> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://educontroldoc.pixelspectivetech.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How a term works

> The whole EduControl cycle in order, from setting the school up to closing the term out.

These guides follow the shape of a school term. If you are setting a school up for the first time, work down this page in order. If you are already running, jump to the stage you are in.

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TD
    A[Set the school up<br/>profile, year, terms, classes] --> B[Set the fees<br/>fee items, matrix, discounts]
    B --> C[Enrol pupils<br/>admissions, guardians, feeding plans]
    C --> D[Run term billing<br/>preview, then issue invoices]
    D --> E[Collect payments<br/>desk receipts, allocation]
    E --> F[Run the term<br/>attendance, meal register]
    F --> G[Assess and report<br/>marks, grades, publish cards]
    G --> H[Close the term<br/>promote, roll forward]
    H --> A
```

## The stages

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set the school up" icon="settings">
    Done once, then revisited each year. Your school's identity and reference numbers, the academic year and its terms, your classes and subjects, the timetable, and the staff who will use the system.

    [School profile](/docs/before-the-term/school-profile) · [Year and terms](/docs/before-the-term/academic-year-and-terms) · [Classes and subjects](/docs/before-the-term/classes-and-subjects) · [Staff and roles](/docs/before-the-term/staff-and-roles)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the fees" icon="calculator">
    What you charge, and to whom. Fee items first, then the grid that prices them per class and term, then the discounts that vary them per pupil. Feeding is priced separately.

    [Fee items](/docs/fees/fee-items) · [The fee matrix](/docs/fees/fee-matrix) · [Discounts](/docs/fees/discounts) · [Feeding rates](/docs/fees/feeding-rates)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enrol pupils" icon="users">
    A pupil is enrolled into a class **for a term**. That enrolment, not the pupil's profile, is what billing reads — so getting it right before you bill matters more than anything else on this list.

    [Enrolling a pupil](/docs/pupils/enrolling-a-pupil) · [Guardians](/docs/pupils/guardians) · [Feeding plans](/docs/pupils/feeding-plans)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run term billing" icon="receipt-text">
    A billing run turns the fee grid and the term's enrolments into invoices. Preview it first: the preview shows you the totals and the pupil counts before anything is issued, and an issued invoice cannot be edited afterwards.

    [Running term billing](/docs/billing/running-term-billing) · [Feeding invoices](/docs/billing/feeding-invoices)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Collect payments" icon="wallet-cards">
    The daily work of the front desk. Find the pupil, take the money, allocate it to the right fee lines, print the receipt. Corrections have their own instruments rather than being edits.

    [Recording a payment](/docs/payments/recording-a-payment) · [Allocation](/docs/payments/allocation) · [Corrections](/docs/payments/corrections) · [Reconciliation and arrears](/docs/payments/reconciliation)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run the term" icon="clipboard-check">
    Registers every morning, and the meal register on feeding days. Attendance feeds the figures printed on report cards, so gaps here show up there.

    [Attendance](/docs/during-the-term/attendance) · [The meal register](/docs/during-the-term/meal-register)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assess and report" icon="graduation-cap">
    Tests and exams through the term, then marks, grades and positions. A form master marks a class **Ready**; the head teacher **Publishes**, which freezes the report card permanently.

    [Assessments and marks](/docs/marks-and-reports/assessments-and-marks) · [Grading scales](/docs/marks-and-reports/grading-scales) · [Report cards](/docs/marks-and-reports/report-cards)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Close the term" icon="calendar-check-2">
    Promote pupils, enrol them into next term's classes, and make the new term current. The next term's billing reads the enrolments this step creates.

    [Closing the term](/docs/closing/closing-the-term)
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Who does what

Every stage above is reachable only by staff whose role allows it.

| Stage               | Usually done by            | Permission needed                          |
| ------------------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| School setup        | Administrator              | `manage_school_settings`, `edit_academics` |
| Fees and billing    | Bursar                     | `edit_finances`                            |
| Admissions          | Administrator, secretary   | `edit_students`                            |
| Taking payments     | Cashier                    | `record_payments`                          |
| Refunds and waivers | Head teacher, proprietor   | `approve_refunds`, `approve_waivers`       |
| Registers           | Class teacher              | `edit_attendance`                          |
| Marks               | Subject and class teachers | `enter_marks`                              |
| Publishing reports  | Head teacher               | `publish_reports`                          |

The full list is in the [permissions reference](/docs/reference/permissions).