Sending absence alerts to families

Once attendance is marked, you can let families know the same day that their child is absent, late or on leave. You can send the message by hand from the attendance screen, or have it go out automatically at a set time each day.

Before you start

• Attendance for the day must be marked.
• Student and guardian mobile numbers must be on the student records. For WhatsApp, a WhatsApp number is needed.
• A messaging channel must be connected for your institution. Text message and WhatsApp delivery depend on your region and on the provider your institution has set up, so not every channel is available everywhere.
• You need permission for student attendance. Automatic messages are set up in Attendance Settings, which usually only administrators can change.

If you do not see this option, it may not be included in your plan or your role may not have permission; ask your administrator.

Steps

Send alerts by hand

1. Go to Attendance > Student Attendance and load the class and date as usual.
2. Click the message button (envelope icon) next to Mark All Attendance. The Send SMS Notification To Students window opens.
3. Choose the Message Type: WhatsApp Message, Mobile Message, Mobile App or Email, depending on what your institution has enabled.
4. Under Student Who Are, choose who should receive it, for example Absent, Late Arrival or On Leave. Narrow it by branch, class or section if needed.
5. Pick a saved template from Use a saved template, or choose Write my own message. Use the buttons near the message box to insert the student name, father name, class or roll number for each recipient.
6. Check the list of students shown, then click Send SMS.

Send alerts automatically

1. Go to Attendance > Attendance Settings.
2. Under General Settings, turn on Enable Auto Absent SMS For Students.
3. Set the Automated SMS Time, the time of day the messages should go out.
4. Save your settings.

Good to know

• Mark first, message second. Messages go to whoever has the chosen status at the time of sending. Set the automatic time after attendance is normally complete.
• Auto absent works well with this. If Enable Auto absent is on, unmarked students become absent at the Automated Absentee Time. Set the SMS time after that.
• Wrong numbers are the usual failure. A missing or outdated guardian number means that family gets nothing. Keep contact details current.
• Templates keep wording consistent. Saved templates are managed by your administrator, so all staff send the same message.
• Costs. Text and WhatsApp messages may be charged by your provider per message.
• Chronic absence. Attendance > Attendance Alerts lists students below an attendance percentage and those absent several days in a row, with the guardian mobile, so you can follow up personally.

Common questions

Can staff be told about their own absence?
Yes. Attendance Settings also has Enable Auto Absent SMS For Staff.

For an overview, see Attendance.