GG4L has rebranded to SchoolDay. While you may still see references to GG4L in older documentation or system paths, SchoolDay is the official integration partner.
SchoolDay is our integration partner used to import data from your SIS. SchoolDay’s Connect Platform automates our implementation and provides your district with other Edtech solutions at no cost to you.
Supported SIS Systems
Aeries, Chalkable iNOW, ClassLink, FACTS (RenWeb), Focus, Illuminate, Infinite Campus, InResonance, Lumen Touch, PowerSchool, RenWeb, Schoology, SapphireK12, Skyward, and Veracross.
If your SIS is not listed but you can export data in Basic Roster format using CSV UTF-8 files, GG4L can still support it.
Please note that new SIS integrations take extra time to onboard and verify that data exchange is functioning as expected.
Your step-by-step guide to get your SIS school data into SchoolsBuddy
1. Email Introduction
You will receive an introductory email from SchoolsBuddy connecting you with the SchoolDay onboarding team.
2. Initial Contact from SchoolDay
Shortly after the introduction, SchoolDay will contact you directly to begin integrating your SIS data into SchoolsBuddy.
3. Field Identification & Setup (PowerSchool Instructions)
SchoolDay will collaborate with you and SchoolsBuddy to ensure data maps correctly. If you use PowerSchool, you must carefully provide SchoolDay with the specific field names for:
Parent Email Address
Homeroom / Registration Class / Form
Why Homerooms Matter: Homeroom attributes allow students to be easily identified on activity registers and Parent-Teacher Conferences. Homeroom teachers can also access our "What's Next?" safeguarding feature to view their students' daily or weekly schedules at a glance.
General Contact & Medical Preferences:
Contact Types: By default, SchoolsBuddy imports
Mother,Father, andParent. Contact Support if you only want to sync specific types (e.g.,Guardian).Medical Data: Medical data can be synced if your SIS can concatenate multiple medical fields into a single field.
Required Data Attributes
| Data Attributes for SchoolsBuddy | Attributes required: | Notes |
| Students: |
First Name, Last Name, Grade, DOB, Gender, Homeroom/Advisor(optional but recommended) PLEASE NOTE: GG4L has a 50-character limit for names fields |
Limit: 50-character limit for name fields. |
| Contacts: | First Name, Last Name, Telephone Number, Email Address | Unique email required for user accounts. |
| Staff: | First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Associated Classes | |
| Other: | Subject Classes, Medical Information, Attendance | Configured during onboarding. |
Email Uniqueness Requirement: SchoolsBuddy requires every user (parents, staff, and students requiring access) to have a unique, valid email address in your SIS record.
Access Approval & Data Notification
Approval Request: SchoolDay will notify you when data is ready. You must approve the data access request within your SchoolDay account and select an Expiration Date.
Setting Expiration: Duration can be aligned with the school year or contract term and extended at any time (e.g., end of the academic year).
Completion: Once approved, both you and SchoolsBuddy will receive confirmation. Our team will complete the final setup and notify you when the system is live.
Data Protection, GDPR & International Security Compliance
SchoolsBuddy (part of Faria Education Group) and SchoolDay adhere to strict international data privacy and protection regulations, including UK GDPR, EU GDPR, FERPA, and COPPA.
1. Data Controller vs. Data Processor Roles
Your School / District: Acts as the Data Controller. Your school retains 100% ownership, authority, and control over all roster data, determining what elements are shared and setting access permissions.
SchoolsBuddy & SchoolDay: Act as Data Processors / Subprocessors, bound legally to process student, parent, and staff data strictly on documented instructions from your school.
2. Legal Data Transfer Safeguards
For international schools and institutions bound by UK/EU data protection laws, cross-border data transfers between SchoolsBuddy and SchoolDay are protected by:
Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): An executed Data Processing Agreement (DPA) incorporating EU-approved Standard Contractual Clauses (governed under the laws of the Republic of Ireland) to safeguard transfers outside the EEA.
Data Privacy Framework (DPF): Adherence to stringent technical and organisational security standards to protect personal data both in transit and at rest.
3. Key Privacy & Security Measures
No Commercial Data Use: SchoolDay and SchoolsBuddy never sell, rent, or profile student/staff data, nor is data ever disclosed for marketing or targeted advertising purposes.
Encryption Standards: All personally identifiable information (PII) transmitted between your SIS, SchoolDay, and SchoolsBuddy is encrypted in transit and at rest.
Data Minimisation & Retention: SchoolsBuddy and SchoolDay retain data only for as long as required to deliver the integration service. Upon contract termination or a written deletion request, student data is permanently deleted in accordance with our retention policy.
FAQ
Q: What if we need to update any student /parent/ staff details?
A: Update records in your SIS as usual. Changes sync to SchoolsBuddy within 24–48 hours. Urgent edits can be made directly in Reception > Users in SchoolsBuddy.
Q: Will students automatically be removed when they leave?
A: Yes. Once marked as a leaver/alumni in your SIS, the record is removed from the SchoolDay feed and deleted in SchoolsBuddy after 24 hours.
Note: SchoolsBuddy applies a 30% deletion threshold. If deletions exceed 30% of your total student count, the removal process is paused automatically to prevent accidental mass deletion. Contact Support if your school requires a higher threshold.
Q: Will parents automatically be removed when their student leaves?
A: Parent accounts are deactivated unless another active sibling remains enrolled at the school.
Q: Why aren't all staff imported to SchoolsBuddy?
A: District staff will need to be added directly to SchoolsBuddy; see this guide for help.
Q: Will Staff automatically be removed when they leave?
A: No. Staff accounts remain active until manually deleted by an Organisation Super Admin in Reception > Users.
Q: Can SchoolsBuddy import Medical information & Dietary Needs?
A: Yes, medical and dietary data sync nightly once field mappings are provided to SchoolDay. Multiple fields will be concatenated into one summary field.
Q: Are teacher subject classes imported?
A: Yes, subject classes are imported to manage Parent-Teacher Conferences and targeted group communications.
Q: Why aren't the Admins in GG4L automatically made Admins in SchoolsBuddy?
A: Technical integration admins are often different from activity coordinators. You will confirm your designated Super Admins during onboarding.
Q: Can SchoolsBuddy import attendance information and photos from PowerSchool?
A: Yes, but these are handled via methods outside the main SchoolDay sync platform. Contact the Support team for more information.