Linking siblings to one family

A family record groups brothers and sisters together. Linking siblings correctly means parents have one family login, messages go to one set of contact details, and staff can see all of a family's children from one place.

Before you start

• You need access to Students > Family List to create or edit families, and permission to update student information to move a student into a family. 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.
• Decide which family number you will use. Each family has its own number, separate from each child's admission number.

Steps

Create a family

1. Open Students > Family List.
2. Click Add New Family.
3. Enter the Family Number, Family Name (usually the father's or guardian's name), the father's ID number and a Mobile number.
4. Optionally add a WhatsApp Number, Email Address, Home Region, Religion and Home Address.
5. Save the family.

Link a new admission to an existing family

1. When admitting the younger sibling, open Students > Admission Register > Register New Student.
2. In Select Family, search for and choose the family. The father's details fill in for you.
3. Complete the rest of the form and click Save.

Move an existing student into a family

1. Open Students > Active Students and find the student.
2. Click the edit icon, Update Student Information, on that student's row.
3. In the Family field, choose the correct family.
4. Save. Repeat for each sibling that belongs to the same family.

Check who is in a family

1. Open Students > Family List and find the family.
2. From its options, choose View Family Students to see every child linked to it.

Good to know

• When you admit a student without choosing a family, the father's ID number is checked against existing families. A match links the child to that family automatically, so typing the ID number carefully is the simplest way to avoid duplicate families.
• A student's profile shows a Siblings section listing the other children in the same family.
• To change a family's phone number or address, use Update Family Information from the family's options rather than editing each child.
• Families whose children have all left are listed on the Old Families tab.
• If two families were created for the same parents by mistake, move each child into the family you want to keep, then check that the other one is empty before removing it.
• Some fee screens can work at family level, such as collecting one payment for several children. Whether this is available depends on your plan and fee setup.

Common questions

Do I enter the family number on every child's record?

No. You link each child to the family once. The family number belongs to the family, not the child.

Can I add many families at once?

Yes. On the Family List page, Add Bulk Families lets you download a sample spreadsheet, fill it in and use Upload & Save.

For an overview, see Student Information.