New School Digital Setup Toolkit
Starting a school with a digital management system from the very beginning is far easier than migrating from paper or spreadsheets, but it still requires careful setup to ensure the system is configured correctly. A school that rushes the initial setup often pays the price later: incorrect fee structures that cause reconciliation problems, poorly structured class groups that create timetabling headaches, or missing user permissions that leave staff unable to perform their duties. This toolkit guides a new school's founding team through every configuration step in the correct order, from creating the school profile through to enrolling the first students and issuing the first digital fee receipts.
For: Proprietors, founders, and administrators of newly established schools — or schools that are newly adopting RedeemOS from scratch with no legacy data to migrate — who want to set up their digital infrastructure correctly from day one.
Before You Start
- 1.RedeemOS subscription activated and login credentials received from the RedeemOS onboarding team
- 2.School registration documents ready: school name, address, registration number, proprietor details, and school logo (PNG format, minimum 400×400 px)
- 3.Academic year structure decided: term dates, holiday periods, and public holidays confirmed for the upcoming academic year
- 4.Fee structure decided and approved by the school board: all fee categories, amounts per class group, and payment schedule confirmed
- 5.Staff list ready: all confirmed teaching and administrative staff with their full names, email addresses, and assigned roles
Implementation Phases
School Profile and Academic Structure Setup
The school profile is the foundation of everything in RedeemOS. Get this right before creating any classes, staff accounts, or student records.
Tasks
- Log in to RedeemOS and navigate to Settings → School Profile; complete all required fields: school name, address, region, school type (private/public), and school level (primary/secondary/both)
- Upload the school logo and set the school's primary colour for branded report cards and documents
- Create the current academic year in Settings → Academic Years: set the year name (e.g., "2025/2026"), start date, and end date
- Create the three terms within the academic year: Term 1, Term 2, Term 3 with their respective start and end dates, and mark the current term as active
- Create all class groups in Settings → Classes: for each class, set the name (e.g., "Primary 1A"), the class level, the maximum student capacity, and the class teacher (can be assigned later)
- Create the subject list in Settings → Subjects: add every subject taught at the school, assign to the relevant class levels, and configure which subjects are core versus elective
- Configure the grading scale in Settings → Grading: set grade boundaries (e.g., A1: 80–100, B2: 70–79), grade remarks, and whether continuous assessment is separate from examination scores
Tools / Modules
- ·RedeemOS Settings → School Profile
- ·RedeemOS Settings → Academic Years
- ·RedeemOS Settings → Classes
- ·RedeemOS Settings → Subjects
- ·RedeemOS Settings → Grading
Staff Accounts and Permissions
Every staff member needs an account in RedeemOS with the correct role and permissions before students can be enrolled. Do not share the admin account with teachers.
Tasks
- Navigate to HR → Staff Management and create a staff profile for each confirmed employee: full name, email address, staff ID, date of joining, role (Head of School, Teacher, Bursar, etc.)
- Send system-generated login credentials to each staff member via the staff's registered email address from within RedeemOS
- Assign each staff member their role-based permissions: class teachers get access to their class attendance and assessments; the bursar gets access to Finance; admin staff get access to SIS and admissions
- Assign class teachers to their respective classes in Settings → Classes
- Assign subject teachers to their subjects in Settings → Subject Assignments
- Ask all staff to log in and change their default password on first login
- Verify that each staff member's dashboard shows only the modules relevant to their role — confirm with at least one teacher, the bursar, and the admin secretary
Tools / Modules
- ·RedeemOS HR Module
- ·RedeemOS Staff Management
- ·RedeemOS Permissions & Roles (Settings)
Fee Structure Configuration
The fee configuration must be set up before the first student is enrolled, because fee obligations are assigned at enrolment. A mistake in the fee structure at this stage can create incorrect invoices for every student.
Tasks
- Navigate to Finance → Fee Structure and create a fee category for each charge: e.g., Tuition Fee, Development Levy, PTA Levy, Examination Fee, Boarding Fee
- For each fee category, set the amount per class group — amounts often differ by class level (primary vs secondary)
- Set the payment schedule: which fees are due per term and which are annual
- Configure the accepted payment methods: bank transfer details, mobile money merchant numbers, and whether online card payment is enabled
- Create at least one test invoice manually for a test student profile and verify the amounts and layout are correct before enrolling real students
- Set up fee waiver and scholarship categories if the school has bursary places: navigate to Finance → Discounts & Waivers and create the relevant categories
Tools / Modules
- ·RedeemOS Finance Module
- ·RedeemOS Fee Management
- ·RedeemOS Settings → Payment Methods
Student Enrolment and Parent Accounts
With the academic structure, staff accounts, and fee configuration in place, the school is ready to enrol students. Parent portal accounts are created automatically when students are enrolled with a valid parent email or phone number.
Tasks
- For each new student, navigate to Admissions → New Student or use the bulk CSV import: enter full name, date of birth, gender, class group, admission date, and parent/guardian contact details
- After enrolment, verify that a fee invoice has been automatically generated for each student in Finance → Fee Invoices
- Send parent portal invitation messages to all parents via RedeemOS Communication → SMS/Email: the message includes their login link and temporary credentials
- Upload each student's admission form and birth certificate as PDF or image attachments to their student profile
- Assign each boarding student to a hostel dormitory in Hostel → Room Assignments if the school has boarding facilities
- Run the enrolment summary report in RedeemOS to confirm total student count by class and gender matches your physical admission list
Tools / Modules
- ·RedeemOS Admissions Module
- ·RedeemOS Student Information System (SIS)
- ·RedeemOS Finance Module
- ·RedeemOS Parent Portal
- ·RedeemOS Communication Platform
Daily Operations Launch and First-Week Verification
The final phase confirms that all daily workflows are running correctly in the live environment during the first week of school.
Tasks
- On the first day of school: each class teacher takes attendance using RedeemOS Attendance and confirms the class list matches their physical register
- Process the first fee payments received: the bursar enters each payment in Finance → Record Payment and issues digital receipts — verify that parents receive their SMS or email receipt notification
- Verify that the head teacher's dashboard shows live attendance data and fee collection statistics
- Confirm that the parent portal is accessible to parents: call or message at least three parents to confirm they can log in and see their child's profile and fee invoice
- Check all SMS and email notifications are being delivered: send a test broadcast message to all parents and confirm delivery
- Schedule a 30-minute daily check-in for the first two weeks between the admin coordinator and the Head of School to surface and resolve any issues quickly
Tools / Modules
- ·RedeemOS Attendance Module
- ·RedeemOS Finance Module
- ·RedeemOS Parent Portal
- ·RedeemOS Communication Platform
- ·RedeemOS Management Dashboard
Success Criteria
School profile, academic year, all class groups, and all subjects configured correctly in RedeemOS before the first student is enrolled
All staff have individual RedeemOS accounts with role-appropriate access — no shared credentials in use
Fee invoices are automatically generated at the correct amounts for every enrolled student with zero manual adjustment required
Class teachers are independently taking digital attendance by the end of the first week of school
At least 80% of parents have logged into the parent portal and can view their child's profile and fee invoice within the first two weeks of school
The bursar is processing 100% of fee payments through RedeemOS with digital receipts issued for every transaction by end of week two
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
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