Getting Started with Smart Schools Hub
Your complete school management platform
Smart Schools Hub is a cloud-based School Management System (SMS) that brings together every aspect of your school — academics, finance, attendance, communication, and more — into one unified platform.
The system is multi-role. Every user logs in with the same URL but gets a different dashboard and set of features based on their assigned role.
Who Uses the System?
| Role | What They Do | Access Level |
|---|---|---|
| School Admin | Manages the entire school — students, staff, fees, settings | Full school access |
| Teacher | Takes attendance, enters marks, uploads assignments & materials | Own classes & subjects |
| Student | Views timetable, fees, results, assignments, announcements | Own records only |
| Parent | Monitors their children's progress, fees, and report cards | Their children only |
| Accountant | Manages fee invoices, payments, expenses, and payroll | Financial records |
| Librarian | Manages book catalogue, issues, returns, and borrowing history | Library records |
Logging In
Access your account securely
Go to smartschoolshub.com and click Log In. You can log in using either your email address or your phone number.
Open smartschoolshub.com in your browser or on your mobile phone.
Click Log In in the top-right corner of the screen.
Enter your email or phone number and your password. The system automatically detects which one you entered.
Click Sign In. You will be taken directly to your role-specific dashboard.
💡 Tip: If you forget your password, click Forgot Password? on the login page. A reset link will be sent to your registered email address.
⚠️ First-time users: Your school administrator creates your account. You will receive login credentials from them. Contact your school admin if you have not received yours.
Mobile App
Smart Schools Hub is also available as a mobile app for Android and iOS. Download it from your app store, enter your school code, and log in with the same credentials. The mobile app is available for Teachers, Students, and Parents.
Your Dashboard
Your personalised home screen
After logging in, you see your dashboard — a summary of the most important information for your role. It shows live statistics, quick-action buttons, and recent activity.
The left sidebar contains the navigation menu. Every feature is accessible from the sidebar. On mobile, tap the menu icon (☰) in the top-left to open it.
💡 A quick tour plays the first time you log in. Follow the highlighted steps to learn the basics of your role in under two minutes.
School Admin
Full control over all school operations
The School Admin account has access to every module in the system. You are responsible for setting up the school, managing all users, and overseeing operations across all departments.
Setting Up Your School
Go to Settings → School Settings. Enter your school name, address, motto, logo, and school code. The school code appears on fee invoices and admission numbers.
Go to Academics → Classes. Create all the classes/forms in your school (e.g. Grade 1, Form 2A, S.3 East).
Go to People → Teachers and add your teaching staff with their assigned subjects and classes.
Go to People → Students and add students, or use the Admissions module for new intake.
Go to Finance → Fee Types to create fee structures, then Fee Groups to bundle them, and finally Fee Allocation to assign fees to classes.
Key Admin Features
Managing Users
To add a new teacher or staff member, go to People → Teachers (or Staff) and click Add New. Fill in their personal details and assign their role. They will receive login credentials automatically if an email is provided.
To add students, go to People → Students → Add Student. Assign them a class, section, and optional admission number. The system auto-generates the admission number based on your school prefix if left blank.
Parents are linked to students. When you add a student, you can link them to an existing parent account or create a new parent profile at the same time.
Admission Numbers
Set your admission prefix in Settings → Admission & Fee Settings (e.g. KISS will produce KISS001, KISS002…). Numbers are globally unique across all schools on the platform.
Fee Blocking
Enable Block Report Cards if Fees Owing in Settings to prevent parents from viewing report cards if they have outstanding balances. This is a per-school toggle.
Teacher
Manage classes, attendance, marks, and materials
As a teacher, you manage your assigned classes, mark attendance, enter exam results, upload study materials, and communicate with students and parents through the platform.
Marking Attendance
Go to Attendance → Daily Attendance in the sidebar.
Select the class and date. The student list for that class appears.
Mark each student as Present, Absent, Late, or Excused.
Click Save Attendance. The records are saved immediately.
💡 If your school uses Face Recognition Terminals, attendance is marked automatically when students scan at the gate. You only need manual marking for lesson-level attendance.
Lesson Attendance
For per-lesson attendance, go to Attendance → Lesson Attendance. Select your subject and class, then mark who was present for that specific lesson. This is separate from daily gate attendance.
Entering Marks
Go to Academics → Marks Entry.
Select the exam, class, and subject.
Enter each student's score. Marks are saved as you type (auto-save row).
Once all marks are entered, the system automatically calculates grades based on the school's grading scale.
Assignments
Go to Academics → Assignments → Create Assignment. Enter the title, instructions, due date, and attach any files. Students in the assigned class will see the assignment on their dashboard and in the mobile app.
