General Administration

 

The Settings area is where you can tailor Perspective to fit the way your school works. From here, you can update terminology, set themes, adjust term dates, and much more.

To get started, click on Settings (the cog icon) in your main Perspective toolbar.

When the page opens, you’ll see several options. Some areas, such as Users, Account Settings, Teams, and Logo, have their own dedicated guides available here.

The remaining options are explained below.

 

Terminology Preferences

Customise the key terms and phrases used across Perspective so they match your school’s language. For example, you may prefer to use Objectives instead of Targets.

  • Update a term by replacing the existing text in the Your Term box.

  • Click Save to confirm your changes.

Perspective will instantly update so your chosen terminology is used consistently throughout the system.

 

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Manage Planning Themes

Themes are flags you can attach to targets and actions to highlight how they contribute to a particular aspect of your improvement strategy.

Why use themes?

  • They allow you to filter planning activity by area.

  • You can quickly see what’s happening across different teams or plans on a shared focus.

To create a theme:

  1. Click Add New Theme.

  2. Enter a name and description.

  3. Click Save.

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Edit Term Dates

Term dates are used in the Performance Management module to schedule observations, CPD, and training.

  • To edit an existing term, click the Edit button next to it.

  • By default, Perspective assumes three terms, but you can add or remove terms if your school uses a different structure.

  • To add a new term, click Add New School Term, complete the fields, then click Add.

Edit CPD Categories

CPD categories let you group different training needs so coordinators can see an overview of staff development requirements.

  • Perspective comes with default categories, but you can add, rename, or delete them.

  • To add a new category, click Add New CPD Category.

  • To remove an existing one, click Delete.

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Edit Performance Management Guidance

This section contains the Performance Management Guidance that all reviewers see when completing reviews.

  • Perspective includes generic guidance by default.

  • You can customise this to reflect your school’s expectations, for example by including review structures or priority topics.

  • Simply edit the text, then click Save.

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Edit Smart Text Box Entries

Smart Text Box entries are generated automatically when staff save development feedback records with a new focus, topic, lesson, group, or year.

Over time, duplicates can appear (e.g. Shape and space vs. Shape & space). You can:

  • Select an entry and edit it.

  • Select multiple entries and merge them into one.

To merge, choose whether to merge under an existing name or create a new entry. This keeps your system tidy and consistent.

 

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