Step 1: Setting Up the Substitution System

Setting Up the Substitute Management System

Before you can manage substitutes, you need to publish at least one timetable and optionally configure leave types and substitute settings.

Watch Video Tutorial

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Step 1: Publish Your Timetable

Publishing creates schedule slots that power the calendar and substitute system.

Go to My Timetables

1. Click "My Timetables" in the left sidebar
2. You'll see your timetables organized into Published and Draft sections
3. Each timetable card shows its name, status badge (Published or Draft), and last updated date

Publish a Timetable

1. Click the green "Publish" button on a draft timetable card
2. A confirmation modal appears showing the timetable name
3. Review the warning: "Publishing will make this the active timetable. Make sure all schedules are finalized."
4. Click "Confirm & Publish"

Fortnightly Schedules

If your timetable uses a fortnightly schedule (alternating Week 1 and Week 2), a Fortnightly Configuration modal appears first:

1. Select the Week 1 Start Date - the date when Week 1 begins
2. The system needs this to know which week is active on any given date
3. Click "Confirm & Continue" to proceed to the publish confirmation

Conflict Detection

When publishing, the system automatically checks for conflicts with other published timetables:

• Teacher conflicts - Same teacher scheduled at overlapping times across timetables
• Class conflicts - Same class in multiple places at the same time
• Room conflicts - Same room double-booked across timetables

If conflicts are found, a Conflict Modal appears showing the conflicting timetables and resources. You can:

• Cancel - Go back and fix the conflicts (e.g., unpublish the conflicting timetable)
• Retry - Check again after making changes
• Force Publish - Publish anyway despite conflicts (use with caution)

What Happens When You Publish?

Publishing generates schedule slots for each scheduled lesson:

• Stores teacher, class, subject, and room assignments as individual slots
• Enables the calendar view with real-time schedule display
• Powers the substitute management system (leave marking, substitute assignment)
• Supports weekly, fortnightly, and cyclic schedules automatically
• Sets an effective date range so the schedule applies going forward

Unpublishing

To return a timetable to draft status:

1. Click the amber "Unpublish" button on a published timetable card
2. Confirm in the modal - this deactivates all schedule slots for future dates
3. The timetable becomes editable again and substitute management stops using it

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Step 2: Configure Leave Types (Optional)

Leave types define the categories of leave available when marking a teacher as absent.

Accessing Leave Types

1. Click "Settings" in the left sidebar
2. Under Preferences, click "Leave Types"

Initialize Default Leave Types

If no leave types are configured, a prompt appears to initialize 8 standard types:

• Sick Leave (SL) - Red
• Casual Leave (CL) - Blue
• Earned Leave (EL) - Green
• Maternity Leave (ML) - Pink
• Paternity Leave (PL) - Purple
• Compensatory Off (CO) - Amber
• Bereavement Leave (BL) - Gray
• Leave Without Pay (LWP) - Red

Click "Initialize Default Leave Types" to create all eight at once.

Creating a Custom Leave Type

1. Click "Add Leave Type" at the top
2. Fill in the form:
   • Name (required) - e.g., "Professional Development"
   • Short Name - Abbreviated code (e.g., "PD")
   • Color - Color picker or hex code for visual identification
   • Description - Optional details about the leave type
3. Click "Save"

Managing Leave Types

Each leave type card shows its name, short name badge, color, status (Active/Inactive), and description. Available actions:

• Activate/Deactivate - Toggle whether the leave type is available for use (without deleting it)
• Edit - Update name, short name, color, or description
• Delete - Remove the leave type (if in use, it will be deactivated instead)

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Step 3: Configure Substitute Settings (Optional)

Substitute settings control how the auto-suggest and auto-assign features work. These settings are available on Pro and Max plans.

Accessing Substitute Settings

1. Click "Settings" in the left sidebar
2. Under Preferences, click "Substitute Settings"

Global Settings

• Enable Auto-Suggestions - Toggle to show/hide substitute suggestions based on scoring
• Max Suggestions to Show - Limit how many suggestions appear (leave empty to show all available)

Class Groups

Group classes that are equivalent for familiarity scoring:

1. Click "Add Group" to create a new class group
2. Enter a Group Name (e.g., "Grade 9") and optional description
3. Select the classes that belong to this group (e.g., 9A, 9B, 9C)
4. Teachers familiar with any class in the group are considered familiar with all classes in it

Default Limits

Set organization-wide limits that apply to all teachers:

• Max Periods/Day (default: 8) - Total periods including substitutes a teacher can have per day
• Max Substitutes/Day (default: 3) - Maximum substitute assignments per day
• Max Substitutes/Week (default: 10) - Maximum substitute assignments per week

Faculty Settings

Override default settings for individual teachers:

• Can Be Substitute - Enable or disable a teacher for substitute assignments
• Override Limits - Set custom max periods/day, max substitutes/day, and max substitutes/week
• Exclude from Auto-Assign - Teacher won't be auto-assigned but can still be manually selected
• Priority Level (-10 to 10) - Higher priority teachers are suggested first
• Preferred Subjects - Subjects this teacher prefers to substitute
• Excluded Subjects - Subjects this teacher should not substitute
• Notes - Free-text notes about the teacher's substitute preferences

Saving Changes

• Click "Save Changes" to apply global settings, scoring priorities, and default limits
• Faculty settings are saved individually when updated
• Click "Reset" to restore all settings to defaults (includes clearing all faculty overrides)
• A floating save bar appears when you have unsaved changes with Discard and Save options

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Step 4: Access the Calendar

After publishing, you can access the substitute management features:

1. Click "Calendar" in the left sidebar
2. You'll see today's complete schedule in Day view
3. Switch between Faculty, Classes, and Rooms views
4. All substitute assignments, cancellations, and modifications are reflected in real-time

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Requirements

Before Publishing:

• Timetable must be generated (schedule created by the solver)
• Teachers should be linked to user accounts (for personal calendar views and email notifications)
• Classes and rooms should be linked to organization resources

For Substitute Settings:

• Pro or Max plan required (free plan shows an upgrade prompt)
• Not available in demo/sandbox accounts

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Quick Reference

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Next Step

Learn how to view the calendar and assign substitutes when teachers are absent.