Guide · Google Drive
Import your schemes from Google Drive
Point Smart Planner at the folder where you already keep lesson materials. It builds the scheme, and every lesson gets a link to the real file.
Read the guideFor Heads of Department
How Smart Planner actually works.
Short guides for the jobs you do once a year — and the ones you do every week. Walkthrough videos will sit with each guide as we publish them.
Guide · Microsoft
Import from Microsoft / SharePoint
Same idea, pointed at Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Browse to your department folder in the app, and every lesson gets a link to the real file.
Read the guideGuide · Cover
Cover for absent staff
Flag lessons for cover, assign supply staff, and hand each of them a code — they sign in to see their day, with a link to every lesson's materials.
Read the guideImporting your schemes
From Google Drive
Point Smart Planner at the folder where you already keep your lesson materials, and it builds your scheme of work — with a link on every lesson that opens the real file in one click.
Walkthrough video
The screen recording for this guide is coming next. The written steps below are complete on their own.
Smart Planner reads file and folder names, and stores a link — never the files themselves. Every link opens in your own Google Drive, signed in as you. If you can’t normally open a file, this doesn’t change that. Nothing is uploaded to us.
Before you start
- Have your department’s folder in Google Drive organised the way you teach — one folder per topic, with each topic’s files inside it. It doesn’t have to be perfect; you’ll review everything before anything is saved.
- Be signed in to your school Google account in the same browser.
- In Smart Planner, open Setup → your department’s Schemes step. You’ll see Import from a folder.
How folders become a scheme
Each folder inside the one you pick becomes a topic. The files inside each topic become its lessons. You choose which topics to include and the order you teach them — so a tidy “B1 Cells, B2 Organisation…” structure comes through cleanly, and anything you don’t teach is simply left out.
Six short steps
Nothing is saved to your planner until the very last click on Import.
Start the import and choose Google Drive
On the Schemes step, click Import from a folder, then choose Google Drive.
A folder on this computerReads names only. Gives you topics and lessons.
Google DriveLinks every individual file automatically — a click opens the real file.
Microsoft / SharePointLinks every individual file automatically — see its own guide below.
Grant access in the Google window
A Google window opens asking to view your Drive file names and links. Choose your school account and click Allow.
If your school hasn’t approved Smart Planner yet, you may see an “unverified app” notice first — that’s expected during setup. Your IT team can remove it for everyone; see the last section.
Smart Planner wants to view the names and links of files in your Google Drive. It will not read, download or store the files.
Paste your department folder’s link
Open your department folder in Google Drive in another tab, copy the address from the browser bar, and paste it in. Click Read this folder.
Click your topics in teaching order
Every folder it found appears on the left. Click them in the order you teach them — they move to the right, numbered. Anything you don’t click is left out.
There’s an Auto-order button if your folders are already numbered.
Review, then import
Check the lesson titles it worked out — the original filename is shown beside each one, so any wrong guess is a two-second fix. When it looks right, press Import. This is the only step that saves anything.
Assign the classes, then Save
Back on the Schemes screen, tick the classes that follow this scheme. Then use the Done — back to the planner button at the bottom, which rebuilds the timetable so your lessons and links appear on the right classes.
Ticking the classes isn’t enough on its own — press Done at the bottom so the timetable updates. Otherwise the grid keeps showing the old lessons.
What your teachers see
Every lesson with materials shows a small paperclip on its timetable tile. Clicking it lists the files, each with Open and Download. Open shows it online; Download saves a copy to the computer.
Whose permissions apply
The file opens in the school’s own Drive, under that teacher’s own login. If they can’t normally see it, they still can’t — Smart Planner cannot grant or widen access.
Approving Smart Planner (your IT team, once)
So staff don’t see the “unverified app” notice, your school’s Google Workspace administrator adds Smart Planner to their trusted apps — a two-minute job they do once for the whole school.
Forward this to your IT / Google Workspace admin
- In the Google Admin console: Security → Access and data control → API controls → Add app → OAuth App Name Or Client ID.
- Search this Client ID, select Smart planner web, and mark it Trusted for the scope
drive.metadata.readonly.
56102846507-2c9dtsck7ui077vl6g09ej85opnbom0s.apps.googleusercontent.com
Common questions
Are our files uploaded or copied to Smart Planner?
No. We store the file name and a link. We never store, proxy, cache or transmit the file itself. Clicking a link opens it in your school’s Drive.
What if a teacher can’t open a file?
They get Google’s normal “request access” page. Smart Planner cannot grant, widen or bypass access — it has no mechanism to.
The lesson titles came out slightly wrong.
That’s expected. Real drives contain “Copy of”, “FINAL” and “v2”. The review screen is there so you can fix a title, merge two files into one lesson, or mark something as supporting material before you import.
Can I use a folder in a shared / Team Drive?
