School organization structure

What is a Term?

A term is an academic time window — the period you bill fees for, enter grades against, and run reports on. Examples: Term 1 2026, Semester 1 2026, Q1 2026.

One term must be marked as the current term. Tuition & fees, many grade views, WhatsApp fee reminders, and finance reports default to that term until you change it.

At year-end or promotion time, create the next term and use student term assignment (Students → assign term) to move learners forward or bill a new cycle.

1. Organization → Terms → add name, academic year, start and end dates.
2. Set as current term when you are ready for live billing and grading for that period.
3. Fee structures in Bursary are linked to a term — each term can have different charges.

What is a Level?

A level is the grade band or stage a student belongs to — the “year” or “form” of study, not the individual classroom. Examples: Grade 1, Grade 7, Form 4, Year 2 Diploma, Level 100.

Levels are used when adding students, on public enrollment dropdowns (level-based intake), and for high-level reporting (pass rates by form, etc.).

Levels do not replace subjects; they describe where the learner sits in your ladder from intake to graduation.

What is a Class (class group)?

In FundoPortal, Classes means class groups — the teaching unit within a level. Examples: Grade 3 Blue, Form 2A, Year 1 Group B.

Every active student should have a level and usually a class group. Timetable slots, teacher subject assignments, and many grade views tie to class group + subject.

Class groups are not the same as Courses (see tertiary below). K–12 schools rely heavily on level + class group; universities may lean on courses and departments instead.

Primary school (ECD, infant & junior)

Typical pattern: levels = Grade R, Grade 1 … Grade 7 (or your national labels). Classes = 1A, 1B, 2A — parallel classes in the same grade.

1. Create one level per grade you offer.
2. Create class groups per physical class (1A, 1B) under those levels.
3. Subjects = Maths, English, Shona, Environmental Science, etc., as taught to those grades.
4. Enrollment: enable level-based enrollment so parents pick Grade 1 or Grade 5 on the public form.
5. Advantage: fee structures per term for all Grade 1s; teachers assigned to 1A Maths; report cards per class.

Secondary school (O-Level & A-Level / forms)

Typical pattern: levels = Form 1 … Form 6 (or Lower/Upper Sixth). Classes = 3Arts, 3Sciences, 4Commercial — streams within a form.

1. Levels map to forms; optional weight on level if you sort reports by form order.
2. Class groups reflect streams (4A Sciences, 4B Sciences) or single classes per form.
3. Subjects include electives — assign teachers per subject + class for marking.
4. Grade scales (Organization → Grade scales) matter for O/A level letter bands on report cards.
5. Advantage: timetable by form/class; term fees differentiated by boarding vs day if you use categories; enrollments ask for intended form.

College & polytechnic (diplomas & certificates)

Often mix levels (Year 1, Year 2), departments (Engineering, Business), and courses (Diploma in IT — intake 2026).

1. Departments — faculty or school divisions (required before courses in many setups).
2. Courses — named programmes with codes; enable course-based enrollment in Public Settings if applicants choose a diploma, not just a year.
3. Levels — year of study within a programme (Year 1 Nursing, Year 2 Nursing).
4. Class groups — optional cohorts (Nursing Y1 Morning) if you still run fixed groups.
5. Subjects — modules taught (Database Systems, Applied Maths) assigned to teachers.
6. Advantage: public enroll captures programme + department; fee structures per term per programme; clearer reporting by course intake.

University & large tertiary

Emphasis shifts to departments, courses/programmes, and module subjects; class groups may be tutorial groups or less central than in schools.

1. Departments for each faculty (Law, Medicine, Education).
2. Courses for each degree/diploma intake (BSc Computer Science, LLB Part 2).
3. Levels optional — e.g. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Honours, or Level 100–400 if that matches your registry.
4. Subjects as modules; timetable links module + room + lecturer; students may span multiple modules across departments.
5. Enable course enrollment on the public form when applicants apply to a programme, not a single class name.
6. Advantage: aligns with faculty structure; fee lines per programme/term; scalable roster without forcing every student into one homeroom class.

Other Organization pieces

1. Subjects — anything you timetable, grade, or assign teachers to (required for all institution types).
2. Rooms — optional; used in Timetable for room allocation.
3. Grade scales — letter boundaries (A–U, 1–7, etc.); set a default before report cards.
4. Assign students: Students → add/edit → pick level + class group (and link to programme/course where you track it).
5. Teachers: Teachers & Staff → subject assignment links teacher + subject + class group so they only see their classes in the teacher portal.