Another Session

Guides · 6 min read

How do you keep track of group lessons and who attended?

Book a group lesson once, then record attendance, notes and payment for each person who came. Each client keeps their own lesson history, so a group of five never turns into one shared record that nobody can untangle later.

Why group lessons get messy to record

A small group lesson is easy to teach and awkward to write down. The diary holds one lesson, but five people came, two paid on the day and one was off sick.

Many coaches end up creating one client called “Saturday group” or the name of the club, and putting every child’s name in the location field. It works for the diary. It stops working the moment a parent asks how many lessons their child has had this term, or who still owes for October.

The common problems are lessons that never appear in each person’s history, attendance that nobody wrote down, notes that mix up five people, and one total charge that has to be split by hand at the end of the month.

Keep the people, not the group, as your clients

Each person in the group should still be their own client, with their own contact details, lesson history and payments. The group is simply a saved list of who usually comes together.

That way a child who moves from the Saturday group to private lessons keeps one continuous record. If a parent pays for two children, each child still has their own lessons, and you can see exactly what each one owes.

If you are still deciding how to run the group itself, our guide on how to run a small group private lesson covers group sizes and mixed levels.

What to record after every group lesson

  • Who attended

    Mark each person as attended or absent. Attendance is the fact parents and clubs ask about most, and it is the hardest to rebuild from memory.

  • One shared note, and a line for anyone who needs it

    Write what the group worked on once. Add a short personal note only for the people where something specific happened, such as a new skill or a worry to follow up.

  • What each person owes

    Record the charge against each person, not the group. Decide upfront whether an absent client is still charged, and apply it the same way every time.

How to set up a group in Another Session

Add each person as a client first. A group is made from clients you already have, so anyone new needs a client record before they can join.

  • Open Clients, then Groups

    Groups sit inside Clients, next to All clients. Tap New group (the plus button on a phone).

  • Name the group and tick its members

    Use a name you will recognise on your schedule, such as Saturday juniors. Tick everyone who usually comes. A group needs at least one member.

  • Add a price per person if there is one

    This is optional. When set, each person in a group lesson is charged this amount. When left blank, each person is charged their usual client rate.

  • Save

    The group page opens, showing its members, the price per person and every lesson booked for the group. Each member’s client page also shows the groups they belong to.

How to book a group lesson

  • Start a new session and choose the group

    Pick the group instead of a single client. Everyone in it is added to the lesson, and the lesson appears once on your schedule and in your calendar feed.

  • Use a different price for one person

    Tap Charge each person differently to set a separate amount, such as a sibling discount.

  • Set the date, time, length and place

    These are shared by everyone in the lesson. Turn on repeating to book the same slot every week or every two weeks.

  • Change who is coming to one lesson

    Open the lesson to add a guest or remove someone who cannot make it. This changes that lesson only, not the saved group.

  • Change the group itself

    When you add or remove members on the group page, you are asked whether to update their places in lessons already booked. The change is saved for every lesson at once, or not at all.

How to log a group lesson afterwards

Open the lesson from Today or your schedule and tap to wrap it up.

  • Mark who came

    Everyone starts as attended. Switch anyone who missed it to absent.

  • Write one note for the group

    Put what the whole group worked on in the shared note. Add a personal note or next focus only for the people who need one.

  • Decide each person’s charge

    Each person gets their own charge. Mark it paid, leave it to pay later, or take one lesson from their package if they have one. Absent people are still charged by default, and you can switch that off for anyone.

Where group lessons show up later

  • Each client’s history

    The lesson appears in every attendee’s record with their attendance, their charge and their personal note.

  • Payments and invoices

    Anything unpaid appears under each person in Payments, labelled with the group name. Invoices list each person’s own charges.

  • Analytics

    Your coaching time counts the group lesson once, not once per person, while earnings include every person’s charge.

  • Client pages and monthly summaries

    These only show each person their own details. The shared group note and other people’s names stay with you.

Frequently asked questions

Should I create one client for the whole group?

It is better not to. Keep each person as their own client and save the group as a list of members, so every person keeps their own lesson history, attendance and payments.

Can someone be in more than one group?

Yes. A client can belong to several groups and still book private lessons. Everything lands in the same client record.

What happens to past lessons if I delete a group or remove a member?

Lessons that already happened stay in each person’s history with their notes and payments. Removing someone only affects lessons still to come, and only if you choose to update booked places.

Do I charge someone who misses a group lesson?

That depends on your terms. Many coaches charge because the place was held. Whatever you choose, tell people when they join and apply it consistently.

Can a club or one parent pay for the whole group?

In Another Session each person has their own charge, so you always know what was owed for each child. There is no single invoice for a club yet, so the club total is the sum of those charges.

Related guides

Run your coaching, calmly

One calm place for clients, sessions, notes and payments. Free for up to three clients, no card needed.

Start free

Free for up to three clients. No card required.