When creating a preference based container, it is important to first decide which allocation method you will use for this activity- Preference Based or First Come First Serve (FCSF)?
If you are not sure, below explains the difference and the pros & cons for these two types of allocation:
Preference |
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Pros |
Cons |
Fairness of allocations |
No option for upfront payments |
No competing against time for parents |
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Re-submission of preferences |
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More choices for parents |
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Reduces the chance of activities being oversubscribed |
|
Re-allocation available |
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Staff in control |
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Clash management |
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Join requests |
First Come First Serve |
|
Pros |
Cons |
Waiting lists |
No option for upfront payments |
Clash management |
Stressful signup for both parents and staff |
Join requests |
Less students get an activity as they make less choices for backup options |
Instant confirmation |
More admin needed mid-term for dissatisfied students/parents |
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Parents will know if staff make changes because they are unable to provide what was first advertised. |
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If parents overload the SchoolsBuddy portal they can be frustrated with not being able to access it and make choices. |
We recommend using a Preference sign up to allow parents more time to make choices. It also allows manual adjustments and therefore gives the school more control to make changes before generating the events.
As SchoolsBuddy cannot automatically assign students that have not made any choices, it is recommended to use a Preference sign up over a longer period (maybe a week or two) so parents have time to make their choices, and staff can encourage students/parents that hasn't submitted choices before the end of the sign up.
Preference
For a container where the Selection Type is Preferences, parents or students can make multiple choices per day based on their preferences (maximum of 5 choices per day). They will be able to make selections even if the number of students who have selected the activity exceeds the place limit. This means that parents are more likely to give back up options, and more students are likely to get an activity on their chosen day. Parents will also have more time to choose so they don't have to rush and they won't miss out if they can't be online when the sign up opens .
Once you have allocated, the Allocation page will show which preference each student selected for each group.
SchoolsBuddy's auto-allocation method will give students their first choices, followed by their second choices, and then third if the group is full... Places are allocated without any bias.
You can choose to allocate confirmed choices only, or you can allocate all students (including the ones that did not confirm their choices).
After allocation, you can manually adjust the allocation by clicking the ‘+’ or ‘-‘ button next to the students’ names. Parents will all be notified of the activities they get at a time when the staff choose. The staff can make manual adjustments if necessary.
First Come First Serve
In a First Come First Serve container, the students will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
The parents can only make one selection for each student per day. The selection box will show the number of places left, and if the group is full, then parents will only be able to select a Waiting List option.
Once parents confirm their selections, a timestamp will be recorded on the Student Selection page. Parents can save their selections if they have not finished checking their schedules, or confirm them. Staff can choose whether to allocate only confirmed selections, or all selections saved.
When it comes to allocation, the students who sign up before the group is full will have their preferences marked as P1, and the students sign up for the waiting list will be marked as P2. Only the P1 students will be allocated to the activities. At the allocation stage, staff can make manual changes if they decide there are more spaces available in the group. The final allocation is not confirmed to parents until after the staff have sent the final confirmation email.