Skulbase user guide
Class teacher guide
For teachers who are responsible for a class
How to enter and correct marks, keep your class’s register, look after your class list, produce report cards, set homework, upload exam papers, keep schemes of work, assess CBC strands, and use the calendar, timetable, leave and store requests.
Other guides: Administrator guide · Subject teacher guide · Staff guide · Learner guide · Parent guide · Academic leadership guide · Bursar and finance guide · Boarding and discipline guide · School nurse guide · Transport guide · Library, stores and HR guide
Chapter 1
Getting started
Your school administrator creates your account and gives you an invite code. You activate it once, then sign in with your username or email.
1.1Activate your account with an invite code
Teachers, staff and learners do not sign up on their own. Your school adds you, and you get a personal invite code (or a link that has the code in it) to set up your login.
Get your code
Your school administrator gives you a six-character invite code, for example A7X3K9, by SMS, WhatsApp, on paper, or as a link. The code only works for your account.
Open the activation page
Tap the link you were sent, or go to skulbase.com, choose Sign in and then “Activate your account”. If you opened a link, the code is already filled in.
Check it is you
Press Continue. Skulbase shows the name the school registered. If it is not you, choose “Not you?” and ask the school for the right code.
Choose how you will sign in
Pick a username (one is suggested for you) and a password of at least 8 characters, or continue with Google. Adding an email address lets you reset your password yourself later.
You are in
You are signed in straight away and land on the home page for your role.
Good to know: Each code can be used once. If yours says it has expired or was already used, ask your administrator to reset your account; they get a fresh code in seconds.
1.2Sign in
Once your account is active, sign in with your email address or username and your password, or with Google if you activated with Google.
Go to the sign-in page
Open skulbase.com and choose Sign in.
Enter your details
Type your email address or username, then your password, and press Sign In. Or press “Sign in with Google”.
Forgot your password?
Choose “Forgot password?”, enter your email address, and type the six-digit code we email you along with a new password. This also works if you have only ever used Google, and afterwards both ways work.
Tip: Save skulbase.com to your phone’s home screen. It opens like an app and remembers you are signed in.
Chapter 2
Your dashboard
Your dashboard leads with the job that matters most in a term: getting marks in.
2.1Reading your dashboard
The top shows where the school is in the term and how many marks you still have to enter. The big button takes you straight to the next mark sheet to finish.
- “Continue: Mathematics · Grade 7 East” opens the exam you were part-way through, or the next one to start.
- At a glance: marks still to enter, exams fully marked, learners in your class, and your class average.
- My marking lists every exam you enter marks for this term, with how many learners are marked. Tap one to open its mark sheet.
- Quick actions open marks, class results, report cards, attendance and your class list. “Coming up” shows exams in the next three weeks.
- If report cards are still to be generated for your class, a reminder appears on the right.
Chapter 3
Exams and marks
Entering marks is the main job in Skulbase. You only see the classes and subjects your administrator has assigned to you; if one is missing, ask them to add it on the Subjects page.
3.1Enter or correct marks
Marks go in on Exams & Marks, on the “Enter & Correct Marks” tab. You pick the term, the exam, the class and the subject, and a mark sheet opens with every learner in the class.
Open Exams & Marks
Choose Exams & Marks in the menu. The “Enter & Correct Marks” tab is open.
Choose the term
The current term is selected for you and marked NOW. Pick another term to correct older marks.
Choose the exam
Tap the exam, for example Midterm or Endterm. Only exams your school has set up for that term are shown.
Choose the class and subject
Pick the class, then the subject. Teachers only see the classes and subjects they teach.
Open the mark sheet
Press “Open mark sheet”. Saved marks are already filled in.
3.2Using the mark sheet
The mark sheet lists every learner with a box for their score. The grade fills itself in from your school’s grading system.
Type the scores
Click the first score box, type the mark and press Enter to jump to the next learner. The grade appears as you type. Remarks are optional.
Save
Press “Save changes” at the bottom. The bar tells you how many learners still have no mark.
Correct a mistake
Find the learner with the search box, type the right score over the old one, and save. Undo puts a mark back as it was; the bin removes a mark for a learner who did not sit the exam.
Filter the list
Use the tabs (All, Not entered, Entered, Unsaved) and the stream filter to find who is left.
- “Online” at the top right shows the sheet is connected. If the network drops, your typing is kept on this device and saved when you are back online.
- Scores are out of the exam’s maximum (shown at the top, for example “Out of 100”).
- A subject with several papers can be split with “Split into papers”; each paper then gets its own column and the final mark is worked out for you.
3.3Upload marks from a spreadsheet or a photo
Instead of typing, you can upload an Excel or CSV file, or take a photo of a handwritten mark sheet.
Upload a file
On the mark sheet choose “Upload file”, pick your Excel or CSV file, and check the columns Skulbase detected (learner, admission number, score). Press “Validate & Preview”, check the rows, then save.
Scan a paper sheet
Choose “Scan sheet” and take or upload a clear photo. Skulbase reads the names and scores; check every row, fix anything misread, and confirm. Nothing is saved until you confirm.
Tip: Admission numbers are the most reliable way to match rows to learners. Keep them in your spreadsheet.
3.4Release results to learners
Marks stay private to staff until they are released. Releasing a subject lets learners see its marks in their portal and on the report card’s QR check.
Open the Release Results tab
On Exams & Marks choose “Release Results”.
Choose the class, term and exam
The list shows every subject for that exam and how many learners have marks.
Check the ranking preview
Scroll down to see the class ranking the release would produce, and any learners with missing papers (a missing paper counts as 0).
Release
Release a single subject, or all of them at once. Released subjects show “Learners can see”.
- You can still correct marks after releasing; learners see the corrected mark.
- “Withdraw” hides a subject from learners again at any time.
3.5See a class’s results
The “Results & Reports” tab on Exams & Marks shows how a class did: every subject side by side, one exam at a time, the analysis, and individual report cards.
- Choose a class, then an exam, to see the broadsheet and rankings.
- Click a learner to download their PDF report card, or generate the whole class at once.
Chapter 4
Your class
As class teacher you keep the register and the class list, and produce your class’s report cards.
4.1Take the daily register
Attendance holds one register per class per day. Mark each learner Present, Absent, Late or Excused, add a reason if you like, and let guardians of absent learners know by SMS.
Open Attendance
Choose Attendance in the menu. A class teacher’s own class opens straight away; otherwise pick the class.
Check the day
Today is selected. Use the arrows or the date box to fill in an earlier day.
Mark each learner
Tap Present, Absent, Late or Excused on each row. To save time, press “Mark N unmarked present” and then change only the exceptions.
Add a reason (optional)
The note icon at the end of a row adds a reason, such as “Unwell”. It shows under the learner’s name.
Save
Press Save at the bottom. Unsaved changes are kept if you switch class or day by mistake: you are asked first.
Tell guardians
Press “Notify guardians” to text the guardian of every learner marked absent. You see who will be texted before anything is sent.
Tip: PDF downloads the day’s register for printing or filing.
4.2My Students
My Students is your class list: every learner in your class, with their admission number, guardian and contact details. Search by name, admission number or guardian.
Tip: If a learner is missing or in the wrong class, or a guardian’s phone number has changed, ask your administrator to update their record. Correct phone numbers make sure SMS results and absence notices arrive.
4.3Report cards for your class
On Report Cards, choose your class, the term and the exam, then download every card, one learner’s card or the mark sheet.
Choose the scope
Pick your class and the term, and optionally a title and card design.
Choose the exam
Each exam shows how many subjects have marks. Make sure all subjects are in before printing.
Add your comments
Under “Comments on the cards”, write a class teacher remark for each learner (for example “Excellent progress this term”). They print on the cards.
