What it does
A session is one booked piece of tutoring: a provider, a student, a date and time, a duration, and a lesson price. Both sides keep their own status, which is what makes AltEd's billing feel fair:
- The provider records what they delivered.
- The family records what was attended, and reports an absence with a reason if it wasn't.
- When the provider marks Delivered and the family marks Attended, AltEd raises the charge automatically at the agreed price — see Payments & credits.
Nobody has to send an invoice, and nobody gets billed for a lesson the other side disputes.
Where to find it
- Navigation: Sessions
- URL:
/dashboard/sessions
Step by step
Schedule a session (providers)
- Make sure the family has connected with you first — you can't schedule for a family you aren't connected to. See Connections.
- Go to Sessions (
/dashboard/sessions). - Select Schedule a session.
- Complete the form:
- Student — "Choose a student". The family is taken from that student's guardian automatically.
- Lesson type — "Choose a lesson price". These come from your price list; set one up first in Pricing & Billing if the list is empty (see The provider's guide).
- Date & time.
- Duration (minutes).
- Select Schedule a session. It appears for both you and the family straight away.
Confirm what happened
Both sides use the same Update status button on the session.
As a provider — Provider status:
- Scheduled — booked, not yet happened.
- Delivered — you taught it.
- Cancelled — it didn't go ahead.
- Missed — the student didn't attend.
As a family — Attendance:
- Attended — your child was there.
- Missed — they weren't. Choose Missed and a Reason for absence box appears: "Let the provider know why the session was missed…". Write a short reason and save; it goes to the provider for review.
Review an absence (providers)
- Open the session and select Update status.
- Under Absence review, read the reason the family gave and Approve or reject the absence.
- Save. Approving records that the absence was accepted; rejecting records that it wasn't.
Your billing settings decide whether absences need this approval at all — see The provider's guide.
What each screen shows
The Sessions screen lists every session you're a party to — for a provider, the ones you teach; for a family, the ones booked for your children; for an admin, all of them — with the student, the provider or family on the other side, the date and time, duration, the lesson price, both status badges, and any charge raised.
Providers see the strapline "Schedule tutoring sessions and confirm what was delivered." and the Schedule a session action. Families see the list and the Update status action.
With nothing booked you'll see the No sessions yet empty state; families are told "Sessions scheduled by your providers will appear here."
Tips and good to know
- A charge only appears when both sides agree. Delivered + Attended is the trigger, in whichever order the two are recorded.
- The charge uses the price on the session's Lesson type at the moment it's raised, including any volume discount the provider has set. Editing a price later doesn't retrospectively change past charges.
- Report absences promptly and give a real reason — it's the record both sides rely on if there's a question later.
- Only the provider can schedule. If you're a family who needs a session moved, ask your provider to update it.
- Sessions are separate from calendar events. A session is the billable record; put the lesson on the Calendar as well if you want it in your week view — see Calendar.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to try | | --- | --- | | No Schedule a session button | Only providers schedule sessions. Families confirm attendance. | | "You're not connected to this family yet" | The family must accept a connection before you can schedule for them — see Connections. | | "Choose a lesson price" is empty | Add a price in Pricing & Billing first — see The provider's guide. | | I marked Attended but no charge appeared | The provider hasn't marked Delivered yet. Both sides are needed. | | "Required" under Reason for absence | Choosing Missed as a family needs a short reason before it will save. | | I can't change the other side's status | By design — a provider sets Provider status, a family sets Attendance. Only an admin can act on both. | | A charge looks wrong | Check the session's lesson type and duration, then speak to your provider. Charges are raised from the agreed price, and the full history is on the Payments screen. |