What it does
The Notifications module is a control centre for school-wide announcements and communication. Admins check broadcast history, verify that email and SMS delivery are set up, and confirm that reminder automation (payment reminders, attendance alerts) is ready.
Who uses it
- School Admin / Principal — monitor broadcasts and communication status.
- Registrar — verify channels are configured before sending.
- Super Admin — oversee communication infrastructure.
Common tasks
View recent broadcast history
Scroll to Broadcast history on the right. The last 25 broadcasts appear — title, message preview, audience, channel (currently In-app), date/time. Click for the full message.
Check channel readiness
The Channel readiness panel (left) shows three delivery channels:
- In-app messaging — always on. Broadcasts and direct messages appear in Messages.
- Email delivery — Configured (SMTP/email provider linked) or Needs setup. Configure in Utilities → Communications.
- SMS delivery — Configured (e.g. Twilio linked) or Needs setup. Configure in Utilities → Communications.
Verify reminder automation is ready
Below channel readiness: Reminder automation — Queue ready means outstanding invoices can trigger payment reminders and attendance exceptions can trigger alerts. A warning instead means contact your super-admin.
Monitor KPIs
Four cards at the top: Recent broadcasts count, Email channel (Configured/Not set), SMS channel (Configured/Not set), Pending reminders (open invoices awaiting follow-up).
Troubleshooting
- Email channel "Not set" — go to Utilities → Communications, add a provider (SendGrid, Mailgun, etc.), enter credentials, then refresh.
- SMS channel "Not set" — link an SMS provider (Twilio, AWS SNS) in Utilities → Communications.
- Broadcast history empty — only Messages → Broadcast sends appear here; direct messages don't.
- "Reminder automation — Needs setup" — make sure invoices exist in Finance, attendance sessions exist in Attendance, and channels are configured.
Limits & known issues
- Broadcast history shows the last 25 only.
- Email/SMS delivery depends on third-party providers — outages can delay messages.
- Reminders are currently in-app only; automated email/SMS reminders need super-admin configuration.
- This module does not show individual delivery status (e.g. whether a parent opened an email).