Configuring your public admissions form

Customize the public application page learners and parents will fill in.

8 min readUpdated 29 March 2026By the Lectern team

The admissions module lets prospective learners (or their parents) submit applications through a public-facing form hosted by Lectern. You configure the form once; applications flow into Admin → Admissions for review.

What you’ll set up

The fields and document uploads on the public form
Which staff are notified of new applications
The review and decision workflow
The URL prospective families use

1. Open the admissions settings

In the admin sidebar, click Admin → Admissions, then the Settings tab in the top-right.

2. Configure form fields

Every Lectern admissions form starts with a sensible default (learner name, date of birth, current grade, primary guardian email). Add to or trim from the defaults to match what your school actually needs.

Add a custom field

Click Add field. Pick a type (text, date, dropdown, multi-select, file upload), give it a label, mark it required if it must be filled in.

Reorder fields

Drag fields to set their order. Required fields are validated in DOM order, so put the easy ones first to reduce drop-off.

Add a section break

For long forms, group related fields under a section heading. Click Add section between any two fields.

3. Required documents

Common SA admissions documents: ID copy, proof of address, last term report, immunisation card. Click Documents in the settings, then add each as a required upload. Each upload is capped at 10MB and supports PDF, JPG, PNG.

4. The review workflow

Applications arrive in Admin → Admissions with the status received. Use the dashboard to filter by grade, score, or status. Each application has actions:

shortlist - mark for follow-up
schedule_interview - sends an email with available slots
offer - sends an offer letter; on acceptance the application converts to a learner record
decline - sends a polite decline email; the application is archived

5. Share the public URL

Once configured, your public form lives at https://<your-school>.lectern.school/admissions/apply. Use the QR code under Share for posters, WhatsApp, or open-day printouts.

You can also embed a button on your school website - ask your web team to point a button at that URL.

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