The Nestling Centre

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This system is designed to make it easier for parents to view their children's academic results and for school staff to manage and upload those results. It provides a secure and organized way to store information, communicate updates, and track student progress.

The main goal is to reduce academics management overhead, save time, and ensure that all users can access accurate information quickly.

1.1 WHAT YOU NEED TO OPERATE THE SYSTEM

• A smartphone, tablet, laptop or Computer with a browser app installed. For example, a laptop with Google Chrome.
• Internet connection
• An active account on the system

1.2 WHAT YOU CAN DO ON THE SYSTEM

• Access a public, school website to view official school information, news, announcements, and upcoming events.
• Login securely as a parent to view your child's academic results through a private dashboard.
• Upload, update, and manage student academic results as an authorized teacher or staff member.
• Publish and manage school announcements, newsletters, and other official communications in one central place.
• Administer users, roles, student records, and website content with controlled, role-based access for security and accountability.

1.3 MAIN SYSTEM COMPONENTS

1.3.1 Public Website

The public website is the part of the system that anyone can access without logging in. It displays official school information such as the school profile, news, announcements, events, and newsletters.

1.3.2 Parent Portal

The parent portal is a secure area that requires login credentials. It allows parents or guardians to access private academic information related only to their own children.

1.3.3 Staff and Administration Portal

This component is used by teachers, school staff, and administrators. It provides tools to upload and manage student results, maintain student records, manage user accounts, and control website content.

1.3 KEY TERMS

To avoid confusion, the following key terms are used throughout this manual:

2.0 GETTING STARTED

To use the system, you need an internet-connected device such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Open a web browser and go to the school's system website link provided by the school administration.

2.1 ACCOUNT CREATION

Accounts on the system are centralized. Only the admin can add you on the system.

1. You submit the following information:
   • Your Full Name
   • Your Phone Number
   • Your email
2. The System Admin will then enter this basic information on the system
3. You will receive an email, with temporal login credentials
4. Open the email, and navigate to appropriate login screen.
   • For Staff: Go on 'Staff Login'
   • For Parents: Go on 'Parent Portal'
5. Enter the credentials from the email. You're required to change the emailed password on first login. Set something you can remember.
6. On first login, click on the dropdown menu in the top right corner, then on profile.
7. That's it!

2.2 NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM: STAFF DASHBOARD

The system is designed to check your role 'Teacher', 'Staff'... etc. and then provide you with a set of tools you need to accomplish your job. This is a security and integrity design to ensure that only authorized users can modify records.

2.2.1 The main navigation

The navigation expands depending on your role. But the full set includes:

1. Dashboard: This is the first screen you see when you login, and on this tab you just see statistics plus quick links to main system tools.
2. Learners: This screen shows you all available learners, you can manage them from here including adding new learner, updating details, and assigning them 'guardians'.
3. Guardians: These are parents of the learners, you can create and manage their accounts from here.
4. Academics: This is the foundation. It offers complete school environment setup through creation and management of academic periods, terms, classes, subjects, and exams.
5. Content: This is the central hub for managing and creating announcements, events, and newsletters. Under newsletters, you have the functionality to send a newsletter to all subscribers.
6. Users: This is a navigation for managing staff users, as an admin, you perform account creation for staff users from here.

All these navigations, depending on the device you're using to access the system, you will find them on your left side of the screen.

2.3 NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM: PARENT PORTAL

This is a well-designed portal for parents to access results of children they have at the Centre.

These are not shared accounts, each parent can hold their own through the school administration. This means that, they're registered guardians for the said learners and maybe contacted by the school for any student affairs based on the relationship to the learners.

2.3.1 Parent Portal

After successful login, a guardian will see a list of learners under their responsibility.

1. Click on 'view' to see details
2. Click on 'report book' to see an aggregated view of the learner's performance grouped by terms.

3.0 CREATING SYSTEM RECORDS

System records refer to new data entered on the system for a specific objective. The system offers different tools to manage different type of records. The primary record of the system is 'Results'. However, there are a lot more other record types that need to exist for the primary record to be achieved.

There is a specific order in which records are to exist as others depend on them.

3.1 ACADEMIC RECORDS

These are foundation records that play an important role in setting up the school environment each year.

