Skip to main content
Working schedules control when email alert notifications are delivered. They ensure staff are not disturbed outside school hours — if an incident is logged during an evening, weekend, or holiday, email notifications are held and delivered at the start of the next working period.
You need the Owner, DSL, or Deputy DSL role to manage working schedules. School Admins cannot manage them.

​
What working schedules control

Working schedules apply specifically to email alert notifications. They do not affect:
  • Dashboard alerts — alerts always appear on the dashboard immediately, regardless of the schedule
  • Incident creation — incidents can be recorded at any time
  • High priority categories — see Urgent concerns always send immediately below
The schedule only governs when the email is sent, not when the alert is generated. If a staff member logs into Signal outside their working schedule, they still see new alerts on their dashboard.

​
Urgent concerns always send immediately

Working schedules never hold back the most serious concerns. If an incident carries a category your school has marked as high priority, its email notifications are sent straight away — at any hour, on any day — instead of waiting for the next working period. These emails are also marked [HIGH PRIORITY] in the subject line so they stand out in a busy inbox.
Review which of your categories are set to high priority. That toggle, not the working schedule, is what decides whether a concern can reach staff out of hours.

​
How deferred delivery works

When an incident triggers an alert outside a staff member’s working schedule, the email notification is deferred. It is held until the next time the schedule is active — typically the start of the next school day. For example, if a concern is logged at 8pm on a Tuesday and the staff member’s schedule runs from 8am to 5pm on weekdays, the email notification is delivered at 8am on Wednesday. This prevents staff from receiving safeguarding emails during evenings, weekends, or school holidays, while still ensuring nothing is missed when they return.

​
Setting up a schedule

1

Go to Settings

Open Settings from the sidebar and select Working Schedules.
Working Schedules settings page showing the Default schedule and a Part-time schedule
2

Create a new schedule

Click Add Schedule and give it a clear name — for example, “Standard School Hours” or “Term Time Only”.
3

Define working days

Select which days of the week are working days. For most schools, this is Monday to Friday.
4

Set working hours

For each working day, set the start and end time. For example, 7:30am to 5:30pm.
Working schedule editor with the working days and start/end times highlighted
5

Assign staff

Use the Assign Users multi-select to choose the staff members the schedule applies to, or enable the Default schedule toggle to apply it to everyone without another schedule.
6

Create

Click Create to save the new schedule.

​
Assigning schedules to staff

You assign staff to a schedule from inside the Working Schedule dialog, not from a staff member’s profile. Open a schedule and either:
  • Use the Assign Users multi-select to choose the staff members it applies to, or
  • Enable the Default schedule toggle to apply it to everyone who does not have another schedule assigned
Click Update to save your changes. All future email alert notifications for the assigned staff then follow the schedule’s delivery rules.
Working Schedule dialog with the Assign Users multi-select highlighted

​
Tips

Set schedules that match actual school hours. Include a buffer either side of the school day to account for early arrivals and late departures. A schedule of 7:30am to 5:30pm covers most scenarios.
Consider different schedules for different roles. Senior leaders and DSLs may have broader working hours than classroom teachers. You can create multiple schedules and assign each to the appropriate staff.
Review schedules at the start of each term. If your school hours change or if staff responsibilities shift, update the schedules to reflect the current reality.
Working schedules are about staff wellbeing. Safeguarding concerns that arise outside school hours are still recorded and alerted on the dashboard immediately — the schedule only defers the email notification so staff are not disturbed at home.