Forest School sessions don't happen next to reliable Wi-Fi. Oakline is built around that reality: full offline field capability keeps essential session operations available when mobile signal disappears, and synchronises automatically when you're connected again.
This article explains exactly what that means in practice, in three parts: access, record and sync.
With no signal, staff can:
For a public overview, see Full offline field capability. For the full detail of what's available offline, see Taking registers.
Three kinds of change can be made with no signal and are safely queued for later synchronisation:
Each of these is stored on the device until the connection returns, then sent to Oakline automatically.
Creating a new RBA, editing an existing one, saving a reusable RBA template, and uploading a Learning Journey photo all need connectivity, because those actions happen through the session's administration screens rather than the field register.
Once the device reconnects, Oakline automatically sends the queued changes to the server. Staff can also trigger this manually with the sync control in the offline register. Oakline shows a status message confirming synchronisation has completed and how many changes were sent. If a sync attempt fails, the change stays queued and Oakline will try again rather than discarding it.
Synchronisation is a normal part of how offline-first software works, in Oakline and elsewhere. Needing to synchronise when reconnecting does not mean a workflow was not genuinely usable offline — it means the device kept working locally and caught the server up afterwards.
Before heading into an area without signal, make sure Oakline has had the opportunity to receive the latest session information: while connected, a member of staff opens the session and Oakline stores the register — including everything listed above — on the device. This is a deliberate step so staff always know their information is ready before they lose signal, rather than Oakline silently guessing which sessions to make available.
Nothing changes from the practitioner's point of view for the field operations listed above. The register, its RBA (if attached), attendance controls and the Learning Journey entry screen all keep working from the session information already on the device. Oakline shows a clear offline status message so staff know they're working without a live connection.
Workflows that haven't reached the device, or that always require a live request — signing in for the first time that session, payments, messages, uploading a Learning Journey photo, or creating/editing an RBA — will not work until the connection returns.
A device can't receive information it hasn't yet downloaded, and it can't send information it hasn't yet queued for upload. Giving Oakline a chance to update while connected means the latest booking list, medical and SEND information, and any attached RBA are the versions staff see offline. If a session's details change significantly afterwards (for example, a late cancellation or an updated medical note), staff should reconnect and let Oakline refresh the session before relying on it in the field where practical. This is normal behaviour for any synchronised offline system, not a limitation specific to Oakline.
Oakline shows an on-screen status message when session information is made available for offline use, and the offline register displays messages such as confirmation that attendance was saved on the device and how many changes are still waiting to sync, with a manual sync control available. There is currently no persistent "last synced" timestamp or "ready for offline use" indicator outside of these in-the-moment status messages, so staff should check the status message at that point rather than relying on a separate readiness screen.
The following require an internet connection, regardless of how up to date a session is on the device: