Your New School Year Checklist: Is Your School Ready?

Term 1 doesn’t wait.

And neither do the parents asking why their child’s medical alert hasn’t been updated — or the principal asking for confirmation that staff have signed off on key policies.

The schools that start the year calmly aren’t doing more.
They’re just doing the right things earlier.

This guide walks you through the five areas to get right before day one — so you’re not chasing issues once term begins.

1. Get Your Data Right First

Everything starts here.

Your student, staff and parent data underpins every communication, approval and workflow. If it’s not right, nothing else will be.

Start by confirming your data rollover date with your IT team. Then hold all communications until that rollover is complete — because Slips and Broadcasts are sent to whoever is in a list on the send date, not when it was created.

Once rollover and sync have occurred:

• check that student lists reflect the new year
• confirm staff data is up to date (new staff added, leavers removed)
• review any workflows that rely on named approvers
• verify parent and guardian contact details
• update emergency contacts and medical information
• refresh class and co-curricular lists

Critical: Medical data must reflect the current year. This is a duty-of-care requirement.

From experience at EdSmart, the most common issue in Term 1 is simple:
lists don’t match.

A quick check now can save hours of back-and-forth later. 

2. Lock In Staff Policy Sign-offs Early

Policy acknowledgements aren’t just admin — they’re your evidence.

Getting these completed before staff return means you’re covered from day one.

Focus on:

• ICT Acceptable Use Policy (especially with evolving AI use)
• professional behaviour and code of conduct
• any updated policies from the break
• media and photography guidelines
• mandatory reporting and child safety training

One thing often missed: approval workflows.

If any templates use named individuals, make sure those people are still in role.
A single outdated approver can stall workflows for weeks.

3. Set Expectations with Students from Day One

Start-of-year acknowledgements aren’t just about compliance, they set the tone.

They also give you a clear, traceable record.

In the first week, ensure students (and where relevant, parents) have completed:

• ICT Acceptable Use Policy
• code of behaviour
• co-curricular and sports participation consent
• academic integrity declarations (senior students)

If policies have changed — especially around AI use — update them before sending. Vague expectations now become issues later.

4. Get Parent Communication Right Early

How you communicate at the start of the year sets the tone for everything that follows. Parents who feel informed early are easier to engage all year.

Prioritise:

• contact detail updates
• medical information and alerts (critical before any activity consent)
• class list and directory privacy permissions
• media and photography consent
• volunteer confirmations and Working With Children Checks
• parent association role confirmations

NB: Updates to the Australian Privacy Act mean schools need to be clearer about how student data is used and stored. Outdated or generic consent language is now a compliance risk.

5. Do a Quick Platform Reset

A small amount of housekeeping now prevents confusion later.

Before term begins:

• archive old templates
• update your “Getting Started” dashboard with current templates
• review user permissions and access groups
• confirm default approval workflows
• ensure new staff complete EdSmart Academy training
• test a sample slip or form end-to-end

This last step is key. It’s much easier to fix a workflow before it reaches parents.

Bringing It All Together

If you want to start the year with clarity — not catch-up — now is the time to get your setup right.

The EdSmart team supports schools every year with rollover, training and workflow setup. Talk to us before term begins — not once it’s already busy.

‍