Yes. Paste the folder link as usual. Shared drives are included when Smart Planner reads the folder.
Does this work for Microsoft / SharePoint too?
Yes — automatic per-file Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive links are live now, with their own guide below. The steps are the same; only the sign-in and the folders differ.
Importing your schemes
From Microsoft & SharePoint
Point Smart Planner at the folder where you already keep your lesson materials — in SharePoint, Teams or OneDrive — and it builds your scheme of work, with a link on every lesson that opens the real file in one click.
Walkthrough video
The screen recording for this guide is coming next. The written steps below are complete on their own.
Smart Planner reads file and folder names, and stores a link — never the files themselves. Every link opens in your own SharePoint or OneDrive, signed in as you. If you can’t normally open a file, this doesn’t change that. Nothing is uploaded to us.
Before you start
- Have your department’s folder in SharePoint, Teams or OneDrive organised the way you teach — one folder per topic, with each topic’s files inside it. It doesn’t have to be perfect; you’ll review everything before anything is saved.
- Be able to sign in with your school Microsoft account — a work or school account, not a personal Outlook or Hotmail.
- In Smart Planner, open Setup → your department’s Schemes step. You’ll see Import from a folder.
How folders become a scheme
Each folder inside the one you pick becomes a topic. The files inside each topic become its lessons. You choose which topics to include and the order you teach them — so a tidy “B1 Cells, B2 Organisation…” structure comes through cleanly, and anything you don’t teach is simply left out.
Six short steps
Nothing is saved to your planner until the very last click on Import.
Start the import and choose Microsoft / SharePoint
On the Schemes step, click Import from a folder, then choose Microsoft / SharePoint.
A folder on this computerReads names only. Gives you topics and lessons.
Google DriveLinks every individual file automatically.
Microsoft / SharePointLinks every individual file automatically — a click opens the real file.
Sign in with Microsoft
A Microsoft window opens. Choose your work or school account and click Accept. Smart Planner asks only to view your files’ names and links.
If your school hasn’t approved Smart Planner yet, you may see a “needs admin approval” notice — that’s expected during setup. Your IT team clears it for everyone; see the last section.
Browse to your department folder
Click your way to the folder — no copying links. You start at three places: My files (your OneDrive), Shared with me (folders a colleague shared with you), and SharePoint sites (your team site and its libraries).
Open folders until you’re standing in the one that holds a folder per topic, then press Use this folder.
Can’t find it by clicking? There’s a paste-a-link box under the browser for a folder someone sent you.
Click your topics in teaching order
Every folder it found appears on the left. Click them in the order you teach them — they move to the right, numbered. Anything you don’t click is left out.
There’s an Auto-order button if your folders are already numbered.
Review, then import
Check the lesson titles it worked out — the original filename is shown beside each one, so any wrong guess is a two-second fix. When it looks right, press Import. This is the only step that saves anything.
Assign the classes, then Save
Back on the Schemes screen, tick the classes that follow this scheme. Then use the Done — back to the planner button at the bottom, which rebuilds the timetable so your lessons and links appear on the right classes.
Ticking the classes isn’t enough on its own — press Done at the bottom so the timetable updates. Otherwise the grid keeps showing the old lessons.
What your teachers see
Every lesson with materials shows a small paperclip on its timetable tile. Clicking it lists the files, each with Open and Download. Open shows it online; Download saves a copy to the computer.
Whose permissions apply
The file opens in your school’s own SharePoint or OneDrive, under that teacher’s own login. If they can’t normally see it, they still can’t — Smart Planner cannot grant or widen access.
Approving Smart Planner (your IT team, once)
Reading your department’s folders needs a one-time approval for your school. Your Microsoft 365 administrator grants it once, for everyone — staff then never see an approval prompt again.
Forward this to your IT / Microsoft 365 admin. The quickest way: a Global Administrator opens this link while signed in and clicks Accept. It grants the read-only permissions Files.Read.All and Sites.Read.All for the whole school.
https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/adminconsent?client_id=7a91d7c4-8cc9-4496-ac42-d4c19eb6b352
Prefer to do it by hand? In the Microsoft Entra admin center → Enterprise applications, find Smart Planner by this Application ID, open Permissions, and click Grant admin consent:
7a91d7c4-8cc9-4496-ac42-d4c19eb6b352
Common questions
Are our files uploaded or copied to Smart Planner?
No. We store the file name and a link. We never store, proxy, cache or transmit the file itself. Clicking a link opens it in your school’s SharePoint or OneDrive.
What if a teacher can’t open a file?
They get Microsoft’s normal “request access” page. Smart Planner cannot grant, widen or bypass access — it has no mechanism to.
Can I use a folder in a Teams channel or a SharePoint site?
Yes. A Teams channel’s files live in its SharePoint site, so browse to it under SharePoint sites. If a colleague shared the folder with you directly, it’s under Shared with me.
