How to set up an academic calendar

Every downstream fight — attendance, exams, fees — is a calendar fight that started in week zero.

Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument. Do this against working days on one student record, with publish gates, not a generic weekday grid. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates. Name the owner before the first family sees a receipt.

Working days yes. Schemes no.

Importing last year’s file blindly.
Three unofficial calendars.
Working days yes. Schemes no.

Name the year start

April, September, January, July — whatever this campus actually uses. Name the year this campus actually uses. April, September, January, or July are all real. A borrowed default is not.

For setting up an academic calendar, “Name the year start” still has to survive a mid-year joiner and a working-day exception on one student record. Refuse this shortcut: Importing last year’s file blindly. Can two boards share a calendar? Working days yes. Schemes no. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

“Name the year start” for setting up an academic calendar fails when this is skipped: Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument.

A named role.

Name the year start
Importing last year’s file blindly.
Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

One owner

Official exceptions only. One owner publishes official exceptions. Three unofficial calendars means three denominators.

For setting up an academic calendar, “One owner” still has to survive a mid-year joiner and a working-day exception on one student record. Refuse this shortcut: Three unofficial calendars. Who may close a day? A named role. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

“One owner” for setting up an academic calendar fails when this is skipped: Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument.

Yes, or percentages are fiction.

One owner
Three unofficial calendars.
Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

Board seasons as blocks

Until circulars exist, do not invent Mondays. Board seasons are blocks until a circular names the day. Do not invent a Monday and paste it forward from last year.

For setting up an academic calendar, “Board seasons as blocks” still has to survive a mid-year joiner and a working-day exception on one student record. Refuse this shortcut: Importing last year’s file blindly. Emergency same-day? Yes, or percentages are fiction. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

“Board seasons as blocks” for setting up an academic calendar fails when this is skipped: Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument.

Working days yes. Schemes no.

Board seasons as blocks
Importing last year’s file blindly.
Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

Staff vs pupil days

INSET can be a pupil holiday and a staff working day. A staff-only day can be a pupil holiday. Say which one it is so attendance and payroll do not share a silent assumption.

For setting up an academic calendar, “Staff vs pupil days” still has to survive a mid-year joiner and a working-day exception on one student record. Refuse this shortcut: Three unofficial calendars. Can two boards share a calendar? Working days yes. Schemes no. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

“Staff vs pupil days” for setting up an academic calendar fails when this is skipped: Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument.

A named role.

Staff vs pupil days
Three unofficial calendars.
Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

How this playbook changes for a real campus

setting up an academic calendar still starts from the holiday master, not a borrowed weekday grid. Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument.

Working days, one student record, and publish gates are the checks. Receipts have to match finance before families see a result.

Importing last year’s file blindly. Three unofficial calendars. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

A named role.

Name the year start
Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.
the boards the campus reports to

Where this usually breaks

Importing last year’s file blindly. Three unofficial calendars.

A second spreadsheet for the real list is the usual failure. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

setting up an academic calendar still fails when this is skipped: Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument. Saved marks stay drafts until the school publishes them.

Schoolyi treats the academic calendar as the source of working days for attendance, exams, and leave.

Importing last year’s file blindly.
Three unofficial calendars.
Schoolyi treats the academic calendar as the source of working days for attendance, exams, and leave.

How Schoolyi fits

Schoolyi treats the academic calendar as the source of working days for attendance, exams, and leave.

Open /features/academic-foundation after you can describe the awkward case for setting up an academic calendar. This page is a playbook, not a feature grid. Name the owner in the demo. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

That walkthrough still uses the holiday master the school will go live on and the fee heads families can see on a receipt.

Working days yes. Schemes no.

Playbook: /how-to/set-up-academic-calendar
Product: /features/academic-foundation
Book a demo with your awkward case, not a slide deck

Questions

Can two boards share a calendar? Working days yes. Schemes no.

Who may close a day? A named role. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates. Ask these before the demo.

Emergency same-day? Yes, or percentages are fiction. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

Can two boards share a calendar? Working days yes. Schemes no.
Who may close a day? A named role.
Emergency same-day? Yes, or percentages are fiction.

Bring this playbook to a demo

Attendance, exams, and fees all read this calendar. If week zero is wrong, every later percentage and due date is an argument. Schoolyi treats the academic calendar as the source of working days for attendance, exams, and leave. Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates. Book the demo with that owner in the room.

Score statutory filing and hardware as not met unless the deployment actually has them. Publish gates still decide what families see.

Name the year start

Open /features/academic-foundation
Book a demo with the awkward case
Named facts: working days, one student record, publish gates.

How to set up an academic calendar