3.1.1 Creating an academic year

1. Go on the academics tab
2. On the top row, click on academic years
3. You will see a list of available academic years if any, you can configure it to be current if it's at a start of academic years.
4. Click add academic year, fill out all the forms, and Check the box that says create default terms this will create Term 1 to 3 for that academic year. It's mandatory.
5. Then Save

3.1.2 Creating a Class

1. Go on the academics tab
2. On the top row, click on classes
3. You will see a list of available classes, you can manage them further from there
4. Click add class, fill out the form
5. You can assign teacher letter, just go on edit class then assign.
6. Save

3.1.3 Creating a Subject

1. Go on academics tab
2. On the top row, click subjects
3. View and search subjects by code or name
4. Click add subject for a new one
5. Fill out the form
6. Save
7. You can later edit any subject details if need be.

3.1.4 Creating Exams

1. An exam can be a test, end of term, or project. It is created for a particular subject for better performance tracking.
2. Go on academics tab
3. On the top row, click exams
4. You can view, filter and manage existing records.
5. To create a new one, click add exam
6. Enter an exam name, and select exam type
7. Enter total exam marks, and passing marks
8. Select the subject(s) you want to examine the learners
9. Select a class, and all learners in that class are automatically assigned the exam. Their results are expected to be entered later
10. Save

3.2 LEARNER RECORDS

These are records of learners representing enrollments and guardian linking. These also include results management.

3.2.1 Creating a Learner

1. Go on the learners tab
2. You will see a list of available learners if any, you can manage them from here.
3. Click on the top right button 'add learner'
4. Fill out the form, all fields are required
5. On additional information, enter short notes relating to learner's special needs, medical notes or any other information provided by the learner's guardian.
6. After creating learner, you can now proceed into assigning guardians.
7. Learners are created once, and are promoted to next class when they meet academic requirements set for progression every new academic year.
8. Save

3.2.2 Assigning a guardian

1. Click on view learner from the learners list
2. On the top right corner, select guardians
3. Then select assign guardian
4. Search the guardian by email (You need to know email)
5. Then complete assignment.

3.2.3 Managing Results

1. Click on 'view' for a learner you want to add results. This is after they've taken the exams
2. At the bottom, click on manage results
3. You will see recent results for other exams, click on report book to see performance summary
4. Click on add result to add a new result for the selected learner
5. In the form, select the actual exam, double check to ensure learner took the exam.
6. Ensure the Learner's class was assigned the subjects involved in the exam
7. Enter marks scored, grade will be automatically calculated
8. Add remarks, short ones 'Excellent', 'Very Good' or the like
9. Save !
10. This action makes results available on the parent's portal. They can see your comments, grade and marks obtained as a report book.

3.3 GUARDIAN AND USER RECORDS

Creation of these records has already been detailed, see section '2.1 Accounts Creation'.

3.4 CONTENT RECORDS

Content refers to records created for the purpose of communication and records. It is the only record type directly unrelated to learners.

Content types: events, announcements, and newsletters

3.4.1 Creating an Event

1. Go on content, select view all events
2. You will see a list of events that have been created on the system
3. On top right corner, click add event and fill out the form.
4. The event start date must be in future, the system check this date before showing it on the public website
5. Event's created here are shown on the website.
6. You can always edit the details later.
7. Save

3.4.2 Creating an Announcement

1. Go on content tab. Select view all announcements
2. You will see a list of announcements if any, you can choose to manage them
3. Create add announcement, fill out the form with all fields
4. Enter a publish date that is current.
5. The public website checks publish date to know if the announcement is valid
6. Save
7. You can always edit the details

3.4.3 Creating a newsletter

1. Go on content tab, click newsletters
2. You will view simple statistics about the subscribers you have, and total newsletters available
3. You can delete a subscriber, or manage newsletters
4. Click add newsletter
5. Enter details and content, click save

3.4.4 Sending a newsletter

1. Go on content tab, click view newsletters
2. You will see a table with current newsletter
3. Click a view button in the newsletter row you intend to send
4. On top right corner, there is a 'send mails' button click it
5. And all subscribers will receive the newsletter.
6. Newsletters are not sent from your personal email, but that of the school.
7. You can check when last a newsletter was sent.

4.0 UNDERSTANDING RESULT INFORMATION

This section is designed to help parents and guardians interpret academic results confidently and consistently. The objective is to ensure clarity, reduce ambiguity, and promote informed engagement with a learner's academic journey.

