❓ Help & FAQs

This tool automates the process of mapping student enrolments from Sentral to NESA course codes. It:

• Matches students from Sentral with NESA student records
• Automatically maps class codes (like MMA, SPH) to NESA course numbers
• Generates a CSV file ready to upload to Schools Online

You need three files:

• Student Attendance Spreadsheet - exported from Sentral (Profiles → Exports)
• NESA Course Codes - downloaded from Schools Online (Courses Offered at Your School)
• NESA Template - downloaded from Schools Online (Load Student Courses from a file → create entry file)

Yes! This tool runs entirely in your browser. No data is uploaded to any server - everything stays on your computer. The files you upload are processed locally and never leave your machine.

Students are matched based on surname and first name. Automatic matching fails when:

• Names are spelled differently in Sentral vs NESA (e.g., "Jon" vs "John")
• Students use different first names (e.g., nickname vs legal name)
• There are multiple students with the same name
• Student is new and doesn't have a NESA record yet

If a student doesn't appear in the NESA template file, select "-- No NESA match --" in the dropdown. The student will appear in the final output with blank NESA ID fields. You'll need to delete this student's row before uploading to Schools Online.

Yes! Click the "👁️ Hide Matched Students" button to show only students that need manual review. This saves scrolling when you have many students.

The tool extracts the subject code from your class codes by removing numbers (e.g., 11MMA3 → MMA) and matches them to NESA course names.

Currently supported subject codes:

Mathematics (M faculty):

• MMA - Mathematics Advanced
• MMS - Mathematics Standard
• MMX - Mathematics Extension
• MXX - Mathematics Extension 2

English (E faculty):

• EEN - English (Standard/Advanced)
• ENA - English Advanced
• ENS - English Standard
• ENX - English Extension
• EXX - English Extension 2
• ESL - English EAL/D
• EDR / DRA - Drama

Science (S faculty):

• SPH - Physics
• SCH - Chemistry
• SBI - Biology
• SSC - Science
• SEE - Earth and Environmental Science
• SIS - Investigating Science

HSIE (H faculty):

• HBS - Business Studies
• HLS - Legal Studies
• HAH - Ancient History
• HMH - Modern History
• HGE - Geography
• HEC - Economics
• HSC - Society and Culture
• HWS - Work Studies

CAPA (C faculty):

• CVA - Visual Arts
• CMU - Music
• CDA - Dance
• CDR - Drama

TAS (T faculty):

• TDT - Design and Technology
• TFT - Food Technology
• TTI - Industrial Technology (Timber)
• TTD - Textiles and Design
• TSW - Software Design
• TIM / TMM - Industrial Technology (Metal/Multimedia)
• TAG - Agriculture
• TES - Engineering Studies

PDHPE (P faculty):

• PSP - Sport, Lifestyle and Recreation
• PDA - Dance

Languages (L faculty):

• LFB - French Beginners
• LFC - French Continuers
• LSB - Spanish Beginners
• LSC - Spanish Continuers
• LJB - Japanese Beginners
• LJC - Japanese Continuers

Year 10: The tool prefers 200-hour courses (Elective courses)
Year 11: The tool maps to Preliminary courses and avoids Life Skills courses

Always select the correct year level before clicking "Re-run Auto-Mapping"!

Classes that couldn't be automatically mapped will:

• Keep their original code (e.g., ABC stays as ABC)
• Be listed in the warning box at the end

You must manually select the correct NESA course from the dropdown, or enter the course code manually in the text box.

Yes! Check the "Delete" box next to any class you don't want in the output. This is useful for:

• Study periods
• Home room/pastoral care
• Non-academic classes

Yes! If the dropdown doesn't have the course you need, type the NESA course code directly in the text box. This is useful for:

• Board Endorsed Courses
• VET courses
• Unusual electives not in the list

Before uploading to Schools Online:

1. Delete students without NESA IDs (rows with blank NESA Student ID)
2. Delete columns C, D, and E (Surname, Given Names, Student ID from Sentral - these were for your verification only)
3. Check for unmapped classes - look for any class codes that are still showing as MMA, SPH, etc. instead of course numbers
4. Verify it's still a CSV - make sure you didn't accidentally save it as Excel format

These columns contain the student information from Sentral:

• Column C: Surname (Enrolment)
• Column D: Given Names (Enrolment)
• Column E: Student ID (Enrolment)

They're there so you can double-check the matching was correct, especially for students with common surnames. You MUST delete these columns before uploading to Schools Online.

The tool shows you three types of warnings:

• Unmatched Students: Students from Sentral that couldn't be matched to NESA records
• Unmapped Classes: Class codes that couldn't be automatically matched to NESA courses
• Manually Overridden Classes: Classes where you typed in a course code manually (just FYI)

Review these carefully before uploading!

Check these common issues:

• Make sure you're using the correct file format (.xls/.xlsx for Sentral, .csv for NESA)
• Don't modify the files after downloading - use them as-is
• Make sure you selected the correct export settings in Sentral
• Try refreshing the page and starting over

This can happen if:

• The subject code isn't in the tool's database (60+ subjects are included, but we can't cover everything)
• Your school uses a different naming convention
• It's a Board Endorsed Course or VET subject with a unique code

Just manually select the course from the dropdown or type the course code in the text box.

Common reasons:

• Students without NESA IDs are still in the file - delete them!
• Columns C, D, E weren't deleted
• File was saved as .xlsx instead of .csv
• Class codes (like MMA) instead of course numbers (like 15210) are still in the file

Yes! Just click the "Start New Mapping" button at the end, or refresh the page. Your uploaded files aren't saved, so you'll need to upload them again.

I'm a relieving Head Teacher Stage 6 at a public school on the North Shore.

This tool was built to save time on a repetitive administrative process. If you know who I am and it's saved you time, feel free to shout me a coffee sometime ☕

📬 Contact / Feedback