Kestrel

Guide

Front office

Version 1.0 ·Updated 2026-09-17

Next reviewed by 2027-03-17.

Written for each member of a school's staff, from the registrar to IT, and the families using the portal.

For the front office, which answers the counter and the phone, records who arrives late and leaves early, and follows up absences.

All guides, including the first steps each member of staff takes. The training for this role takes these tasks in sessions.

Record a late arrival or an early departure

"Attendance", "Arrivals and departures"

Needs attendance.movement.write.

  1. Under "Student", type a name, press "Find" and choose the student.
  2. Choose "Arriving late" or "Leaving early".
  3. Check the "Time", and choose a "Code" if the family gave a reason.
  4. Press "Record the arrival" or "Record the departure". The roll then shows the time beside the teacher's mark.
  5. A movement recorded in error is taken back with "Withdraw" on its row.

Approve the replies to unexplained absences

"Attendance", "Unexplained absences"

Needs attendance.absence.write.

  1. Set the "Day" and press "Show the day".
  2. Under "Replies waiting for approval", tick the replies, or press "Choose all".
  3. Choose the code under which to approve them and press "Approve", then confirm.
  4. A reply that could not be approved stays ticked with the reason beside it.

Approve or withdraw an absence

"Attendance", "Absences"

Needs attendance.absence.write.

  1. Fill "From" and "To" and press "Show these days". Choose "Waiting for approval" to narrow the list.
  2. Press "Approve" on a row, choose the "Code to approve under" and press "Approve under this code".
  3. Press "Withdraw" on an absence recorded in error.

Give a parent access to the family portal

The parent's record, "Family and contact" tab, "Family portal"

Needs person.record.write.

  1. Open the parent's record, not the child's.
  2. On the "Family and contact" tab, under "Family portal", fill "Account address" with the email the parent signs in with.
  3. Press "Give family access". "Take family access away" removes it.
  4. The parent sees each child they hold standing on, so check "Who acts for this student" on the child's record first.

Record a relief or a room change

"Timetable", "Variations"

Needs timetable.variation.write.

  1. Set the "Date".
  2. Under "Lessons", press "Relief", "Room change", "Merged" or "Cancelled" on the lesson.
  3. Choose the "Teacher" or "Room", add a "Note", and press "Record it".
  4. For a lesson that is not on the timetable, press "Add an extra lesson". A wrong entry is taken back with "Void".

Run parent-teacher interviews

"Timetable", "Interviews"

Needs timetable.interview.write.

  1. Press "Open a round", fill "Title", "Minutes in each slot", "Families may book from" and "Booking closes", tick the year levels, and press "Open it".
  2. In the round, press "Add a teacher's times", choose the "Teacher", add each "Date", "From", "To" and "Room", and press "Set the times".
  3. When a family rings, use "Book for a family": find the student, then press a time under "Book a time".
  4. On the evening, "At the door" lists who is booked with whom.

Record a working with children check

"Staff", then a name

Needs staff.check.write.

  1. In "Staff", open the person. A word beside a name marks a required check that is missing or has run out.
  2. Press "Record a check" and choose the "Kind of check".
  3. Fill "Jurisdiction" and "Number on the register", then choose "What the register said".
  4. Fill "Issued", "Expires" and "Register read", and press "Record it".

Send a message to families

"Messages", "New message"

Needs comms.message.send.

  1. In "Messages", press "New message".
  2. Under "Who it is for", type one group per line and choose the "Purpose".
  3. Tick the "Channels", choose a "Template" or write the message, and press "Send".

Record an enquiry from a family

"Enrolment", "Enquiries"

Needs enrolment.enquiry.write.

  1. Press "Record an enquiry".
  2. Fill "The child", "Who is asking" and "Where it came from", and press "Record it".