Question 1

Which attendance systems does WithMe work with?

Accepted Answer

Arbor today, with more on the way. You can try WithMe with demo data before you connect anything.

Question 2

Does WithMe change our register?

Accepted Answer

No. WithMe only reads lesson marks and your student list. Your attendance team still records the final mark in Arbor, and WithMe picks up the change at its next read.

Question 3

Who needs to approve WithMe in Arbor?

Accepted Answer

Someone with Arbor administrator access at your school. An administrator in WithMe starts from Integration → Connect Arbor, which opens Arbor so they can approve it. See connecting Arbor.

Question 4

What does WithMe read from Arbor?

Accepted Answer

Each student’s name, preferred name, Arbor ID, year group and form, plus the lesson marks for each check. It doesn’t read photos, contact details, medical, SEN or safeguarding records.

Question 5

How often does WithMe read the register?

Accepted Answer

At each lesson’s check time, then again every few minutes until the lesson ends (every 10 minutes by default). The student list refreshes every night.

Question 6

What happens if Arbor is down?

Accepted Answer

The check shows “We couldn’t reach the register” and tries again a couple of minutes later. Nothing already recorded changes. If it still can’t get through, your administrators get an email.

Question 7

Our codes aren’t just N. Can WithMe follow up others?

Accepted Answer

Yes. An administrator can list every code that means “no reason yet given” in School settings → Codes to follow up.

Question 8

A student’s mark has changed. Why do they still show?

Accepted Answer

WithMe re-reads the register every few minutes. Once it sees the new code, the student shows as Register updated.

Question 9

Where is our data kept?

Accepted Answer

Our database and app servers are in London. Some providers, such as the service that sends our emails, are outside the UK, and UK transfer safeguards apply. The full list is in our privacy notice.

Question 10

Who is the data controller?

Accepted Answer

Your school. It decides how WithMe is used, and we handle its data only on its instructions, as its processor. See our role and your school’s.

Question 11

Do notifications show student names?

Accepted Answer

Never. Pings and emails about a check give only the lesson and a count, such as “Lesson 2 check: 3 students not yet accounted for”. Names appear only after you sign in.

Question 12

Do students or parents have accounts?

Accepted Answer

No. Only school staff use WithMe. Student information comes only from the school’s attendance system.

Question 13

Does WithMe use tracking cookies or sell data?

Accepted Answer

No. There are no analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, and we never sell data or use school data to train AI models.

Question 14

How long is data kept?

Accepted Answer

Lesson checks are kept while your school uses WithMe, so you can look back. Everything about a school is deleted within 90 days of it leaving. The details are in our privacy notice.

Question 15

How do I make a data protection request?

Accepted Answer

For information about you that your school holds in WithMe, contact your school first. For anything else, email privacy@withme.school.

Question 16

What is a passkey?

Accepted Answer

A passkey lets you sign in with your fingerprint, face or device PIN instead of typing a password. It can’t be guessed or phished, and it never leaves your device.

Question 17

How do I add a passkey?

Accepted Answer

On the website, go to Settings → Two-step verification and press Add a passkey, then follow your device’s prompts. Give it a name you’ll recognise, such as “Work laptop”.

Question 18

Can I use a passkey on the app?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Press Sign in with a passkey on the app’s sign-in screen. Passkeys are added on the website.

Question 19

My passkey is on a device I’ve lost. What now?

Accepted Answer

Sign in another way, with your password and authenticator app or a backup code, then remove the lost passkey from Settings. If you can’t sign in at all, ask your school’s WithMe administrator to reset your two-step verification.

Question 20

What’s the difference between a passkey and two-step verification?

Accepted Answer

Two-step verification asks for something extra after your password, from an authenticator app or a passkey. A passkey can also be your whole sign-in on its own. Your school can require two-step verification for administrators or for everyone.

Question 21

I’ve lost my phone and my backup codes.

Accepted Answer

Ask your school’s WithMe administrator to reset your two-step verification. They’ll check it’s really you, and you can then sign in with your password and set it up again.

Question 22

I’ve forgotten my password.

Accepted Answer

Choose Forgot your password? on the sign-in page. The link works for 60 minutes and only once. If you’ve tried too many times, password sign-in pauses for 15 minutes.

Question 23

My invitation link doesn’t work.

Accepted Answer

Invitations last 14 days and work once. Ask your school’s WithMe administrator to send you a new one.

Question 24

Can I sign in with Microsoft or Google?

Accepted Answer

Not at the moment. WithMe uses your work email with a password or a passkey, and you can add two-step verification for extra security.

Question 25

Why am I not getting pings?

Accepted Answer

Check four things: you’re signed in to the WithMe app on your phone, notifications are allowed for WithMe in your phone’s settings, Push notifications is on in WithMe’s settings, and you’re in a staff group that covers the students. Your administrator can check your groups.

Question 26

Why did I get an email instead of a ping?

Accepted Answer

WithMe emails you when push notifications are off or you haven’t signed in on a phone. Sign in on the app and turn on push notifications to get pings instead.

Question 27

Can I hide the details from my lock screen?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Turn off Show details on the lock screen in settings. Pings then just say “There is a new check to look at”. Student names are never shown either way.

Question 28

Why do I get pinged about students I don’t teach?

Accepted Answer

Pings follow staff groups, which cover year groups rather than classes. Ask your administrator if your groups don’t look right.

Question 29

Will I be pinged again during the same lesson?

Accepted Answer

No. You get one ping per lesson check. Students newly marked N later in the lesson are added to the list quietly.

Question 30

I pressed With Me by mistake.

Accepted Answer

Press Undo within 2 minutes. After that, ask an attendance officer, who can reopen or reassign the student.

Question 31

Someone else has already marked a student I have.

Accepted Answer

You’ll see “Already with” and their name. Let an attendance officer know, and they can reassign the student to you.

Question 32

Does With Me last all day?

Accepted Answer

No, just for that lesson. Each check starts afresh, so a student still marked N next lesson appears again.

Question 33

Why is there no check right now?

Accepted Answer

Checks run only during lessons with a check time, on school days that aren’t closed days. Now shows when the next check is.

Question 34

Is there an app?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for iPhone and Android. Everything staff need, including pings and With Me, works in the app. Administration and some security settings are on the website.

Question 35

How do I switch schools in the app?

Accepted Answer

Go to the Settings tab and press Switch on your profile.

Question 36

Can I use a backup code in the app?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. If you need to use a backup code, sign in on the website.

Question 37

Can I belong to more than one school?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Use the same email address for each. You choose a school after signing in, and can switch at any time.

Question 38

How do I set up a new school?

Accepted Answer

Choose Set up your school and confirm your email address. If you already use WithMe, choose Add another school from your account menu.

Question 39

Someone has left. How do I remove them?

Accepted Answer

An administrator can Suspend them from Staff. They’re signed out straight away and stop getting pings.

Question 40

How do I contact support?

Accepted Answer

Sign in and open a support request. We reply by email and on the website, usually within one school day.

Question 41

I can’t sign in. How do I get help?

Accepted Answer

Your school’s WithMe administrator can resend your invitation or reset your two-step verification. If that doesn’t help, or you’re the administrator, email support@withme.school.

Question 42

Should I include student names in a support request?

Accepted Answer

Only if we need them to help. Usually the lesson, the time and what you saw are enough.

Frequently asked questions

Arbor and attendance data

Privacy and data

Signing in, passkeys and two-step

Notifications

Lesson checks and With Me

The mobile app

Accounts and schools

Getting help

Talk to the people who build WithMe