Canteen Manager Guide

Canteen stock, purchases, issues and budget.

Other guides: Administrator Headteacher Assistant Headteacher Local Manager Teacher Student Parent Accountant Librarian Transport Officer Shopkeeper Inventory Manager Hostel Manager Canteen Manager School Nurse

This guide covers every menu you can see on your own screen, in the order it appears in your sidebar. Each entry explains what the page is for and the exact steps to carry out its actions. For canteen and kitchen staff.

1. Signing in

The sign-in page.
The sign-in page.

Your school gives you a web address, your email or username, and a first-time password. Open the address in any modern browser — Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox — on a phone, tablet or computer.

How to sign in

  • Open your school portal address. If you were given a link, tap it.
  • Type your email address or username in the first box.
  • Type your password in the second box. Passwords are case-sensitive.
  • Tick "Remember me" only on a device nobody else uses.
  • Click Sign In.

If you forget your password

  • Click "Forgot password?" on the sign-in page — if your school has email set up, a reset link is sent to you.
  • Otherwise ask the school office to reset it. They can issue you a new temporary password.
Change your first-time password

The system asks you to set your own password the first time you sign in. Choose something only you know, and never share it — everything you do is recorded against your name.

2. Finding your way around

After signing in you land on your dashboard. Everything else is reached from the sidebar on the left and the bar across the top.

The sidebar

  • The sidebar lists every part of the system you are allowed to use. What you see here is exactly what this guide covers — nothing more, nothing less.
  • Click a heading to open its submenus; click again to close it.
  • On a phone, tap the ☰ menu icon at the top-left to slide the sidebar in and out.

The top bar

  • Academic year and term selector — nearly every page shows data for the year and term chosen here. If figures look wrong or a list looks empty, check this first.
  • Search — jump to any page or person by name.
  • Sun / moon icon — switch between light and dark appearance.
  • Bell icon — your notifications.
  • Your name and photo — profile, and Sign out.
The top bar: year/term, search, appearance, notifications and your profile menu.
The top bar: year/term, search, appearance, notifications and your profile menu.

3. Your profile and password

Your profile page.
Your profile page.

Your profile holds your contact details, your photo and your password.

How to update your details

  • Click your name at the top-right, then Profile.
  • Edit your phone number, address or other details and click Save.
  • Click your photo to upload a new one — a clear head-and-shoulders picture works best.

How to change your password

  • Open your profile and find the Change Password section.
  • Type your current password, then your new password twice.
  • Click Update Password. You stay signed in on this device.
Always sign out on a shared device

On a school, library or family computer, click your name and choose Sign out when you finish. Closing the tab alone does not sign you out.

4. Dashboard

Your home page. It summarises what needs your attention today and links straight to the pages that answer it.

Find it in the sidebar under Main → Dashboard.

4.1 Dashboard

The first page after you sign in. The cards you see depend on your role — the important thing is that each one is a shortcut: click it to open the page behind the number.

Dashboard — Dashboard
Dashboard — Dashboard

How to use it

  • Read the cards along the top for the headline figures for today.
  • Click any card or chart to open the full page it summarises.
  • Use the academic year and term selector in the top bar to see the same dashboard for a different period.
  • Scroll down for your recent activity and anything awaiting your action.

5. AI Assistant

A built-in assistant that answers questions about your own school data and drafts routine text for you.

Find it in the sidebar under Main → AI Assistant.

5.1 AI Assistant

Ask questions in plain language and get answers drawn from your school data, within the limits of what your role is allowed to see. It also drafts routine wording for you to edit — a notice to parents, a report remark, an SMS short enough to send.

AI Assistant — AI Assistant
AI Assistant — AI Assistant

How to use it

  • Open AI Assistant from the sidebar.
  • Type your question or instruction in the box at the bottom and press Enter.
  • Ask follow-up questions in the same conversation — it remembers what you just asked, so "now make it shorter" works.
  • Your past conversations are listed down the side; click one to reopen it.
  • Start a new conversation when you change subject, so earlier context does not colour the answer.
Always check what it gives you

The assistant can be confidently wrong. Treat a figure it quotes as a prompt to open the real page and confirm, and read any text it drafts before you send it.

It answers only from data your role can already open. It is not a way around a permission you do not have.

If it says the assistant is not configured, no AI provider key has been set for your school — an administrator sets that under System Settings. The school can hold keys for several providers, and the system moves to the next one automatically if one is busy or over its daily limit, so the feature keeps working.

6. User Manual

This manual. It is built from your own sidebar, so it documents exactly the menus you can see and nothing you cannot.

Find it in the sidebar under Main → User Manual.

6.1 User Manual

This manual. It is generated from your own sidebar, so every chapter matches a menu you actually have.

User Manual — User Manual
User Manual — User Manual

How to use it

  • Open User Manual from the sidebar.
  • Use the contents list on the left to jump to a chapter.
  • Type in the search box to filter to the chapters that mention a word.
  • Click Print for a paper copy or a PDF.

7. Training

Staff professional development — the programmes on offer, who has attended, and the certificates that follow.

Find it in the sidebar under Team → Training.

7.1 Browse Trainings

Training programmes on offer to staff.

Browse Trainings — Training
Browse Trainings — Training

How to use it

  • Open Training → Browse Trainings.
  • Read what is available and its dates.
  • Enrol on anything open to you.

7.2 My Trainings

Training you have enrolled on or completed, and the certificates earned.

My Trainings — Training
My Trainings — Training

How to use it

  • Open Training → My Trainings.
  • Read your enrolments and their status.
  • Download the certificate for anything completed.

8. Canteen

The canteen as a stock operation — what is bought in, what is issued out, and what it costs against budget.

Find it in the sidebar under Team → Canteen.

8.1 Canteen Dashboard

The canteen at a glance — stock position and the month against budget.

Canteen Dashboard — Canteen
Canteen Dashboard — Canteen

How to use it

  • Open Canteen → Canteen Dashboard.
  • Read the stock and spending figures.

8.2 Items & Stock

What the canteen stocks, and how much of each is on hand.

Items & Stock — Canteen
Items & Stock — Canteen

How to use it

  • Open Canteen → Items & Stock.
  • Add each item with its unit and reorder level.
  • Current quantities update as purchases and issues are recorded.
  • Items at or below their reorder level are flagged.

8.3 Purchases

Stock bought in.

Purchases — Canteen
Purchases — Canteen

How to use it

  • Open Canteen → Purchases.
  • Click New Purchase, choose the supplier and add each item with quantity and cost.
  • Save. Stock levels rise and the cost is recorded against the budget.

8.4 Issues

Stock issued out to the kitchen.

Issues — Canteen
Issues — Canteen

How to use it

  • Open Canteen → Issues.
  • Record each issue with the item, quantity and date.
  • Save. Stock levels fall accordingly.

8.5 Budget Forecast

Projected consumption and spend from the pattern so far.

Budget Forecast — Canteen
Budget Forecast — Canteen

How to use it

  • Open Canteen → Budget Forecast.
  • Choose the period.
  • Read the projection against the budget.

9. Getting help

If a page does not behave as this guide describes, or you believe you are missing a menu you should have, contact your school office first — most access questions are settled by an administrator adjusting your role.

  • A menu is missing — your role does not include it. Ask an administrator.
  • A list is empty — check the academic year and term in the top bar before anything else.
  • A page refuses to load — sign out, sign back in, and try once more before reporting it.
Need more help? Contact the school office, or visit www.henapp.org.
Henapp Educare Demo School