Lesson Notes covers both sides of weekly lesson-note vetting. The head teacher ticks each teacher’s lesson-note book as they go round and sees who is up to date. Teachers see their results and, if they like, can type their notes or scan their pages and submit them online for approval.
- Where Attendance & Timetable → Lesson Notes (teachers) and Lesson Notes Review (head teacher)
- Who can use it Teachers need Lesson Notes in their role and a login linked to their staff record. Reviewers need Lesson Notes Review, which Head Teacher roles and the Admin get by default and an Admin can grant to a head of department. Reviewers can’t review, inspect or record their own notes.
- Set up first Each teacher’s subjects and classes in Teachers, and your Terms
Inspect the books (head teacher)
Open Lesson Notes Review. It starts on Book inspection for the current week, with a row for each teacher and a button for each subject and class level they teach.
- Tap a subject to tick the book. Each tap moves it on: Seen → Seen late → Not presented → back to blank.
- If the whole book is in order, click ✓ All seen on that teacher’s row.
- Add a mark if you like (for example Good) and a short comment.
Every change saves by itself; Saved ✓ shows on the row. Use Find a teacher to jump to someone, or tick several teachers and click ✓ Mark selected seen. The arrows move to other weeks.
Teachers with a login are notified when a book is marked Not presented or Needs improvement.
Your week (teachers)
Open Lesson Notes. This week lists each subject and class level you teach, with the deadline and how many are ready. Once your book has been inspected, each line shows the result, for example Book seen ✓ · Good, with any comment. Notes sent back for changes appear at the top under Returned for changes. All my notes lists every note you’ve written, newest first.
Write or scan a note online
- On This week, tap a subject (or click Other note). Tick every parallel class the note covers, for example JHS 1 Gold and JHS 1 Blue.
- Choose Type it or Scan pages. A new note fills itself in from your scheme of work and your timetable. Copy last week, Same week last term and Same week last year copy an older note instead.
- Typing: complete the weekly details (strand, sub-strand, indicators and so on) and a lesson for each day, with its starter, new learning, reflection and assessment. Scanning: use Take photo or Choose files for each page (PDF, Word, JPEG or PNG, up to 10 MB each and 20 pages).
- Click Save draft to carry on later, or Submit for vetting.
While a note is waiting, Recall to edit takes it back to a draft. A returned note shows the reviewer’s comment; make the changes and click Resubmit. Approved notes are locked. Use Print for a copy with your school’s header, and Comments to talk to your reviewer.
Schemes of work
On the Schemes of work tab, click New scheme, choose the subject and class level, and fill in the strand, sub-strand, topic, standard, indicators and resources for each week of the term. Then click Save scheme. You can also click Import CSV, or copy a scheme from another term. Teachers can only write schemes for the subjects and classes they teach.
Review online notes
The Online notes tab (with a count of waiting notes) lists notes teachers have submitted. Filter by status, week, teacher, class or subject.
- Approve approves a note. Tick several and click Approve selected to do them together.
- Return sends it back. You must say what to change.
- Open a note to read it, see its scanned pages, and comment.
- Record paper notes logs notes handed in on paper: choose the teacher, week, subject and the date received, and untick Vetted and approved if you haven’t vetted them yet.
Teachers are told when their note is approved or returned.
Compliance and settings
Compliance shows, for One week or the Whole term, how many notes each teacher was expected to hand in, how many were handed in, on time, approved and missing, and their on-time rate. Click CSV to download it. A book ticked in the inspection or an online note both count.
Settings sets when notes are due (a day before the week starts, or Monday of the week, plus a time) and the Mark scale: words, numbers 4 to 1, or no marks. A note first handed in after the deadline is marked Late.
Good to know
- Expected notes come from each teacher’s assigned subjects: one per subject per class level per term week. Weeks outside a term, and weeks your holiday list closes completely, aren’t expected.
- Teachers get reminders before the deadline, and reviewers get a Monday digest. Both can be switched off in Settings → Automations.
- If a teacher sees “Your account isn’t linked to a staff record”, click Link Login on their record in Staff, or give the record the same email as their login (it then links itself).
- Paper notes can’t be returned online; hand them back in person and add a comment.