Teaching School: absences and substitutions

Absences and substitutions

Absences and substitutions need a published timetable. Without one the screens say so.

Reporting an absence. A teacher opens their link on a phone, and in the "Absence" tab chooses the date (or several days), ticks the lessons they will miss (with none ticked the form says "The whole day"), and taps "Report". They can add a reason that only the person running the school sees. The person running the school can do the same in the "Report an absence" form on the "Substitutions" screen, for example when a teacher calls in. A teacher can take back a report ("Take the report back"), and their lessons then no longer need a substitute.

What the system proposes. For every lesson of the absent teacher the system looks for a teacher who is free in that period according to the published timetable, who is not on a day or hour they are unavailable for, and who has not reached their maximum periods a day. Each candidate gets points: teaches the same subject (3), qualified for the grade (2), homeroom teacher of the class (2), at school with no gap (1), fewer substitution hours this month (1). The candidate with the most points is proposed; a tie always gives the same choice. The screen shows the score and the reasons. When nobody is free, the lesson is marked "No substitute found".

What you do. On the "Substitutions" screen choose a day (the arrows, or "Today"). For each lesson:

• "Approve" sends the proposal to the substitute by email. The status becomes "Waiting for the substitute's answer".
• "Next candidate" proposes the one with the next score. "Choose a substitute" shows the list of candidates, with the reasons, and you pick.
• "Confirmed by phone" is for a substitute you spoke to: the hour is confirmed without waiting for the link.
• "Cancel the hour" cancels a substitution. The substitute is notified, and the hour is not counted in the report.
• A past day can be looked at but not changed.

"Approve the first proposal automatically" skips the first click: the first proposal of each lesson goes to the substitute at once. The substitute still has to answer, and a declined proposal comes back to you. The setting is in the "Substitutions" screen and in "More", under "Day to day".

What the substitute does. The substitute gets an email with two links: "Yes, I will cover it" and "Not suitable". The link opens a page that shows the lesson, and nothing is sent until they tap "Yes, I'll cover" or "No, I can't". Each link works once, and both stop working when the lesson starts. The time the first lesson starts is set in "More", "First period starts". A "no" moves to the next candidate automatically. After a "yes" the hour is confirmed and the absent teacher sees "Covered by" with the name in their own page. If the absence is taken back or the hour is cancelled before the lesson starts, the substitute gets a cancellation email.

Everything that happens to a substitution is written in a log that cannot be changed or erased afterwards: who was proposed, who declined, who confirmed and how (link or phone).

More about absences

• You can report several days at once. The number of days is limited, and the message says what the limit is. On dates when the teacher has no lessons in the timetable the report is still saved, and the screen says on which dates.
• On the "Substitutions" screen you see who is absent on the chosen day, the lessons that need a substitute and a counts line: how many are confirmed, how many are waiting and how many have no substitute. Below them is the list of absences in the coming days.
• Whoever runs the school can press "Cancel the absence". A substitution that was already confirmed is cancelled, and the substitutes get a message.
• The absent teacher sees the absence and the name of the substitute on her page. The substitute sees the lesson in his week too.
• "First period starts" in "More" sets when the substitute's links expire, so it is worth keeping it right.

Substitutions, step by step

1. A teacher phoned in: on the "Substitutions" screen fill in the form "Report an absence": choose a teacher and a date (or several days), "The whole day" or certain lessons, and press "Report and find substitutes".
2. A teacher who reports herself: she opens her link on her phone, and on the "Absence" tab chooses a date and lessons.
3. Choose a day with the arrows or with "Today". For each lesson you see a proposed substitute, a score and the reasons.
4. Press "Approve". The proposal goes to the substitute and the state becomes "Waiting for the substitute's answer".
5. You can press "Next candidate", or "Choose a substitute" and then "Choose" next to the one you pick.
6. A substitute you spoke to: press "Confirmed by phone".
7. The substitute gets an email and opens the link "Yes, I will cover it" or "Not suitable". On the page that opens they press "Yes, I'll cover" or "No, I can't". "No" passes to the next candidate. After "Yes" the state becomes "Confirmed".
8. A lesson with no substitute is marked "No substitute found". "Cancel the hour" cancels an existing substitution. You can also turn on "Approve the first proposal automatically".