Can he come to Thursday instead?
Your policy says that if a child misses a session and you are told in advance, they can make it up at another session that week or later in the term. Parents like it. The admin, less so.
Parents message to say their child is ill, or has a school trip. Some tell the coach, some tell you, some tell nobody. Then they ask which session they can come to instead. You check which sessions of the right age have a space, reply, and add the child to that coach's list. You try to note the make-up somewhere so you know it has been used. By half term, nobody is sure who is owed what, and a few parents are sure they are owed more than your notes say.
Why make-ups are hard to manage
- Absences are reported in different ways to different people.
- Credits are noted on paper or in a spreadsheet, if at all.
- Finding a spare place means checking every suitable session.
- Adding a make-up child to another coach's list is done by message.
- Expiry and limits, if you have them, are applied inconsistently.
What make-up chaos costs
Disputes about credits are uncomfortable, and they are usually with your most engaged families. Sessions sometimes end up over their limit because make-ups were added without checking. The owner spends time on messages that could be spent on anything else.
Some academies stop offering make-ups because the admin is too much, which parents see as a downgrade.
Make-up credits families manage themselves
- Parents mark an absence in advance through their account, by the cut-off you set, and the coach's register updates.
- A make-up credit is issued according to your rules: which absences count, how many per term, and when credits expire.
- Parents see their credits and a list of suitable sessions with spare places, matched to their child's age or level.
- They book a make-up with one tap, and the child appears on that session's register marked as a make-up.
- Session limits are respected, so make-ups only fill genuine spare places, including those freed by other absences.
- You see credits issued, used and expired, and can add a credit by hand for special cases.
| Rule you set | Example | Applied how |
|---|---|---|
| Notice needed | By a cut-off before the session | Absences marked late get no credit |
| Limit | A number per term | Extra absences get no credit |
| Expiry | End of term | Credits expire automatically |
| Eligible sessions | Same age group or level | Only suitable sessions shown |
A term without make-up disputes
A parent marks their son absent for next Tuesday because of a school trip. The coach's register updates, and a credit appears in the family account. On Wednesday the parent books him into Thursday's session at another venue, where two children are marked absent. He appears on Thursday's register as a make-up.
Coaches see make-up children marked on their register, with the child's usual group, so they know the child may be working on something slightly different and can pitch activities accordingly. If a make-up session is full by the time a parent tries to book, they simply see the next suitable option instead of messaging you to ask.
Holiday weeks and camps can be excluded from make-ups, or included at a different rate, depending on how you want to run them. The rules sit in one place, so whoever answers a parent's question gives the same answer.
At the end of term, credits not used expire as your policy says, and parents were reminded a fortnight before. Nobody argues about what they are owed, because both sides see the same record.
Is make-up admin a burden?
- Parents report absences to different people in different ways.
- Make-up credits are tracked on paper or not at all.
- You find spare places for make-ups by hand.
- Sessions go over their limit because of make-ups.
- Parents disagree with you about credits owed.