Initial Setup
The Initial Setup Wizard is your first experience as a school administrator on Paideus. It guides you through the basics of your organization — institution type, subjects, students, and teachers — so you can start using the platform.
Completing or skipping the wizard applies to the entire institution, not just your account. If another administrator completes or skips setup, the wizard will not appear again for anyone.
How you reach this page
Initial Setup does not appear in the main navigation menu. You see it automatically when:
- you sign in for the first time as a school administrator, and
- your institution has not yet completed setup.
After completion or skip, you are redirected to the Dashboard and cannot return to the wizard. For pending steps (e.g. adding groups), use the Setup Progress banner on the dashboard.
Overview
The wizard has three stages:
| Stage | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Welcome screen | Choose full setup or skip |
| 4 steps | Organization → Subjects → Fields & Students → Teachers |
| Completion | Summary and next steps |
At the top of each step, a progress line shows Step X of 4 and estimated time (~2–4 minutes per step).
Welcome screen
When you open the wizard, you see two options:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Full setup (Recommended) | Starts the 4 steps; about 10–12 minutes |
| Skip | Marks setup as complete and takes you to the Dashboard |
Full setup is the recommended choice for new institutions. Skip lets you explore the platform immediately; you can add students, teachers, and groups later from the regular menu.
Step 1: Organization
Step title: "Let's start with your organization"
Fill in your institution's basic details:
| Field | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year | Yes | Select the current year (e.g. 2025–2026) |
| Institution Type | Yes | Select one or more types (e.g. tutoring center, language school) |
| Phone | No | Contact details |
| No | ||
| Address | No | |
| Website | No |
The Next button is enabled only when you have selected an academic year and at least one institution type.
At the bottom of the screen, the ← Overview button returns you to the welcome screen without losing data you have already entered.
Step 2: Subjects
Step title: "What you teach here"
In this step you define what you teach and, optionally, how you bill.
Subjects you teach
- Browse the template library and select subjects that match your institution.
- Click Copy Selected to add them to your organization.
You must copy at least one subject before proceeding.
Tuition plans (optional)
If you enable Enable financial tracking, you can:
- create tuition plans with a name, monthly amount, and linked subjects,
- use presets (e.g. by grade) that pre-select subjects automatically,
- click Skip billing if you do not want billing now.
Each plan must include at least one subject you have already copied. Confirm Linked subjects before adding.
Step 3: Fields & Students
Step title: "Fields & students"
This step combines custom field setup and adding students.
Import template (checklist)
At the top of the step, a panel "What your file can include" appears:
Capability columns (checked by default):
| Column | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Family | Groups siblings into the same family |
| Parent details | Shared parent email → automatic family suggestions (includes parent first/last name) |
| Date of birth | Date of birth column |
| Phone | Phone column |
Suggested fields: select student custom fields to include in the template. If a field does not exist yet, it is created automatically on download. Existing fields appear locked with Already exists as field.
Click Download template (Excel) for a student_import_template.xlsx file with your selected columns and 3 example rows:
- Maria Papadopoulou — older sibling with student email, shared family and parent
- Nikos Papadopoulos — younger sibling without email (records-only entry)
- Eleni Ioannou — adult student with no parent details
Already have a spreadsheet? Upload it as-is — extra columns become fields and existing students are enriched, not duplicated.
Adding students
Below the template panel, choose how to add students:
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Import from file | CSV / Excel — ideal for many students |
| Manually | Add one at a time via form (with custom fields). The parent email cannot be the same as the student's email. |
You must register at least one student before proceeding.
Tuition plan assignment
After students are added and if you created plans in the previous step, a Tuition Plan Assignment section appears:
- select students,
- select a plan,
- optionally set a custom amount and start date,
- click Assign.
You see Assigned and Without plan counters.
You can link parents later from each student's profile. For students under 14, linking a parent is required.
Step 4: Teachers
Step title: "Your team"
Add your teachers — they will receive an invite email to join the system.
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Import from file | CSV / Excel |
| Quick Add | First name, last name, email — one at a time |
This step is optional. You can click Skip at the bottom of the screen and proceed to completion without adding teachers.
You can return to previous steps by clicking the circles with ✓ in the progress bar (Organization, Subjects, Fields & Students).
Navigation in the wizard
At the bottom of each step there is an action bar:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| ← Overview (step 1 only) | Return to the welcome screen |
| Previous | Go to the previous step |
| Skip (step 4 only) | Skip adding teachers |
| Next | Save and go to the next step |
| Finish (last step) | Go to the completion screen |
Next is disabled when required fields for the current step are not filled.
Completion
When you finish all 4 steps (or skip teachers), the "All set!" screen appears with a summary:
| Item | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Subjects | How many subjects you copied |
| Tuition plans | How many plans you created |
| Students | Total and how many have a plan |
| Teachers | How many teachers were added |
Additionally:
- First charges: notice that first charges will be created on the 1st of the next month (if you enabled financial tracking).
- myDATA: warning to configure myDATA if you issue receipts in Greece.
Next steps
From the completion screen you can:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| View your students' financials | Go to Financials |
| Create your first class sections | Go to Groups |
| Start guided tour | Guided tour of the dashboard |
| Go to Dashboard | Go to the Dashboard |
Groups are not created inside the setup wizard. After completion, create groups from the completion screen, from the dashboard (Create → New group), or from the Groups menu.
Relationship to the Dashboard
After completing or skipping the wizard, the Dashboard continues to help you:
| Dashboard element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Setup Progress | Reminder of pending steps with links to Settings, Teachers, Students, Groups |
The banner hides when all steps are complete or when the institution setup is officially complete. You can dismiss it manually — dismissal is saved in your browser.
For details about the dashboard, see Dashboard.