How to set up event bookings in Arbor MIS

Introduction

This guide explains how to use Arbor MIS to set up bookings for school events such as performances, breakfast clubs, wraparound care, and other activities. It also covers booking cut-off times, ticket limits, multiple sessions, booking availability for new intake children, and when to contact Keystone MIS support for more complex setups.

Use Activities or Clubs for event bookings

In Arbor, the Activities or Clubs feature is the usual way to manage event bookings. This is suitable for events where parents need to reserve a place, such as school performances, breakfast clubs, wraparound care, and similar sign-up events.

Use this setup when you need parents to book places in advance and when you want to control how many bookings are available for each session.

Set a booking cut-off time

To stop parents booking after a certain date or time, configure the sign-up cut-off in the relevant Activity or Club setup. This is the recommended approach for wraparound care and other events where you need bookings to close before the session starts.

1. Open the relevant Activity or Club in Arbor.
2. Go to the booking or sign-up settings.
3. Set the cut-off date and time for parent bookings.
4. Save your changes and check the parent booking view to confirm the booking window closes as expected.

Limit the number of tickets or places per booking

If you need to restrict how many places a parent can reserve, set a maximum booking quantity for the activity or session. For example, you may want to allow a maximum of 3 tickets per family for a Year 6 performance.

Where Arbor supports this configuration, set the maximum number of places per booking in the activity setup. If the event requires more complex ticket rules, such as different limits per child or per family across multiple performances, contact Keystone MIS support for advice before publishing the booking.

Manage multiple event dates or sessions

If your event has more than one date or session, such as two performances on different dates, create each date or session as a separate booking option where possible. This makes it easier to control availability, ticket limits, and attendance lists for each performance.

For example, you might set up one activity for the first performance and a second activity for the later performance, then apply the relevant ticket limits to each one.

Control when bookings open

You can control when parents are able to book by setting the booking start date and time in the activity or club setup. This is especially useful when you want bookings to open later for certain groups, such as new Reception children whose places should not be available until year groups roll over in August.

If parents cannot book because their child is not yet available in the system, check whether the year groups have rolled over. In some cases, there may be no workaround until the annual rollover has completed. If you need help planning this, contact Keystone MIS support.

Parents paying with childcare vouchers

Some parents may pay using childcare vouchers and may not need to top up an account balance before booking. If these parents are unable to book future terms, check the activity payment and booking rules to confirm that the booking does not depend on a positive balance.

If the setup still prevents booking, contact Keystone MIS support and explain how childcare vouchers are being used in your school so the configuration can be reviewed.

When to contact Keystone MIS support

Contact Keystone MIS support for event setups that need more detailed configuration, especially where tickets are limited or the booking rules are more complex than a standard club or activity.

Please include the following details when you contact us:

• The event name

• The event dates or session dates

• The number of tickets or places available

• Any booking limits per family, child, or session

• Whether parents are paying by card, childcare vouchers, or booking for free

Summary

Use Arbor's Activities or Clubs feature to manage most event bookings, including cut-off times, booking windows, and basic place limits. For events with multiple dates, limited tickets, or more complex booking rules, Keystone MIS support can help you plan the best setup.

Next steps

If you need help setting up a specific event, gather the event details and contact Keystone MIS support for guidance before opening bookings to parents.