Study Materials
Upload notes, slides, PDFs, or videos via Academics → Study Materials → Upload. Specify the class and subject. Students can download materials from their portal or mobile app at any time.
Timetable
View your personal timetable at Academics → Timetable. Your schedule shows all your teaching periods for the week. Contact the school admin to make changes to the timetable.
Student
Your personal school portal
As a student, you have access to your own academic records, fee information, timetable, assignments, and school announcements. Your data is private — only your teachers, school admin, and parents can see it.
Student Dashboard
Your dashboard shows today's timetable, recent announcements, pending assignments, your attendance summary, and your current fee balance at a glance.
Viewing Your Timetable
Go to Academics → My Timetable. You can see your full weekly class schedule, including the subject, teacher, room, and time for each period.
Checking Your Fees
Go to Finance → My Fees to see all invoices raised for you this term, what has been paid, and what is outstanding. You can download individual invoices as PDFs.
⚠️ If your report card is not visible, it may be blocked by your school until all fees are paid. Contact the school office for assistance.
Report Cards
At the end of each exam period, go to Academics → Report Cards to view and download your report card as a PDF. Your grades, positions, teacher comments, and overall performance are shown.
Assignments
Go to Academics → Assignments to see all assignments set by your teachers. Each assignment shows the subject, due date, instructions, and any attached files. Download materials for offline study.
Attendance Record
View your own attendance history at Attendance → My Attendance. See which days you were present, late, absent, or excused for the current and past terms.
Library
View books you have borrowed via Library → My Borrowings. Return dates are shown — return books on time to avoid library restrictions.
Announcements & Events
School-wide announcements and upcoming events appear under Communication → Announcements and Events. You are also notified in the mobile app.
Parent / Guardian
Monitor your children's progress
As a parent, you can monitor all your children who are enrolled at the school. Your portal is read-only — you can view information but cannot make changes to records.
Parent Dashboard
Your dashboard shows a summary for each of your children. If you have multiple children at the school, you can switch between them using the child selector at the top of the screen.
Children's Information
Under My Children, you can see each child's class, section, admission number, attendance summary, current fee balance, and recent activity.
Fee Invoices
Go to Finance → Fees to see all fee invoices for your child. You can see what has been billed, what has been paid, and the outstanding balance. Download individual invoices for your records.
ℹ️ Payments are processed through the school cashier. If you believe a payment has not been reflected, contact the school accountant with your receipt number.
Report Cards
View your child's report card under Academics → Report Cards. Report cards are available after the school admin publishes them at the end of each term. Download them as PDF for your records.
⚠️ If the report card shows a Blocked notice, your child has an outstanding fee balance. Pay the balance and contact the school office to unblock access.
Attendance
Go to Attendance to see your child's daily attendance record. You can view present, absent, late, and excused days. The system updates in real time — if your school uses face recognition gates, arrival and departure times are shown.
Announcements
School announcements visible to parents appear under Communication → Announcements. SMS notifications are also sent directly to your phone number if the school has SMS enabled.
Accountant
Full financial management
The accountant role gives you access to all financial records — fee invoices, payments, expenses, payroll, and financial reports. You do not have access to academic data.
Fee Workflow
Fee Types: Go to Finance → Fee Types and create the types of fees (e.g. Tuition, Boarding, Activity, Uniform).
Fee Groups: Go to Finance → Fee Groups and bundle fee types together (e.g. "Term 1 Day Scholar" = Tuition + Activity).
Fee Allocation: Go to Finance → Fee Allocation and assign fee groups to specific classes and terms. This automatically generates invoices for all students in those classes.
Collect Payments: Go to Finance → Fees → Collect Payment. Select the student, choose the invoice line items, enter the amount paid, and save. The balance updates immediately.
Invoice Numbers
Invoice numbers are generated automatically using the school's unique code prefix (e.g. KISS-2026-0001). The prefix is configured in Settings → Admission & Fee Settings.
Expenses
Record school expenditures under Finance → Expenses. Categorise expenses by type (maintenance, utilities, salaries, etc.) for reporting purposes.
Payroll
Process staff salaries under Finance → Payroll. Set up salary structures, process monthly payroll, and print payslips as PDFs for each staff member.
Financial Reports
Generate income summaries, payment histories, outstanding balance reports, and expense summaries under Finance → Reports.
Librarian
Manage books and borrowing records
As the librarian, you manage the school's book catalogue and track all borrowings and returns. Students can see available books in their portal.
Adding Books
Go to Library → Books → Add Book.
Enter the title, author, ISBN, category, total copies, and shelf location.
Save. The book appears in the catalogue and is visible to students.
Issuing a Book
Go to Library → Issue Book.
Search for the student by name or admission number.
Search for the book and select it. Set the return date.
