Tutoring Centre Attendance and Session Management

The session clock starts when the tutor checks in at or before the scheduled session start time, giving the centre a precise record of when each session began. Check-in is done by the tutor via a mobile-friendly interface, removing any reliance on an admin team member to log the start time manually. Session end time is recorded in the same way when the tutor marks the session complete, producing an accurate duration for every lesson delivered. The check-in record is linked to the session booking, the tutor's profile, and the student's attendance record so all three update from the same action. Duration data feeds into utilisation reporting so the centre can see whether sessions are running to their scheduled length or being cut short consistently.

When a session start time passes without a corresponding tutor check-in, the system generates an alert to the centre's admin team immediately -- not when the parent complains twenty minutes later. The alert includes the session details, the assigned tutor, and the student affected, so the admin team has everything they need to respond without looking it up. The alert timestamp is stored against the session record so there is a clear log of when the centre was notified and what action was taken. No-show events are recorded separately from student cancellations in the utilisation data, making it possible to see tutor reliability by individual and by subject area. The alert threshold is configurable so the centre can decide whether to trigger at one minute past the start time or allow a short grace period.

Every session generates an attendance record for the student linked to their profile -- present, absent, or late -- updated by the tutor at the time of the session rather than reconstructed afterwards. The attendance record is visible to the admin team and to parents through the parent portal so the attendance history is transparent and does not need to be compiled manually when a parent asks. Cumulative attendance data per student feeds into progress records and retention reporting, giving the centre a signal when a student's attendance frequency is declining before they cancel their enrolment. The distinction between student-initiated absences and tutor-initiated cancellations is maintained in the record so utilisation reporting can attribute each missed session to the right cause. Absence notifications are sent to parents automatically when a session is marked absent without a prior cancellation.

Notice period rules are configured once by the centre and applied consistently to every cancellation from that point forward -- no manual discretion required. When a student cancels within the configured notice window, the system flags the late cancellation automatically and triggers the configured response, whether that is a charge to the student's account, a deduction from their session package, or a make-up session workflow. Make-up session scheduling is built into the cancellation flow so the admin team can offer an alternative slot immediately rather than handling it in a separate message thread. The full cancellation history -- notice given, rule applied, charge outcome, and make-up status -- is stored against the student record. Parents receive a cancellation confirmation that states the notice period outcome clearly, removing ambiguity about whether a charge applies.

When a tutor updates their availability, the change is reflected in the scheduling system immediately rather than sitting in an email that gets actioned the following morning. Tutors update their own availability via a mobile-accessible interface, removing the admin overhead of relaying availability changes between the tutor and the booking system. Availability changes that affect already-booked sessions surface a list of affected students so the admin team can initiate rescheduling before the student is left waiting for a session that no longer has a tutor. Temporary blocks -- a week's holiday, a university exam period, a training day -- are handled separately from permanent availability changes so the tutor's default schedule is not disrupted. The availability record feeds directly into the tutor matching and scheduling system so new bookings only ever show times the tutor has confirmed as available.

Utilisation reporting shows the centre exactly how many booked sessions are being completed versus how many are being cancelled, and breaks cancellations down by type -- cancelled by the student, cancelled by the tutor, and cancelled by the centre. Each cancellation type carries a different revenue implication: a late student cancellation where a charge applies has a different financial outcome from a tutor no-show where the centre owes the student a make-up. The revenue impact of each cancellation type is calculated and displayed alongside the session count so the centre director can see the cost of each category. Tutor-level utilisation shows completion rate and cancellation rate by individual so quality management decisions are based on data rather than impression. The report covers any date range and can be filtered by subject, tutor, or student group, giving the centre the view it needs for weekly review or monthly planning.