Academic Calendar - New School Year Setup (Step 1)

This article guides you through setting up your academic calendar for the next school year, including adding the academic year, and intake season, and configuring term and holiday dates.

This is a mandatory step. Once completed, you can make updates by editing and saving.

Estimated Time:

• Read time: 15 minutes
• Completion time: 30 minutes

Permissions Required:

• School: Academic Structure: Administer: To amend academic year or term dates.
• School: Calendar: Administer: To add or amend holidays.

Overview of Steps:

• Adding Your Next Academic Year
• Adding the Intake Season
• Setting Up the Academic Calendar (Adding Terms & Holidays)
• Checking Your Calendar is Ready

1. Adding Your Next Academic Year

1. Go to School > School Structure > Academic Year.
2. Click the green +Add button.
3. Create your next academic year.
   • Recommendation: We advise setting your academic year from September 1st to August 31st. If students start later, add those initial days as holidays.

Troubleshooting Academic Year Setup:

• Permissions: Ensure you have the correct permissions as listed above.
• Future Date: The academic year's start date must be after your current academic year's end date.
• Need the Current End Date Changed? Contact your support provider. Include the current dates, the new dates needed, and any other relevant information.

2. Adding the Intake Season

• Skip this section if you already use Arbor to manage your September Applicants.

1. Go to School > School Structure > School Year Setup.
2. Click on 1. Academic Calendar.
3. Once your academic year is added, you can proceed with setting up the intake season in this section.

3. Setting Up the Academic Calendar

Complete the following steps to finalize your academic calendar. Dates not covered by terms will be highlighted and generally resolved by adding holidays.

Adding in Terms

You need to add your 3 main terms. Half-terms will be managed by adding specific holidays.

1. Click +Add.
2. Enter the Term Name and its Start/End Dates.
3. Click Add Term.
4. Repeat these steps for your two additional terms.

Adding in Holidays

Ensure you include all holiday dates (excluding weekends). This prevents registers from being created on non-school days.

Adding in Half Terms:

• Important: Half Terms must be added with the holiday type: Half Term.

1. Click Add.
2. Enter the Holiday Name.
3. Select Holiday Type as Half Term.
4. Enter the Start Date.
5. Enter the End Date.
6. Click Add Academic Holiday.

Adding in Public Holidays/Vacations:

1. Click Add.
2. Enter the Holiday Name.
3. Select Holiday Type as either Public Holiday (e.g., Bank Holiday) or Vacation.
4. Enter the Start Date.
5. Enter the End Date.
6. Click Add Academic Holiday.

Once all holidays are added, ensure no dates are showing as unaccounted for, then click Mark Calendar as Complete.

4. Checking Your Calendar Is Ready

If you need to make any changes after marking complete, click Return to Incomplete.

Check 1: All Dates Covered

• Requirement: All dates in the academic year must be covered by either terms or holidays to ensure correct register creation and to mark the step as complete.
• Action: Use the Days Unaccounted For area on the Academic Calendar page. If dates appear here, add terms or holidays to cover them.

Check 2: No Date Overlaps

• Problem: Overlapping dates (e.g., last day of term is Dec 22nd, and first day of winter break is also Dec 22nd) will result in no registers being created for those days.
• Action: Double-check that all holiday start dates are set to the day after the last day of the preceding term.

Check 3: All Holidays (including Half Terms) Set Correctly

• Importance: The correct number of 'Half Term' holiday types directly influences how many assessment periods you will have.
• Warning: If you do not use the 'Half Term' holiday type, you will not be able to use half-term assessment periods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Q: Can I reset this step?

  • A: While there isn't a dedicated reset button, you can delete what you've previously entered and restart.
    1. You can click on the specific terms or holidays you'd like to remove.
    2. Click Edit.
    3. Click Delete. You can now re-do this step.

• Q: Can I amend the academic year start/end dates?

  • A: No, due to enrollments attached to the academic year, you can only edit its name after it's added.
  • Action: Contact your support provider to change the academic year dates for you. Remember to include the correct dates.

• Q: I'm seeing an error message when adding a holiday.

  • A: This message typically appears when you try to add a 'Half-term' holiday type with dates that fall outside of an existing term.
  • Solution 1: If you are adding a vacation (like a summer holiday), ensure you use the correct holiday type, Vacation, not 'Half-term'.
  • Solution 2: If your term dates are incorrect, you can edit them:
    1. Click on the incorrect term or holiday.
    2. Click Edit.

• Q: Can I print the Academic Calendar?

  • A: Yes, once you have marked the Academic Calendar Step as complete, you can print your Term Card.
    1. Click Print Term Card.
    2. Save the generated file as a PDF to your computer.