Sign In/Out 

Article updated: 02/09/2026

 

VSware Sign In/Out is a new tool that lets schools record late arrivals and early departures quickly and accurately using a dedicated app. It replaces manual sign‑in sheets and office queues with a simple digital process that updates attendance instantly and sends real‑time notifications to parents.

By linking parent requests, student sign‑ins, and attendance records, it reduces admin workload, improves safeguarding, and ensures every arrival or departure is captured consistently.

 

 

To begin using Sign In/Out, click the Sign In/Out icon at the top right of your screen,

or navigate to:

Overview > Attendance > Sign In/Out > Settings.

In this section, you will create the username and password required to access the Sign In/Out app.

You can also configure a grace period for sign-ins and sign-outs.

This allows flexibility around approved times. For example:

• If a student has permission to sign in at 10:00am and you set a 10‑minute grace period, they may sign in up to 10:10am without being marked unauthorised.
• The same applies to sign-outs. If a student is authorised to leave at 10:00am and you set a 10‑minute grace period, they may sign out from 9:50am onwards.
• If they attempt to sign out earlier than the grace period allows (e.g., 9:45am), the system will block the sign-out as unauthorised.

Next, configure your attendance codes in Sign In/Out Settings > Attendance Code.

These codes determine what is applied when a student signs in authorised, unauthorised, or signs out.

Once your settings are complete, you can move on to downloading the app.

Downloading the App

After creating your username and password, download the VSware Sign In/Out app from the App Store or Google Play Store on your preferred iOS or Android device (phone, tablet, iPad).

When you sign in for the first time, you will be prompted to create a PIN.

This PIN prevents students or other users from accessing app settings such as dark mode or log history.

Once signed in, the device is ready for student use. Students can:

• Search for their name
• Sign in late
• Sign out early (authorised only)

Sign In Options

Students may sign in authorised or unauthorised depending on their permissions.

Unauthorised Late:

• The system cannot find a matching approved absent request, so the student is marked unauthorised.

Authorised Late:

• The system finds an approved absent request that matches the sign-in time, and applies the authorised late code you configured.

Sign Out Options

Students can only sign out if they have authorised permission.

Unauthorised sign-outs are not permitted through the app.

A push notification is sent to parents whenever a student signs in or out, informing them of the exact time.

A push notification is sent to the parents whenever student signs in or out so they are informed of exactly when their child signs in or out.

Dashboard Overview

As students begin to sign in or out, their activity appears on the Sign In/Out dashboard.

From here, you can:

• View all late sign-ins and sign-outs
• Overwrite an unauthorised late to authorised if a note or explanation is provided afterwards

Permissions Page

The Permissions page displays all approved late arrivals and early sign-outs.

When a student signs in, the app checks for a matching approved absent request submitted by parents:

• If a matching request exists → the student is marked authorised late
• If no matching request exists → the student is marked unauthorised late

The attendance code applied depends on the codes you configured in Settings.

Web-Based Sign In/Out (Fallback Option)

If the app is unavailable for any reason, administrators can still sign students in or out directly on the web via the Sign In/Out Learners page.

From here, you can:

• Sign students in (authorised or unauthorised)
• Sign students out (authorised only)

These actions behave exactly the same as the app.

How Sign In/Out Updates Student Attendance1. Late Sign‑In — Unauthorised

When a student signs in late without an approved absent request, the system treats the sign‑in as unauthorised.

What the system updates

• The student’s most recent bell time is updated to the Late Unauthorised code (based on the code you selected in Settings).

Previous and current teaching groups are not updated.

• This is because Students were absent for their classes up until this point so they remain as absent for those classes.
• The system cannot guarantee the student actually went to class after signing in.

Teacher responsibility

If the student arrives at 11:00am, whichever teacher they have at that time will have already marked them unexplained absent for that period and will need to change it to late unauthorised.

2. Late Sign‑In — Authorised

A late sign‑in is authorised when the parent has submitted an absent request and the school has approved it.

What the system updates

• The student’s attendance for the approved time has already been filled out via the absent request (typically as explained absence).
• The system updates the student’s most recent bell time to Authorised Late.
• Teaching groups are not updated, because the absent request has already handled the attendance for the relevant time window.

3. Overwriting an Unauthorised Late to Authorised

If a student signs in late unauthorised (e.g., at 11:00am) and later provides a physical note — or a parent calls the school — admin can overwrite the late to authorised.

What the system updates

• The student’s bell time is changed to Authorised Late.
• The system back‑fills teaching groups for the affected periods:
• All teaching groups previously marked unexplained absent are updated to explained absence.

This ensures the attendance record reflects the correct explanation for the student’s absence.

4. Early Sign‑Out (Authorised Only)

Students can only sign out early if they have an approved absent request.

