Managing Student Records Day-to-Day in ManageBac+: A Front Office Guide
For administrative assistants and front office staff who own student data in ManageBac+ - the everyday tasks, the common questions, and the things worth knowing that nobody tells you at the start.
If you work at the front office of an international school, ManageBac+ is probably open in a browser tab for most of your working day. You are the person parents call when they cannot log in, the person teachers ask to fix a student's record, and the person who has to make sure the data is right before reports go out. This guide is written for you - not for IT managers or curriculum coordinators, but for the person doing the actual day-to-day work.
It covers the student record tasks that come up most often, the checks worth building into your regular routine, and the answers to questions you probably get asked more than you would like.
A note before you start: if you are unsure whether you have the right permission level to make a change in ManageBac+, check with your IT manager or system owner before editing. Some changes - particularly to student status, year level, or programme - can have knock-on effects on reports and historical records. When in doubt, ask first.
The Student Record: What Lives Where
A student record in ManageBac+ holds more than most people realise. Knowing where to find things saves significant time when you are dealing with a query at the front desk or on the phone.
| Information | Where to find it | Who typically updates it |
|---|---|---|
| Personal details (name, DOB, nationality) | Student profile, Personal tab | Front office / registrar |
| Year level and programme | Student profile, Academic tab | Registrar / admin lead |
| Parent and guardian contacts | Student profile, Family tab | Front office |
| Class assignments | Student profile, Classes tab | Registrar / academic admin |
| Attendance records | Student profile, Attendance tab | Teachers (entry) / admin (oversight) |
The Tasks That Come Up Every Week
Updating contact details
Parents move, change phone numbers, and update email addresses - and they usually tell the front office, not the class teacher. When you receive a contact update, go to the student's profile, Family tab, and update the relevant parent or guardian record directly. If the parent has a ManageBac+ account, their login email is separate from their contact email - confirm which one needs updating and whether both apply.
Resending login credentials to parents
This is probably the most common front office request. A parent has lost their login or never activated their account. Go to the parent's profile in ManageBac+, find their account settings, and resend the welcome or password reset email. Note that password reset links expire after 30 days - if a parent says they received an email but the link does not work, this is almost always why. Resend it and ask them to action it promptly.
Recording a student absence
If a parent calls to report their child absent, the front office typically records this in the school's attendance system. In ManageBac+, attendance is entered at the class level by teachers, but a school-level absence note can be added to the student's profile. Follow your school's agreed process for how front office absence reports are communicated to class teachers - ManageBac+ does not automatically notify teachers when an admin adds an absence note to a profile.
Adding a new sibling to an existing family
When a younger sibling enrols, link them to the existing parent accounts rather than creating new ones. This keeps the family view clean for parents and avoids duplicate contact records. Go to the new student's profile, Family tab, and link to existing parent accounts by searching for the parent's name or email rather than creating new entries.
Handling Mid-Year Student Changes
New student arriving mid-year
Create the student record as soon as enrolment is confirmed - do not wait until their first day. Assign them to the correct year level, programme, and classes immediately. Send parent login credentials once the record is complete and you have verified the email address. Notify the relevant class teachers and the academic coordinator so they are aware before the student arrives.
Student leaving mid-year
Mark the student as inactive or withdrawn on their last day - do not delete the record. Deletion removes historical data including grades, attendance, and report cards that the school may need later, and that the family may request as a transcript. Deactivating the account preserves everything while removing the student from active class lists and reports. Notify teachers so they are aware the student is no longer active in their class.
Student changing year level or class
Year level and class changes should be confirmed in writing by the academic coordinator or principal before you action them in ManageBac+. A change to year level can affect programme settings, report templates, and assessment records. Make the change, note the date and reason in the student record if your school uses notes fields for this purpose, and confirm with the academic team that the change looks correct from their side.
A Weekly Data Health Check
Building a brief data check into your weekly routine catches small issues before they become bigger ones. It takes less than 15 minutes and makes a significant difference to data quality over the course of a year.
- Any new students added this week assigned to classes? Unassigned students will not appear in teacher gradebooks or attendance records
- Any parent login requests outstanding from earlier in the week? Chase these before the link expires
- Any students marked inactive who still appear in active class lists? This can happen if the class assignment was not removed at the same time as the status change
- Any contact details flagged as needing update? Clear your running list of contact changes before it grows
Tips From Staff Who Do This Every Day
- Keep a simple log of changes you make - a shared spreadsheet or even a notebook entry with the date, student name, and what was changed is invaluable when someone queries a change three weeks later
- Never make a significant change based on a verbal request alone - year level changes, programme transfers, and status updates should always be confirmed in writing, even if just by email, before you action them
- Search by student ID as well as name - in schools with common surnames or transliterated names, searching by unique student ID avoids editing the wrong record
- If something looks wrong and you did not make the change, tell someone - unexpected changes to student records occasionally indicate a permissions issue or an error made by another user; flagging it early is always the right call
In Summary
- Know where to find each type of information in the student record - personal, academic, family, classes, and attendance each live in separate tabs.
- For mid-year departures, always deactivate rather than delete - historical records must be preserved.
- Build a brief weekly data health check into your routine - 15 minutes a week prevents hours of cleanup later.
- Log changes you make and always get written confirmation before actioning significant updates to student records.
If you encounter something in ManageBac+ that you are not sure how to handle, contact the FariaSupport desk through your school's support plan. You do not need to be a system administrator to raise a support request - front office staff are welcome to contact us directly.