Importing students from a spreadsheet

Students → Import Students adds many students from an Excel or CSV file. Nothing is added until you press Import in the preview.

Steps

1. Press Download Sample Template. It has one Students sheet with three example rows, and a note on the columns that need explaining. Replace the examples with your students, one per row.
2. Only First Name, Last Name and Class are required. Everything else is optional: admission number, gender, date of birth, contact details, one parent or guardian, and a photo.
3. Drop the file onto the page (or click to choose it). Your own spreadsheet works too: common headings such as Surname, DOB or Parent Phone are recognised. If a heading isn't, a window asks which field it is; the ones that were recognised are already filled in.
4. A workbook with several sheets asks which sheets to import.
5. Check the preview: how many rows are ready, how many guardians, and the rows set aside, each with its row number and the reason.
6. Press Import. The rows that are ready are added; the others are not.

Dates are read day first: 04/09/2015 is 4 September 2015. A real Excel date works too. A blank date stays blank.

Rows set aside, and why

• A required field is missing.
• The admission number is already used in your school, or by an earlier row of the file.
• A date of birth that doesn't exist (31/02/2015) or is in the future.
• A phone number or email that isn't valid. Phone numbers are read as local to your school's country; add the country code for one from elsewhere.
• Both a Photo URL and a Photo Key on one row.

Fix those rows in your file and import just them again.

A class that doesn't exist yet

The preview lists the classes your file names that your school doesn't have. If you can manage classes, create them there and the waiting rows are checked again. Otherwise the preview asks you to ask someone who can.

Possible duplicates

A row with no admission number that matches a student you already have (same class, same first and last name) is held back under Possible duplicates, beside the student it matches. It is skipped unless you tick it, so importing the same sheet twice doesn't add everyone again. Tick it only if it really is a different child. Import never changes a student you already have.

Photos

Two ways, one per row:

• Photo Key: type a label (the admission number works well), then drop the photos into the preview's Match student photos, each named after its key (STD-2026-0001.jpg). The preview says how many matched and lists files that matched nothing.
• Photo URL: a link to a picture already online. A Google Drive or OneDrive share link doesn't work, because it opens a web page rather than the picture; the student is still added, without a photo.

For students you've already added, use Add Photos in Bulk.

Good to know

• Importing needs a connection.
• Blood group, medical notes and religion are saved only if you're allowed to change them. If not, the preview says they weren't saved.
• A state, LGA or religion the import can't recognise doesn't stop the student being added; it is left blank and listed so you can fill it in later.
• If the file would take you past your plan's student limit, the preview says so. The students are still added.