Quick start: from buying to your first trial lesson

This is the whole journey on one page. Tick each step off as you go. Each step links to the chapter with the details and pictures.

Features marked (Pro) need a Pro or Agency licence.

Before you install

1. Buy the kit and keep your licence email. It has your licence key and the link to your downloads. See Buying and your licence.
2. Check your hosting and take a backup. You need WordPress 6.8 or later and PHP 8.0 or later. See Before you install.

Install and set up

3. Install the three parts in this order: Gradespace Core, then the Gradespace Tutor plugin, then the Gradespace Tutor theme. See Installing.
4. Add your licence key under Settings → Gradespace licence and click Activate. This switches on updates and, with a Pro licence, the Pro features. See Installing.
5. Run the setup wizard. It asks about your centre, how people contact you, what you teach (subjects, levels and exam boards), up to three tutors, your lessons and prices (a trial, one-to-one lessons, a small group), your opening hours and online booking. It also makes your pages and menu. See The Tutor setup wizard.
6. Choose a design and colours under Site Settings → Design & colours. See Designs, pages and menus.

Fill in what you teach

7. Check your subjects, levels and exam boards under Tutoring → Subjects, Levels and Exam boards. Give each subject a one-line description. See Subjects, levels and lesson types.
8. Check your lesson types under Tutoring → Lesson types: make sure one is a Trial lesson, with a price of 0 if it's free. See Subjects, levels and lesson types.
9. Add or finish each tutor under Tutoring → Tutors: their photo, words, subjects, levels, teaching hours and the Office panel (switch on Offer their free times on the booking page). Record the DBS certificate only after you have seen it. See Tutors.
10. Give each tutor a sign-in with the Tutor role, and choose it under Their sign-in on their profile, so they can keep their profile and hours up to date. See Tutors and Staff and sign-in.

Set how booking works

11. Opening hours and closed days: Tutoring → Settings → Opening hours. See Daily running and settings.
12. Booking rules: Tutoring → Settings → Lessons: notice needed, how far ahead, the gap after lessons, the cancel cut-off, the trial rules and your cancellation policy. Leave Confirm online bookings straight away off if you want to check each request first. See Daily running and settings.
13. Emails: Tutoring → Settings → Email: who gets news of new bookings and enquiries. Send yourself a test email. See Privacy and emails.
14. (Pro) Term dates and the weekly timetable: add your terms and half terms under Tutoring → Settings → Terms, then your regular groups under Tutoring → Weekly timetable. See The weekly timetable and term dates.
15. (Pro) Payments and packages: connect Stripe or WooCommerce under Tutoring → Settings → Payments if you want to sell packages or take payment before lessons. See Lesson packages and payments.

Take your first booking

16. Try it yourself. Open your website signed out (or in a private window), go to Book a lesson, choose the trial lesson, a tutor, a day and a time, and book for yourself. See Online booking: the family's side.
17. Confirm the request. It appears on Tutoring → Today under Lesson requests to confirm. Open it and click Confirm. See Lessons and the timetable.
18. Cancel your test lesson and delete your test student record, so your lists start clean. See Students and parents.

You are ready. From now on, start each day on Tutoring → Today: see Daily running and settings.