What are Student Groups?
Student groups help you organize students into meaningful collections for safeguarding purposes. Groups make it easier to monitor specific cohorts, run targeted reports, and manage user access to student records.Student groups are a Signal-only feature. They’re not synced from your MIS and don’t affect your school information system.
Why Use Student Groups?
Targeted Monitoring
Track vulnerable cohorts like Children in Care or students on behaviour plans
Access Control
Grant specific staff access only to students in certain groups
Efficient Reporting
Generate reports for specific student populations quickly
Alert Configuration
Set up alerts that trigger only for students in specific groups
Common Group Types
Here are examples of student groups schools typically create:- Vulnerability Groups
- Organizational Groups
- Support Groups
- Access Control Groups
Track students requiring enhanced safeguarding:
- Children in Care (CiC)
- Child Protection Plan
- Early Help
- Young Carers
- Previously Looked After Children
Creating a Student Group
Enter Group Details
Provide the following information:
- Group Name: Clear, descriptive name (e.g., “Children in Care”)
- Description: Optional details about the group’s purpose
- Color: Choose a color to help identify the group visually
- Type: Select the group category (Vulnerability, Organizational, Support, etc.)
Add Students
Add students to the group using one of these methods:
- Search and select individual students
- Upload a CSV file with student IDs
- Apply filters to bulk-add students matching criteria
Configure Permissions
Optionally restrict who can view students in this group (see Permissions below)
Group Details
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | The group name (e.g., “Child Protection Plan”) |
| Description | No | Additional context about the group’s purpose |
| Color | No | Visual identifier (appears as a badge on student profiles) |
| Type | Yes | Category: Vulnerability, Organizational, Support, or Custom |
| Auto-Update Rules | No | Automatically add/remove students based on criteria |
Managing Group Membership
Adding Students to a Group
You can add students in several ways:- Individual Selection
- Bulk CSV Upload
- Filter-Based Selection
Removing Students from a Group
Auto-Update Rules
Auto-update rules automatically add or remove students from groups based on specific criteria. This keeps groups current without manual updates.Creating Auto-Update Rules
Define Criteria
Set the conditions that students must meet to be in the group:
- Year group equals “Year 7”
- SEN status is “EHC Plan”
- Free school meals is “Yes”
- Custom field matches specific value
Set Update Frequency
Choose how often Signal checks and updates membership:
- Daily (recommended for most groups)
- Weekly
- Monthly
Example Auto-Update Rules
Year 7 Students
Year 7 Students
Criteria: Year Group equals “Year 7”Updates: DailyAutomatically includes all Year 7 students. When students move to Year 8 (after year group update), they’re automatically removed.
Free School Meals
Free School Meals
Criteria: Free School Meals equals “Yes”Updates: WeeklyKeeps the group current as FSM status changes in your MIS.
High Safeguarding Concern
High Safeguarding Concern
Criteria:
- Group contains “Child Protection Plan” OR
- Group contains “Children in Care” OR
- Incident count in last 30 days ≥ 5
Auto-update rules work with data from your MIS integration. If you’re managing students manually, you’ll need to update group membership manually too.
Using Groups for Access Control
Student groups can control which staff members can view specific students’ records.Configuring Group Permissions
Add Users or User Groups
Select which users or user groups should have access to students in this group
Set Permission Level
Choose what level of access they have:
- View Only: Can see student profiles and timelines
- View & Edit: Can also edit student details and log incidents
Example Access Control Scenarios
- Sixth Form Access
- Medical Staff
- Alternative Provision
Scenario: Only sixth form pastoral staff should access Year 12-13 studentsSetup:
- Create “Sixth Form” student group (auto-update: Year Group = 12 or 13)
- Create “Sixth Form Staff” user group
- Enable access control on student group
- Grant “Sixth Form Staff” user group view & edit access
Viewing and Filtering Students by Group
On Student Profiles
Student group memberships appear as colored badges on student profiles:- View all groups a student belongs to at the top of their profile
- Click a group badge to see all other students in that group
In Student Lists
Filter the main student list by groups:Reporting on Student Groups
Generate reports filtered by student groups:- Navigate to Reports
- Choose your report type (e.g., Incident Report, Student Overview)
- In filters, select the student group(s) you want to report on
- Run the report
Best Practices
Create meaningful group names
Create meaningful group names
Use clear, descriptive names that staff will immediately understand (e.g., “Child Protection Plan” not “CPP Group 1”).
Use auto-update rules when possible
Use auto-update rules when possible
For groups based on MIS data (year groups, SEN status, FSM), auto-update rules keep membership current with minimal effort.
Don't over-create groups
Don't over-create groups
Too many groups become hard to manage. Focus on groups that serve a clear safeguarding or organizational purpose.
Review group membership regularly
Review group membership regularly
Even with auto-update rules, periodically audit group membership (especially for manual groups like CiC or CP plans).
Use colors consistently
Use colors consistently
Assign similar colors to related groups (e.g., all vulnerability groups in red shades) for quick visual recognition.
Document group purposes
Document group purposes
Use the description field to explain why the group exists and who should be in it. This helps when staff turnover occurs.
Permissions
| Action | Owner | Admin | DSL | Deputy DSL | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create groups | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Edit groups | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Add/remove members | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Configure auto-update rules | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Set access control | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| View group membership | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Limited* |
| Delete groups | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
*Viewer role can only view groups for students they have permission to access via their user groups.
Troubleshooting
Auto-update rule isn't working
Auto-update rule isn't working
Check the following:
- Is the rule enabled?
- Does your criteria reference MIS-synced fields? (Manual fields won’t work)
- Has enough time passed since the last update? (Check update frequency)
- Are there any error messages in the group’s activity log?
Staff can't see students in a group
Staff can't see students in a group
Verify:
- Does the staff member have access to this group? (Check group access control settings)
- Is the staff member in a user group that has access?
- Are they a Staff or Viewer role? (Admins and DSLs always have access)
A student appears in the wrong group
A student appears in the wrong group
For auto-update groups:
- Check the student’s profile data to see if they meet the criteria
- Review the auto-update rule criteria for accuracy
- Wait for the next scheduled update, or click Update Now
- Simply remove the student from the incorrect group
Can't delete a group
Can't delete a group
You can’t delete a group if:
- You’re not an Admin (only Admins can delete groups)
- The group is referenced in alert configurations
- The group is used in user access permissions
Need Help?
Student Overview
Learn more about how students work in Signal
Users & Permissions
Understand how user access and groups interact
Alerts
Configure alerts for specific student groups
Support
Contact support for help with student groups