> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://schoolmanagerp.gitbook.io/schoolmanagerp-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://schoolmanagerp.gitbook.io/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/routine-substitutions.md).
# Recording a substitute teacher
When a teacher is absent on a day, give their period to another teacher, or cancel the period.
**Go to:** **Academics → Substitute teachers** in the left menu. Do the work on this page on a computer. **Before you start:** be the school's Admin ([who can do what](#roles)). The current academic year's routine must have that section's periods placed: [**Arranging a class's weekly routine**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/routine-builder.md).
This page works on the **list of substitute teachers**: who took whose period on which day, and which periods were cancelled. One substitution is for one period on one date only. The weekly routine stays as it was; to change a teacher for good, change the cell in the [Class routine](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/routine-builder.md#task-clear).
[Add a substitute teacher](#task-main) · [Cancel a period](#task-cancel) · [Filter the list](#task-filter) · [Problems and fixes](#trouble)
**On this page**
* [Add a substitute teacher](#task-main)
* [How to know it was recorded](#confirm)
* [Other situations](#other)
* [Cancel a period](#task-cancel)
* [Correct a wrong substitution](#task-correct)
* [Filter the list](#task-filter)
* [Problems and fixes](#trouble)
* [Who can do what](#roles)
* [Learn more](#more)
***
## Add a substitute teacher
1. Press **Academics → Substitute teachers** in the left menu.
→ **Substitute teachers** at the top, and below it "Who took whose period on which day, and which periods were cancelled." Below that are the filters and the list.
2. At the top, press **Add substitute teacher**.
→ The **Record a substitute teacher** dialog opens: "Pick the date and the period. The weekly routine itself doesn't change." The **Date** field already has today's date.
3. If you need to, change the **Date**.
4. From the **Class and section** field, pick the section.
→ The list has only the sections that have a period running in their routine on that date.
5. From the **Period** field, pick the period. Next to each one it shows period · time · subject · teachers.
→ Only that weekday's periods appear. If there are none, it shows **This section has no period on {weekday}.**
6. From the **Substitute teacher** field, pick the person who will teach.
→ The period's own teachers are not in this list.
7. If you want, write a **Reason (optional)**, for example `Sick leave` (up to 280 characters).
8. Press **Save**.
→ The dialog closes, the **Saved** message appears, a new row appears in the list, and its **Status** says **Covered**.
| You press | What happens | Saved? |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ |
| **Save** | The period for that day goes to the substitute teacher. They see it on that day in [My routine](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/my-routine.md), marked "Covering for {name}" | Yes |
| **Cancel** | Nothing is recorded | No |
> **Remember:** nothing reaches the system until you press **Save**. The button stays off until you have picked a date, a period and a substitute teacher (or ticked cancel). If the substitute teacher is busy in another period at that time, it will not save.
***
## How to know it was recorded
A substitution is saved only when you are online. So there is no **Saved on this device** state here.
| State | How you can tell | What next |
| ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **Changed on screen only** | The **Record a substitute teacher** dialog is open | Press **Save** |
| **Reached the school's system** | The **Saved** message appeared, and the row is in the list | Done. Tell the substitute teacher |
**To check:** put that day in the **Date** filter, or pick their name in the **Substitute teacher** filter. If the row appears, it is in the system.
**If no message appears:** look for red text under the field, then see [Problems and fixes](#trouble). What you picked in the dialog is not lost.
***
## Other situations
### Cancel a period
If nobody will teach:
1. Press **Add substitute teacher**. Pick the **Date**, the **Class and section** and the **Period** (steps 3–5 above).
2. Tick **Cancel the period — nobody teaches it**.
→ The **Substitute teacher** field goes away.
3. If you want, write a **Reason (optional)** and press **Save**.
→ In the list, the row's **Status** says **Period cancelled**. In the teacher's My routine, that day's period shows **Not taught · cancelled**, and they do not have to report the period themselves.
### Correct a wrong substitution
Record it again with **Add substitute teacher** for the same date and the same period. The new one takes the place of the earlier one; you do not get two rows. You can turn a cancellation into a substitution, or a substitution into a cancellation, this way. This works only for today or a later date: a substitution on an earlier date is part of the record and cannot be saved over (you see **A substitution on an earlier date is part of the record and cannot be changed. Pick today or a later date.**).
To remove a row completely, press **Delete** at the end of the row in the list. The **Delete the substitution on {date}?** dialog says: "The period goes back to its usual teacher on that date." Press **Delete**; the **Deleted** message appears. If **Could not delete — try again.** appears, the row stays; check your internet and try again. A substitution on an earlier date cannot be deleted: its row has no **Delete** button, because it is part of the record.
