Subject Groups

Overview

Subject Groups are academic clusters used to group learners who attend the same subject together. Unlike Register Classes, which are used for administrative and attendance purposes, Subject Groups are strictly for academic delivery, mark capture, and timetabling.

Navigation Path

My School > Curriculum > learner Subjects:  Subject Groups

Purpose of Feature

The Subject Groups module enables the school to:

• Organize learners into specific academic sets (e.g., separating a grade into different Mathematics groups).

• Assign a primary teacher and a physical classroom to each academic group.

• Manage mark capturing rights for specific staff members.

• Facilitate accurate academic reporting and mark sheet generation.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Creating Subject Groups

1. Select the Year, Grade, and Term.

2. Select the relevant Subject from the list.

3. Click the + Add New button.

4. Group Name: Enter a descriptive name (e.g., Gr 9A Mathematics).

5. Classroom: Select the room where the group meets. If a room is missing, ensure it is set to "Active" under My School > Staff > Classrooms.

6. Teacher: Assign the primary subject teacher. If a teacher is missing, verify they are active and assigned to an educational phase category under My School > Staff > Staff.

7. Tuition Language: Select the language of instruction for this specific group.

8. Status: Ensure the status is set to Active.

9. Click Accept Changes.

2. Managing Group Details

• Active Learners: This column displays the number of learners currently assigned. Click the number to view the list or manage allocations.

• Non-Active Learners: Shows learners who have left the school but remain linked to the group for historical marking purposes.

• Marks Capturers: Displays the number of staff members with permission to enter marks for this group. Click the number to add or remove staff by moving names between the "Available" and "Assigned" columns.

3. Learning Outcome (LO) Grouping

In rare instances where different teachers handle specific components of a single subject (e.g., one teacher for History and another for Geography within Social Sciences):

1. Navigate to the Learning Outcome Grouping section.

2. Define which specific LO/Task is assigned to a secondary teacher. Note: This configuration is complex and can impact mark sheet consolidation; it is recommended to use this only when structurally necessary.

System Behaviour

• Data Linking: Subject Groups act as the link between the Learning Programme (what is taught) and the Timetable (when and where it is taught).

• Excel Export: Data from these screens can be exported to Excel for auditing, provided the user has the "Excel Export" permission assigned by a Superuser.

• Mark Sheet Generation: The names appearing on a teacher’s mark sheet are pulled directly from the learner allocations within these Subject Groups.

Restrictions & Reasons

• Status Management (Inactive vs. Deleted): * Inactive: This status hides the group but preserves data. It can be reversed if the group needs to be reinstated.

  • Deleted: This is a permanent action.

  • Reason: Deleting a group removes the underlying database pointers. To maintain historical accuracy and prevent data loss, the system prevents the reactivation of deleted groups.

• Teacher Dropdown Filtering: Only staff categorized within an "Education Phase" (e.g., FET, Senior Phase) appear in the teacher selection.

  • Reason: This prevents administrative or support staff from being accidentally assigned to academic roles, ensuring data integrity for LURITS and departmental reporting.

• Subject Dependency: You cannot create a Subject Group for a subject that has not been allocated to the grade in Step 1 of the Learning Programme Setup.

  • Reason: The system follows a hierarchical structure: Subject > Subject Group > Learner Allocation.