Creating new academic years

There are a number of reasons why you create a new academic year:

• Preparing for the next academic year, as part of the normal annual process.
• Importing the timetable, classes and assessments for the next reporting period for the new year. You can only import them into Synergetic when you have the new reporting period created and set up.
• Charging future students for books or fees before the start of the new year. You can only run charges in Synergetic when you have the new reporting period created and set up.
• Running next year's billing early.
• Allocating students to forms, houses and tutor groups.

It is recommended that you run this process as late as possible in the current academic year, so that you can include:

• any late changes to the status of students
• changes to co-curricular involvements that can occur late in the year.

Note: This section is available as a stand-alone chapter: Next Year Process. It includes all of information from all of the relevant chapters in one place and is sent out to administrators at the end of the year.

Creating a new academic year
To prepare and create a new academic year:

1. Check the status of current students. See Updating the status of current students (Next Year Process).
2. Update the application of any future students who cancel next year's enrolment. See Updating a cancelling future student's application (Next Year Process).
3. Update the application of any future students who defer their enrolment to a later year. See Updating a deferring future student's application (Next Year Process).
4. Transfer future students who are starting at your organisation before the new year to current students. See Transferring future students to current students in the Future students manual.
   
   Note: This creates a term 4 student, instead of a new student as at the start of the next year.
    
5. Check the luYearLevel lookup table to ensure that all the rules are correct. See luYearLevel lookup table (Next Year Process) in the System maintenance manual.
6. Review the File Semester and Next Semester Creation Rules in Student File Semester Maintenance to ensure they are correct. See Maintaining student file semesters.
7. Finalise the current term. See Finalising terms (Next Year Process).
8. Create the next term's or semester's details. In this case, the first term or semester in the next academic year. See Creating next term details.
9. Transfer all confirmed and finalised future students into next year's current student file. See Transferring future students to current students in the Future students manual.
   
   Note: These are all students who are starting at your organisation during the next academic year, based on the date used by the registrars for new students for next year.
    
10. Run the Debtor Bulk Additions program to create debtor records for all the new students and to update the records of existing students. This allows you to bill them for fees and other expenses. See Adding debtors in bulk (Next Year Process) in the Debtors manual.
11. Handle student exceptions that can arise after the new year has been created. See Handling exceptions after the next year has been created (Next Year Process).

Activities that can be performed after the new academic year is created
Once the new academic year is created, you can:

• Transfer current students who have left to past students. See Transferring current students to past students (Next Year Process) in the Current students manual.
• Delete and roll future students who have been transferred, or who were marked for the year just started, but not finalised.
• Add enrolments for the new year at your organisation.
• Prepare year level lists.
• Allocate students to forms, houses and tutor groups. See Class Maintenance - Students tab in the Assessments and reports manual.
• Prepare form lists and/or tutor group lists.
• Update the fee table and concessions and prepare a tuition test run.
• Export student details to the timetable package (if allowed by the timetable package used).
• Import student classes and timetable details from the timetable package back into Synergetic (if allowed by the timetable package used).
• Prepare class lists and timetables for next year (subject to data imported or entered into Synergetic).
• Charge the future students for books before the new year. You can only run charges in Synergetic when you have the new reporting period created and set up. Charge the students. See Entering debtor charges in the Debtors manual.

Before the start of the new academic year
Before or at the start of a new academic year:

1. Set the system default for the year and semester or term using the Set as Current Year and Term field on the Create Next Term Details window. See Creating next term details.
2. Transfer current student year 12 students who are leaving to past students. See Transferring current students to past students (Next Year Process) in the Current students manual.
   
   Note: You usually leave this until January or a little later, because in December you may still need to send mail to year 12 students as current students, not past students.
   
   Note: Do not transfer year 12 students that are repeating the year.