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Adding New Staff

To add a new staff member, click the Add Staff Member button in the top right corner of the staff list. When you click Add Staff Member, you’ll be taken to the staff profile creation form. Adding staff is a two-part workflow: first you create and save the profile, then — once the staff member exists — you configure their schedule on their edit page.

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Step 1: Create the Profile

The add form shows only the profile fields — there are no tabs on the add screen. You fill in the staff member’s details and save. Scheduling and other options become available once the profile has been saved and you re-open the staff member for editing (see Step 2).

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Personal Details

This section collects the staff member’s basic information including:

• Profile Picture: Upload a photo for easy identification
• First Name: The staff member’s first name
• Surname: The staff member’s last name
• Email: The address they sign in with and receive emails at. Leave it blank for staff who only use the mobile app, and give them a PIN instead (see Staff who only use the app below)
• Phone Number: Primary contact number
• Role: Select the staff member’s position:
  • Manager: Full access to all aspects of the Pigeonhole system including admin functions
  • Staff: Access to main nursery features (register, observations, child profiles)

Accurate personal details are essential for identification, communication, and record-keeping purposes.

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Key Children

The Key Children section allows you to assign specific children to the staff member as their key person. This is important for:

• Establishing primary care relationships
• Ensuring continuity of care
• Meeting regulatory requirements for key person assignments

You can easily add or remove key child assignments using the interface. Each child assigned will have the staff member as their primary point of contact and care coordinator.

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Saving the New Staff Member

At the bottom of the add form you have two options:

• Save — creates the staff member’s profile.
• Save and Invite — creates the profile and immediately sends them an invitation email to log in. This button appears once you’ve entered an email address, so you can add the staff member and grant them access in a single step.

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Staff Who Only Use the App

Some staff only ever use the nursery iPad and have no need for the web app or an email address. You can set them up with a PIN-only login instead.

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Step 1: Add them without an email address

1. Click Add Staff Member.
2. Fill in their name, role and any other details, but leave Email blank. A note under the field confirms that without an email address they can only sign in to the app with a PIN.
3. Click Save.

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Step 2: Set their PIN

1. On the Staff page, find the staff member. The Email column shows App only · no PIN yet.
2. Open the row actions (…) and choose Set PIN, then confirm.
3. Their 6-digit PIN is shown on screen. Write it down or tell them straight away. It won’t be shown again. Nothing is emailed, because they have no email address.

The Email column then shows App only · PIN.

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Step 3: They sign in on the app

On a shared device that a manager has already signed in to, the staff member taps the switch user icon (or waits for the lock screen), picks their name and enters their PIN. See Using the App on a Shared Device.

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Forgotten PINs

Staff with a PIN-only login can’t change their own PIN, because that’s done from My Account on the web app. If they forget it, open the row actions on the Staff page and choose Reset PIN. They get a new PIN and the old one stops working.

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Adding an email address later

If an app-only staff member needs the web app or emails later, edit their profile and add their email address. They keep the same login, PIN and history, and can sign in on the web straight away with an email code.

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Step 2: Configure Schedule (On the Edit Page)

Scheduling isn’t part of the add form. Once the staff member has been saved, open them again from the staff list (click the edit icon). Their edit page has a Profile tab and a Schedule tab — the Schedule tab is where you configure their working schedule.

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Staff Schedule Management

The schedule section displays all configured working periods for the staff member, showing:

• Date Range: When each schedule period is active (e.g., “01 Jan 2025 -”)
• Time Periods: The working hours for each shift (e.g., “13:00:00 - 16:00:00”, “08:00:00 - 12:30:00”)
• Room Assignment: Which room the staff member is assigned to during each period
• Days: The days of the week the schedule applies to (Mon, Tue, Wed, etc.)

You can add multiple schedule entries to accommodate complex working patterns, split shifts, or different room assignments throughout the day.

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Adding a New Schedule

When you click Add Schedule, a dialog opens that allows you to configure all aspects of a staff member’s working schedule: Date Configuration:

• Start Date: When the schedule becomes active (required)
• End Date: When the schedule ends (optional - leave blank for ongoing schedules)

Work Schedule Entries: Each schedule can contain multiple work entries for different times and rooms. For each entry you can configure:

• Start Time / End Time: The working hours for this period
• Room: Which room the staff member will be assigned to during this time
• Days of the Week: Toggle buttons for Mon-Sun to select which days this schedule applies

Multiple Schedule Entries: You can click Add Entry to create additional work periods within the same schedule. This is useful for:

• Split shifts (e.g., morning and afternoon sessions)
• Working in different rooms at different times
• Complex scheduling arrangements

On the schedule page there are additional actions to help make managing schedules easier:

• Edit: Modify an existing schedule using the pencil icon
• Copy: Duplicate a schedule to create similar entries using the copy icon
• Delete: Remove a schedule using the bin icon

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Staff Login Status

The staff list shows the current login status for each staff member:

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Status Indicators

• Last Login Date: Shows the date and time when the staff member last logged in (e.g., “10 Feb 2026 14:30”)
• Invite Sent: A blue mail icon indicates an invitation email has been sent but the staff member hasn’t logged in yet
• Dash (-): No invitation has been sent yet

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Sending Invitations

To grant a staff member access to the system:

1. Click the More Actions (…) button on the staff row
2. Select Send Invite
3. The staff member will receive an email with a login link

Once the staff member logs in using the link, they will automatically be connected to their staff profile and gain access to the system based on their role.