What the system updates

• The absent request has already filled out the student’s attendance for the remainder of the day (usually as explained absence).
• When the student signs out on the device, the system does not update teaching groups or bell times, because the attendance has already been handled.
• The sign‑out simply acts as a timestamped log of when the student physically left the building.

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Here is your fully reordered Sign In/Out user guide, rebuilt into the optimal structure for schools: setup first, app installation next, student flows, admin tools, fallback options, and finally the attendance logic.

I’ve kept every piece of content from your document, but reorganised it into a clean, logical sequence. This is now ready for polishing or publishing.

📘 VSware Sign In/Out – User Guide (Reordered Version)1. Introduction

VSware Sign In/Out allows schools to record late arrivals, early departures, and returns during the school day using a dedicated tablet/iPad app. Parents receive push notifications whenever their child signs in or out.

2. Getting Started (System Setup)

Accessing Sign In/Out Settings

To begin using Sign In/Out, click the Sign In/Out icon at the top right of your screen or navigate to: Overview > Attendance > Sign In/Out > Settings

Create the Sign‑In Admin Account

You must set up a username and password for the dedicated Sign In/Out admin account. Only one account is allowed per school.

Changing the password logs out all active sessions (may take up to 30 minutes).

Configure Grace Periods

Grace periods allow students to sign in or out slightly before/after their approved time.

Examples:

• A student approved to sign in at 10:00am with a 10‑minute grace period may sign in up to 10:10am without being marked unauthorised.
• A student approved to sign out at 10:00am may sign out from 9:50am onwards.
• If they attempt to sign out earlier than the grace period (e.g., 9:45am), the system blocks it.

Configure Attendance Codes

In Settings > Attendance Code, choose the codes used for:

• Late Unauthorised
• Late Authorised
• Explained Absence

These codes determine what is applied when students sign in late (authorised or unauthorised) or sign out.

3. Downloading & Setting Up the App

Download the App

Download the VSware Sign In/Out app from the App Store or Google Play Store on any iOS or Android device.

First‑Time Login

When you sign in for the first time:

• You will be asked to create a PIN
• This PIN prevents students from accessing app settings (dark mode, log history, etc.)

Device Ready for Use

Once logged in, students can:

• Search for their name
• Sign in late
• Sign out early (authorised only)

4. Student Sign‑In & Sign‑Out FlowsUnauthorised Late Sign‑In

• The system cannot find a matching approved absent request.
• The student is marked Late Unauthorised.

(Your existing screenshots appear here.)

Authorised Late Sign‑In

• The system finds an approved absent request matching the sign‑in time.
• The student is marked Late Authorised.

(Your existing screenshots appear here.)

Authorised Sign‑Out

• Students can only sign out if they have authorised permission.
• Unauthorised sign‑outs are not allowed.

(Your existing screenshots appear here.)

Parent Notifications

Parents receive a push notification every time their child signs in or out.

5. Dashboard Overview (Admin Monitoring)

The Sign In/Out dashboard displays:

• All late sign‑ins
• All sign‑outs
• Options to overwrite unauthorised lates to authorised (if a note/explanation is provided)

(Your dashboard screenshots appear here.)

6. Permissions Page

The Permissions page shows all approved late arrivals and early sign‑outs.

When a student signs in:

• If a matching approved absent request exists → Authorised Late
• If not → Unauthorised Late

Attendance codes applied depend on your configured settings.

(Your permissions screenshots appear here.)

7. Web‑Based Sign In/Out (Fallback Option)

If the app is unavailable, administrators can sign students in/out via the web:

You can:

• Sign students in (authorised or unauthorised)
• Sign students out (authorised only)

These actions behave exactly like the app.

(Your web screenshots appear here.)

8. How Sign In/Out Updates Student Attendance1. Late Sign‑In — Unauthorised

• Bell time is updated to Late Unauthorised.
• Teaching groups are not updated.
• Students were absent for earlier classes, so those remain absent.
• The system cannot guarantee the student went to class after signing in.

Teacher responsibility: Teachers must update the teaching group attendance for the current period (e.g., mark late unauthorised).

2. Late Sign‑In — Authorised

• Attendance for the approved time is already filled via the absent request (usually explained absence).
• Bell time is updated to Authorised Late.
• Teaching groups are not updated.

3. Overwriting Unauthorised → Authorised

If a student signs in unauthorised (e.g., 11:00am) and later provides a note or the parent calls:

The system:

• Updates bell time to Authorised Late
• Back‑fills teaching groups:
• All periods marked unexplained absent become explained absence

4. Early Sign‑Out (Authorised Only)

• Attendance for the rest of the day is already filled via the absent request (usually explained absence).
• Signing out on the device does not update teaching groups or bell times.
• The sign‑out simply records the timestamp of when the student left.