Creating Sessions and Managing Recurrence

Overview

Sessions are the core events your customers book. Oakline offers flexible scheduling options, allowing you to create anything from a one-off workshop to a recurring weekly club or an irregular holiday camp.

Creating a New Session

1. Navigate to Bookings > Sessions in the admin dashboard.
2. Click Create New Session.
3. Enter the basic details:
   • Name: The title of your session (e.g., "Forest Kindergarten").
   • Location: Where the session takes place.
   • Price: The cost per child.
   • Capacity: Maximum number of children allowed.

Recurrence Types

When creating a session, choosing the correct Session Type is crucial for how it appears on the calendar.

1. Single Session

Best for one-off events like a generic open day or a specific workshop.

• How it works: You pick a single start date and time.
• Example: "Halloween Party" on October 31st from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

2. Weekly Recurring

Best for regular term-time clubs that happen on the same days every week.

• How it works: You select a Start Date and End Date for the entire term. Then, select which days of the week it runs (e.g., every Monday and Wednesday).
• Example: "After School Club" running from Sept 1st to Dec 15th, every Mon/Wed/Fri.

3. Specific Days (Custom)

Best for holiday camps, irregular workshops, or events with multiple time slots per day.

• How it works: You are presented with a calendar. You click on specific dates to "activate" them.
• Multiple Time Slots: For each selected day, you can add multiple time slots (e.g., 09:00-12:00 and 13:00-16:00).
• Example: "Easter Holiday Camp" running on April 3rd, 4th, and 7th, with morning and afternoon sessions available on each day.

4. Block Session

Best for camps or courses where attendance is required for the full duration (e.g. a 5-day intensive course).

• How it works: Similar to "Specific Days", you select the dates on the admin calendar. However, for parents, these dates are grouped together.
• Booking: Parents cannot pick and choose individual days. Booking one day adds the entire block to their cart.
• Pricing: The "Base Price" you set is the Total Price for the entire block, not a daily rate.
• Example: "Summer Swim Camp" (Mon-Fri). Parents pay £200 for the full week.

5. Party (Birthday Bookings)

Best for birthday parties, private events, or exclusive bookings where the customer "owns" the slot.

• How it works: Uses Weekly Recurrence logic (you define available days/times like "Saturdays 10:00-12:00").
• Booking Flow: Parents use a special "Plan a Party" page. They pick a date from your available slots.
• Pricing & Composition:
  • Base Price: The cost for the main package (e.g. up to 15 kids).
  • Extra Guests: You can set a "Max Extra Guests" limit and a "Price Per Extra Guest". Parents can add these during booking.
  • Cancellation Policy: Parties often have strict refunds. You can set a specific policy (e.g. "50% refund if cancelled 7 days before").
• Example: "Forest Birthday Party" (Sat/Sun). Base £150 for 15 kids + £10 per extra child.

Managing Capacity & Age groups

• Capacity: This is the maximum number of bookings allowed per occurrence. Once reached, the session will show as "Fully Booked".
• Age Range: Set a minimum and maximum age to guide parents. This is displayed on the public booking page.