Contacts

Contacts allow you to streamline the management of key stakeholders across your school network. You can add and edit contacts individually or import them in bulk, depending on your workflow.

Note: All users with access to a school can view contacts. To add, edit, or maintain them, you need the Manage Contact permission. Speak to your Observatory Administrators if you require this access.

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Quick Steps

1. Navigate to Schools and select the relevant school.

2. Click Contacts.

3. To add a single contact, click New Contact.

4. To add multiple contacts at once, click Import and follow the instructions on the resulting page.

Need More Detailed Help?

Adding Individual Contacts

Go to the school’s dashboard via Schools, then click the Contacts tab.

Click New Contact.

Fill in the fields:

• • Title: Free-text field for any specific title or role not available in the dropdown.

  • Role: Select one or more predefined roles. This is useful where an individual holds multiple responsibilities within an organisation (for example, someone may be both a Deputy Head and the SENCO). Roles are selected from a pre-determined list, which keeps the data consistent and makes it easier to work with later. If a required role is missing, administrators can add it via Settings > Manage Contacts > Roles. 

  • Email & Phone: Enter contact details.

  • Additional Info: Optional field for extra details, e.g., preferred name, working schedule, or fun facts.

Note: Schools with Perspective cannot see this contact information; it is only visible within Observatory.

Creating Individual Contacts Using Existing School Users

You can also quickly create a contact based on existing users in a Perspective account.

1. Navigate to the school’s dashboard and click Users.

2. Find the relevant user, click the three dots, and select Create Contact.

3. The contact’s forename, surname, and email will be pre-populated. Add any extra details, then click Add Contact.

4. Verify the contact appears in the Contacts tab for that school.

Importing Contacts in Bulk

Observatory allows you to import contacts into the system in bulk, saving you from manually adding each.

1. Go to Settings > Contacts or access via a school dashboard and click Import.

2. Download the CSV template. The file must maintain the following structure:

| First Name | Surname | Role | Title | Email | Phone | Additional Info | URN |

Important:

• Do not alter headers or structure; the import will fail.

• Ensure URNs are numeric and match the DfE’s Get Information About Schools. Incorrect URNs will prevent import. Contact [e-mail] if needed.

• Duplicate entries will create multiple contacts.

3. If the import fails, click See Exactly What Failed & Why. Download the file to review and correct errors, then re-import

Editing Contacts

1. Navigate to the school’s Contacts tab.

2. Use the search bar to locate the contact.

3. Click the pencil icon to edit or the bin icon to delete a contact.

Exporting Contacts

You can export a list of contacts from Observatory at any time. You can export contacts for specific roles and schools or all roles and all schools.

Exporting Contacts

From a School Dashboard

1. Select Export → Contacts in this school.

2. A CSV download will begin, containing all contact details for that school.

From the Settings Area

1. Click Settings (cog icon) > Contacts.

2. Select a Role (optional).

3. Choose All Schools or Specific Schools:

   • All Schools: Observatory will show the total number of contacts. Click Export CSV.

   • Specific Schools: Use the right-hand panel to select schools, then click Export CSV.

Tip: Use Copy Emails to quickly copy the email addresses of selected schools for use elsewhere.