4.1 ACADEMIC TERM AND REPORTING PERIOD

Each report is aligned to a specific academic term or assessment cycle. This provides context for performance trends and allows results to be evaluated within the correct timeframe. Parents are encouraged to compare performance across terms to identify progress, stability, or emerging concerns.

4.2 SUBJECT LISTINGS AND STRUCTURE

Subjects are presented individually to provide a focused view of performance in each learning area. This structure ensures transparency and allows parents to assess strengths and gaps without overlap or dilution of information.

4.3 SCORES AND GRADES

Scores represent a learner's measurable performance in a subject, while grades translate those scores into standardized academic classifications. Together, they provide both quantitative and qualitative insight. Grades should be reviewed alongside teacher comments for a balanced understanding.

4.4 TEACHER REMARKS AND OBSERVATIONS

Teacher comments provide professional insight beyond numerical results. These remarks often highlight effort, behavior, consistency, and areas requiring attention. Parents are advised to treat these notes as strategic guidance rather than isolated feedback.

4.5 OVERALL PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

The overall summary consolidates subject-level data into a holistic view of the learner's academic standing. This section supports high-level decision-making, such as identifying the need for additional support, enrichment, or consultation with educators.

4.6 PROMOTION AND ACADEMIC STATUS INDICATORS

Where applicable, promotion status or academic standing indicators reflect whether progression requirements have been met. These are determined based on institutional academic policies and should be interpreted as formal outcomes of the reporting cycle.

4.7 USING RESULTS FOR PARENTAL SUPPORT

Results are most effective when used as a collaboration tool. Parents are encouraged to:

• Discuss outcomes constructively
• Reinforce positive performance patterns
• Address challenges early through structured support
• Engage the school when clarification or intervention is required

5.0 BEST PRACTICES FOR SYSTEM USAGE

This chapter outlines best practices for using the system effectively and responsibly. These guidelines help ensure: Data security and privacy, Accuracy of information, Compliance with school policies and regulations, Reliable and consistent system usage

All users are expected to follow these practices to maintain trust and system integrity.

5.1 SECURITY BEST PRACTICES

Protecting user accounts and student information is a shared responsibility.

Password Management

• Use strong passwords that include letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Do not share your password with anyone.
• Change your password regularly, especially if you suspect unauthorized access.

Account Access

• Always log out after using the system, especially on shared or public devices.
• Do not allow others to use your account. Each user must have their own login credentials.
• Report any suspicious activity to the school administrator immediately.

5.2 COMPLIANCE AND RESPONSIBLE USE

The system is designed to comply with school policies and applicable data protection standards.

• Student information must only be used for academic and administrative purposes.
• Do not download, share, or publish student data without authorization.
• Access only information relevant to your role in the system.

6.0 TROUBLESHOOTING AND SUPPORT

This section helps users identify and resolve common issues when using the system. It also explains how and when to seek support. The objective is to minimize downtime and ensure continuous, effective system usage.

6.1 COMMON ISSUES

6.1.1 Unable to Log In

Possible causes and solutions:

• Incorrect email or password:
  Re-enter your login details carefully and ensure caps lock is off.
• Forgotten password:
  Contact support for reset assistance

6.1.2 Results Not Showing

• Results may not yet be uploaded by staff.
• Refresh the page once and wait for the system to load.
• Parents should report discrepancies through official school communication channels.
• Staff should verify entries and follow approved correction procedures before making changes.

6.1.3 Slow Loading or Pages Not Responding

• Check your internet connection.
• Close unused browser tabs or applications.
• Refresh the page once and wait a few seconds.

6.1.4 Page Not Displaying Correctly

• Use an updated web browser.
• Clear your browser cache if the problem persists.
• Avoid using outdated or unsupported browsers.

6.1.5 Upload and Data Entry Errors (Staff)

• Ensure all fields are filled before submitting.
• Do not submit the same data multiple times.
• If an upload fails, wait and retry once before contacting support.

6.2 WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

6.2.1 Contact system support if:

• You cannot access your account after following the troubleshooting steps.
• Data appears missing or corrupted.
• You suspect unauthorized access or a security issue.
• The system displays repeated error messages.

6.2.2 When reporting an issue, provide:

• Your user role (Parent or Staff)
• A clear description of the problem
• The action you were trying to perform

SUPPORT CHANNELS

Support is provided through:

• School administration or IT office
• Designated system administrator
• Official school communication platforms

Email to:
support@thenestlingcentre.com

System Access Link
https://thenestlingcentre.com/