Click Issue. The available copy count decreases automatically.
Returning a Book
Go to Library → Borrowings. Find the borrowing record (search by student name or book). Click Return. The copy count is restored and the record is marked as returned.
Overdue Books
The borrowings list highlights overdue returns in red. Use this list to follow up with students who have not returned books by the due date.
Attendance System
Multiple methods for accurate tracking
Smart Schools Hub supports three methods of taking attendance. Schools can use any combination of these.
Method 1 — Manual (by Teacher)
Teachers mark attendance manually via the web portal or mobile app. Go to Attendance → Daily Attendance, select class and date, and mark each student. Best for classroom lesson attendance.
Method 2 — QR Code / RFID Card
Students carry a QR code card or RFID card. When they scan at the gate device, attendance is automatically recorded. The school admin registers the device and its API token in Attendance → Check-In Devices.
Method 3 — Face Recognition Terminal (Hikvision)
The school uses Hikvision face recognition terminals at the school gate. Students are enrolled on the device with their face photo. Every morning when they walk through the gate and their face is recognised, attendance is marked automatically — no cards or manual entry needed.
ℹ️ Late arrival detection: Any check-in after 8:15 AM is automatically marked as Late. The threshold can be adjusted by the developer for your school.
Attendance Reports
School admins and teachers can view attendance reports at Attendance → Reports. Filter by class, date range, student, or status. Export as PDF or CSV.
Face Recognition Attendance
Hikvision ISAPI integration
Smart Schools Hub integrates directly with Hikvision Face Recognition Terminals (DS-K1T series and compatible devices) via the ISAPI protocol. When a student's face is recognised at the gate, their attendance is recorded instantly.
Admin: Setting Up a Hikvision Device
Go to Attendance → Check-In Devices → Register Device. Select type Hikvision Face Recognition Terminal.
Enter the device's IP address, port (default 80), and the admin username/password of the device (set during device activation).
Save the device. Click Configure Push — this automatically programmes the device to send scan events to SmartSchools Hub.
Click Enroll All Students — this uploads all student profiles and face photos from SmartSchools Hub to the device.
Students walk through the gate — the device recognises their face and attendance is automatically marked. ✅
How it Works (Technical)
The device is configured with our server's URL as an HTTP listening host. Each time a face is recognised, the device sends a POST request to https://smartschoolshub.com/api/hikvision/push?key=TOKEN with event details. Our system matches the employeeNoString to the student record and marks attendance.
💡 Students are enrolled using the format s{id} (e.g. s1024) for students and t{id} for teachers. This is handled automatically — you do not need to remember these codes.
Fee Management
From fee structure to invoice to payment
The fee management module follows a structured hierarchy: Fee Types → Fee Groups → Fee Allocation → Invoices → Payments.
| Level | What It Is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fee Type | A single fee category | Tuition Fee, Boarding, ICT Levy |
| Fee Group | A bundle of fee types for a specific student category | "Term 2 Day Scholar" = Tuition + Activity |
| Fee Allocation | Assigns a fee group to a class for a specific term | Grade 5 → Term 2 Day Scholar → UGX 450,000 |
| Invoice | Auto-generated for each student when allocation is saved | KISS-2026-0142 for John Doe |
| Payment | Recorded by the accountant when cash/mobile money is received | UGX 200,000 on 10 Feb 2026 |
Report Cards
Automated grading and PDF generation
Smart Schools Hub automatically calculates grades, positions, and comments once exam marks are entered. Report cards are generated as PDFs for download and printing.
The system supports multiple curriculum types: standard percentage-based grading, CBC (Competency-Based Curriculum), Points-based, and Arabic/Islamic studies with bilingual comments.
Report Card Workflow
Teachers enter marks via Academics → Marks Entry.
Admin configures the grading scale in Settings → Grading.
The system calculates totals, averages, grades, and positions automatically.
Admin publishes the report cards. Students and parents can then view and download them.
Communications
Announcements, SMS, and events
Keep the entire school community informed through announcements, events, and SMS notifications.
- Announcements: Create school-wide or role-specific announcements visible in the portal and mobile app.
- Events: Add school events to the calendar. Parents and students see upcoming events on their dashboards.
- SMS Notifications: Configure your SMS gateway in Settings → SMS Settings. Send bulk SMS to parents, teachers, or specific classes for fee reminders, results, or emergency notices.
- Push Notifications: Mobile app users receive push notifications for announcements, assignment deadlines, and fee reminders.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Support
We're here to help
Need help with something not covered in this guide? Contact our support team through any of these channels:
Email Support
smartschoolsh@gmail.com
💬Chat with us now
🌐Help Center
support@smartschoolshub.com
💡 For the fastest response, include your school name, your role, and a screenshot of any error when contacting support.