> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://signalschools.co.uk/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Document Analysis

> Signal's AI automatically analyses uploaded documents, extracting text and generating summaries so you can quickly understand their contents.

When you upload a document to Signal, the AI can analyse it automatically — reading the contents, extracting text, and producing a clear summary. This saves you time and helps you quickly understand what a document contains, even if it is lengthy or hard to read.

## What document analysis does

Signal's AI performs two key tasks when it analyses a document:

* **Text extraction** — the AI reads the document and extracts all the text content. This works for typed PDFs, scanned documents, and even photographs of handwritten notes.
* **Automatic summarisation** — the AI generates a summary highlighting the key information, making it easy to grasp the main points without reading the entire document.

## When analysis is especially useful

Document analysis is most valuable when you are dealing with:

* **Scanned handwritten notes** — staff observation notes, handwritten letters from parents, or meeting notes that would take time to decipher.
* **Lengthy reports** — multi-page reports from external agencies, educational psychologist assessments, or social services documentation.
* **External agency correspondence** — letters and reports from social services, CAMHS, police, or other organisations that often contain dense, formal language.
* **Historical records** — older documents that may be scanned copies or photocopies with reduced legibility.

## How to use document analysis

<Steps>
  <Step title="Upload a document">
    Upload a file to a student's [document library](/docs/documents/overview) or attach it to an incident. Signal accepts PDFs, images, and common office formats.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Analysis runs automatically">
    Once the file is uploaded, Signal's AI begins analysing it. This typically takes a few moments depending on the length and complexity of the document.
  </Step>

  <Step title="View the results">
    Open the document to see the analysis. The extracted text and summary appear alongside the original file, so you can reference both.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Viewing analysis results

The analysis results include:

* **Summary** — a concise overview of the document's key points, findings, or recommendations.
* **Extracted content** — the full text as read by the AI, which you can search, copy, and reference.

<Tip>
  If a document is particularly hard to read (such as a faded photocopy or poor-quality scan), the AI will do its best to extract what it can. You can always refer to the original file alongside the extracted text.
</Tip>

<Note>
  AI analysis is a tool to help you work more efficiently. Always verify important details against the original document, especially when making safeguarding decisions.
</Note>

## When analysis is not available

In some cases, document analysis may not produce results:

* **Unsupported document types** — certain file types are not supported for analysis. If a document cannot be analysed, you will see a "Document type not supported for analysis" message. The original file remains accessible as normal.
* **Analysis failure** — occasionally, analysis may fail due to the complexity or condition of the document. If this happens, you will see a "Summary generation failed" message. You can still view the original document and manually review its contents.