the system.
• Physical Audits & Maintenance Logs: Launch a Physical Audit Session to verify asset condition location-by-location, or log repairs and maintenance costs in the Maintenance Log.

12.4 Transport & Fleet Management and Hostels & Dormitories

• Transport & Fleet:
  • Vehicles: Register school buses/vans, registration plates, seating capacity, and assigned drivers.
  • Routes & Stops: Define transport routes, pickup/drop-off stops, and route fees.
  • Student Assignments & Boarding Scanner: Assign subscribed day scholars to specific routes/vehicles and use the Daily Boarding Scanner to verify students boarding school buses.
  • Fuel & Maintenance Logs: Log fuel refills, odometer readings, and mechanical repairs per vehicle.
• Hostel & Dormitory Management: Click + Add Hostel to configure Boys' and Girls' dormitories, assign Wardens, set room/bed capacities, monitor real-time occupancy percentages, and use Quick Assignment to allocate boarders to dormitories.

12.5 Medical Bay: Sickbay Admissions, Pharmacy Inventory & Referrals

1. Quick Patient Search & Clinic Visits: Search any student to open their Medical Profile showing blood group, known allergies, chronic conditions, and emergency contacts. Log outpatient clinic visits or admit students into Active Sickbay Admissions.
2. Pharmacy Drug Inventory: Click + Add New Drug or Restock to track medication stock levels, batch expiry dates, and low-stock alerts. Dispensing medication during a clinic visit automatically deducts from pharmacy stock.
3. External Medical Referrals: When a student requires hospital care outside school, generate and print an official Medical Referral Form complete with vital signs, clinical notes, and medication administered at the school sickbay.

12.6 Campus Security: Student Gate Passes & Visitor Lanyard Registry

• Student Gate Passes:
  • Click Issue Gate Pass (for an individual student leaving campus for medical, family, or official reasons) or Mass Issue Gate Passes (for visitation days, half-term breaks, or class trips).
  • Record the Accompanying Guardian Name, Phone, Reason, Departure Time, and Expected Return Time, then click Print Pass.
  • Note: SchoolMate enforces your school's configured Curfew Hours and flags overdue students who have not been checked back in at the main gate.
• Visitor Management & Lanyard Cards:
  • Generate Physical Lanyard Cards: Generate numbered PVC/lanyard visitor badges (e.g., VIS-001 to VIS-050) and track which cards are Available, In Use, or Lost.
  • Log New Visitor: Click + Log New Visitor at the security gate, capture Visitor Name, Phone, ID Type/Number, Host Staff/Student being visited, Purpose of Visit, and assign an available Visitor Card.
  • Check-Out & History: When the visitor leaves campus, click Check Out to release the visitor lanyard card back into the available pool and archive the visit in the Visitor History Log.