Can I sign in with a personal Microsoft account?
No — this needs a work or school (Microsoft 365) account, the same one you use for Teams and Outlook at school. A personal Outlook or Hotmail can’t reach your school’s files.
Does this work for Google Drive too?
Yes — there’s a separate Google Drive guide above. The steps are the same; only the sign-in and the folders differ.
For office staff & cover managers
Cover for absent staff
Flag the lessons that need covering, hand each supply teacher a code, and they sign in to see their day — the right rooms, the right classes, and a link to every lesson's materials.
Walkthrough video
The screen recording for this guide is coming next. The written steps below are complete on their own.
The short version: a teacher flags a lesson as needing cover → it lands in a Holding list → whoever runs cover assigns it to Cover 1, 2, 3… → each supply teacher gets a code and a printed day, signs in, and sees their lessons with the materials attached.
Before you start
- Cover is part of the whole-school plan. On a single-department plan it shows as locked.
- An admin switches it on once. After that, any teacher can flag their own lessons, and whoever runs cover assigns them.
- One thing to sort with IT so the file links work for supply staff — see Making the materials openable below. It's the one part worth checking first.
Six short steps
Switch cover on (admin, once)
In School settings, tick Cover for absent staff. That reveals the cover options for everyone. Leave it off and nobody sees any of it.
Flag a lesson as needing cover
On the timetable, open the lesson and choose Flag for cover. It gets a small amber H and drops into the cover board's Holding list.
Any teacher can flag their own lessons — they don't pick the cover teacher, they just say "this needs covering".
Open the Cover board and assign
Click Cover board at the top of the planner. Everything flagged for the chosen day sits in Holding (use the day arrows to move between days). Set each lesson's cover teacher with its dropdown — it moves into that Cover column and turns purple (C3) on the timetable.
Set them something different (optional)
Most cover just runs the normal lesson. When you'd rather set cover work, use Set instructions on the card: a title, instructions, and any links. The cover teacher sees that instead of the normal lesson.
Give each cover teacher their code and day
Each Cover slot has a code. Hit Print day for a one-page handout — their lessons in order, rooms, who they're covering, the file names, and the sign-in code with instructions. Hand it over, or just tell them the code.
The supply teacher signs in
They go to smartplanner.school/cover, enter their code, and see their day — each lesson with its class, room, time, who's off, and Open / Download on every attached file. No account needed to sign in. You can preview it with Preview cover sign-in on the board.
Making the materials openable (check this first)
Smart Planner stores a link to each file, never a copy — so a file opens in your school's own Drive or SharePoint and checks the person's permission. A supply teacher with no school account is asked to sign in and won't get through. Pick whichever of these your IT is happy with — Smart Planner's per-slot codes still give each cover teacher their own day either way.
Option 1 (recommended) — share "Anyone with the link → Viewer." The department shares its cover materials (or the folder) that way, and every link opens and downloads for anyone, no sign-in. Simplest and free.
- Google Drive — always works, view and download.
- Microsoft / SharePoint — only if your IT allows anonymous links, which some school tenants switch off. If yours does, use Option 2.
Option 2 (if you can't share openly) — one shared cover account. Your IT creates a single low-privilege account like cover@yourschool that can see the cover materials. This is free and a few minutes' work — school editions of Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 don't charge for extra accounts, and it's the same admin console they use for every new teacher.
- A supply teacher signs into Google or Microsoft as that account once on their device — then every resource opens with no further prompts (not once per file), and their Smart Planner code shows their day.
- One shared account is enough for the whole day — Google and Microsoft allow it on many devices at once, and the per-slot codes keep each teacher on their own lessons.
- Set it up with two-factor off (it only ever sees cover materials, so that's a fair exception) so several cover teachers can use it the same day without chasing sign-in codes.
Common questions
Can a teacher assign the cover teacher themselves?
No — a teacher can only flag their lesson (send it to Holding). Choosing which supply teacher takes it is done on the cover board by whoever runs cover.
What does "Cover 3" mean — is it a person?
It's a slot, not a fixed person. On Monday, Cover 3 might be one supply teacher; on Wednesday, someone else. Each day you give whoever's covering that slot its code.
Does the supply teacher need an account?
Not to sign in — the code is enough. They only need permission to open the files, which is the sharing point above.
Is our timetable exposed by these codes?
A code only ever shows that slot's cover lessons for the day — class names, rooms and links — nothing else. Hand out a fresh set each day and old codes show nothing useful.
Can I set cover work instead of the normal lesson?
Yes — Set instructions on the board card. Add a title, instructions and any links, and the cover teacher sees that instead. Leave it and they get the normal lesson and its materials.
Try it on a sample school first.
The demo is safe to click around. When you’re ready, start 30 days free on your own timetable.