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When to Add Students Manually

Using MIS Integration? If you’ve connected Signal to your school’s MIS system, student data syncs automatically. You typically don’t need to add students manually.See MIS Integration to set up automatic student sync.
Manual student entry is useful when:
  • You don’t have MIS integration set up yet
  • You need to add a student before they appear in your MIS
  • You’re managing students not tracked in your MIS
  • You want to add temporary or visiting students

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Adding a New Student

1

Navigate to Students

Click Students in the main navigation sidebar
2

Click Add Student

Click the Add Student button in the top right corner
3

Complete Required Fields

Fill in the required student information (see below for field details)
4

Add Optional Details

Add any additional information like contacts, photos, or custom fields
5

Save Student

Click Save to create the student record

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Required Fields

These fields must be completed to create a student record:
FieldDescriptionExample
First NameStudent’s legal or preferred first nameSarah
Last NameStudent’s family nameJohnson
Date of BirthDate in DD/MM/YYYY format15/09/2010
Year GroupCurrent academic year groupYear 8

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Optional Fields

Add these details to build a more complete student profile:
  • Gender: Male, Female, Other, Prefer not to say
  • Ethnicity: Select from standard UK ethnicity codes
  • First Language: Student’s primary language
  • Special Educational Needs: SEN status and category
  • Admission Date: When the student joined your school
  • Expected Leaving Date: For temporary placements
  • UPN (Unique Pupil Number): 13-character identifier used in England
  • Student ID: Your school’s internal student identifier
  • Parent/Carer Names: Add multiple contacts if needed
  • Phone Numbers: Mobile and home numbers
  • Email Addresses: Parent/carer email addresses
  • Emergency Contact: Designated emergency contact person
Adding accurate contact details is crucial for incident notifications and parent communication.
  • Upload a photo in JPG, PNG, or WEBP format
  • Recommended size: 400x400 pixels
  • Maximum file size: 5MB
Photos help staff quickly identify students, especially useful for supply teachers or large schools.
  • Medical Information: Known medical conditions or allergies
  • Safeguarding Notes: Relevant background information
  • Custom Fields: Any additional fields configured by your organization

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Editing Student Information

If you’re using MIS integration, changes made in Signal will be overwritten during the next sync. Update student information in your MIS system instead.

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For Manual Students

1

Find the Student

Navigate to Students and search for the student by name or student ID
2

Open Student Profile

Click on the student’s name to open their profile
3

Click Edit

Click the Edit button in the top right of the profile
4

Update Information

Make your changes to any editable fields
5

Save Changes

Click Save to update the student record

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What You Can Edit

You can edit all fields for students added manually:
  • Personal details (name, DOB, year group)
  • Demographics
  • Contact information
  • Photos
  • Custom fields
  • Group memberships

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Bulk Importing Students

If you need to add multiple students at once, you can use CSV bulk import:
1

Prepare CSV File

Create a CSV file with the required columns. Download our template from Students → Import → Download Template
2

Format Your Data

Ensure your CSV matches the required format:
first_name,last_name,date_of_birth,year_group,gender,email
Sarah,Johnson,15/09/2010,Year 8,Female,parent@example.com
James,Williams,03/11/2011,Year 7,Male,parent2@example.com
3

Upload CSV

Navigate to Students → Import and upload your CSV file
4

Review and Confirm

Signal will validate the data and show any errors. Review the preview and click Import to proceed
CSV Format Requirements:
  • Date format must be DD/MM/YYYY
  • Year groups must match your configured year groups exactly
  • Required fields (first name, last name, DOB, year group) must not be empty
  • Duplicate student IDs or UPNs will be rejected

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Deactivating Students

When a student leaves your school, you can deactivate their record rather than deleting it:
1

Open Student Profile

Navigate to the student’s profile page
2

Click More Actions

Click the ⋯ menu in the top right
3

Select Deactivate

Choose Deactivate Student from the menu
4

Confirm Deactivation

Enter the leaving date and reason, then click Confirm
Why Deactivate Instead of Delete?
  • Preserves safeguarding history for record-keeping
  • Complies with data retention policies
  • Can be reactivated if student returns
  • Incidents and actions remain intact
Deactivated students:
  • Don’t appear in the main student list (unless you filter to show them)
  • Can’t have new incidents logged against them
  • Retain their full timeline and history
  • Don’t count toward your active student license count

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Permissions

Different roles have different permissions for managing students:
ActionOwnerAdminDSLDeputy DSLViewer
Add students manually✓✓✗✗✗
Edit student details✓✓✗✗✗
Upload photos✓✓✗✗✗
Bulk import CSV✓✓✗✗✗
Deactivate students✓✓✗✗✗
View student profiles✓✓✓✓Limited*
*Viewer role can only view students they have explicit permission to access via user groups.

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Troubleshooting

This student is synced from your MIS system. Make the change in your MIS, and it will update in Signal during the next sync (usually overnight).
This can happen if a student was manually added and then later synced from your MIS. Contact support to merge the duplicate records. Don’t delete one manually, as you may lose incident history.
Common issues:
  • Date format must be DD/MM/YYYY (not MM/DD/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD)
  • Year groups must match exactly (check capitalization and spacing)
  • Required fields must not be empty
  • Check for special characters in names that might cause issues
Download the error report to see exactly which rows failed and why.
Ensure your photo:
  • Is in JPG, PNG, or WEBP format (not HEIC or BMP)
  • Is under 5MB in size
  • Has reasonable dimensions (recommended 400x400px)
Try compressing the image or converting it to JPG format.
If you’re using MIS integration, Signal syncs student data from your MIS regularly (usually nightly). Any changes made in Signal to MIS-managed fields will be overwritten. Always make changes in your MIS system instead.

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Best Practices

Verify Before Import

Always review the import preview before confirming a bulk CSV import

Use MIS Integration

Prefer automatic MIS sync over manual entry to reduce errors and workload

Keep Contacts Updated

Regularly verify parent/carer contact information is current

Deactivate, Don't Delete

Deactivate students who leave rather than deleting them to preserve history

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Need Help?

MIS Integration

Set up automatic student sync from your school system

Student Groups

Organize students into groups for monitoring

FAQs

Common questions about student management

Support

Contact our support team for help