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Documents

Product Team avatar
Written by Product Team
Updated over 3 weeks ago

What is Documents?

The Documents app lets schools securely upload and deliver files to students and parents/carers via Satchel One. It helps reduce admin time, printing costs, and the risk of lost or misplaced paperwork.

View document imports

🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Document imports permission

To review previously uploaded documents or import new files, go to Documents from the main navigation menu.

You can filter the list of imports using the following options:

  • Import status - In progress, Completed, Failed

  • Send status - Files that have been Sent or Not sent to students and parents/carers

Click on More filters to further refine the list by Document type or the Group of students the documents were intended for.

Each document import listed on this page includes a set of available actions:

  • View: Allows you to review the uploaded data, check individual records, and choose whether to send the documents to students and parents/carers.

  • Delete: Removes all document files associated with the selected import.

Import documents

🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Document imports permission

To upload documents, navigate to the Documents area and click Import.

Depending on your school's setup, there are two ways to import documents:

  1. Manual import - Upload documents in bulk using a .zip file and a separate TSV mapping file.

  2. MIS import - Sync the latest student documents from SIMS via XoD

💡 Documents are not shared immediately with students or parents. You will have the opportunity to review and confirm each import before sending.

Manual import

First, select the Document type for the set of files you will be uploading. Then:

  1. Upload the .zip file containing the relevant student documents

  2. Download and complete our TSV template, which allows Satchel One to associate each document with the correct student. This file must include:

    • Student UPN

    • Forename

    • Surname

    • Attachment name - this must include the full relative path from your .zip file.
      Example: If a file called Joe_Bloggs_Report.pdf is stored inside a folder called Year_8 in your .zip, the corresponding value in the TSV must be:
      ​Year_8/Joe_Bloggs_Report.pdf

Next, choose your intended recipients:

  • You can choose to send documents to students, parents/carers, or both.

  • If you include parents, you’ll also have the option to specify which priorities should receive the files.

Once you've completed all fields, click Save to begin the import process. You can monitor the progress of your upload in the Import status column.

MIS import

If you have enabled Document imports from SIMS via XoD, you can import documents directly from SIMS.

  • Choose a document type

  • Select which students you want to import documents for. You can select:

    • Registration groups

    • Year groups

    • Class groups

    • Individual students

Click Save to begin the import process. Satchel One will then retrieve the most recent document files that were updated in SIMS in the last 30 days.

You can monitor the progress of your upload in the Import status column.

Review and send documents

🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Document imports and Document publishing permissions

Once a document import has been completed, click View on the relevant row to see more details and to send the documents to your selected audience.

Here you will see:

  • Document summary: Lists the file name assigned to each student so you can verify that the correct document has been matched to the right profile.

  • Parent/carer email: Shows whether contact email addresses are available for each student.

If multiple parents/carers are associated with a student, all relevant recipients will be listed. You will also be able to identify students without any parent/carer email address on file. You may wish to correct that before sending the documents.

Once you are confident the files are correctly matched and recipient data is complete, click Send at the top right of the page. To find out more about what parents and students see, click here.

💡 Documents are not visible to students or parents/carers until this step is completed. You can return to this page and send them at any time.

Monitoring document views

🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Document imports and Student documents permissions

To track whether documents have been viewed, return to the Documents page and click View on an import that has already been sent.

When at least one of the parents/carers has viewed their student’s document, the status will be shown as Opened.

To view an individual student’s document history, click on their name or use the

🔍 Quick search tool at the top right of your screen to open their profile. Then click on the Documents tab.

Here, you can see all documents shared with this student over the past two academic years, along with their ‘Viewed by parent’ status.

Deleting documents

🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Document imports and Document publishing permissions

By default, documents are retained for two academic years unless manually removed.

Individual student

You can delete documents for an individual student via the Documents tab on their profile.

  • Go to the student’s profile via Quick search or by clicking their name.

  • Go to the Documents tab.

  • Locate the document and click Delete.

Full import

You can delete a whole set of uploaded documents by deleting the corresponding import.

  • Go to Documents from the main menu

  • Locate the document import with the files you want to remove

  • Click Delete

If the documents from this import had already been sent to students or parents/carers you will see this confirmation message:

Parent and student/carer access

During the import process, you will be asked to specify whether documents should be visible to students, parents/carers, or both. If you include parents/carers, you can choose which priority levels are eligible to receive documents.

Documents are only visible to the selected audience once they’ve been Sent. This means you can upload and prepare documents in advance, and only send them when you are ready.

Students and parents/carers can access shared documents on the Documents section on the website and mobile app.

Each document shows the publish date, and includes a check mark ✅ if a parent/carer has viewed it.

Parents additionally receive email notifications when new documents have been sent to them. Students to not receive email alerts.

FAQ

Question

Answer

What file types are supported?

Any file type can be uploaded (PDF, DOCX, etc.) as long as the document matches the path in the .tsv file.

Can documents be visible to students but not parents, or vice versa?

Yes, visibility is controlled separately for each group during the import process.

Can I delete a document that was already sent?

Yes, either from the student's profile or by deleting the original import.

Can I bulk delete documents after they’ve been sent?

Yes, you can delete the whole import to remove all associated files.

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