Principals are interrupted all day, so the morning is the only time to look at the whole school. The aim is not to read reports. It is to find the three or four things that need a decision before the day takes over.
Here are eight questions to ask each morning. You can answer them from a notebook, a spreadsheet or a dashboard, but the questions stay the same.
1. Is today a school day?
It sounds silly, but a Sunday or a holiday changes everything below. If it is not a school day, zero attendance is not a problem. Start with the calendar so that you do not chase a number that means nothing.
2. Who is absent, among students and staff?
Look at the number of students present and the number of staff present. A sudden dip in one class, or a teacher missing without notice, needs a decision about cover before the first lesson.
3. Which classes have not marked attendance?
By mid-morning every class register should be saved. List the sections that are still not marked and ask the class teacher. Parents are alerted from the register, so an unmarked class means absent children are not reported to their families.
4. Are there leave requests waiting?
Students and staff ask for leave in advance. Requests that sit unanswered become arguments later. Approve or decline them at the start of the day.
5. What is stuck in the exam cycle?
If an exam is running, look at which papers still have no marks and which results are ready to publish. Ask the teacher who is missing marks. Publish classes that are complete. Check whether any student has asked for a recheck.
6. How is fee collection?
You do not need every challan. Look at what was collected this month, what is due, and how many students are overdue. If the number of defaulters jumped, ask the accountant whether reminders went out.
7. Are there open complaints or admissions waiting?
Complaints from parents and new admission applications are the two things that reflect on the school's reputation. A complaint without a reply for three days is already a bigger problem.
8. What is coming up this week?
Look at the next few days: exams, parent meetings, holidays, events. Check that each has an owner. Surprises are cheaper to fix when you see them early.
Doing this in Skoo
The principal's dashboard in Skoo is built around these questions. It knows holidays and weekly off days, so a Sunday does not show zero attendance. It shows today's attendance and staff present. A list called needs your attention has a button for each line. The lines are sections whose attendance is not marked, pending leave requests and exam papers still missing marks. They also include results ready to publish, fee defaulters with the amount, open complaints, recheck requests and subjects without chapters in the Syllabus. It also shows attendance over the last school days, the month's fee collection and what is due, and what is coming up on the calendar.
Teachers, accountants, parents and students each get their own dashboard, and a teacher sees only their own classes. Dashboards show data that has been entered, so they are only as good as the records behind them. Read more about the dashboards in Skoo.