In this article, we’ll walk you through the flow of a Preference Sign-up in SchoolsBuddy. This includes key terminology and actions you’ll come across when using the Preference Module — useful for anyone new to this setup.
Key Terminology:
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Container: Think of this as a folder that holds the basic settings for your activity programme and brings all related activities together in one place. It defines the activity start and end dates, sign-up window, how many preferences students can choose, and more. All activity groups and activities for the programme sit inside a container. (e.g. Term 2 After School Clubs).
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Group: This refers to the specific activities you offer, such as "Cool Coding – Year 5." At the group level, you define key details like the teacher, location, places limit, price, and the eligibility criteria for students.
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Selection: The process where parents/students choose and rank their activity preferences during the open sign-up period.
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Allocation: The process by which the school assigns students to their chosen activities after the selection period ends. This can be done either manually or through an automated allocation system.
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Generate Event: The process where SchoolsBuddy generates events, updates student diaries, and creates attendance registers. During this phase, parents receive final confirmation about which activities their children have been assigned to for the upcoming term or season.
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Join Request: For any remaining available spots after the generation process, join requests allow late joiners or new students to register for activities mid-term.
- Generate Fee: The process where SchoolsBuddy charges the students based on their activities.
The Flow of a Preference Signup:
There are six steps in a preference signup:
1. Set up a Container
Create the structure for your activity sign-up period:
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Add activity groups
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Set the sign-up open and close dates
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Pre-select students if needed
2. Student Selections
Allow students or parents to select their preferences:
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Students rank their preferred activities
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Monitor sign-ups and assist as needed
3. Allocation
Assign students to activities:
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Pre-allocate specific students if required
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Run mass allocation based on preferences and availability
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Review and adjust allocation results
4. Generate Events
Finalise and communicate the outcome:
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Send confirmation emails to parents
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Attendance registers are created
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Diaries for parents and staff are populated
⚠️ Important: This is a one-time, one-way process. Once events are generated, they cannot be undone — so make sure you’re happy with the allocation results before proceeding.
5. Join Request
Manage late entries or changes:
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Late joiners submit join requests
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Admins or teachers accept or reject requests
⚠️ Tip: By default, teachers assigned to each activity can also accept or reject join requests. If you prefer to restrict this permission to yourself (or specific users), please contact the SchoolsBuddy support team at help@schoolsbuddy.com
6. Generate Fees (If you have the Fees Module)
Handle billing and payments:
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Confirm charges for each student
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Begin receiving payments (if applicable)
⚠️ Tip: Like event generation, this is also a one-time, one-way action. We recommend allowing a short gap between Generate Events and Generate Fees to accommodate any last-minute changes or requests from students.
Now that you know the full flow, you're ready to begin.
👉 See this article for the first step - Preference - Creating a Container