This recorded webinar shows how to help parents with common issues: accessing the system, using the parent account, recommendation requests, payments and re-enrolment. Watch the video below, then use the FAQs for answers to questions raised during the session.
- OpenApply
- Troubleshooting
- All users
Webinar: troubleshooting parent issues
For school staff who support parents using OpenApply.
Looking for the latest sessions? Newer recorded webinars are in the Faria on-demand webinars hub. The recording on this page is older and some screens have changed.
Video
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FAQs from the presentation
Where can I access the OpenApply demo site?
Go to https://demo.openapply.com. You can test the parent view by switching between admin and parent views with Browse Roles & Links at the top right. You can also try anything you do not want to change on your own site first, as the demo site resets every hour.
How do I process students who are re-applying?
See Applicants Re-Applying for a Different Academic Year. This also covers a student who enrolled last year, left this year and now wants to re-apply for this year, as their first enrolment relates to last year and the new one to this year.
Cases where a student applies twice within the same year are more complex. Submit a request telling us which student it is and the situation, and we will advise on the best solution.
If I unlock a student profile so parents can update details, will I know when it is updated? Do I need to lock it again?
If you unlocked the profile and changed it to Pending so the family can re-apply, you are notified when they submit the application as normal, because the status changes to Applied again.
You can also filter for Unlocked on the Enquiries, Applicants or Students roster and lock or unlock profiles in bulk from there. See Save Filter Settings.
Is there a record of declined students who re-apply for another year?
For one applicant, check the applicant history at the bottom of the right panel on their profile. A previous decline shows in their status history.
To check in bulk, export your applicants and include the Declined Date field, found under Extra Fields on the export page. A Declined Date means the applicant was declined before. See Filtering and Exporting Re-enrolled Students.
What does the key icon mean, and how do I merge duplicate parents if only one has it?
The key icon means the parent has an account and can sign in to OpenApply. See Activating Parent Accounts.
If only one of the duplicate parents has a key icon, you may want to merge the one without the key icon, so you keep the parent with the active account. See Merging Applicants.
What if a parent does not want their current school to know about the application?
Sending a recommendation request to the current teacher tells them the student is applying to your school, so decide whether you need the recommendation in this case.
Can I create a test parent account without affecting Pending and Enrolled totals in analytics?
You can create a test parent account and archive the applicant to hide them from the rosters, but they are still counted in analytics. See Managing or Bulk Archiving Old Enquiries and Applications. For testing, the demo site is a better option, as you can switch between parent and admin views.
Are there standard forms for parents to update contact information each year?
Many schools update contact information at re-enrolment. The default re-enrolment form includes fields for parents to update their contact details.
We can also help you build a supplementary form with fields such as phone numbers, email addresses and home addresses, and add it to all checklists for the Enrolled status. Then send a bulk email asking parents to complete it. See Bulk Messaging Applicants & Families.
You can duplicate the form each year so parents complete a new one annually. See Creating, Cloning & Disabling Forms. For help, submit a request and tell us which fields you want parents to update.
Still need help?
Submit a request