### Filter the list
| Filter | What to pick |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Date** | Two dates, **From** and **To** |
| **Substitute teacher** | The person who taught. If you pick nobody, **All teachers** |
| **Absent teacher** | The person whose period it was. If you pick nobody, **All teachers** |
| **Class** | One class. If you pick nobody, **All classes** |
| **Section** | You must pick a class first (**Pick a class first**); then one section, or **All sections** |
The columns of the list: **Date**, **Period**, **Class and section**, **Absent teacher**, **Substitute teacher**, **Status**, **Reason**. The newest date is first. If nothing matches, it shows **No substitute teachers**, and **Clear filters** removes all the filters.
> **Remember:** the filters are only for viewing; they change no record.
***
## Problems and fixes
| What you see | What to do | Who can help |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ |
| **There is no routine for this academic year yet.** | Arrange the routine first: [Class routine](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/routine-builder.md). | Admin |
| **Pick a date first.** | Enter a date in the **Date** field. | Admin |
| **This section has no period on {weekday}.** | Check the date; the section's routine has no period on that weekday. | Admin |
| **This period doesn't happen on the date you picked (it may run every other week or once a month). Pick another date.** | The period is biweekly or monthly; pick a date in a week when it happens. | Admin |
| **This teacher already teaches this period. Pick someone else.** | The teacher you picked is the period's own teacher. Pick another teacher. | Admin |
| **This teacher has another class from {from} to {to}. Pick someone else.** or **This teacher is not free at that time. Pick someone else.** | The substitute teacher is busy at that time. Pick another teacher. | Admin |
| **Could not save — try again.** | Check your internet and press **Save** again. | Admin |
| **A substitution on an earlier date is part of the record and cannot be changed. Pick today or a later date.** | The date is before today, and that period already has a substitution. Earlier dates are not changed: [correct a wrong substitution](#task-correct). | Admin |
| A row has no **Delete** button | The date is before today. The row stays as the record of who covered the period. | — |
| **Couldn't load substitute teachers. Check your connection and try again.** | Check your internet and try again. | Admin |
| The section is not in the **Class and section** list | No period of that section is running on that date. Check the date. | Admin |
***
## Who can do what
| Role | See the list of substitutions | Give a substitute or cancel a period |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Admin | Yes | Yes |
| Academic coordinator, Teacher, Accountant, Office staff, Exam controller, Committee member | No | No |
A substitute teacher sees their substitute period on the [**My routine**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/my-routine.md) page. People without permission do not have **Substitute teachers** in their left menu.
***
## Learn more How substitution works — for one day only
A one-day substitution; the weekly routine does not change
* You can give a substitute only for a day when the period really runs in the routine. For a biweekly or monthly period, picking the wrong week gets stuck.
* A substitution is refused if the substitute teacher is in another period at the same time.
Short help for the boxes (the (?) button)
| Field | What to enter | Required? |
| ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| Lesson status | For each period, choose Taught, Partly or Not taught. Not taught asks you for a reason. | Yes |
| Reason (not taught) | Teacher absent, School closed, Exam or Other. Write one line when you choose Other. The lesson moves to the next period. | Yes, when not taught |
| Teachers | One or more teachers for this period. | Yes |
| Recurrence | Weekly, Biweekly (every other week; pick Week 1 or Week 2) or Monthly (pick the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th or last occurrence of that day in the month). | Yes |
| Gap between periods (minutes) | 0 to 120. A new period row starts this many minutes after the one before it ends. | No |
| Most periods a teacher takes in a day | 1 or more; leave empty for no limit. Going over this limit stops the routine from saving. | No |
| Most periods in a row | 1 or more; leave empty for no limit. Going over it still saves; it only shows a warning. | No |
| Cancel the period | Tick it when nobody teaches the period on that date. The weekly routine itself does not change. | No |
| Substitute teacher | Who teaches the period on that date. It cannot be the teacher already assigned, or someone with another class at that time. | Yes, unless the period is cancelled |
| Shift name | The shift's name, for example Morning or Day. | Yes |
| Day starts at | When the school day starts in this shift. A new shift starts with 8:00. | Yes |
| Day ends at | When the school day ends in this shift. It must be later than the start. A new shift starts with 16:00. | Yes |
| Room no. | The room's number or name, for example 101. Required. | Yes |
**Related pages**
* [**Arranging a class's weekly routine**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/routine-builder.md) — lasting changes are made there; here it is for one day only.
* [**Seeing your routine and reporting periods**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/classes/my-routine.md) — the substitute teacher sees that day's period there.
* [**Staff attendance and leave**](/schoolmanagerp-docs/en/attendance/staff-attendance.md) — a teacher on leave is what makes a substitute necessary.
***
*Version 0.1.0 · Last checked 2026-10-24*
