Programmes with schools and students
The idea in one picture
A record type is a kind of thing the programme keeps a history for. A School is one. A Student is another. One of them is the main record — the one most forms are filled about (the Student). The other sits above it (the School) and is joined to it by one answer they share, such as the school code.
The words you will see — and what each one means
These names are the same on every screen and in this documentation. On the screens, hover over (or tap) the small i beside a name and a short explanation appears.
| Name on screen | What it means |
|---|---|
| Record type | The kind of thing this programme keeps a history for, such as a School or a Student. Each school or student you add is one record of that type. |
| Main record | The record field workers fill most forms about. In a School and Student programme this is the Student; a school is the linked record above it. |
| Upper-level record type | An optional record type that sits above the main one, for example the School that students belong to. Field workers open it first, then see its students. |
| Linking answer | The one answer a student and its school have in common, usually the school code. It is how the app knows which students belong to which school. |
| Details to show & search by | Answers copied onto the record so they show at a glance, can be searched, and can limit what a field worker sees (for example block or school code). |
| What makes a record unique | The answers that tell two records apart. If a new record has the same answers as an existing one it is refused, so nobody is added twice. Example: school + class + roll number. |
| Warn about possible duplicates | Answers that only raise a warning when they match, such as a phone number. It never blocks saving, because brothers and sisters often share one. |
| Who the step is about | A step about the main record is filled for each student. A step about the upper level is filled for the school itself, such as a school visit checklist. |
| Registers | This form creates the record. It is the first form filled for a new student or school. A record can only be registered once. |
| Attaches | This form is filled later about a record that already exists, for example an assessment or a home visit. |
| Assignment | Which people can use this app and which records each of them can see. People who are not assigned cannot open it. |
| Areas covered | Limits a person to part of the programme, such as certain schools or a block. They see those records and nothing else. |
| Field worker | An account that can use the field app and nothing else. Field workers never see the form builder, exports or other programmes. |
| Field app home | The number cards at the top of a field worker’s home screen. Choose which show, in what order and what they are called. |
| What field workers can change | Whether a field worker can correct something after saving: never, only their own entries, or any entry in their area. The answers that make a record unique stay locked. |
Setting it up, in order
Follow these in order. The checklist at the top of the app ticks each one off as you finish, and tells you what is missing if something is wrong.
- 1Create the two record types. Open Record types and add School and Student. For each one, choose the Details to show & search by — include the answer that joins them (the school code) in both.
- 2Say what makes each one unique. A school is told apart by its school code alone. A student is told apart by school + class + roll number. This is what stops the same child being added twice. For a college, use college + roll number instead.
- 3Build the forms. One form registers a school, one registers a student, and the others are filled later: some about a school (a visit checklist), some about a student (a home visit, an assessment).
- 4Create the app and add the upper level. Open the app, go to Records & levels, choose School as the upper-level record type and pick the shared answer. The app will not save a setup that cannot work and tells you why.
- 5Add the steps. For each form choose who it is filled about: the main record (a student) or the upper level (a school). Steps are grouped by this on the screen so it is easy to check.
- 6Create the school records. Use Create School records from a list so field workers never type a school name. Running it again only adds new ones.
- 7Add your field workers and give them their schools. See Field workers and areas.
What a field worker sees
A field worker signs in and lands in the field app. They see only the schools they were given — nothing else in your organization.
Schools
1. Their schools
Alande
2. One school: its students
Student Registration
Student Name *
Class / Standard *
Roll Number *
School UDISE Code * Auto
3. Add a student
- Add student opens onlythe student's registration form, with the school already filled in and locked. It cannot be changed, so a student can never be added to the wrong school.
- If the same student is already registered (same school, class and roll number), the app says so before saving and offers to open that student instead.
- Forms about a student (a home visit, an assessment) are filled from that student's own page. Forms about the school are filled from the school's Add entry tab.
Who can see which schools
Each field worker is given the schools they cover. Pick them from a searchable list — no typing of codes. They see those schools and every student in them, and nothing else. More than one person can cover the same school.
Can field workers correct mistakes?
You decide, per programme, under Settings → People & access. The answers that make a record unique (school, class, roll number) stay locked for field workers either way — only an admin can change them.
What the home screen shows
The number cards at the top of a field worker's home screen are yours to choose: which ones show, in what order, and what they are called. Open the app's Overview and find Field app home. The phone preview next to it updates as you change things.
412
Students registered
96
Home visits this month
If something looks wrong
| You see | Usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A worker says “I have no schools” | They have not been assigned, or the schools they were given do not exist as records yet. | Check People, then use “Create School records from a list”. |
| Add student opens other forms too | An older version of the app. A student registration should show only the student form. | Make sure you are on the latest version, and that the student form is marked as registering the main record. |
| “This school is not set up for students yet” | The upper level has no shared answer chosen, or the school has no code. | Open Records & levels and choose the shared answer. |
| A student cannot be saved: “already exists” | Another student has the same school, class and roll number. | Open that student instead, or correct the roll number. |
| A dashboard figure counts students, not schools | Dashboards count the main record. School-level entries are counted as entries. | Use an entries count for school forms; this is expected. |
Keep reading
Record types
Defining the kind of thing an app collects data about, and how it's matched and displayed.
Field workers and areas
Create field worker accounts, give each their schools or area, and choose what they can change.
The ImpactLens App
Install it on a phone, find your records, see what is due, and add or correct entries.
Exporting an app's data
Background export jobs for pulling every record and response out of an app at once.