Download
“Generate & download” produces every card in one PDF; “Choose learner” produces one; “Download mark sheet” gives the ranked class list.
- Sending results to parents by SMS is done by an administrator.
Chapter 5
Homework and announcements
Set homework for your classes, mark what learners hand in, and post notices.
5.1Set homework and mark it
Assignments is where homework is set for a class. Learners see it on their dashboard, hand it in there (typed or as a file), and you grade it here.
Set an assignment
Press “New assignment”. Choose the class and subject, give it a title and a due date, add instructions, and attach a file (up to 10 MB) if you like.
Follow progress
The tiles at the top filter to Upcoming, Past due, Set by me and All. Each card shows how many learners have handed in.
Mark the work
Open the hand-ins, read each learner’s answer or open their file, and give a grade from 0 to 100 with optional feedback. Learners see the grade and feedback on their dashboard.
- Work is due at the end of the due date, not at midnight before it.
- Teachers can edit and grade only the assignments they set; administrators can manage all of them.
- Once you have graded a hand-in, the learner can no longer replace it.
5.2Post announcements
Announcements are notices for the whole school. They show on the Announcements page and on learners’ dashboards.
Start one
On Announcements press “New announcement”.
Write it
Give it a short title (for example “Half-term break dates”) and the message.
Mark it important (optional)
Important announcements are highlighted in red on the list and on dashboards.
Post
Press Post. You can edit or delete your own announcements later from the list.
- Search, or filter to Important or to the ones you posted.
- Only administrators can text an announcement to guardians. Ask your administrator if something needs to go out by SMS.
Chapter 6
Exam papers, schemes and CBC
Setting papers, keeping professional records and assessing CBC strands. You only see a page if your school has switched its module on and your role or duty uses it. If something here is missing from your menu, ask your administrator.
6.1Upload an exam paper for moderation
The Exam paper bank keeps exam papers safe until the exam. You upload your paper, your head of department moderates it, the exams office prints it, and it is released after the exam.
Upload
Press “Upload paper”. Give it a title (for example “End of Term 2 Mathematics”), choose the subject, class level and term, the paper label (P1, P2), how many copies are needed, and when it may be released after the exam. Attach the paper (PDF or Word) and, ideally, the marking scheme.
Submit it
Open the paper and submit it for moderation. Its status changes from Draft to Submitted.
Act on comments
If it comes back Returned, read the moderator’s comment in its History, replace the files and submit again. Once Approved it is locked for printing.
- Papers open stamped with the viewer’s name and the time, and every download is logged, so leaks can be traced.
- Past papers are available once released, for revision.
6.2Schemes of work, lesson plans and records of work
Professional Records keeps your schemes of work, lesson plans and records of work together, and works out how much of the syllabus each class has covered.
Write a scheme of work
Press “Add scheme of work”, choose the class, subject and term, then fill in the weeks: each lesson with its topic or sub-strand and details. Set the number of teaching weeks and lessons a week.
Draft with AI (optional)
“Draft with AI” fills the rows with a suggested scheme from the topics you list. It replaces the rows below, so check and edit every row before saving.
Submit for review
Save, then press “Submit for review”. Your head of department or the DOS approves it or returns it with a comment.
Plan lessons
Under Lesson plans, add a plan for a lesson: the date, topic, specific objectives, introduction, lesson development, conclusion, resources and your self-evaluation afterwards.
Record what you taught
Tick lessons as Taught inside the scheme, or add a record of work with the date, work covered and remarks. Both count towards syllabus coverage.
6.3CBC assessment
CBC Assessment records each learner’s level for a strand and sub-strand: Exceeding (EE), Meeting (ME), Approaching (AE) or Below (BE) expectations.
Choose what you are assessing
Pick the class, the learning area, the term, and the strand (for example Numbers) and sub-strand (for example Fractions).
Open the class list
Press “Open class list”. Every learner in the class is listed.
