Smart Groups help schools stay organised and speed up the booking process by allowing you to pre-group casual staff based on your specific needs. Whether you want to organise staff by subject, class, preferred casuals, SSOs, or any other criteria, Smart Groups give you an easy way to define who should be invited first – plus backup options – without needing to filter manually each time.
Each Smart Group includes two key lists:
Preferred List: The casuals you want to invite first.
Backup List: Additional casuals to contact if no one from the preferred list is available.
This allows you to automate the order in which booking requests are sent, ensuring you always have the best chance of filling the role quickly.
What Can Smart Groups Be Used For?
Smart Groups are flexible and can be customised to suit how your school operates. Some common ways schools use Smart Groups include:
Subject-specific lists (e.g., Science teachers, PDHPE, Music teachers)
Classroom-specific lists (e.g., regular relief teachers for Year 3 or Year 5 classes)
SSOs, SLSOs, and teacher aides lists
Vetted or compliance-checked staff lists
Preferred or favourite casuals
How to Create a Smart Group
Navigate to Smart Groups: On the left navigation menu via the desktop version, open the Manage dropdown menu and select Smart Groups.
Create a New Group: Click Create a Smart Group at the top right of your screen.
Enter Group Details: A pop-up will appear. Fill in the details, such as the Group Name, the classroom teacher you would like this Smart Group assigned to (if applicable), and a Description of the Smart Group. Once completed, click Create.
How to Add Casuals to a Smart Group
Once you’ve created your Smart Group, you can easily add casual staff to either the Preferred List or Backup List.
Here’s how to do it:
Go to My List
Select Casual Staff
To bulk add, tick the checkboxes on the left-hand side to select multiple casuals.
To add someone individually, click Add to on the casual's card.
Click ‘Add Selected’
After selecting the casual(s) you'd like to add, click Add Selected.
Choose the Smart Group & List Type
Select the Smart Group you want to add them to.
Choose whether to add them to the Preferred List or Backup List.
Additional Tips:
Casuals can be added to more than one Smart Group.
You can easily see which Smart Groups a casual is part of by viewing their info card in My List.
How to Use Smart Groups When Placing a Booking
When creating a booking request, you’ll see the option to select a Smart Group. Once selected:
The booking request will automatically pre-populate your shortlist with the casuals in the group’s Preferred List – saving you time manually selecting staff.
You can choose to have the request automatically sent to the Backup List if no one from the Preferred List responds within your set timeframe.
You’ll still have full control over how the request is sent:
Choose to send requests all at once or one at a time (with a delay between each).
Use the Delay Send feature to schedule the request for a later time or date if needed.
Create an Emergency List
If your booking goes unfilled by the casuals in your Smart Group, you can choose to send a booking request to an additional back up list which is called the Emergency List. This list includes everyone available on your list or can be refined to a specific group based on subject and year level.
Once enabled, the booking request will be automatically sent up to 30 minutes after the last invitation, including any selected entries from the Backup List. Learn more about using the Emergency List feature.
Need Help?
If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact our support team via Chat in the app or email us at support@classcover.com.au – we're always here to help!