Create a user

Create a user

Add a single new person to the current school. Once created, the user is available to add to groups and will be included in the next sync to connected platforms (Google Workspace, Entra, Active Directory).

Before you start

• You must be an admin for the school you want to add the user to.
• Make sure you are working in the correct school — check the school name shown in the top-left switcher.
• If you need to add many users at once, see Import users in bulk instead.

Steps

Step 1 — Open the Users page {#step-1}

Select Users in the left sidebar.

The Users list for the current school opens.

Step 2 — Start a new user {#step-2}

Select Add user in the top-right corner of the page.

The "Add user" form opens.

Step 3 — Choose a role {#step-3}

Select the Role from the dropdown:

• Admin — full system access
• Mentor — teacher / support staff
• Learner — pupil / student
• Observer — limited, read-only-style access for someone who needs to look people up but never manage them
• Governor — member of the governing body
• Ofsted — inspector access, typically used during an inspection

See User roles explained if you are unsure.

Step 4 — Enter the user's name {#step-4}

• Title — optional (e.g. Mr, Mrs, Dr)
• First name — required
• Surname — required

Step 5 — Set the username {#step-5}

Enter a Username. The username:

• Must be unique within this school
• Cannot contain spaces
• Forms the basis of the person's Google Workspace or Entra email address

If your school uses Google Workspace, the email will be [email protected].

Step 6 — Set status and optional fields {#step-6}

• Status — leave as Active for a normal account. See User statuses for other options.
• MIS / school ID — optional external identifier from your management information system.
• Protected — tick this to exclude the user from automated sync deletions (prevents Smartsync from removing the account if they are absent from MIS data).

Step 7 — Create the user {#step-7}

Select Create user.

Result

The new user appears in the Users list for the current school. They will be provisioned to connected platforms (Google Workspace, Entra, etc.) at the next sync, or you can trigger a sync immediately from the Sync status page.

Troubleshooting

• "I can't see the Add user button" — you may not have admin access to this school, or you may be in MAT overview mode. Switch to the specific school first using the school switcher in the top-left.
• "Username already exists" — usernames must be unique within a school. Try a different format (e.g. jsmith2 instead of jsmith).
• "I need to add many users" — use Import users to upload a CSV file.

Related

• Edit a user
• Add a user to a group
• Import users in bulk
• User roles explained
• User statuses