School houses are organisational units within your school that enable you to group learners and staff for pastoral care, house competitions, and day-to-day management. This guide walks you through creating houses and allocating learners to them.

My School > System: General > School Activities: School houses

What are school houses?

School houses form the foundation of pastoral care in d6. They provide a structure for:

• Pastoral grouping: Assign a house tutor to each house for mentoring and support.

• Competition tracking: Manage inter-house competitions and awards.

• Role-based access: Restrict staff visibility to their assigned house learners.

How do I create a school house?

1. Navigate to Setup: Click the settings icon and select My School > System: General > School Activities: School houses.

2. Click New House: Select the + Add Team button in the top-right corner.

3. Enter team details: Provide a name In Afrikaans and English (e.g. Gryffindor, House A) and an optional colour code for visual identification.

4. Save: Click Submit to create the house.

How do I allocate learners to a house?

Once houses are created, allocate learners using one of three methods:

Method 1: Individual learner allocation

1. Go to Learners: Navigate to People > Learners.

2. Select a learner: Click on the learner's name to open their profile.

3. Assign house: In the House field, select the appropriate house from the dropdown.

4. Save: Click Save to confirm the allocation.

Method 2: Bulk allocation by class

1. Go to Classes: Navigate to Academic > Classes.

2. Open a class: Click on the class name to view enrolled learners.

3. Select all learners: Click the checkbox in the header row to select all learners in the class.

4. Assign house: Click Bulk Actions > Change House and select the target house.

5. Confirm: Click Apply to allocate all selected learners to the house.

Method 3: Electronic import

1. Prepare a CSV file: Include columns for Learner ID and House Name (or House Code).

2. Go to Imports: Navigate to Setup > Imports > Learner data.

3. Upload the file: Select your CSV and map the House column to the system field.

4. Review and confirm: Verify the preview and click Import to allocate houses in bulk.

Important information

• House colours: Assign a unique colour to each house for easy visual recognition in lists and reports.

• House tutors: A house tutor is responsible for pastoral care and may have restricted access to only their assigned house's learners.

• Changing houses: Learners can be reassigned to a different house at any time using the same methods above.

• Deactivating houses: You cannot delete a house that has learners assigned to it. Reassign learners first, then deactivate the house in Setup.

Frequently asked questions

Can a learner belong to more than one house?

No. In d6, each learner can be assigned to only one house at a time. If you need to reassign a learner, update their house assignment and the previous house is automatically removed.

What happens if I change a house tutor?

When you change the house tutor assignment, the new tutor gains access to all learners in that house. The previous tutor retains access to historical records but no longer has pastoral responsibility going forward.

Can I bulk-allocate learners across multiple houses at once?

No. Bulk allocation works per class per house. To allocate learners from multiple classes to different houses, use either the electronic import method or perform multiple bulk actions, one house at a time.

What if I need to reset all house allocations?

Use the electronic import method with an updated house column to reassign learners in bulk. Alternatively, remove each learner's house assignment individually and then re-allocate using your preferred method.