The school management software features most Indian schools need are admissions, student records, attendance, fee collection, exams and report cards, timetables, communication with parents, and role-based logins. Transport, library and hostel modules matter only if you run those services. This checklist helps a principal or administrator test each feature in a demo and see what is missing before paying.
WebUncles builds its own school management software. The lists below use the facts on our draft product page and mark everything else as a question to ask any vendor.
School management software features by module
Use this table as a demo script. Ask the vendor to run each task with a sample class, not a prepared screen.
| Module | What it should cover | Test it by |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries and online admission | Enquiry log, admission form, document upload, student profile created on admission | Take one enquiry through to an admitted student |
| Student profiles and documents | Profile, parent details, documents, ID cards and admit cards | Print an ID card and an admit card |
| Classes and timetable | Classes, sections, subjects, timetables | Build a timetable for one class and see clashes |
| Attendance | Student and staff attendance | Mark one class, then pull a monthly report |
| Fees | Fee groups, discounts, receipts, dues, online payment | Create a fee group with a discount and print a receipt |
| Exams and results | Exam schedules, marks entry, grades, progress reports, online exams, report cards | Enter marks for one class and print report cards |
| Library | Book issue and return | Issue and return one book |
| Transport | Vehicles, routes, drivers | Assign a student to a route |
| Hostel | Rooms and room types | Allot a room to a student |
| Communication and learning | Notices, two-way chat, homework, syllabus, study material | Post a notice and a homework item, then view it as a parent |
The WebUncles draft page lists more than 40 modules, and modules you do not need can be switched off. A smaller school gains from this: fewer menus mean faster staff training.
Admissions and student records
Admission is where bad data starts. Check that the form can collect what you need, and that a record is created once and reused for fees, attendance and exams. Ask what happens when a student changes section or leaves: is the history kept, and can you print a record for a transfer certificate?
The Ministry of Education’s UDISE+ data capture format for 2022-23 includes student-level fields such as name, gender, date of birth, parent or guardian names, social category, disability type and an Aadhaar field marked as not mandatory (UDISE+ DCF 2022-23). Before you buy, ask whether the software stores these fields and can export them in a form your school can use. Formats change by year, so check the current one.
Fee management: what to test
- Fee groups by class, with discounts for siblings, staff children or scholarship cases.
- Receipts with your school name, in the format your accountant needs.
- A due list by class that you can send to parents.
- Part payments and late payments, and how they are recorded.
- Online payment from the parent or student panel.
Online payment on the WebUncles draft page runs through a supported payment gateway set up with the school’s own account. Ask any vendor whose account receives the money, what the gateway charges and how refunds are handled. Those charges come from the gateway, not the software vendor.
Exams, marks and report cards
Exam work is where staff spend the most hours. Test the whole path: schedule an exam, enter marks, apply grades, generate progress reports, and print report cards from the marks. The draft page says report cards are generated from marks entry, and it lists online exams too.
- Can one teacher enter marks for only their subject?
- Can you change a grading scale for one class without touching others?
- Does the report card format match what your board or management asks for? Ask for a sample on your own format.
- Can a parent see the result in the parent panel?
Panels, roles and languages
A school has many users with different needs. The WebUncles draft page lists separate panels for teachers, students and parents, and eight built-in roles: super admin, admin, accountant, teacher, receptionist, librarian, parent and student. More roles can be created. Check that a teacher sees only their classes and that a parent sees only their own child.
It also lists several languages, and more than one can be active at once. Ask which languages, whether they cover reports and receipts as well as menus, and whether you can add your own labels.
Attendance
Attendance is one feature that deserves its own test. The WebUncles software covers student and staff attendance, but it does not connect to biometric devices. If fingerprint or face devices are a must for your school, say so at the start of any demo and get the vendor’s answer in writing. Our guide to the student attendance management system explains the options without biometrics.
Features to ask about, not assume
These are not stated on the WebUncles draft product page. Ask us and any other vendor in the demo.
| Feature | Why schools ask | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| UDISE+ export | Annual data reporting | Which student and school fields can it export? |
| SMS or WhatsApp messages | Fee reminders and absence alerts | Which channels? Who pays for message credits? |
| Transport GPS tracking | Parents want to see the bus | Is live tracking available, with which device? |
| Payroll | Salary processing for teachers and staff | Is it included, or only staff attendance? |
| Learning management beyond study material | Online classes and assignments | Which tools exist beyond uploaded study material? |
| Mobile app | Parents use phones | Is there an app? The WebUncles Android app for students and parents is an additional charge. |
Buying is a separate decision from features. Our post on how to choose school management software covers the questions to ask in the demo, data protection and contracts.
Which features matter for which school
Not every school needs every module. Use the table to decide what to weigh most. A school that runs buses and a hostel needs a different demo than a day school with one building.
| School type | Weigh these most | Probably skip at first |
|---|---|---|
| Small day school | Admissions, attendance, fees, report cards, parent notices | Hostel, transport, online exams |
| School with buses | Transport routes and drivers, fee heads for transport, parent notices | Hostel |
| School with a hostel | Hostel rooms and room types, fee heads for hostel, student records | Online exams |
| School with several branches | Roles, separate fee structures, reports for each branch, one login policy | Modules a branch does not use |
Multi-branch support is not stated on the WebUncles draft page, and the price depends on the number of branches. If you run more than one campus, ask how branches are set up and reported in the demo.
Reports to ask for
Reports tell you whether the data is useful. Ask the vendor to show these on the sample data, and note how many clicks each one takes.
- Fee due list by class and by student, and a collection report by day.
- Attendance by class and by month, with the students below your limit.
- Marks list and result summary by class and subject.
- Admissions and enquiries in a date range.
- Library issue and return list, if you use the module.
- A list of students by route, if you run transport.
Ask whether reports can be downloaded as a file such as Excel or PDF. The draft page does not state export formats, so treat that as a question.
What to bring to the demo
A demo with your own material shows more than a demo with the vendor’s sample school. Bring your fee structure, a class list with ten sample students, one filled report card and your timetable. Ask the vendor to enter them live. Notice how long it takes, and who has to do it. Then ask for the set-up steps, training sessions and go-live date in writing.
Five-minute feature check for your school
- Mark the modules you need today and the ones you need within two years.
- Mark the modules you will never use and ask the vendor to switch them off.
- List the reports your principal, accountant and class teachers ask for every month.
- Collect one sample of your own fee receipt, report card and ID card.
- Ask the vendor to produce those three samples in the demo.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main features of school management software?
Admissions, student records, attendance, fees, exams and report cards, timetables, notices and homework, plus optional library, transport and hostel modules, with separate logins for staff, parents and students.
Does school software include an online fee payment option?
It can. WebUncles lists online payment from the student and parent panels through a supported payment gateway set up with the school’s own account. Ask about gateway charges.
Does it work with biometric attendance machines?
The WebUncles software does not integrate with biometric hardware. Student and staff attendance can be marked in the software.
Is there a mobile app for parents?
WebUncles offers an Android app for students and parents at an additional charge. Ask about iOS in the demo.
Can I turn off modules I do not use?
Yes, on the WebUncles draft page unneeded modules can be switched off. Confirm in the demo which ones.
How much does school management software cost?
It depends on modules, number of students, branches and customisation. WebUncles gives its price after the demo, as a written quote.
Book a free demo
Bring your own fee structure, report card and timetable. We will show how our school software handles them. Book a free demo.
