Overview
This article explains the day-to-day boarding workflows staff will use in Orah once your school is live.
It is designed primarily for House Parents and boarding staff, with a focus on what they need to do during a typical day rather than how the system is configured.
What This Article Covers
Running roll calls
Signing students in and out
Managing student movement
Handling common daily scenarios
Staff should feel confident completing these workflows independently after reading this guide.
1. Running Roll Calls
Roll calls are the core daily task for boarding staff.
House Parents are responsible for:
Opening roll calls at the scheduled time
Confirming student presence
Marking absences or exceptions as needed
Best practices:
Complete roll calls as close to the scheduled time as possible
Review exceptions before finalising
Follow up promptly on missing or unexpected students
Roll calls provide real-time visibility into student whereabouts and are central to boarding safety.
Link: How to take a roll call?
2. Signing Students In and Out
Sign-in and sign-out actions record when students leave or return to campus.
Staff should:
Sign students out when they leave campus
Sign students back in when they return
Ensure entries reflect actual movement, not planned movement
Accurate sign-in and sign-out data ensures roll calls and reports remain reliable.
Link: Signing students in and out
3. Managing Passes During the Day
Passes define permission for students to be away.
In daily use:
Students may already have approved passes
Staff should check passes when reviewing absences
Event passes may apply to groups of students
If a student is away without a valid pass, staff should follow the school’s usual procedures.
Link: How to sign students out on pass
4. Handling Common Daily Scenarios
Examples include:
Late returns
Temporary location changes
Students leaving unexpectedly
Staff handovers between shifts
In these cases:
Update sign-in/sign-out records accurately
Communicate with other staff as needed
Focus on clarity rather than perfection
Orah is designed to reflect reality — updates can be made as situations change.
5. End-of-Day Review
At the end of the day or shift, it’s helpful to:
Review completed roll calls
Completing daily reports
Check for unresolved exceptions
Ensure student movement is accurately recorded
This helps maintain confidence in the system and reduces follow-up questions later.
Link: How to add daily reports
What Good Daily Use Looks Like
Roll calls are completed on time
Student movement is accurately recorded
Exceptions are followed up promptly
Staff feel confident using Orah during duty