Core concepts
MarkBook has a small number of ideas. Once you know how they connect, every screen makes sense. This page explains each one in the order you meet them when you set up a school.
How it fits together
School year
└─ Terms (with dates)
└─ Checkpoints (with a due date) ← where marks are entered
Subjects ─┐
Scales ───┼─► Markbook template ─► one markbook per class + subject
Columns ──┘ (the grid teachers type into)You describe your school once: the year, the subjects, the scales and the columns. You gather them into a markbook template. MarkBook then makes one markbook (one grid) for each class and subject.
School year, terms and checkpoints
- School year (also called an academic year). For example "2026 – 2027". Everything belongs to a year.
- Term (also called a school interval). A stretch of the year with a start and end date, such as "Term 1". A term carries dates only.
- Checkpoint (also called a reporting period). A point inside a term with a due date, such as "Term 1A", due 24 October. Marks are entered against checkpoints.
A term with no checkpoints inside it counts as its own checkpoint. In the lists on screen, terms are marked derived and are not edited on the same page as checkpoints. See Academic Years and Terms & Checkpoints.
Subjects
A subject is something you mark: Mathematics, English, or an "area of learning" in Early Years. It has a name, a short label of up to five characters (for example MATH), a colour and optionally a category. See Subjects.
Columns (value types)
A column is a kind of thing you record in the grid. The set of kinds is the column library. Examples:
| Column | Short label | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| Target Grade | TG | A grade set once for the year. |
| Current Grade | CG | A grade given in each checkpoint. |
| Report Grade | RG | The grade that goes on the report. |
| Effort Grade | Eff | A judgement such as Excellent / Good / Satisfactory / Poor. |
| VA Grade | VA | Calculated: Report Grade minus Target Grade. |
| Teacher Comment | TC | Free text. |
| End of Year Grade | EoY | A grade shown only in the last checkpoint. |
The library calls a column kind a value type. See Column Library (Value Types).
Scales
A scale says what values a column may hold.
- Attainment scale. Turns a mark into a grade. Each band has a range, a label and a points value. Example: 80–89 is A, worth 7 points. Used for grades and exam results. See Attainment Scales.
- Judgement scale. A fixed list of choices with no mark ranges: Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, Poor. Used for effort, progress, attitude to learning and behaviour. See Judgement Scales.
- Scale conversion. A map from one attainment scale to another, so a mark can also read as a national grade. See Scale Conversions.
Markbook template and markbook
A markbook template is the blueprint. It names a school year, the subjects, which columns appear, the classes it covers and the checkpoints it uses. See Markbook Templates.
A markbook is one grid made from the template: one class, one subject, one year. Teachers open markbooks from Grades. MarkBook creates a markbook the first time a teacher opens a class and subject that the template covers.
Marks, history and locking
A mark is the value in one cell: one student, one column, one checkpoint. Every change is kept in the cell's history. A checkpoint can be locked so that no mark in it can change. See Locking a Period.
Learning outcomes
A learning outcome is a statement a child is judged against, such as "Recognises numbers to 10". Outcomes are arranged in a tree under your subjects and judged on a judgement scale. The outcomes grid is separate from the marks grid. See Learning Outcomes Overview.
People and roles
Access works in three layers:
- Can you open MarkBook at all?
- Whose markbooks can you see? Your own, plus any you lead as a head of department, year coordinator or senior leader.
- What can you do with them? This depends on your role's permissions.
Managers have everything by default. See Roles & Permissions and Leadership Roles.
Reports
A report template decides what a report card contains. A report is one student's card for a period. Reports move through review, approval and publishing. See Reports Overview.
A worked example
A secondary school sets up for 2026 – 2027:
- Year 2026 – 2027, with Term 1 (September to December) split into Term 1A (due 24 October) and Term 1B (due 19 December).
- Subjects English, Mathematics, Science.
- Columns TG, CG, RG, Eff, VA.
- Template "Year 9 2026 – 2027" with those subjects and columns, covering classes 9A and 9B.
- MarkBook makes six markbooks (two classes × three subjects). A teacher of 9A Mathematics opens Grades, picks 9A and Mathematics, and types into the CG column under Term 1A.