User guide

This guide explains how Kestrel works: what each module is for, the screens you use, and how the school's processes run from one module to the next across a school year. Each chapter names the roles it is written for and links to the steps in the role guides.

If you know your job and want the buttons to press, start with the guide for your role. If you are new to Kestrel, start with Part 1.

Start here by role

• Registrar
• Front office
• Teacher
• Head of house or year
• Wellbeing
• Counsellor
• Learning support
• Child safety officer
• Case manager
• Deputy case manager
• Chair of governors or proprietor
• Nurse
• Principal and executive
• Business manager
• Advancement
• Development manager
• Foundation board
• Advancement finance
• Event volunteer
• Event helper
• Coach
• Privacy officer
• IT
• Families

The parts of the guide

1. Part 1

   Getting started

   Signing in, your account, the console, finding records and pages, and your calendar and tasks.

   1. 1.1 Signing in
   2. 1.2 Your account
   3. 1.3 The console
   4. 1.4 Finding things
   5. 1.5 The calendar and your tasks
   6. 1.6 Staff who are also parents

2. Part 2

   Journeys

   The school's processes from end to end, across modules, in the order of a school year.

   1. 2.1 Setting up the school
   2. 2.2 Enquiry to enrolment
   3. 2.3 The first day
   4. 2.4 Daily rolls
   5. 2.5 A wellbeing concern
   6. 2.6 A medical event
   7. 2.7 Assessment to reports
   8. 2.8 An excursion
   9. 2.9 Billing a term
   10. 2.10 Leaving the school

3. Part 3

   Modules

   One chapter for each part of Kestrel a school works in: what it is for, who uses it, its screens, its tasks and the settings that change it.

   1. 3.1 Students and households
   2. 3.2 Enrolment
   3. 3.3 Timetable and classes
   4. 3.4 Attendance
   5. 3.5 Wellbeing and child safety
   6. 3.6 Medical
   7. 3.7 Assessment and reports
   8. 3.8 Activities and excursions
   9. 3.9 Messages and consents
   10. 3.10 Forms and tasks
   11. 3.11 Staff
   12. 3.12 Billing
   13. 3.13 Reporting
   14. 3.14 Foundation
   15. 3.15 Alumni

4. Part 4

   The family portal

   What parents, carers and students see in the portal, and how they answer the school.

   1. 4.1 Signing in to the portal
   2. 4.2 A child's page
   3. 4.3 Answering the school
   4. 4.4 Applications and offers
   5. 4.5 Learning and wellbeing
   6. 4.6 The student portal
   7. 4.7 Public forms

5. Part 5

   Administration

   Setting the school up in Settings: the school, staff and access, the student record, each module's settings, connections and accountability.

   1. 5.1 Settings and setup
   2. 5.2 The school
   3. 5.3 Staff and access
   4. 5.4 The student record
   5. 5.5 Module settings
   6. 5.6 Forms and workflows
   7. 5.7 Connections
   8. 5.8 Imports and returns
   9. 5.9 Accountability

6. Part 6

   Privacy and safety in practice

   What you can see and why, restricted details, alerts, consent, the audit trail and how long records are kept.

   1. 6.1 What you can see
   2. 6.2 Restricted details
   3. 6.3 Alerts beside a name
   4. 6.4 Consent
   5. 6.5 Audit and step-up
   6. 6.6 Retention and privacy requests

7. Part 7

   Reference

   The glossary, the capability index, roles against modules, and where to get help.

   1. 7.1 Glossary
   2. 7.2 Capability index
   3. 7.3 Roles and modules
   4. 7.4 Questions and support