Rate each learner
Tap EE, ME, AE or BE on each row and add a comment if you like. The totals at the top update as you go.
Save
Press Save. You can come back and change a rating later.
6.4Report a discipline incident
Any teacher can report an incident on the Discipline page. You see the incidents you reported; the discipline master decides the action and tells the parent.
Report it
Press “Report incident”. Choose the learner, the date, the category (for example lateness or fighting), how serious it is (minor, major or critical) and describe what happened.
What happens next
The discipline master records the action taken (for example a warning, counselling or calling the parent in), marks it resolved, and can text the parent with “Tell parent”.
Chapter 7
Calendar, leave and requests
Tools every teacher has: the school calendar, your timetable, leave, and requests to the store and the bursar. You only see a page if your school has switched its module on and your role or duty uses it. If something here is missing from your menu, ask your administrator.
7.1The school calendar
Calendar lists what is coming up across the school: exam windows, marks deadlines, report-card release dates, meetings and holidays. Everyone can read it; the DOS, deputy and principal add events.
- Events are marked by type (exam, deadline, report release, meeting, holiday) and by who they are for: everyone, staff, learners or parents.
- Parents and learners only see events meant for them.
- To add an event (if you are allowed), open “Manage events”, press Add, and fill in the title, type, dates, who sees it and any details. An event can be linked to an exam.
7.2Your timetable
Timetable shows the published timetable for the week: periods down the side, days across the top, each lesson with its class, teacher and room. On a phone it shows one day at a time.
- “Show” switches between your own timetable and any class, teacher or room.
- When a colleague is away and you are asked to cover a lesson, it is arranged under “Lesson cover”; check the timetable at the start of each day.
7.3Apply for leave
Staff Leave is where you ask for time off. The principal, deputy or HR officer approves it, and you can see the decision on the same page.
Apply
Press “Apply for leave”. Choose the type (annual, sick, maternity, compassionate and so on), the first and last day, and the reason.
Arrange cover
Under “Lessons and duties to cover”, say who will take your classes or duties, so the timetabler can arrange cover.
Wait for a decision
The request shows Pending until it is approved or declined. You can edit or cancel it while it is pending.
7.4Ask the store for supplies
Inventory & stores → Requisitions is how you ask for exercise books, chalk, chemicals or equipment. The storekeeper approves the request and issues the items, and the stock count goes down automatically.
Request
Press “Request from store”, choose the item, the quantity and what it is for (for example “Grade 7 exam booklets”).
Collect
When the storekeeper approves and issues it, the status changes to Issued. Collect the items from the store.
7.5Ask for money to be spent
Expenses → My requests lets any staff member raise a payment voucher, for example to buy lab chemicals or pay for printing. The bursar or principal approves it before it is paid.
Raise it
Press “Record expense”. Say what it is for, the amount, the date, the supplier and the vote head, and attach the invoice reference.
Follow it
It shows Pending, then Approved (waiting for payment) or Rejected, then Paid with the payment reference.
Chapter 8
On your phone
You can enter marks and take the register from a phone.
8.1Using Skulbase on a phone
Every page works on a phone. Tables turn into cards, and the menu moves to the bottom of the screen.
- Use a current version of Chrome, Safari or Samsung Internet.
- Mark entry keeps your work on the phone if the network drops, and saves it when you are back online.
- Downloads such as report cards open in your phone’s PDF viewer, ready to share on WhatsApp or print.
Chapter 9
Getting help
Most questions are answered on the page itself: many pages have a “How to” panel at the bottom. For anything else, these are the places to go.
9.1Where to get help
This guide is always available from Help in the menu, and as a PDF you can download and print.
- Your school administrator can add or reset accounts, fix classes and subjects, and change school settings.
- For problems with Skulbase itself, use the contact page at skulbase.com/contact, or call 0740 129 444.
- When you report a problem, say which page you were on, what you pressed and what you expected. A screenshot helps.